Embrace Kids

Wie uns Soziale Medien abhängig machen

January 2019 •German

Israel's Reel Extremism

August 2024 •English

An examination of Israel and its society after many months of war, seen initially through the prism of viral social media posts - and exclusive interviews with the soldiers behind them. These posts, some shared millions of times, show soldiers humiliating bound Palestinians, ransacking their homes, joking as they detonate schools and whole districts, and laughing as they launch high explosive ordnance into densely-packed areas. The award-winning team behind this Basement Films production traveled to Israel to interview some of these soldiers, who proudly defended themselves and their videos, some expressing callous disregard for Palestinians in Gaza. Through additional interviews with Israeli radical groups, politicians, and media figures, the film reveals Israeli Jewish society in the aftermath of October 7th, gripped by a vengeance and hate that puts into question any possibility for peace.

Carnaval

June 2023 •French

Once a year, people from different marginalized communities meet together in the woods to delve into the art of circus and have this discipline become a common way to express themselves, away from the city.

Why Did You Kill Me?

April 2021 •English

The line between justice and revenge blurs when a devastated family uses social media to track down the people who killed 24-year-old Crystal Theobald.

Notre année sur Terre

June 2022 •French

Mystifications

September 2023 •French

The Opener

March 2024 •English

THE OPENER is a feel-good, underdog music doc about a street performer who wrote 30 songs in 30 days to process his grief and isolation during the pandemic, and found that his music spoke to millions. When it reached the ears of one of his heroes, Grammy-winner Jason Mraz, he was invited on his very first tour and given a chance to prove himself on the big stage.

Femmenell (City of Mermaids)

November 2024 •Italian

A journey between the sacred and profane in which the Femminielli, an ancient non-binary Neapolitan figure, fight for their survival against the globalizing tides of modernity.

Siehst du mich

August 2023 •German

Documentary shows what social connections actually are and what role social media plays in this. She portrays four influencers who are all at different points in their social media careers at the beginning of the film: Tasha Kimberly, Emilia Horn and Heiko and Roman Lochmann, formerly of "Die Lochis". They are all driven away from the platforms for different reasons. Using their example, the film explores the clichés of Generation Z and attempts to understand social media as a pop-cultural tool.

The Meaning of Vanlife

April 2019 •English

The Meaning of Vanlife is an adventurous, revealing look into the Vanlife community through the eyes of nomads who have chosen to live a life of freedom on the road. A movement that exemplifies a deeper societal trend towards minimalism and authentic community building.

Nobodies! Heroes!

August 2019 •English

A refreshingly earnest and comedic documentary that tells the story of a family who have dedicated the last 20 years of their lives to sharing their vision of wild creativity through interactive film projects. Disheartened that the transformative power of the camera has been eclipsed by screen scrolling, they embark on a final journey to meet their heroes and bring their own creative visions to life.

Kunst als Waffe - John Heartfield

June 2023 •German

With a pair of scissors and some paper, he turned his art into a weapon the Nazis feared. A look back at the eventful career of satirist John Heartfield (1891-1968), pioneer of photomontage and modern graphic design.

Malcolm Margolin: San Francisco Foundation Community Leadership Awards 2008

Invalid date •English

Malcolm Margolin , Writer, Publisher, and Founder of Heyday Books, winner of the San Francisco Foundation 2008 Community Leadership Awards (the Helen Crocker Russell Award) - for promoting California's diverse cultures for more than 30 years, and for bringing voice, visibility, and value to multicultural, multilingual communities.

The Perfect Selfie

January 2017 •Finnish

Teenager Olivia Oras has 20,000 Instagram followers. The documentary follows a year of her life.

How To Go Viral

January 2019 •English

Richard Clay, art historian and expert on semiotics and iconoclasm and the interplay between new technology and shifts in meaning, compares and contrasts cultural symbols from across the centuries, unpicking iconic images, music, and other cultural outputs to explain where ‘stickiness’ comes from.

The Blind Sea

August 2024 •English

Australian blind surfer Matt Formston’s mettle is pushed to the limits in this thrilling documentary. With only 3% vision, the 4x World Champion attempts his most fearsome and dangerous challenge yet, surfing the monster waves of Nazaré.

Murder on the Social Network

Invalid date •English

Using real cases, this documentary demonstrates the extent to which violent criminals can use social media to locate and manipulate victims.

Fake Famous

February 2021 •English

Explores the meaning of fame and influence in the digital age through an innovative social experiment. Following three Los Angeles-based people with relatively small followings, the film explores the attempts made to turn them into famous influencers by purchasing fake followers and bots to “engage” with their social media accounts.

Who Gets To Be an Influencer?

June 2021 •English

Chronicles the rise of Collab Crib, one of the first mainstream Black creator mansion, exclusively documenting their whirlwind drive to achieve social media stardom in 90 days.

Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation

February 2020 •English

A new, original documentary from Connecticut Public, Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation, takes on this topic, just in time for the 2020 election season. Viewers will learn how and why misinformation spreads, and how to be a smarter information consumer in our increasingly digital world.