Documentary Features

Category

7 TITLES

Already purchased a pass? Login
Availability ended 12/31/2020 PDT

Merely Marvelous: The Dancing Genius of Gwen Verdon

Availability ended PDT
The muse of both Jack Cole and Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon changed the face of Broadway choreography over forty years. Through rare footage of Gwen Verdon performing in iconic stage musicals from Can-Can through Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity and Chicago modern audiences can see Gwen at her best and learn the unexpected and surprising true story behind her success and career. From overcoming debilitating childhood rickets to becoming pregnant out-of-wedlock at sixteen, Gwen’s rise to success is the story of a woman who never gave up, and persevered to become Broadway’s greatest dancer against all the odds. She was a powerhouse of creativity, talent, and determination whose legacy can still be seen in dancers on Broadway today.

Cinematographer

Availability ended PDT
“Cinematographer” explores the life of one of Hollywood’s most prolific artists. It’s a unique, rags to riches story about a man who’s had a life-changing effect on the people around him, both personally and professionally. By sharing stories of his lengthy career, working with filmmakers like Robert Zemekis, John Carpenter, and many more, the film takes a fascinating look at the art of filmmaking in the 1970’s and 80’s The film also focuses on several other award-winning cinematographers and their experiences in the industry, from The Exorcist to Unforgiven. But at the heart of the film is an emotional journey of the road to recovery in an industry that is ripe with dysfunction and addiction. Inspiring, Heartbreaking, and funny, “Cinematographer” shares the story of a truly unique life in Hollywood.

Stro: The Michael D'Asaro Story

Availability ended PDT
Michael D'Asaro taught about life through the medium of fencing
Micheal D'Asaro lived a life completely intertwined with the sport of fencing. It provided an avenue for him to escape the poverty of Brooklyn's Redhook district through a fencing scholarship to NYU. He became one of the dominant fencers of his era after coming under the tutelage of a fierce Hungarian Instructor by the name of Csaba Elthes. He made a name for himself internationally as well, fencing against the greats like Nazlimov and Pawlowsky. But D'Asaro always marched to his own beat which brought him into conflict with the governing body of American Fencers. He left the sport as a competitor when he wouldn't compromise to suit what he consider old fashioned codes of behavior. He returned to the sport as a coach in San Francisco purely by happenstance when he was hired to be the new head coach at the Halberstadt Fencer's Club. The only problem was, he had never been formally taught how to coach fencing. But, he taught himself to coach, quickly excelling to the top ranks of United States coaches. He was hired to coach National and International Teams. He achieved his greatest success at San Jose State where he directed the women's foil team to five straight national championships. His San Jose State students formed the basis for several Olympic Squads in the seventies and eighties He cut his college career as a coach short in the mid 1980s. He was burnt out and tired of the college politics. He moved first to Oregon where he opened his own salle, but that only lasted a short while. Ultimately, he moved to Los Angeles where he continued to teach fencing. He passed away in 2001 from an inoperable brain tumor. D'Asaro left an indelible impression on all the people he met. The lessons he passed on are still used today by his students, in fencing as well as in life.

1st Forgotten Champions

Availability ended PDT
He hitchhiked his way to a Championship
Coach Johnson has been called a “sideline legend.” And some say Jerry Johnson teaches “old school” basketball. Hitchhiking his way to college with dreams of a brighter future, Jerry C. Johnson later became the first African American basketball coach to win a Men Division III NCAA National Basketball Championship in 1975. In fact, Johnson learned the game from John McClendon, who learned it from James Naismith, the inventor of the game. Take the journey with us while we illustrate his life from inception to victory. At 102 years young, his accomplishments and honors are numerous. In his illustrious career, he has to his credit, the 1975 NCAA Division III Championship, five SIAC Championships, five Championship titles in the former Volunteer State Athletic Conference plus many NCAA regional playoffs. Johnson was ranked first among active NCAA Division II coaches with 821 wins in 46 seasons and is one of just six NCAA men’s basketball coaches who have won more than 800 games at the time of his retirement. Through the years, Coach Johnson was named VSAC “Coach of the Year” four consecutive years (1971 through 1974) and SIAC “Coach of the Year” in 1999, 2000 and 2005. He was inducted to the Fayetteville State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and to the SIAC Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2005, upon his retirement, the Memphis City Council named “Jerry C. Johnson” Street, he received the keys to the City of Memphis (February), he received the keys to Lemoyne Owen College (April) and was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the City of Memphis (June). Maybe the most lasting legacy Coach Johnson will leave is the actual men he’s taught and coached. From his teams, there have been eight NBA players, numerous high school or junior high school coaches, college coaches, high school principals, a city councilman, and the first elected African American Mayor of Memphis. Most Americans do not know the first African American male basketball coach to win a Division III NCAA basketball championship. Most of us would ask, what relevance does this have? Understanding how we arrived at our current place is the very thing that makes America great. I think this is as important as possibly nominating our first female president of The United States. Americans have come so far, and it is very important for us to remind each other of how we arrived. These are the reasons why people from all over the world want to move here and start a new life. They know in America, you can be as successful as you desire with effort.

Don't Forget Them

Availability ended PDT
A documentary about a doctor who travels to the refugee camps in Kurdistan.
Dr. Jose travels on a medical mission to a Syrian and Yezidi refugee camp near Duhok, Kurdistan. He explains first hand what he sees in the camps, and we learn about the history of the region. There are several interviews with aid workers from the non-profit organization Love for The Least, as well as with people Dr. Jose meets along the way. While the stories are both heartbreaking and tragic, they help describe what life in the camps is really like. This is a film meant to inspire action and create hope.

All Its Name Implies

Availability ended PDT

Illegal

Availability ended PDT
One man's life or death journey to the American Dream
From Dreamer to living the American dream, “Illegal” is a feature-length documentary about the miraculous journey of one immigrant’s life or death path to U.S. citizenship, the challenges of present-day immigration, and his mission to humanize immigrants and reform immigration for the benefit of all. The film begins as Laz journeys back to his childhood home in El Salvador. He recounts his arduous path north on the Pan American Highway with his father and brother where at any moment they could have been discovered and turned back… or killed. Laz’s life is a story of struggle, determination, and hope for a brighter future for immigrants, the industries that rely upon them, and our entire country.