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- DirectorLes BlankGina LeibrechtStarsDavid Lee HoffmanSong DiefengWerner HerzogDuring the 1990s, David Lee Hoffman searched throughout China for the finest teas. He's a California importer who, as a youth, lived in Asia for years and took tea with the Dali Lama. Hoffman's mission is to find and bring to the U.S. the best hand picked and hand processed tea. This search takes him directly to farms and engages him with Chinese scientists, business people, and government officials: Hoffman wants tea grown organically without a factory, high-yield mentality. By 2004, Hoffman has seen success: there are farmers' collectives selling tea, ways to export "boutique tea" from China, and a growing Chinese appreciation for organic farming's best friend, the earthworm.
- DirectorLes BlankStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleA documentary following German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make his film Fitzcarraldo (1982).
- DirectorSebastian CopelandStarsSebastian CopelandKeith HegerInto The Cold--A Journey of the Soul retraces the personal and harrowing expedition of two men on foot to the North Pole in sub-zero temperatures to commemorate the centennial of Admiral Peary's reach in 1909. It is a journey of endurance and commitment into the depth of the soul against the backdrop of the magnificent, unforgiving and rapidly vanishing Great North.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMichael RuppertA documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
- DirectorBryan StorkelStarsBen CrawfordBrad CurrahDavid DruryHoly Rollers follows the rise of arguably the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America-made up entirely of churchgoing Christians. While they succeed in taking millions from casinos, how will they manage to find a place for faith and God in the arena of high stakes gambling?
- DirectorCevin SolingStarsRandy CassinghamLaurie A. CoutureShows how American public schools have failed in their mission to provide education, erode the country's democratic foundation by denying the most basic civil rights to youth, and often resemble prisons.
- DirectorMadeleine SacklerStarsCory BookerGeoffrey CanadaCandice FryerFour children enter a high-stakes lottery. If they win, they can attend one of the best schools in New York. A look at the crisis in public education, The Lottery makes the case than any child can succeed.
- DirectorLouisa WeiS. Louisa WeiStarsLaw Chung-LongEsther EngGraham HodgesSurprising or not, the first female director of Southern China was a San Francisco native and an open lesbian. Esther Eng, 1914-70, was a true pioneer. She made 11 Cantonese language films: one in Hollywood, five in China, three in California, one in Hawaii and one in New York, all before, during and after WWII. In her 1941 film Golden Gate Girl, she gave Bruce Lee his screen debut with the role of a baby girl. She created at least four restaurants in New York City, including a fine dining Esther Eng Restaurant in uptown with very good ratings and frequented by celebrities like Marlon Brando and Tennessee Williams. Her obituary appears in both New York Times and Variety she died in 1970.
- DirectorCraig TeperStarsBeverly AdamsElgin CharlesGrace CoddingtonVidal Sassoon is more than just a hairdresser-he's a rock star, an artist, a craftsman who "changed the world with a pair of scissors." With the geometric, Bauhaus-inspired hairdos he pioneered in the 1960s and his "wash and wear" philosophy that liberated generations of women from the tyranny of the salon, Sassoon revolutionized the art of hairstyling and left an indelible mark on popular culture. This documentary traces with visual gusto the life of a self-made man whose passion and perseverance took him from a Jewish orphanage in London to the absolute pinnacle of his craft.
- DirectorIvy MeeropolStarsBob ConsidineRobert MeeropolMorton SobellA filmmaker explores the lives and deaths of her grandparents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed as spies in 1953.
- DirectorLance BangsSpike JonzeStarsLance BangsLynn CaponeraJames GandolfiniA loving look at one of the most cherished and controversial figures in children's literature, Maurice Sendak. In this deeply moving tribute, spend time with the man who spoke to children through his stories and illustrations in a way no one else could.
- DirectorPeter AskinStarsDalton TrumboJoan AllenBrian DennehyThrough a focus on the life of Dalton Trumbo (1905-1976), this film examines the effects on individuals and families of a congressional pursuit of Hollywood Communists after World War II. Trumbo was one of several writers, directors, and actors who invoked the First Amendment in refusing to answer questions under oath. They were blacklisted and imprisoned. We follow Trumbo to prison, to exile in Mexico with his family, to poverty, to the public shunning of his children, to his writing under others' names, and to an eventual but incomplete vindication. Actors read his letters; his children and friends remember and comment. Archive photos, newsreels and interviews add texture.
- DirectorGabrielle ProvaasRob SchröderStarsLouise FokkensMartine FokkensA documentary on Louise and Martine Fokkens, 69-year-old twin sisters who have worked as prostitutes in the red-light district in Amsterdam for over 40 years.
- DirectorCrayton RobeyStarsEdward AlbeeJoe AllenMatt BaneyOn the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Gay Rights Movement, the film explores the drama, struggle and enduring legacy of the first-ever gay play and subsequent Hollywood movie to successfully reach a mainstream audience. Beloved by some for breaking new ground, and condemned by others for reinforcing gay stereotypes, The Boys in the Band sparked heated controversy that still exists four decades later.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsPhyllis AntonellisGeorge BancroftRichard BarriosThe story of Vito Russo, founding father of the gay liberation movement, author of "The Celluloid Closet," and vociferous AIDS activist in the 1980s.
- DirectorTreva WurmfeldStarsSam ShepardJohnny DarkO-Lan JonesShepard & Dark is the remarkable story of a friendship in letters.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAyrton SennaReginaldo LemeJohn BisignanoA documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
- StarsMark CousinsJuan Diego BottoAleksandr SokurovA comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
- DirectorJames TobackStarsJames TobackAlec BaldwinJessica ChastainAn exploration of several interconnected subjects: The Cannes Film Festival, cinema art, money, glamor and death.
- DirectorMichael W. DeanKenneth ShiffrinStarsHubert Selby Jr.Susan AntonDarren AronofskyAn exploration into the life and art of the renowned author of "Last Exit To Brooklyn" and "Requiem For A Dream." Hubert Selby Jr., a self-described "scream looking for a mouth," against all odds, reached international acclaim with his controversial novels. His is a classic story of the great American novelist, overcoming tuberculosis, drug addiction and financial ruin, Selby eventually triumphed in his life and penned seven of the most remarkable and distinctly American books ever written.
- DirectorShane SalernoStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanEdward NortonJudd ApatowAn unprecedented look inside the private world of J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye.
- DirectorShane MeadowsStarsShane MeadowsIan BrownJohn SquireShane Meadows documents the reunion of iconic British band, The Stone Roses.
- DirectorClaude LanzmannStarsSimon SrebnikMichael PodchlebnikMotke ZaïdlClaude Lanzmann's epic documentary recounts the story of the Holocaust through interviews with witnesses - perpetrators as well as survivors.
- DirectorMaiken BairdMichelle MajorStarsRaul ArevaloArthur AsheVictoria AzarenkaEver since Venus and Serena Williams started playing in tennis tournaments, they've provoked strong reactions - from awe and admiration to suspicion and resentment. They've been winning championships for over a decade, pushing the limits of longevity in such a demanding sport. How long can they last? In Venus & Serena, we gain unprecedented access into their lives during the most intimidating year of their career. Over the course of 2011, Venus grappled with an energy-sapping autoimmune disease while Serena battled back from a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Neither Venus nor Serena let their adversities hold them back. They drew their greatest strength from each other.
- DirectorJoshua WaletzkyStarsKaren SundeUsing historical footage, still photographs, and live interviews, the filmmaker tells the story of Jewish life in Poland between the two World Wars. Includes scenes of urban and rural life, and covers the rise and flourishing of the many religious and secular economic, political, and social movements which characterized Jewish society at this time. Film is a broad survey rather than focusing on any particular sub-topic. Notable in that it deals with the vibrancy of the life of this population of 3.5 million, and not with the tragedy of its subsequent destruction.