The Curse and the Jubilee

Stranger with a Camera

2000 · ★ 7

In 1967 Canadian filmmaker Hugh O'Connor came with a crew to eastern Kentucky to make a film showing people from all walks of life in the United States. They finished the day by filming coal miners and their families in rental houses. As the filmmakers were leaving, Hobart Ison, the owner of the property, drove up and fired three shots, killing Hugh O'Connor. Elizabeth Barrett, from Kentucky herself, explores why this happened by trying to understand the people and culture of eastern Kentucky.

A Ribbon In The Sky

A documentary covering the planning, construction, and legacy of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Top Rider

2024

An in-depth look into the isolated sport of Motocross in the much more isolated island of Bermuda.

Pickin & Screamin

2015

When people think of Appalachian music they often think of the banjo and classify it as bluegrass, but the music in the region is more diverse than that. This film focuses on the different styles, from old-time to punk music, that is played and often overlooked here in the mountains.

Spellbound

2002 · ★ 7.4

This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.

Vernon, Florida

1981 · ★ 6.8

Early Errol Morris documentary intersplices random chatter he captured on film of the genuinely eccentric residents of Vernon, Florida. A few examples? The preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word "Therefore," and the obsessive turkey hunter who speaks reverentially of the "gobblers" he likes to track down and kill.

Autobahn

2020

Traffic on the B61 road, which connects Rotterdam to Warsaw and cuts through the German spa town of Bad Oeynhausen, is permanently gridlocked. The promised cure is a bypass whose construction is documented for a period of eight years: the efforts of the mayor, police, fire brigade and construction companies, the delays in the construction of the northern bypass and above all the reactions of the affected residents.

7829 km od Wu-chanu

2021 · ★ 5.5

No synopsis available.

The Children Must Learn

1940 · ★ 6

Documentary profiling an Appalachian farming family struggling to scrape out a living. Link­ing education and economic development, The Children Must Learn suggests that better schooling, especially in agricultural techniques, would bring improvement.

Doidos de Pedra - O Paraíso Esquecido

2019

From the 60's, the neighborhood of Pedra de Guaratiba, in Rio de Janeiro, was invaded by a varied artistic community.

Tomato Republic

2014 · ★ 7

A flamboyant restaurateur, a good ol' boy and a political ingénue, walk into a small town political contest and compete head to head to head, for the non-paid mayoral seat of the Tomato Republic. What happens next is anyones guess. The only thing that could slow this race down is a freight train. Let the takeover begin. - Written by Whitney Graham Carter

Harry Caudill: A Man of Courage

2015

One of the most important Kentuckians of the 20th century, Harry Caudill brought the story of Appalachia to national attention when his book “Night Comes to the Cumberlands” was released in 1963. The nonfiction account of Eastern Kentucky’s coal region, part history and part polemic, eloquently recounted the exploitation of Appalachia’s land and its people by business and government interests, and made Caudill a national spokesperson for his homeland. Harry Caudill spent his life advocating for Eastern Kentucky, with the aim of helping the powerless as well as securing the region’s unmatched natural resources for future generations. His work led to lasting government reforms for Appalachia, and his legacy remains a touchstone for activists today.