Portraits of Freedom

Wheels of Fate - A Short Documentary Film

Wheels of Fate is a short documentary film about identity, belonging and acceptance. It reflects on Ryan Espadilla's experience immigrating to New Zealand. This film features the euphoria and sanctuary of inline skating as Ryan reveals inner struggles, trials and aspirations as he journeys towards a sense of belonging. It captures observation that speaks to the intricacies of the immigrant experience and the passion of inline skating.

Maranhão 66

1966 · ★ 6.8

A report on Sarney's inauguration as the governor of the Maranhão state. His promises are heard alongside images of the grim reality.

Police officers and citizens, a relationship under tension

2020 · ★ 8

In the past years, in France and in Germany, distrust between the people and law enforcement has been on the rise. For many citizens, the police has become their enemy.

Give Up Tomorrow

2011 · ★ 6.8

When a teenager from a political family in the Philippines is accused of a double murder, the country’s entire judicial system is put to the test after years of alleged corruption.

Henryk from the Back Row

2012 · ★ 6.5

A new dramedic documentary about what politics and democracy mean when your working in the rough business of parlamentarian tasks, assemblies and your every day live in your constituency. Are there things that need to be changed?

Transindia

2015 · ★ 10

TRANSINDIA is a moving documentary exploring the Transgender community also known as Hijras, in Ahmedabad, India. Transindia takes you on a journey on their true lifestyles, a discovery of their beliefs and cultures, and an insight in how they struggle to find a place in the Indian society.

A Thirsty World

2012 · ★ 7

Today, against a backdrop of sharply increasing demand, growth in the world population and the growing impact of an unsettled climate, water has become one of the most precious natural resources of our planet.

Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride

2010 · ★ 3.9

Over the course of a year, film follows Vancouver Pride Society president Ken Coolen to various international Pride events, including Poland, Hungary, Russia, Sri Lanka and others where there is great opposition to pride parades. In North America, Pride is complicated by commercialization and a sense that the festivals are turning away from their political roots toward tourism, party promotion and entertainment. Christie documents the ways larger, more mainstream Pride events have supported the global Pride movement and how human rights components are being added to more established events. In the New York sequence, leaders organize an alternative Pride parade, the Drag March, set up to protest the corporatization of New York Pride. A parade in São Paulo, the world's largest Pride festival, itself includes a completely empty float, meant to symbolize all those lost to HIV and to anti-gay violence.

Mangsee dynamite

2009

In the Philippines, the reefs, coasts and islets of the island of Palawan, the Straits of Balabak and the Sula Sea are amongst the richest in biodiversity on Earth. Some scientists claim that the entire submarine wildlife of the Pacific originated from this area. The coral is magnificent and the protected sites offer an incomparable vision of marine life to scuba divers from all over the world. However, since the end of the Second World War, Philippine fishermen have been fishing with dynamite all over the coral reefs of this marine Wild West. Today, far from diminishing, this form of fishing has taken on industrial dimensions and 50% of the coral has been destroyed, turning this underwater Eden into arid desert…

Shooting the Mafia

2019 · ★ 7.3

Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia began a long battle against the ruthless Cosa Nostra when she first photographed the sinister scene of a brutal murder. Documenting the barbaric rule of the Italian Mafia, she was an unwavering witness to its crimes. Her art and courage helped end the horrific and bloody reign of the Corleonesi clan.

Kain Tayo (Let's Eat)

Kain Tayo follows Rica Piquan, the owner of Pamilihan Pinoy Asian Groceries, one of only two Filipino markets in Tucson, Arizona. Born and raised in the Phillipines, Rica’s lifelong passion for cooking inspired her next dream, opening a Filipino restaurant. She plans to share her culture and passion by the end of the year. While managing her grocery store seven days a week and building her restaurant from the ground up, she still finds time to cook for her family every day. Seen through Rica’s journey and her daughter's eyes, the film explores the resilience of an immigrant story and the rich traditions of Filipino food and culture.

Hitlers Hidden Holocaust

2009 · ★ 7

National Geographic Channel (NGC) journeys back to Nazi Europe to tell the story of Hitler's Hidden Holocaust -- the killing frenzy of Hitler's extermination brigades, known as the Einsatzgruppen or "action groups." Woven together with harrowing testimonials from survivors, witnesses and experts, this one-hour special presents in chilling detail -- with photographic evidence and rare video footage - how Nazi soldiers planned, documented and committed these horrific crimes. It was the same routine: Go into a town, round up Jewish families, take them to a ditch and shoot them, often in front of curious spectators.