Sanza Hanza, a Zulu dialect term for King Surfer, is a short documentary following V.I.R.U.S (Very Intelligent Riders Usually Survive), a gang of young train surfers in the South African slums of Soweto. Born out of a restless desire to embrace life (and death) after years of oppression, it is here that you will find …
RiseUp is a journey into the heart of Jamaica—the island that gave birth to the worldwide cultural phenomenon of reggae. In a society where talent abounds and opportunity is scarce, three courageous artists fight to rise up from obscurity and write themselves into the pages of history. With music and appearances by legends Lee “Scratch” …
When a community is in the process of development and gentrification, what happens to the art and culture that represents the people of that community? With colorful strokes, Franco the Great has been painting murals on the storefront roll-down gates (riot gates) on 125th Street in Harlem for 40 years. A rezoning legislation and recently …
The Other Side of the Water follows a 20-year journey of the Haitian-American community, told through the lens of a vodou-based walking band in Brooklyn. The music is called rara: part-carnival, part-vodou ceremony, and part-grassroots protest. Rara originally served as a voice of the slaves in their revolt against the French and continued on as …
Uprooted explores the effect of Colombia’s civil war on the people of the Colombian Pacific region, an area that, for centuries, remained exclusively a mining frontier on the periphery of the nation’s development. The majority of the population—freed and runaway slaves and indigenous peoples—lived in relatively dispersed communities up and down the river basin, where …
Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter is the story of a young mother’s quest to keep her baby daughter healthy and whole. It is also the story of the African tradition of female genital cutting—which dates back thousands of years—and how it affects people’s lives in just two of the many places where the practice is being debated …
Haitian-American filmmaker, Michele Stephenson visits Haiti six weeks after one of the world’s most devastating earthquakes. There to document the personal stories of the Haitian people, Michele gives us a glimpse of the emotional impact this tragedy has from the prospective of the thousands of Haitians living outside of Haiti who have been engaged in …
Nora is based on true stories from the life of dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. Using performance and dance, Nora brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image, offering an insight into both her life and Zimbabwe’s history and political struggles.