Social & External
It's hard to define her. And that's precisely the way Lady Gaga wants it. Yes, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta had a plan to remake herself into an outrageous icon. It began with Italian Catholic New York City roots then expanded to glam pop, electronic rock, burlesque and even jazz alongside nonagenarian crooner, Tony Bennett. Piano lessons began at age four and taught Stefani to create music by ear. There were lead roles in high school standard Broadway show productions then open mic nights at downtown clubs and 1 1/2 years of formal training at N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the Arts. Even a rape at age nineteen slowed but did not stop the mission that would yield over 200 million combined album and song sales. No wonder that Gaga's fans call her "Monster Mother." An outrageous fashion sense has wrought costumes made of plastic bubbles and raw meat. While elaborate videos and spectacular stage sets are the norm,
When Danish filmmakers Mira Jargil and Christian Sønderby Jepsen try to find balance in their stressful lives, they seek guidance from a renowned Danish HIV researcher turned monk deep in the mountains of Sri Lanka. But their filming process goes differently than expected. When they hear that the renowned Danish doctor and HIV scientist Jan Erik Hansen has burned all boats to live as a Buddhist monk on a mountain in Sri Lanka, the two Danish documentary makers Mira Jargil and Christian Sønderby Jepsen decide to make a film about him. to make. Jan Erik Hansen, as monk Bhante, has become an important voice in the Buddhist community. He has a YouTube channel with many followers, and people from all over the world ask him their life questions. The film project ends unexpectedly when the monk and the filmmakers appear to have different ideas about the film.
In this revealing program, noted author and economic activist Naomi Klein offers a lecture and a candid interview in which she expounds on the ideas at the heart of her best-selling book.
When the 2004 tsunami hit the coast of Sri Lanka, 65-year-old Anton Ambrose's wife and daughter were killed. "In five minutes," he says, "I lost everything." A year later, Anton returns to Sri Lanka. With him is his nephew, award-winning filmmaker Rohan Fernando. A Tamil, Anton moved to California in the 1970s and became a very successful gynecologist. His daughter, Orlantha, made the opposite journey, returning to Sri Lanka where she ran a non-profit group that gave underprivileged children free violin lessons. Blood and Water is the story of one man's search for meaning in the face of overwhelming loss, but it is also filled with improbable characters, unintentional comedy and situational ironies.
This portait of life on the tea plantations is decidedly rosy – clearly, there are no exploited workers here. However, the film provides an intriguing overview of tea production – from the planting of tea seeds to the final shipping of the precious leaves across the globe.
Jahan Jahan Charan Pade Raghuvar Ke (English title: Footprints of Lord Rama in His 14 Years Exile) is a 26-episode documentary web series retracing the 14-year Van Gaman of Lord Shri Ram as described in the Ramayana. The series follows the sacred route from Ayodhya to Lanka, documenting over 200 historically and culturally significant sites across India. Filmed on real locations rather than studio recreations, it captures authentic rivers, forests, caves and ashrams linked to Rama’s exile. The first phase covers Ayodhya, Shringverpur, Prayagraj and Chitrakoot, including Ram Ghat, Kamadgiri, Gupt Godavari, Sharbhanga Ashram, Suteekshan Ashram and Viradh Kund. Upcoming schedules extend through Dandakaranya (Chhattisgarh), Panchvati (Nashik), Kishkindha (Hampi) and Dhanushkodi. Produced by Pomy Films, the series is hosted and directed by international award-winning filmmaker Sunil Babbar, blending spiritual reflection with on-ground historical documentation.
This Traveltalk series short takes the viewer to the island nation when it was still a British crown colony and the name Sri Lanka was 40 years in the future.
The Truth That Wasn't There is an award-winning documentary about three student filmmakers who cross the front-lines in the wake of civil war in Sri Lanka. In doing so they became the first independent journalists to visit the final battlegrounds. This is the story of what they found.
A Documentary about the Lanka Comic Con, history of how it started, and its community.
"The Tides Will Decide" is a documentary that follows Priscilla Patrick, a well-known Malaysian radio personality, and how she was caught in the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Miraculously surviving the devastating waves, she opens up about the harrowing incident and the events that followed. As Priscilla prepares to return to Sri Lanka for the 20th anniversary of the tragic event, this documentary will share glimpses of her life, highlighting the individuals who have influenced her, her relationship with God, and how everything came together when the ocean nearly claimed her life.
Part ethnographic film and part experimental film, கோயில் (The Temple) is a hybrid piece of cinematography that questions the act of observing.
Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside Northeast High School as a fly on the wall to observe the teachers and how they interact with the students.
In this genre-bending tale, Errol Morris explores the mysterious death of a U.S. scientist entangled in a secret Cold War program known as MK-Ultra.
A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.
JB Smoove and Martin Starr host a celebration of 20 years of "Spider-Man" movies, from the Sam Raimi trilogy to Marc Webb's movies and the trio from Jon Watts.
This documentary focuses on the actors and their journey over two summers to create the remake to the original IT, by Stephen King. The documentary originally released as bonus material, bundled with IT: Chapter Two.
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses will embody the legend at various stages in her life.
A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What emerges is an elegant meditation on the relationship between truth and the camera frame, as Johnson transforms scenes that have been presented on Festival screens as one kind of truth into another kind of story—one about personal journey, craft, and direct human connection.
A portrait of the day-to-day operations of the National Gallery of London, that reveals the role of the employees and the experiences of the Gallery's visitors. The film portrays the role of the curators and conservators; the education, scientific, and conservation departments; and the audience of all kinds of people who come to experience it.
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.
Lyrical and powerfully personal essay film that reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother, her beloved dog, and such diverse subjects as family memories, surveillance, and Buddhist teachings.
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
With mesmerizing footage and time lapses of animators at work, this behind-the-scenes special captures the artistry of a unique tale years in the making.
A documentary focused on plastic pollution in the world's oceans.
A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.
