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Best Selling Titles During April

Mon, 12 May 2008 07:18:42 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with the 14 top sellers in April.

New Release: All White in Barking

Sat, 03 May 2008 23:03:21 GMT

Filmmaker Marc Isaacs examines, with charm and humor, modern attitudes toward race in Barking, a white working class community east of London.

New Featured Release: The Nuclear Comeback

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:55:40 GMT

In a world living in fear of climate change, the nuclear industry has proposed itself as a solution. It claims that nuclear power generation produces zero carbon emissions... and people are listening. But are they telling the whole story?

Updated Screenings Page

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:54:43 GMT

The listing of screenings in the U.S. and Canada has been updated.

New Release: Bird's Nest

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:27:46 GMT

Documents how two Swiss architects negotiated between two cultures, two architectural traditions and two political systems to build Beijing's new National Stadium, just in time for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Best Selling Titles During March

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:25:47 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with the 16 top sellers in March.

2 FRIF films receive awards at the 2008 Montreal International Festival of Films on Art

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:13:24 GMT

LOOKING FOR AN ICON was the recipient of the Award for Best Educational Film, while EILEEN GRAY received the Best Portrait Award.

The 10-day International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) was created in 1981 and has been striving ever since to increase public awareness and appreciation of the arts by promoting works by film, television and video artists and professionals.

Two new titles with closed captioning

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:07:52 GMT

The Nuclear Comeback and Tracked Down by Our Genes are now available with closed captioning.

Now Available: The Global Film Initiative (2007)

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:36:23 GMT

An exciting series of six feature films from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East that promote cross-cultural understanding through the cinema.

New Release: Dust

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:35:13 GMT

DUST turns one of the most commonplace subjects imaginable into a vehicle for a new appreciation of how these tiny particles affect our bodies and our environment and can provide a fresh new perspective of the entire world.

Best Selling Titles During February

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:34:46 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with the 16 top sellers in February.

New Release: The Nuclear Comeback

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:26:13 GMT

Recommended for High School Use Page Updated

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:25:19 GMT

Four additional titles added:

Become an OPERATION FILMMAKER Fan on Facebook

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 22:51:37 GMT

Check out the OPERATION FILMMAKER Page on Facebook. Become a Fan to receive updates and give your feedback on the film.

New Release: Operation Filmmaker

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 06:23:06 GMT

When Hollywood gives a young Iraqi film student the opportunity of a lifetime, nothing goes according to plan, and the result is an engaging, sometimes comical political parable about do-gooder intentions gone wrong.

Five new releases

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:28:56 GMT

Five new releases now available:

New Geography Catalog Now Online

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:14:31 GMT

A new catalog featuring 31 films on Geography is available online in Adobe PDF format.

Tribute to St. Clair Bourne to be held at in Astoria, Queens

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:33:19 GMT

With George Alexander, Esther Iverem, and Armond White.

The Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria Queens is hosting a tribute to St. Clair Bourne who made the films, MAKING "DO THE RIGHT THING" and LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN. It will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, February 10th. For more information, please visit the webpage of the Museum.

Drug Approved for Disease of Questionable Origins

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:31:33 GMT

Fibromyalgia, a disease consisting of chronic, vague, and widespread pain, has been a controversial diagnosis. As reported in the New York Times on Monday, some doctors say that it is a response to an emotional disorder which should be treated as such while others claim that it is a legitimate physical disorder and that it should be treated with drugs such as Pfizer's Lyrica.

Lyrica was approved by the FDA for treatment of fibromyalgia last November, despite objections about the severity of its side effects versus its benefits. Since then, sales of the drug have been steadily increasing.

SELLING SICKNESS exposes the unhealthy relationship between society, medical science and the pharmaceutical industry as it promotes not just drugs but also the latest diseases that go with them.

Sharing a good thing: Our new Bookmark button

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:33:59 GMT

We've added a new Bookmark feature that allows you to share pages from our site with social networking services like Digg, Facebook, and Del.icio.us.

Updated Screenings Page

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 03:24:59 GMT

The listing of screenings in the U.S. and Canada has been updated.

Best Selling Titles During December, 2007

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:09:10 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with the 12 top sellers in December, 2007.

Updated Screenings Page

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:50:25 GMT

The listing of screenings in the U.S. and Canada has been updated.

Best Selling Titles During November, 2007

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 18:49:39 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with the 14 top sellers in November, 2007.

New Geography RSS Feed

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:45:35 GMT

We've added a new RSS feed for Films on Geography. Subscribe to it to get news and updates with latest releases for this subject.

New featured release: I for India

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 02:34:45 GMT

I FOR INDIA is a chronicle of immigration in Britain, from the Sixties to the present day, as seen through the eyes of one Asian family and their movie camera in their quest for personal happiness, wherever it may take them.

New First Run / Icarus Films Channel on YouTube

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:18:40 GMT

Be sure to check out the FirstRunIcarus Channel on YouTube where you can see trailers for upcoming releases and what others have to say about them.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS trailer now available on YouTube

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 05:15:52 GMT

A journey through the history of visionary architecture, a survey of the most significant architectural movements of the 20th century that challenged conventional concepts. Watch the video.

I FOR INDIA trailer now available on YouTube

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:20:40 GMT

New Release: I for India

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:00:49 GMT

Updated Screenings Page

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:04:56 GMT

The listing of screenings in the U.S. and Canada has been updated.

Best Selling Titles During September, 2007

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 10:03:36 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with 14 top sellers in September, 2007.

Join Our Facebook Group

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 05:42:45 GMT

First Run/Icarus Film has a new group on Facebook. Join us for another way of getting news about festivals and screenings, new releases, watch trailers and discuss our films with fellow documentary fans.

New filmmaker page: Sato Makoto

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 23:49:24 GMT

Sato-san was an award-winning documentary filmmaker and Chief Lecturer at the Film School of Tokyo.

MADE OVER IN AMERICA trailer now available on YouTube

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 02:25:08 GMT

In a culture where bodies seem customizable, how do we perceive body image, and how are desires for a better self influenced by reality television and the makeover industry? Watch the video.

FOREVER at Film Forum until September 25!

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:30:47 GMT

Sept. 12 is the US Theatrical Premiere of Heddy Honigmann's lustrous new film FOREVER. Paris' famed Père-Lachaise Cemetery comes alive through the stories of its visitors. It is not only a place to mourn the loss of loved ones, it is also a unique place where the living connect to the immortal power of art by remembering the artists buried there. The graveyard gradually reveals itself not only as a resting place for the dead, but also as a source of peace and inspiration for the living. For a beautifully written review, check out Stuart Klawans "Grave Thoughts" for The Nation.

The film screens daily until September 25. Go to Film Forum for times, tickets and directions.

Four new online catalogs

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:05:35 GMT

We've added 4 updated catalogs in PDF format:

Four new subject pages

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:24:54 GMT

We've added 4 new subject categories:

Fall site update

Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:27:24 GMT

We've updated the site with a new look, 21 new releases, and 4 new online catalogs!

FOREVER trailer now available on YouTube

Thu, 23 Aug 2007 01:50:37 GMT

A poignant tour of the importance of art in the lives of visitors to the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, the final resting place for legendary writers, composers, painters and other artists from around the world. Watch the video.

SALVADOR ALLENDE Opens at Anthology Film Archives, September 5!

Thu, 16 Aug 2007 05:59:50 GMT

Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzman began filming the saga of his country's political turmoil in 1973. From the bloody, U.S.-backed coup d'etat that overthrew the democratically-elected Salvador Allende, his suicide, and then to years living under the dictator General Augusto Pinochet until his final arrest. Guzman's films, beginning with THE BATTLE OF CHILE, have become an epic record of political cinema, unparalleled in the history of cinema.

SALVADOR ALLENDE kicks of a series of screenings that will be the first time the complete sequence of Patricio Guzmán’s films tracing this history has been screened in the U.S. The series includes, in addition to SALVADOR ALLENDE, the three-part THE BATTLE OF CHILE (1975-1978), CHILE, OBSTINATE MEMORY (1997) and THE PINOCHET CASE (2001). More information on times and tickets at Anthology Film Archives.

THE SUGAR CURTAIN Opens at the Pioneer, July 25!

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 02:56:58 GMT

In this autobiographical portrait, Camila Guzmán Urzúa returns to Havana where she grew up during the “golden years” of the Cuban Revolution to reflect on her childhood . Through the intimate personal experiences of a disillusioned but nostalgic generation, THE SUGAR CURTAIN offers a provocative historical perspective on one of the most significant turning points in 20th-century world history. The film has screened at Toronto, Berlin and Tribeca, and won prizes at Buenos Aires and Cinéma du réel festivals. Times and ticket information at Two Boots Pioneer website. One week only!

Comprehensive Site Map Now Live

Wed, 16 May 2007 02:11:02 GMT

We are pleased to announce a new Comprehensive Site Map to help you find your way around the First Run/Icarus Films website. In addition to all the major sections of the site, you can easily navigate from this page to any subject area, year, or to specialized sections like filmmaker profiles, e-cards or press kits. And if you've already bookmarked your favorite pages, maybe you will find something new to explore from the Site Map.

Suggestions for Jewish Film Festival Programmers

Wed, 16 May 2007 02:09:11 GMT

If you are looking for our newest titles to program in your Jewish film festival, screening series or just looking for films on Jewish themes, we have created a new subject page to help you find what you are looking for: Suggestions for Jewish Film Festivals. HOTHOUSE, which won a Special Jury Mention at this year's Sundance Film Festival is included, as is one of our April Bestsellers JUDITH BUTLER. Check out the new page and be sure to bookmark it and check back for updates.

Best Selling Titles During April, 2007

Fri, 11 May 2007 01:22:42 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with April, 2007 titles.

New Release: Once Upon A Time... Rome, Open City

Tue, 01 May 2007 02:34:32 GMT

An exploration of the making of Rome, Open City, its signficance in cinema history and reflections on the great director, Roberto Rossellini by his family, colleagues and film critics.

New Release: Dreaming Lhasa

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 19:08:28 GMT

A narrative feature about a Tibetan filmmaker looking to reconnect to her roots by making a documentary in the Tibetan exile community.

US Economic Policy Hinders Food Aid

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 03:28:23 GMT

As reported in a recent NY Times article, Even as Africa Hungers, Policy Slows Delivery of U.S. Food Aid by Celia W. Dugger, the delivery of food to starving people can take 4 to 6 weeks because government policy requires that all donated food be grown in the U.S. and shipped to where it is needed. This stimulates American agribusiness and shipping, but there are no provisions for emergencies like the current situation in Zambia where the UN's World Food Program that delivers the food to the needy is dangerously low in supplies. Those who are starving may die before the aid reaches them.

THE PRICE OF AID explores the relationships and policies that make up current United States food aid program. With interviews from Zambian officials, nonprofit aid workers and U.S. government officials, the film is an in-depth exploration of this continuing problem.

New Subject Page for Geography

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:17:49 GMT

Geography isn't just about maps and capitals. The need to study areas of the world, the space in which people live and the interactions between people and space, has given rise to many branches of study in geography. In addition to the traditional disciplines of physical and human geography, studying the built environment and how humans interact with their surroundings which now includes the whole globe, environmental geography looks at the interactions between people and places and is an emerging and important field. We have created a new Geography subject page to help you find films appropriate to studies in geography. Examples include tourism geography in CAN'T DO IT IN EUROPE, hydrology issues examined in INHERITANCE, to political ecology in TAMBOGRANDE, which follows the protest of farmers to gold mining in their Northern Peruvian town.

Heddy Honigmann Receives Honors at Upcoming Festivals

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:06:00 GMT

We are please to announce that Heddy Honigmann will be receiving Hot Docs' Outstanding Achievement Award and San Francisco Film Society will bestow its Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award during their April festivals. Both awards are for exceptional, lifelong achievement in documentary. We have launched a new web page about Honigmann in our Featured Filmmakers section where you can read about her life and career, called by Karen Cooper, Director of Film Forum in New York, "one of the most brilliant documentarians working today."

Announcing More Site Updates

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:02:09 GMT

Responding to our recent website user survey, we are pleased to announce that copyright and release date information is now listed on a film's title page, along with the running time and pricing information. To see it in action, go to a film page, like JUDITH BUTLER, and scroll to it.

We have also updated our e-cards. Want to let a friend know about one of our films? If we have an e-card available, you will find it under a film's "Related Links" or you can just go to the e-card gallery to browse. Enjoy!

Get Press Kits Faster!

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 18:03:53 GMT

A big thanks to all who participated in our recent website survey! We received great feedback and are working to incorporate suggestions from our site users. To help you locate a title’s press kit faster, if one is available, you can now find a link to it under Related Links on the film’s main page. Check out NOTES ON MARIE MENKEN, one of our new releases, to see the new link in action.

New Featured Filmmaker: Heddy Honigmann

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:56:21 GMT

Called “one of the contemporary masters of the form” by Sean Farnel, Director of Programming of Hot Docs, Honigmann’s work is known for strong imagery and her compassionate connection to her subjects.

Best Selling Titles During March, 2007

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:54:26 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with March, 2007 titles.

New Release: Tambogrande

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 03:44:35 GMT

Follows the efforts of a small Peruvian town over five years as they fight government efforts to sell the mineral rights under their houses to a multi-national mining company.

New Release: Amateur Photographer

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 04:22:53 GMT

The story of a German soldier and the photographs that he took, while serving on the Eastern Front during WW II.

Upcoming Screenings at the AAS Annual Meeting

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 04:21:37 GMT

The annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies is coming up from March 22-25 in Boston. We are pleased to announce that five titles from our catalog will be screening at the conference on Saturday, March 24 in the Brandeis Room (3rd Floor) of the Boston Marriott Copley Place starting at 9 AM. THEY CHOSE CHINA, INSIDE OUT and SHIGERU BAN are scheduled and WANDERING SOULS and ANGRY MONK are available by request for viewing. Download a copy of the full screening schedule from the AAS website.

BLOCKADE Opens at Film Forum

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 04:21:03 GMT

Two award-winning films will premiere at New York City's Film Forum on March 14, 2007. Both films use found footage and photographs to reconstruct the World War II experience in Russia. Called "Absorbing... poignant viewing!" by Variety, BLOCKADE (2005, 52 min.) reconstructs the siege of Leningrad in 1941 as life turns to death in the city's streets when no supplies can move into the country. On the other side of the battle, a German soldier chronicles his daily life as a soldier in the Nazi army as they invade Russia. AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER (2004, 26 min.) is the life of one soldier captured in his personal diaries and photos. Tickets are available online beginning March 7 at www.filmforum.org.

Tell us what you think of the site

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:33:55 GMT

Visitors can now take a survey to give us feedback and help us improve the site.

New Featured Release: On the Rumba River

Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:32:33 GMT

"Papa Wendo" and band have been playing in their unique musical fusion style along the Congo River for nearly sixty years.

New Featured Release: Judith Butler

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 20:39:00 GMT

An up-close and personal encounter with this influential educator, the author of the best-seller Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity.

Best Selling Titles During January, 2007

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 06:55:29 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with January, 2007 titles.

Opposing the Kremlin?

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 07:00:11 GMT

A recent spate of high-profile assassinations of Russians, including journalist Anna Politkovskaya who was shot outside her home and ex K.G.B agent-in-exile Alexander Litvinenko, done in by a lethal dose of radioactive polonium 210, are the subject of a new New Yorker article by Michael Specter, Kremlin, Inc.: Why are Vladimir Putin's opponents dying? Tania Rakhmanova’s new film HOW PUTIN CAME TO POWER explores the meteoric rise to power of this once unknown F.S.B. (the modern K.G.B.) agent and sets the stage for the Specter’s investigation of Putin’s current administration.

HotHouse Wins Award at Sundance 2007

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 06:59:08 GMT

The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah came to a close yesterday with an Awards Ceremony where HOTHOUSE by Israeli filmmaker Shimon Dohan received a Special Jury Prize in the World Cinema Documentary Competition! The film goes inside Israel’s highest security facilities to witness everyday life of the nearly ten thousand Palestinian "security prisoners." World Cinema Documentary Competition jurors were Raoul Peck, Juan Carlos Rulfo, and Elizabeth Weatherford.

New Middle East Catalog Available Online

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 06:57:16 GMT

Can’t wait for your catalog in the mail? We are pleased to bring you the new Middle East catalog online and an updated subject page. The new catalog includes IRAN: A CINEMATOGRAPHIC REVOLUTION, a survey of Iranian cinema history called “dazzling” by Thom Powers of the Toronto International Film Festival where it screened in 2006. Other recent Middle East additions include HOTHOUSE, selected for Sundance 2007, and THE BIBLE UNEARTHED, a four-part series based on the best-selling book The Bible Revealed which examines archaeological evidence against Biblical stories. Download your copy now.

Updated Screenings Page

Sat, 03 Feb 2007 06:53:44 GMT

The listing of screenings in the U.S. and Canada has been updated.

New Cultural Anthropology Subject List

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:53:43 GMT

Anthropology is a broad field of study so to help you navigate to appropriate First Run/Icarus Films quickly, we are pleased to launch a new Cultural Anthropology subject page. Titles from the cultural anthropology collection include ARAB DIARIES, a five-part series focusing on the milestones of life, like marriage and work, of Arab individuals from various countries and notable for providing perspectives from Arab women; the classic CHRONICLES OF A SUMMER from filmmaking legends Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, who explored the lives of Parisians during the summer of 1960 while war raged in Algeria in one of the early cinema verité films; and from our new releases, EVERYTHING’S FINE, the story of Seydou Konaté, the only doctor for 40,000 people in Southern Mali, offering revealing insights into the challenges of health care in Africa today. Check out the new Cultural Anthropology section.

US Premiere of NOTES ON MARIE MENKEN in NYC, Feb. 9!

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:54:45 GMT

NOTES ON MARIE MENKEN tells the story of this legendary artist (1909—1970), a Lithuanian immigrant who became one of New York's outstanding underground experimental filmmakers of the 1940’s through the 1960’s, inspiring artists such as Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol, Jonas Mekas, Kenneth Anger and Gerard Malanga. The film will kick off a series celebrating this avant-garde pioneer at the Anthology Film Archives in New York City from February 9 – 18, 2007.

Variety calls the film "a handsome tribute," NOTES ON MARIE MENKEN features interviews with the filmmaker’s friends, relatives and colleagues, as they discuss her distinctive film technique, artistic struggle and personal life, and provide colorful reminiscences of both Menken and the New York art scene of the era. Composer and musician John Zorn contributes a wonderful film score for this revealing documentary.

The Hottentot Venus Revisited

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:52:39 GMT

Sara Baartman, also known as "The Hottentot Venus," was a young Khoi Khoi woman taken from her home in South Africa to be crudely prodded and exhibited as a sideshow attraction in Britain in the early 1800's. Her life is the subject of a new book, "African Queen: The Real Life of the Hottentot Venus" by Rachel Holmes just released by Random House. Caroline Elkins, the Hugo K. Foster associate professor of African studies at Harvard, reviewed the book in this Sunday's New York Times noting, "The story of Saartjie Baartman — the Hottentot Venus’s real name — is inherently fascinating, and littered with a diverse cast of highly unlikable characters."

Learn more about Baartman in Zola Maseko's multiple award-winning doc, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SARA BAARTMAN. Called "telling and quite powerful" by the American Historical Review, the film explores Baartman's life and the legacy of racism and sexism her exploitation represented, which lived on for over a century after her death. And following up the first film, Maseko returned to Baartman’s story when French senator Nicolas About introduced a law to repatriate Baartman’s remains to South Africa chronicled in THE RETURN OF SARA BAARTMAN.

Japan’s Neonationalist Offensive and the Military

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 07:02:32 GMT

As reported on japanfocus.org, when Abe Shinzo was installed as prime minister of Japan in September 2006, there was some concern that he would push the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s proposal to revise Japan’s constitution and gut the no-war provisions of Article 9. But his "go slow approach" has reassured Japan’s neighbors, while masking a very ambitious agenda.

The acclaimed recent release JAPAN'S PEACE CONSTITUTION is a timely, hard-hitting documentary places the ongoing debate over the constitution in an international context: What will revision mean to Japan's neighbors, Korea and China? How is the unprecedented involvement of Japan's Self-Defense Force in the occupation of Iraq perceived in the Middle East?

Screenings Page Now Includes Engagments in Canada

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:49:43 GMT

The listing of playdates now includes screenings in both the United States and Canada.

New Cultural Anthropology Subject Page Added

Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:44:44 GMT

We've added a new listing of titles for Cultural Anthropology.

2 New Online Catalogs

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:25:55 GMT

PDFs of 2 new catalogs are available now: Russia & the former Soviet Union and Photography.

Updated Playdates Page

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:21:50 GMT

Current information on screenings of our titles across the US over the next 90 days.

New Study Guide Available for Democracy on Deadline

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:28:53 GMT

Discussion and facilitator guides are now available in PDF format for the title Democracy on Deadline.

New titles featured on home page

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:49:13 GMT

The following titles are featured in January:

Beyond Hatred
The Camden 28
Can't Do It In Europe
The Diaries of Yossef Nachmani
Everything's Fine
The Face of Evil
Hothouse
How Putin Came to Power
Iran: A Cinematographic Revolution
Perestroika from Below
Wandering Souls

New titles available on DVD

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:47:41 GMT

The following titles are now available on DVD:

The Battle of Chernobyl
The Camden 28
The Democratic Revolutionary Handbook
The Face of Evil
Forever Lenin
How Putin Came to Power
Iran: A Cinematographic Revolution
Looking for an Icon
Notes on Marie Menken
Perestroika from Below
State of Weightlessness
Unborn in the USA

10 New Titles Released in January

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:45:52 GMT

The following new titles are now available:

The Battle of Chernobyl
The Camden 28
The Democratic Revolutionary Handbook
The Face of Evil
Forever Lenin
How Putin Came to Power
Iran: A Cinematographic Revolution
Looking for an Icon
Notes on Marie Menken
Unborn in the USA

Best Selling Titles During December, 2006

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:39:10 GMT

Best Selling Titles page updated with December, 2006 titles.

Famous Street Art "Canvas" Has Last Hurrah

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:41:44 GMT

The New York Times reports, "Depending on your point of view, the hulking 19th-century brick building at 11 Spring Street in NoLIta [New York City], a former stable and carriage house, was either a stunning eyesore or one of the most famous canvases and lodestars in the world for urban artists. When those of the latter view heard recently that the building had been sold and would soon be gutted and converted into condominiums, they considered it the end of an era.

11 Spring Street is featured extensively in our film TO BE SEEN, which examines the roll street art plays in urban culture, commercial culture, and the art world. Additionally, THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT, a new Chris Marker film that looks at a street art phenomenon in Paris, opens theatrically on December 20.

OUR DAILY BREAD and THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT on 2006 Top Ten Lists

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:40:31 GMT

OUR DAILY BREAD has been selected to many film critics' top ten lists around the country. The New York Times' lead critic Manohla Dargis named it one of the best films of the year, non-fiction or fiction.

OUR DAILY BREAD is also #2 on the Best Documentary List on the 2006 indieWIRE film critics' poll, where Chris Marker's latest THE CASE OF THE GRINNING CAT is #5. 107 critics participated in the first indieWIRE Critics Poll, which is the successor to The Village Voice's Annual Poll.

New release featured

Sun, 10 Dec 2006 02:34:39 GMT

The Diaries of Yossef Nachmani - A portrait of the complex and contradictory personality of the man largely responsible for the Zionist enterprise in the Galilee during the 1930s and 40s.

Grand Prize for OUR DAILY BREAD at Environmental Film Festival

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:04:59 GMT

The prizes and acclaim keep coming for OUR DAILY BREAD. It was just awarded the Grand Prize at the 2006 Paris International Festival of Films on the Environment.

The critics raved when the film opened recently in New York and Chicago, and the film is now moving across the country. Check our Screenings Page.

HOTHOUSE Selected to 2007 Sundance Film Festival

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:04:13 GMT

We're pleased to announce that HOTHOUSE—the latest film from renowned Israeli filmmaker Shimon Dotan, whose films have been the recipients of the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival and numerous Israeli Academy Awards—has been selected to the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. HOTHOUSE takes inside Israel's highest security prisons, explores the lives of Palestinian "security prisoners" (including Hamas and Fatah members of the Palestinian legistature) and the evolution of their society, inside and outside of prison, towards a democratic community.

Look how many titles are now on DVD!

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:07:11 GMT

216 First Run/Icarus Films are now available on DVD.

New study guides available

Fri, 08 Dec 2006 07:12:54 GMT

New study guides are available for the following titles:

Border Cafe
In the Battlefields
Max and Mona
The Night of Truth
Stolen Life
Thirst

New video clips

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 05:49:52 GMT

Video clips have been added for the following titles:
Blowing Up Paradise
Exit
Inside Out
Justice at Agadez
Playing the News
They Chose China

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Reelected

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 06:00:36 GMT

As reported by Reuters (via Yahoo News), after being carried to re-election by his popularity with the poor, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is striving to reassure the business community he will not abandon market-friendly policies to create jobs and boost income.

Lula's balancing act between his political base and the economic and political elite is aptly captured in the documentary LULA'S BRAZIL, which as it tells of his rise to power also examines the achievements as well as the failures of his presidency compared to his campaign promises, revealing how his ambitious plans have been frustrated by a clash with national and international economic interests.

EXCELLENT CADAVERS Opens in San Francisco

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 06:01:44 GMT

After its successful runs in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the acclaimed film EXCELLENT CADAVERS opens at the Roxie Cinema this Friday, November 3. Based on the book by Italian-American author Alexander Stille and featuring the photos of Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia, EXCELLENT CADAVERS chronicles the recent history of the Mafia and its integral—and seemingly ineradicable—relationship to postwar Italian politics.

New titles available with Closed Captioning

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 03:29:43 GMT

The follwing titles are now available with Closed Captioning:
SACCO AND VANZETTI
LAST GRAVE AT DIMBAZA
OUT OF PLACE: MEMORIES OF EDWARD SAID
DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE

New Web Page: Recommended Films for High Schools

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 03:23:56 GMT

A listing of titles recommended for use in High Schools

Russian Journalist Anna Politkovskaya Slain

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 06:46:02 GMT

The newspaper where slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya worked has offered almost $1 million for information leading to her killers amid widespread international condemnation of the murder. A gunman shot Politkovskaya, one of President Vladimir Putin's strongest critics, four times as she brought her shopping home to her Moscow apartment on Saturday evening. The 48-year-old mother-of-two died on the spot.

DEMOCRACY ON DEADLINE is a documentary about the danger and other challenges faced by journalists across the world, and journalists' essential role in democracy, features a 20 minute segment on Politkovskaya. It is now being released in honor of Politkovskaya's courageous work.

Two new titles available

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 05:52:12 GMT

Chris Marker's Bestiary - Five Chris Marker's short films devoted to animals collected together and available for the first time!

Hothouse - With unique access to Israel's highest security prisons, explores the lives of Palestinian prisoners, and the evolution of their society towards a democratic community.

Relaunched Website with New Content and Functionalily

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:12:51 GMT

New Fall, 2006 Releases

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:11:31 GMT

37 New Releases (Our Most Ever!)

3 New Subject Pages

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:10:30 GMT

Subject pages for Bioethics, Italian Studies, and Advertising & Marketing are now available.

4 New Online Catalogs

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:07:25 GMT

PDFs of 4 new catalogs are available now: Fine Arts, Psychology & Psychiatry, Women's Studies, and Architecture.

New Screenings Page

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 19:05:32 GMT

Find out when titles will be playing in theaters across the US.

Peru Gold Mine Shut by Farmer Protests

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:12:39 GMT

As reported on Yahoo News and elsewhere, production at Latin America's largest gold mine was at a standstill Tuesday amid mounting criticism from Peru's business sector over the government's refusal to remove farmers blockading the facility's access road. The farmers, meanwhile, insisted that their protest is over alleged depletion and pollution of water supplies and not because they want Yanacocha to provide them jobs, as the company maintains. Officials with the Yanacocha gold mine, majority owned by Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp., announced the shutdown late Monday, saying operations were impossible.

Our critically-acclaimed, award-winning film CHOROPAMPA: THE PRICE OF GOLD portrays the aftermath of a devastating mercury spill at Yanacocha that contaminated the village of Choropampa. The environmental catastrophe turned this quiet village into a hotbed of civil resistance.

Iran Bans Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi's Rights Group

Mon, 07 Aug 2006 23:43:27 GMT

As reported on Yahoo News and around the world, Iran has declared as "illegal" a human rights group headed by Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi and vowed to prosecute its continued activities. But Ebadi, quoting Iran's constitution, responded that her center did not require a permit. The acclaimed documentary SHIRIN EBADI: A SIMPLE LAWYER is an in-depth profile of the groundbreaking attorney, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her tireless fight for democracy and human rights, in particular the struggle for the rights of women and children.

New Business Ethics Subject Page

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 03:36:07 GMT

Film, Videos & DVDs on Business Ethics

Updated Home page

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:05:35 GMT

March, 2006 new releases added to home page.

4 New Releases for March, 2006

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:00:06 GMT

4 new titles are available: Blowing Up Paradise, En Route To Baghdad, Hats of Jerusalem and Robert, Mary, and Katrina.

New Architecture Catalog PDF

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:06:24 GMT

A PDF of the new Architecture catalog is now available.

New filmmaker page

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 03:07:42 GMT

A new filmmaker page has been added for the films of Shuibo Wang.

New Islam Subject Page

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 03:09:12 GMT

Films & Videos about Islam

9 New Study Guides Available

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 04:10:09 GMT

1 New Title for American Studies

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:46:34 GMT

To Be Seen

3 New Titles on Anthropology

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:47:26 GMT

Compadre The Devil's Miner Remembering

4 New Titles on Asia

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:48:43 GMT

Back to the Soil Japan's Peace Constitution Kochuu Try to Remember

3 New Titles on Economic Sociology

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:50:04 GMT

Compadre The Devil's Miner To Be Seen

1 New Title on French History & Culture

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:51:02 GMT

Napoleon, David

1 New Title on Human Rights

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:52:07 GMT

Forgiving Dr. Mengele

1 new title on Latin American Studies

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:38:23 GMT

One new title are now available:
The Devil's Miner

3 New Titles on World War II

Wed, 11 Jan 2006 04:53:13 GMT

Forgiving Dr. Mengele Hermitage Dwellers Hermitage-Niks

Updated Video Clips page

Wed, 16 Nov 2005 06:15:03 GMT

A video clip for Aristide and the Endless Revolution has been added.

25 RSS Feeds

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 03:28:53 GMT

There are now 25 RSS feeds available on the site.

New Subject Page

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 03:25:20 GMT

A new index of titles on Economic Sociology has been added to the site.