Born in Kinshasa and living in Paris, filmmaker Alain Kassanda embodies the classic immigrant dual identity: in the Democratic Republic of Congo he is seen as French, while in France he is seen as Congolese. Determined to understand the colonial legacy from which he comes, Kassanda convinces his grandparents—Colette and Justin—to sit for a series of interviews. Together, they watch old news footage, …

Young nun Colleen (Addison Timlin) is avoiding all contact from her family, until an email from her mother (Ally Sheedy) announces, Your brother is home. On returning to her childhood home in Asheville, NC, she finds her old room exactly how she left it: painted black and covered in goth/metal posters. Her parents are happy enough to see her, but unease and awkwardness abounds. Her brother is living …

Tom DiCillo’s (Living in Oblivion and Box of Moonlight) latest film, Down in Shadowland, was made over the course of 7 years. It is perhaps the most independent of this independent director’s films. He made the film entirely by himself, motivated by a fascination with the secret lives of people on the subway that began when he first moved to NYC in the mid ‘70’s. What resulted is a hauntingly …

Ignited by punk’s invasion of the Great Plains, America’s gawkiest and greatest lost rock band battles conformity in Reagan-era Kansas. The Embarrassment played Chicago, D.C., and New York, drawing the attention of influential figures like Allen Ginsberg, John Cale, and Jonathan Demme — but their independence and refusal to sell out sparked tension within the group and kept mainstream success …

FEHMI, a 19-year-old aspiring rapper from a rough neighborhood of Istanbul, is addicted to bonzai, a cheap and deadly drug, jeopardizing his dreams of becoming a successful rapper. When Fehmi crosses paths with Devin, a 25-year-old affluent DJ, they fall hard for each other and find the inspiration they were lacking. But the flaming and troubled love of this unlikely duo soon becomes toxic. WHEN I’M …

The members of the Iranian women's international football (soccer) team possess a dedication to the sport rivaling that of any other group of players in the world. What they lack, however, is a team to play against. When Marlene, the left-back of a Berlin amateur club, learns of their situation, she becomes determined to do something about it and hatches a plan to travel with her team to Tehran for …

On the outskirts of Rome, six teams compete in the women’s soccer championship, the Las Leonas Trophy. All recent immigrants to Italy—the majority from South America—the participants work busy lives as caregivers and house cleaners throughout the city. LAS LEONAS follows the daily struggles, dreams, and frustrations of these women; each with their own story of emigration and family history, …

An adaptation of George Buchner's novella, "Lenz", chronicling the poet Jakob Lenz's slide into insanity and madness. The setting is transposed from 18th century Germany to New York in the early 1980s.

Italian actor-director Gianni Di Gregorio (CITIZENS OF THE WORLD, THE SALT OF LIFE) returns to filmmaking with NEVER TOO LATE FOR LOVE, a tender and lighthearted romantic comedy set against the backdrop of Southern Italy's countryside. After being evicted from his long-time apartment in Rome, retired professor Astolfo returns to his childhood village of Abruzzo, where a distinguished yet run-down …

Odette writes a letter to her favorite author after getting the wrong dedication at a book signing. She is convinced that the wealthy and seductive writer will land in her life in a totally unexpected way.

Mark Landis has been called one of the most prolific art forgers in US history. His impressive body of work spans thirty years, covering a wide range of painting styles and periods that includes 15th Century Icons, Picasso, and even Walt Disney. And while the copies could fetch impressive sums on the open market, Landis isn't in it for money. Posing as a philanthropic donor, a grieving executor of … More

Bananas are everywhere: Americans eat nearly 10 billion of them per year, consuming more pounds of bananas than apples and oranges combined. WHEN BANANA RULED tells the story of the men who made bananas the most ubiquitous fruit in the world, through a multinational empire that dominated production and sales, overthrew governments, and created a business model still largely used by today’s tech … More

This comedy follows Hyrns and his cohort, Wesley Yang, as they obsessively search the Arkansas bayou for proof that ivory-billed woodpecker is in fact not extinct.

An aspiring television producer cashes in his life savings to produce the pilot to a documentary television series, only to find himself in a battle with nature, reality and his own internal demons.

This strikingly shot concert documentary follows enigmatic Drag City singer-songwriter Bill Callahan on a two-week tour from California to New York. For the past 25 years, under both the Smog moniker and under his own name, Callahan has cultivated a legacy as both a pioneer in the lo-fi movement and one of the country’s finest troubadours. The film is built on impressionistic scenes of Callahan’s … More

Butch Willis is a Washington, D.C. rock legend. Born and raised in 1960s suburban Maryland, Byron Henry "Butch" Willis came of age in the late '70s post-hippie subculture. After sharing an apartment with infamous local music icon Root Boy Slim, Butch was inspired to become a rock'n'roll star himself. The unique and unusual brand of "outsider music" that Butch Willis and The Rocks created captivated … More

Meet Irene Staub, aka Lady Shiva, one of the greatest of all Swiss divas – a top model as well as a singer in a legendary underground band. This enchanting new documentary reveals her remarkable life in Zurich's fast lane from 1968 to the late '80's.

Not a Still Life is a portrait of Steve Stone, an older gay, Jewish man who shares the naked truth of the struggles, joys and sorrows of his unconventional life a life full of captivating tales. With both humor and raw honesty, Steve tells of childhood ridicule in the 50’s, coming out in the early 60’s and living openly gay for fifty years, finding true love, then dealing with tragedy and loss, … More

What if everything we thought we knew about the accordion were wrong? This film shatters the mistaken notions and tells the real story. Accordions have returned, not only with amusement, but with a beautiful, eloquent, haunting, and downright exciting vengeance! With a focus on New York City artists, musicians and composers, Accordions Rising explores how appreciation for the music of the accordion … More