This feature-length documentary explores the life of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah.
Filmed in the autumn of 1975 prior to and during Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour – featuring appearances and performances by Ronee Blakley, T-Bone Burnett, Jack Elliott, Allen Ginsberg, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Hawkins, Roger McGuinn, Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, Arlen Roth, Phil Ochs, Sam Shepard, and Harry Dean Stanton – the film incorporates three distinct film genres: concert footage, documentary interviews, and dramatic fictional vignettes reflective of Dylan's song lyrics and life.
A naïve young boy unknowingly becomes the pawn of a serial killer.
In this political thriller, a gubernatorial candidate's idealistic press secretary discovers that the opposing political candidate has feathered the nest of his campaigns with terrible lies.
Mike Tyson escaped a life of poverty and petty crime to make a name for himself, becoming the youngest Heavyweight Champion of the World and a household name—but his rise was followed by a very public fall. In this remarkably candid portrait, the boxer addresses his controversial past, including the rape charge that sent him to prison and his struggles with substance abuse, while also detailing his ultimate recovery and comeback.
A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, this punchy short features James Toback recounting a bizarre, years-long rivalry sparked by a drunken argument with Norman Mailer over bourbon versus Scotch—an ego duel that escalates from boozy barbs to a tense Jets–Browns stare-down and a few jabs to the gut. A brisk, first-person tale of bravado, celebrity circles, and the fine line between literary legend and street-corner scuffle.
Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.
While escorting a group of children through New York City, a harried man loses hold of a bouquet of one hundred balloons. Among them, a single black balloon drifts free, seemingly lifeless, only to revive and embark on a strange journey through the city. Searching for companionship, it drifts among the highs and lows of human life, discovering both joy and despair along the way. Conceived as a children’s tale but emerging as a surreal urban fable, The Black Balloon follows the haunting odyssey of a balloon that longs to belong.
Commissioned by fashion label Vena Cava, Josh Safdie’s short replaces a runway show with an eerie, late-1970s Los Angeles-inspired tale about a women’s cult; it premiered online in November 2012.
From civil rights to the anti-war movement to the struggles of workers, folksinger Phil Ochs wrote topical songs that engaged his audiences in the issues of the 1960s and 70s. In this biographical documentary, veteran director Kenneth Bowser shows how Phil's music and his fascinating life story and eventual decline into depression and suicide were intertwined with the history-making events that defined a generation. Even as his contemporaries moved into folk-rock and pop music, Phil followed his own vision, challenging himself and his listeners. Not one to pull punches, Ochs never achieved the commercial success he desperately desired. But his music remains relevant, reaching new audiences in a generation that finds his themes all too familiar.
Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
Positively Porco is a unique collection of unguarded and inspiring moments shared by the performers and personalities who- along with club owner Mike Porco- played a crucial role in the rise and propagation of what became known as the Greenwich Village Folk and Blues Revival. The film will enlighten even the most staunch Folk Revival enthusiast and historian.