Sundowners - A Conversation with the Author

A fond farewell to London's trams - whose peculiarly endearing qualities were discovered only at the threat of their disappearance.

It’s the second semester of junior year for Pierce “Sparni” Sparnroft, a gifted jazz vibraphonist studying at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Sparni’s prospects on the vibes were rejuvenated by their new professor, the world-renowned Steve Nelson, and are to be showcased during a student-driven recital in May 2023. But all the while, Sparni must face a crisis within.

A special behind-the-scenes look at the making of the audiobook edition of "d'ILLUSION: The Houdini Musical" and how it did its part in helping keep theater and the arts alive during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former footballer Paul Merson sets out to understand why his life has been so blighted by gambling and asks if enough is being done to prevent others following in his footsteps.

Eighteen-year-old Aaliyah flies on aerial silks. Her 16-year-old cousin Bre twirls on hoops. They dream of escaping the violence that marred their young lives. Their possible ticket out is the after-school program Trenton Circus Squad. Now that Covid-19 has changed everything, will the circus and the girls’ dreams survive?

Survey of the Boer war with reconstructions and actualities.

A young mother, alone with her daughter, confides in a friend who happens to be the director herself. Chantal Akerman, although she sympathizes with the mother, does not say a word.

A video-verité manifesto made with self-identified gender outlaw, author and activist, Leslie Feinberg (1949-2014). Raw and confrontational, this videotape asks its audience to examine their assumptions about the "nature" of gender, challenging any nead certainties and calling for more sensitivity and awareness of the human rights and dignity of trans people.

From the turtles of the Farasan Islands to the ibex that dot the Asir Mountains, this documentary captures Saudi Arabia's diverse wildlife and scenery.

Coming back during Winter, Alex Powell explores both the places and personal connections found in his hometown and how they've changed. “Guide to a Midwest Hometown” explores what makes the barren places at home feel sentimental and special, and the good and bad feelings that come when being back home. Inspired by "How To With John Wilson".

Conservationist photographer and filmmaker Kyle Dudgeon, with the help of wildlife biologist Steve Hoffman, follows a family of great gray owls in the Bridger Mountains of Montana whose habitat is threatened by a logging project. The first feature film of this longtime bird photographer, The Trees with Orange Rings is a passionate documentary short profiling the natural history of these owls and confronting important environmental issues over the span of two years.

Deconstructs the representation of AIDS in the popular media where distortion and misrepresentation amount to a "snow job" promoting increased homophobia, sexual discrimination and repression of gays.

Bill Fong is passionate about bowling. When he's not working at the bowling shop he's studying YouTube videos, playing 20 games a week as a member of four active leagues, and memorizing the characteristics of each of the 48 lanes at his regular bowling alley. Yet despite all of Bill's determination, he has yet to achieve his dream of going pro. One seeming ordinary night all may change for this underdog as Fong begins to get strike after strike, nearing the ever elusive 'perfect series,' a feat only achieved 21 times since 1895. The achievement would be historical, the first for Texas and the first by an Asian-American. A perfect series could be just the thing to launch Bill into the pros but will he be able to make it or buckle under the pressure?

To the WWE Universe, Shawn Michaels made every match he competed in feel like a main event. No matter the time or the place, when The Showstopper stepped inside the ring, he delivered a performance unlike any other. Now for the first time ever, WWE Home Video dives deep into the archives to bring the WWE Universe never-before-released matches spanning the entire career of “The Heartbreak Kid.”

Vladan Vasev aka VaXz, is a lover of basketball and all kinds of team sports from Bosilegrad, who completely single-handedly restored faith in the hardcore music scene in Serbia. When the performers on stage noticed his jumps and the way of dancing specific to hardcore music and inquired about the most loyal member of their audience, they learned an incredible story. In order to attend the concert, VaXz travels from Bosilegrad to Belgrade sometimes up to ten hours, and then returns, sometimes immediately after listening to the gig. In this film, we meet Vladan and what it is that inspires him about hardcore, but through his portrait we also get to know life in a small town like Bosilegrad, as well as the history of hardcore music in Serbia and how bands came together to honor their most loyal fan.

Thea’s life is changed when she receives an unexpected call from her childhood ‘friend’, May. Memories of the past with May shake Thea out of the mundane and into the queer London landscape; although it doesn’t immediately welcome her with open arms. Except in the form of Mimi, a liberated and fellow queer femme, who shows Thea the unconditional love and friendship that queer community is built off. Inspired by a true story, this heartfelt short film celebrates the magic of queer femme friendship and love.

When does someone stop being a Stranger? In a world emerging from social lockdown, this documentary explores the way communication is changing. Seven participants give us their views on social interactions, before having a conversation with a Stranger. Will this change their perceptions?

We are living in the time of a heteronormative society that antagonizes Queer people for their Being-ness. In Africa, it is believed that we are un-African to Proudly be Our LGBTQIA+ selves. In this short documentary, we share with you researched origins of modern homophobia and queerphobia, while exposing hidden truths about the English bible. The short is a testament to the harmful effects of colonialism and the dangers of religious indoctrination. This film offers audiences the opportunity to question what we have been told to believe is true about queer people.

Lost Theaters of Wichita has the inside story from those who were there. It’s a tale of two great entertainment palaces—one that barely survived and the other that came crashing down while still in its prime. The Miller could still be entertaining people to this day in a grand atmosphere unlike any other. But instead, a parking garage sits in that spot–a monument to history lost and a lesson for future generations to heed. Program includes additional segments on Wichita theater history not included in the documentary itself, and a question and answer session with some of the people interviewed in the film.

The film traces the figure of virgin and places her in an amorous encounter with pleasure and pain, body and mind, the historical and the lived. It presents wedding night as a liminal event and projects the liminality of the event onto a psychic landscape. Placed at the edge of time, the nuptial chamber in the film becomes the feminine place of contemplation. The film is a search for the shadowy, nocturnal and the oneiric.