Diaries from an Unconventional Journey

Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

In his new film, Erwin Wagenhofer is looking for the good and beautiful in this world.

Follows the world-famous Kids of Widney High, a group of young adults with developmental disabilities who write, record, and perform their own unique brand of rock music. Based out of Los Angeles, the band grows and becomes involved in other creative endeavors including films, writing, painting, and clothing design. This documentary chronicles Kids' rise to underground cult fame over a ten year period, and incorporates the Kids' recent West Coast tour.

"letters to eleanore" is a poignant feature-length documentary that explores the intertwined journeys of two remarkable girls, Keith from Canto Grande in Lima, Peru, who bravely navigates life with cerebral palsy alongside her devoted mother, and Olivia from Litchfield, Minnesota, whose experiences highlight the stark contrasts in societal attitudes towards disability in their respective countries. As their narratives unfold, they are beautifully interwoven with the legacy of Eleanore and her family, whose life, untimely death, and the impact of her wheelchair ignited a powerful movement of hope for countless children and their families facing similar challenges. This film is not just a story of perseverance and love; it is a testament to the strength of community, brought to life through the collaborative efforts of volunteers, students, and communities across Peru and the United States, embodying a true grassroots style of storytelling that resonates with authenticity and compassion.

I'll Push You is about two lifelong friends, one quadriplegic, who embark on the pilgrimage of the Santiago de Compostela. It's a documentary about friendship and the grittiness of love and sacrifice.

Buddhist monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism are examined, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.

Ma dose d'espoir

Documentary about wheel-chair bound stand-up comedian Jesper Odelberg. He was born with cerebral palsy and largely uses this as his material, but mixes his comedy with an overall serious message about inclusion and understanding.

In a wheelchair after breaking his back in a plane crash, a young man heals his life by laughing - at himself!

Kevin Ogar, a gifted athlete destined for greatness, suddenly finds himself paralyzed from the waist down, his dreams shattered. He fights to survive, then to build a new life, even daring to pursue his dream job­–a job nobody in a wheelchair has ever attained or even attempted

Diagnosed at birth with a rare condition that was expected to kill him, Chad "Shorty" McDaniel embraces humor, grit, and a competitive spirit to live the life others said he would never have and shatter assumptions about disability.

A short documentary about the former judoka Marina and her Judo Club for People with Disabilities - "Fuji". Its brave members cope with all things Judo and real-life challenges, but always with a smile and the heart of a true judoka.

Two-part documentary about the Tibetan refugee community in India. Feingold interviews Tibetan philosophers and former political prisoners. Part One (60 mins.) "Body, Speech, and Mind: Conversations with Tibetan Philosophers". Part Two (30 mins.) "Resisting the Chinese Occupation: Personal Accounts of Tibetans".

The Falcons is an intimate, observational documentary that delves into the world of the Tshakhruk Ethnoband, a remarkable musical ensemble in the Armenian highlands. Comprised of special-needs children that reside at the state orphanage, these young musicians find solace, strength, and self-expression through the transformative power of music.

In his lifetime, Thomas Merton was hailed as a prophet and censured for his outspoken social criticism. For nearly 27 years he was a monk of the austere Trappist order, where he became an eloquent spiritual writer and mystic as well as an anti-war advocate and witness to peace. Merton: A Film Biography provides the first comprehensive look at this remarkable 20th century religious philosopher who wrote, in addition to his immensely popular autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain, over 60 books on some of the most pressing social issues of our time, some of which are excerpted here. Merton offers an engaging profile of a man whose presence in the world touched millions of people and whose words and thoughts continue to have a profound impact and relevance today.

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.

Education Center for disabled children located in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algeria. Despite the precarious conditions in which this population lives since 40 years ago, the Polisario Front as the representative of the Sahrawi people has promoted inclusion as a way to avoid marginalization and discrimination of one of the most vulnerable populations within these territories: children with special needs. "Castro" is the man who devotes his life to this beautiful project fighting all odds: physical, psychic, social, economic, and even the incomprehensions of his own society. The Sahrawis are living (resisting) in one of the harshest deserts on Earth but Castro has the magic formula to achieve the inclusion of these wonderful beings in his society and in the rest of the world: MUSAWAT, EQUALITY.

As the crucial question arises of the future succession of the Dalai Lama, we take a look back at the tormented history of the "Land of Snows" which lives under Chinese domination and which remains a geopolitical issue of the first order. A valuable documentary that gives voice to a people that China is trying to permanently silence.

Joko Supriyanto is a high school student in Yayasan Pendidikan Anak Luar Biasa (Special Needs Education Foundation) Cepogo, Boyolali--a foundation that facilitates education for the children with special needs. Joko has visual impairment that disables him to see normally.

In Nepal, a venerable monk, Geshe Lama Konchog, dies and one of his disciples, a youthful monk named Tenzin Zopa, searches for his master's reincarnation. The film follows his search to the Tsum Valley where he finds a young boy of the right age who uncannily responds to Konchog's possessions. Is this the reincarnation of the master? After the boy passes several tests, Tenzin takes him to meet the Dali Lama. Will the parents agree to let the boy go to the monastery, and, if so, how will the child respond? Central to the film is the relationship the child develops with Tenzin.