X-ersize #1

The final episode in our Mini-Docs series comes from musician and writer Jake Anderson, who explores the niche music genres which find an increasing audience in the North East. On a mission to discover outside-the-mainstream sounds and the driving forces behind their creation, Jake chats with musicians Me Lost Me, SQUARMS and Mariam Rezaei, along with some of the major players keeping these sonically-engaging sound makers doing what they’re doing, including Simeon Soden from Kaneda Records and Lee Etherington of TUSK. This mini-documentary features reflections on some of the most unique acts in the North East, what genre boundaries actually mean and artists’ hopes for the future of the North East’s alternative scene. This is an Art Mouse film for NARC. TV, written and directed by Jake Anderson.

Battle Sounds is a documentary project about Hip-Hop DJ's, primarily those that participated in competitive battles later to be known as Turntablists. Shot over a period of three years, ending in 1997, the project captured the grass root movement efforts of DJ culture at a pivotal moment in it’s evolution.

A Documentary film exploring the history and evolution of vinyl records. Featuring Interviews with the experts, musicians and fans alike, 'Stuck in the groove' takes you on a journey of vinyl-mania, music and nostalgia.

Dive into the making of the classic hip-hop record Deltron 3030, with the artists who brought it to life. Featuring Dan the Automator, Del the Funky Homosapien, Kid Koala with appearances by Randall Park, Zane Lowe, and Damian “Domino” Siguenza, you’ll hear a first-person account of creating this one-of-a-kind record. An allegory for the French Revolution? A sci-fi cornucopia of 20th century influences? Or just some talented people with diverse reference points and deep intuition? All of the above? Peep it.

A crew of heroes is determined to save the lost arts of Hip Hop. Break Dancing, Graffiti, MCing, and DJing from total extinction. The lost arts are being oppressed throughout inner-space by lord Ook and his evil minions the Chinheads. The dental commander Dr. Julio Azul DDS, assumed to be secretary Honey Drips, Dental Hygienist/Robot Rubbish, and Grandpa have a series of adventures, synch'd to the music. Armed with the ancient relic known as the Wave Twister (a small turntable/wristwatch, the only weapon powerful enough to defeat the enemies), they travel to the far ends of inner-space for a final confrontation with the sinister army of oppressors.

The founding of the first English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1612 and the many problems that confronted the struggling colonists are depicted.

Dalena is a blond-haired, blue-eyed, all-American white woman who is also a Vietnamese American pop star. A gift from God, she possesses the uncanny ability to sing in perfect Vietnamese. She mimics its beautiful cadences and difficult tones and imbues the songs with her unique melancholy style. Using clips from music videos, concert performances, and actual interviews, Hoang's video resists a simple dismissal of Dalena as yet another instance of cultural appropriation. He rather suggests that within the context of Vietnamese American musical production and consumption, a context marked by a recycling of pre-1975 repertoires, the novelty and innovation of the star-text 'Dalena' allow overseas Vietnamese music fans to negotiate the pressures of assimilation and reflect their desire to preserve a memory of what it means to be Vietnamese while living in America.

Tells the tale of Lithuanian post-war history.

After retiring at the end of the 2023 season, NASCAR champion and legend Kevin Harvick reflects on his multifaceted racing career and discusses his life beyond the track.

This documentary reveals new insight into events leading up to the attack, focusing on the story of Admiral Husband Kimmel, who was stripped of his rank, forced into obscurity, and accused of negligence.

Östlund discovered his penchant for long takes making ski films, in which unbroken shots prove the authenticity of the unbelievable feats depicted. Stunning compositions and an energetic soundtrack (featuring Swedish hip-hop, electronica, ska, and thrash metal) make this a sensory delight, even for those who aren’t skiing enthusiasts.

By approaching the financial system and its contradictions, the film raises questions about one of the main discourses of the financial authorities: that we can not spend more than we collect. Through several interviews, it gives an overview of how capital can influence politics and governments.

Rabot is one of the poorest neighborhoods in Gent. The documentary focusses on the last remaining members living in three tower blocks that are ready to be demolished. It’s a universal parabel about dreams, loneliness and our own indifference.

The Shortest Way Home: C.S. Lewis & Mere Christianity is an introductory review to Lewis's classic work on issues of faith and reason. Viewers will find honest discussion and helpful insights for the tough questions asked by believers and skeptics alike.

Alberto Laiseca was a writer, a writing teacher, and creator of the “delirious realism”. This is a depiction of the author of Los Soria and El jardín de las máquinas parlantes, and his relationship with writing and his students.

In 2010, an obsessed gamer designed the perfect game of Sim City. Achieved through a repeating pattern of clustered high rises, “Magnasanti” exposes the hellish consequences of top-down civic design. In his new documentary, John Wilson explores how New York City is creeping closer and closer to realizing this fictional metropolis.

Britain has gone mad for hot tubs. Thousands of people are splashing out on the latest icon of social status - even if their backyards are too small and the neighbours don't like it. At the centre of the craze is Hot Tub Superstore; a family run business specialising in the weird and wonderful world of hot tubs. This quirky ob-doc follows the showroom exploits of the sales team and their customers. It reveals the often comical efforts of ingenious delivery men manoeuvring hot tubs down narrow British streets. Most tantalising of all, Hot Tub Britain takes a peek over the proverbial garden fence to examine the social politics bubbling underneath the hot tub obsession.

A documentary about Antonín Kratochvíl, a prominent figure in world photography and winner of four prestigious World Press Photo awards. Through his son Michael, the film connects the stories of three generations of photographers, focusing primarily on one of them, Michael's father Antonín.

In Breaking Bread, exotic cuisine and a side of politics are on the menu. Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel - the first Muslim Arab to win Israel's MasterChef - is on a quest to make a social change through food. And so, she founded the A-sham Arabic Food Festival in Haifa. There, pairs of Arab and Jewish chefs collaborate on mouthwatering dishes like kishek (a Syrian yogurt soup), and qatayef (a dessert typically served during Ramadan), as we savor the taste of hope and discover the food of their region free from political and religious boundaries.

This short documentary film is a fascinating portrait of urban and rural Quebec in the late 1960s, as the province entered modernity. The collective work produced for the Quebec Ministry of Industry and Commerce calls on several major Quebec figures.