What does it mean to love and be loved? Director Matt Fuller examines the reality of autistic adulthood and shows how the members of this often-misunderstood community cope with the challenge of keeping romance alive.
(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Matt Fuller)
World premiere.
The Birth of Saké
Traditional and labor-intensive, the production of Saké has changed very little over the centuries. This documentary follws the artisans who have dedicated their lives to carrying on this increasingly rare artform follows the round-the-clock process for six straight months, offering a rare glimpse into a family-run brewery that’s been operating for more than 100 years.
(Country: US, Japan; Year: 2015; Director: Erik Shirai; Writer: Erik Shirai)
At turns inspiring and troubling, Democrats is ultimately a fascinating study of the dangerous grassroots work that changing a harsh political system requires.
Documentary tracks power brokers in Zimbabwe who are trying to compose a new constitution.
Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant looms just 35 miles from Times Square. With over 50 million people living in close proximity to the aging facility, its continued operation has generated controversy for the surrounding community. In the brewing fight for clean energy and the catastrophic possibilities of complacency, director Ivy Meeropol weaves a portrait of an uncertain nuclear future.
After moving into his childhood home on Chicago’s South Side, Grammy Award–winning rapper Che "Rhymefest" Smith hesitantly sets out to reconnect with his estranged father, the man who abandoned him more than 20 years ago.
(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Ricki Stern, Anne Sundberg; Writer: Ricki Stern, Anne Sundberg)
World premiere.
In Transit
The Empire Builder is America’s busiest long-distance train route, running from Chicago to Seattle. Throughout these corridors sit runaways, adventurers, and loners – myriad passengers waiting to see what their journey holds. The last film co-directed by the late Albert Maysles.
(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker III, David Usui, Benjamin Wu)
World premiere.
Palio
In the world’s oldest horse race, the Palio, taking bribes and fixing races threatens to extinguish the passion for the sport itself. Giovanni, unversed in corruption, challenges his former mentor, who dominates the game.
(Country: UK; Year: 2015; Director: Cosima Spender; Writer: John Hunt)
For the past four years, Ryan and Amy Greene have been working on That Dragon, Cancer, a videogame about their son Joel's fight against that disease.
(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: David Osit, Malika Zouhali-Worrall; Writer: David Osit, Malika Zouhali-Worrall)
World premire.
Tom Swift And His Electric Rifle
Do you blame the technology or the person wielding it? With damaging reports of taser-related deaths at the hands of police officers, this conundrum spurs a carefully constructed argument that tasers are in fact lethal, discrediting claims by Taser International that stun guns save lives.
(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Nick Berardini)
World premiere.
Very Semi-Serious
Documentary about the art and humor of The New Yorker's single panel cartoons.
