Genres: documentary

  • Films of Su Friedrich, The: Volume 1 – The Ties That Bind

    “The Ties That Bind” is a powerful meditation on political responsibility and personal loss as seen through the story of the filmmaker’s mother, who grew up in Nazi Germany. Using rare archival footage, extensive interviews and critical commentary, Friedrich constructs a fearless dialogue between past and present, between mother and daughter. “The Ties That Bind” engages in a profound search for an understanding of history, and challenges us in our responsibility for the present. Languages: English, German * New Directors/New Films, MoMA * “Le Mois du Film Documentaire,” France * “In and Out of the Cold, 1945 to 1995,” International…

  • Films of Su Friedrich, The: Volume 3 – Sink or Swim

    A contemporary classic and a landmark in autobiographical filmmaking, “Sink or Swim” is an unflinching account of the highly charged relationship between a daughter and her father. Through a series of twenty-six short stories, a young girl chronicles the childhood events that shaped her ideas about fatherhood, family relations, work and play. As the stories unfold, a dual portrait emerges: that of a father who cared more for his career than for his family, and of a daughter who was deeply affected by his behavior. Working in counterpoint to the forceful text are sensual black and white images that depict…

  • Del Mero Corazon

    A lyrical journey through the heart of Chicano culture as reflected in the love songs of the Tex-Mex Norteña music tradition. Shipped as a bonus film on the “Chulas Fronteras.”

  • Films of Su Friedrich, The: Volume 4 – Hide and Seek

    “Hide and Seek” tells the story of Lou, a twelve-year-old girl coming to terms with her budding sexuality in the mid 1960s. Her bittersweet tale is skillfully interwoven with clips from a wide array of scientific and educational films, as well as interviews with adult lesbians who recount their adolescent attractions to girls, how they felt when they first heard the word lesbian, where they fit in the butch/femme continuum, and their thoughts about how they became baby dykes. “Hide and Seek” is for every woman who’s been to a slumber party and every man who wonders what went on…

  • Films of Su Friedrich, The: Volume 5 – The Odds of Recovery

    After a twenty-year period of multiple illnesses and injuries, Friedrich turns the camera on herself as a way to analyze her chances for a happier, healthier life. In the process, she captures the frustration, tedium and petty annoyances of a revolving-door relationship with the medical establishment, while portraying the complicated web of emotions that accompany any medical problem. With humor and honesty, “The Odds of Recovery” uses the filmmaker’s medical history as a means to address a perennial human problem: the desire to avoid conflict and deny the need for radical change. “…plays with the genre of the self-portrait…all in…

  • White Sound

    An experiential trip into sonic landscapes, “White Sound” explores the notion of a ‘soundless’ existence. Visualised through Deaf and hearing impaired observance, White Sound is a space where noise, silence and imagination converge. As auditory chaos increases in the world around us, silence is a sound in itself. The loudest sound of all.

  • American Nurse

    America’s war in Vietnam is over, but the scars of that war remain with many Asian-Americans who served there. More than 60,000 Asian-Americans served in the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War. Many who lived through this lost war in Southeast Asia still silently suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. But there are others willing to speak out about the conditions that they as Americans of Asian ancestry experienced in Vietnam. Lt. Lily Lee (Adams) now of Mill Valley, California, nursed wounded soldiers and worked in triage for a year in Cu Chi. Her story in “American Nurse” chronicles…

  • Maple Flavour Films

    In April 2006, the creators of “Sidekick” traveled across Canada in an effort to generate enough positive word-of-mouth to lure a Canadian theatrical distributor to release their award-winning feature film in theatres. While chronicling the ups-and-downs of their coast-to-coast adventure, they also took to the streets to interview everyday Canadians and film industry professionals about their thoughts on Canadian films and the Canadian film industry. Honest, frank and often humourous, “Maple Flavour Films” is a documentary not to be missed! “This documentary starts off as an amusing little road movie about a film scriptwriter/producer taking the only 35mm print of…

  • General Idea: Art, AIDS and the Fin de siècle

    “General Idea: Art, AIDS and the fin de siècle” is a humorous, informative and ultimately poignant documentary about the internationally acclaimed Canadian artists’ collective General Idea. Formed in 1969, they produced art that targeted and mimicked media, consumerism and celebrity, creating a revolutionary new spirit of art making. Interviews with AA Bronson, the sole survivor of the trio, lends personal relevancy to this poignant story of art and sexual politics. “GENERAL IDEA: Art, AIDS and the fin de siècle” is a tale of love, fame, overwhelming loss and, ultimately, renewal. Selected screenings: Canadian Art Reel Artists Film Festival, 2009; Hot…

  • Stubblejumper

    In the fall of 1975, while attending the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, Doug Wilson placed an ad in the student’s newspaper, seeking to start a campus gay group. This seemingly benign action would serve as the catalyst for a dramatic unfolding of events, shaping the future of Wilson’s life. “Stubblejumper” is a 48-minute biographical docudrama on the life and work of gay activist Doug Wilson – a story filled with activism, poetry, performance, politics, and a touching yet tragic love story.