Films

Saul (94) and Ruby (90), both holocaust survivors with an insatiable lust for life, have formed a band to tour the world and spread their message of world peace.

While exploring issues of education and manhood, All the Difference follows two tough and determined young black men for five years as they graduate high school and struggle to be the first in their families to make it through college and rise out of poverty.

A “vivid, sobering portrait” that “packs considerable cumulative punch” (Variety), Omar & Pete is a compelling and highly personal film that examines the social, economic, and personal barriers two ex-offenders face as they try to reintegrate into their communities and families. In and out of prison for more than 30 years, and never out longer than 6 months, Omar and...

Following Tresa Dunbar and Kerry Purcell (two highly dedicated public school principals) over the course of a school year, The Principal Story paints a dramatic portrait of the challenges facing America’s public schools – and of the great difference a dedicated principal can make. As the film reveals, Purcell and Dunbar share an irrepressible determination to see that poverty doesn’t...

One in three Native American women will experience sexual abuse at some point in their lifetime. That is more than twice the national average. And for the women of Alaska, the state with the highest incidence of rape, the situation is particularly bleak.

The economic downturn that hit the US economy has left many families struggling. For those who were already living on the edge of economic security the impact of the downturn has been a devastating tipping point. In This Room is a personal look at how one Chicago family, forced into living in a homeless shelter, is navigating through this turmoil.

Time to Speak features young victims of domestic violence struggling to survive and overcome their experience of abuse and neglect. This powerful and intimate documentary follows their stories as they unfold in the pediatric trauma ward of a Chicago hospital; a medical intake center where psychological and physical exams are performed; and in a unique residential facility that uses peer...

Breaking Ties focuses on the intense lives of three teens that are breaking their families’ ties to poverty in the US. Nicole, 16 years old, lives in a poor section of Chicago. Her family has depended on welfare for 4 generations. Demetrio, 17 years old, is a migrant worker who has worked the crops between Florida and Michigan since he...

Rosevelt’s America is a cinema verite profile of the struggles of a Liberian refugee to build a new life in America. After being tortured and narrowly escaping execution during Liberia’s civil war, Rosevelt Henderson makes his way to America with three of his children but is forced to leave his pregnant wife behind. Ultimately, Rosevelt’s America becomes an inspiring story...

World renown vocalist-songwriter-pianist Patricia Barber has earned a reputation as a fiercely independent artist who has paid enough dues to creatively call the shots on the kind of albums she wants to make. Modern Cool is a promotional short film with performance and interview that captures Barber performing several hits from her highly acclaimed CD, Modern Cool.