Movie Trailer: "First Position" - Documentary Opens in Theaters May 4th

This amazing documentary follows six young dancers from around the world, including Michaela DePrince at Alvin Alley American Dance Theater in New York. A 17-year-old ballerina who once lived in an orphanage in Africa, but now lives with her adoptive parents in America.

We see the hard work and daily struggle of each dancer to become ballerinas in a world that excepts no excuses.

Directed by Bess Kargman.

"First Position" open in theaters on Friday, May 4th.

Watch trailer...

Street Art Documentary - "Chevy Sonic Stunt"

Chevy's Sonic car is used to help create a mural in Oakland with street artist, Jeff Soto.

TONIGHT: John Forte and Friends Perform At Bowery Ballroom

via tff

John Forte and a few of his friends will perform on Sunday night at 9 pm(doors open at 8 pm) at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC.

They'll perform songs featured in the documentary "The Russian Winter"(directed by Petter Ringbom) which premiered at the TFF '12 on Friday.

The documentary follows Forte as a Fugee in Brownsville, Brooklyn to his prison stint in Texas. Finally, he reflects on his collaboration with Russian musicans and charity concert tour in Russia.

For more info click here...

2012 Tribeca Film Festival Opens April 18th-29th: "Once In A Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story" Documentary Trailer

via tff

"Once In A Lullaby: The PS22 Chorus Story" is a behind the scenes documentary of a Staten Island elementary school choir who became a Youtube success. Because of their popular video, they were chosen to perform at the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony. 

In this documentary, you'll see some of the challenges the students endured from the beginning in New York to the stage at the Oscars.

You can catch this film at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

For more info and tickets click here...

To read the interview with director Gregg Breinberg click here...

Watch video...

Marvin Gaye Interview with Father

This interview with Marvin Gaye and his father has always struck me as being the most awkward and tension filled discussion between two people on film. I hate to say it, but the perfectionism of the father that made it difficult for Marvin to win his approval really comes through.

There's a whole lot of other wrong in this video I'm not even gonna touch, you've got to go there on your own!

Nonetheless, Marvin was a brilliant musician, flawed, yet perfect enough to do what it took to give more to the world than it ever gave to him.

Happy Birthday Marvin Gaye, Jr. (April 2, 1939-April 1, 1984).

REWIND: Marvin Gaye Rehearsing "Come Get To This"

A clip from the 1981 documentary "Transit Ostend" aka "Remember Marvin Gaye".

The Richard Olivier directed film centers on his time living in Ostend, Belgium.

Today, April 1st is the annivesary of his death and tomorrow would have been his birthday. 

"Bigger Than Life" (Full Documentary)

The Notorious B.I.G. documentary.

Sneak Peek: "Brooklyn Castle" Documentary Premieres Sunday, March 11th at SXSW Film Festival

The "Brooklyn Castle" documentary will premiere at SXSW on Sunday at 11 am at the Alamo Ritz 1 Theater.

Cameras follow a struggling high school champion chess team through the recession and budget cuts.

Directed by Katie Dellamaggiore.

Watch video...

"48 Hours with Diddy"

Follow music mogul P. Diddy from Madison Square Garden in NYC to the Oscars at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood(CA) in 48 hours.

Watch video...

Bob Marley Documentary: The "Marley" Movie Trailer

The Bob Marley documentary takes us deep inside the life of the legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.

We see indepth interviews with his family members(former wife Rita Marley, Ziggy Marley, Cedella Marley) and thoughs who knew him(Neville "Bunny" Wailer Livingston, Lee Perry, Chris Blackwell and Jimmy Cliff).

Directed by award-winning director Kevin Macdonald("The Last King of Scotland").

This documentary premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Sunday(Feb.12th) and it'll open in theaters on April 20th after playing SXSW Festival in March(11-16).

Watch trailer... 

'Undefeated' Trailer - Opens Theaters February 17th

The documentary 'Undefeated' is about a North Memphis(TN) football program battle to win their first championship game in Manassas High School's 110-year-old history.

We see the daily struggles of the players to gain success in life on and off the football field.

This film was directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin.

You can expect to see this inspiring documentary(released by The Weinstein Company) in theaters on Friday, February 17th.

Watch trailer...

Joe Frazier: "When The Smoke Clears"Full Documentary

'Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears' is a documentary about the legendary boxer Joe Frazier.

It takes us from his birth place of Beaufort, South Carolina to the boxing ring in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

We learn in this documentary some of the personal hardships that Frazier had to endure on the road to becoming the great fighter he was in the ring.

Watch full documentary...

It's important to understand, as a heavyweight Joe Frazier was one of the strongest and toughest fighters of his time. His style was similar to Rocky Marciano's in some ways. He moved forward and walked his opponents down. He wasn't finesse, he was "aggression with a hard left hook attached". His attitude and demeanor could be compared to another Philadelphia fighter, Bernard Hopkins. 

People often thought of Joe as bitter, but in the big scheme of things... he had many reasons to be. The Rocky film borrowed heavily from his life without crediting him, to add insult to injury, the City of Philadelphia erected a statue of Sylvester Stallone instead of doing so for Joe. These sorts of slights often happened to him and make his outlook more understandable.

He was an American, a champion... a man.

Filmmaker Josh Fox Arrested on Capital Hill

Filmmaker Josh Fox.

via politico

Director Josh Fox was arrested and charged on Wednesday morning for Unlawful Entry on Capitol Hill.

Fox attempted to film a House of Science Committee Hearing on fracking(hydraulic fracturing), according to Politico.

He was led out of the hearing in handcuffs by Capitol Police.

He shouted, "I'm within my First Amendment rights, and I'm being taken out."

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker is best known for his award winning documentary "Gasland."

Read more...

Brooklyn Boheme Poster - A Documentary by Diane Paragas and Nelson George

via props

Learn about this excellent film here...

Feature Documentary Trailer: "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth"

"Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" is a feature documentary about novelist Alice Walker.

Through great visuals of nature and black and white photos we learn more about her journey as an author, poet and political activist as it's told from actor/activist Danny Glover, political activist/scholar and author Angela Davis, Walker and others.

This insightful documentary was directed by Pratibha Parmar.

It's expected in theaters in 2012.

In 1982, Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel "The Color Purple".

The book was later turned into a film of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg.

Watch trailer....