Documentary

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Zompost!

Sep 2015

2013 | Directed by Mike Bell/Beth Bell

A tongue-in-cheek approach to the traditional how-to-video, this short film teaches you the basics of composting with Zombies.

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Curley: A Historiophoty by Billy Palumbo

Sep 2015

2015 | Directed by Billy Palumbo

Through a series of looping, black and white shots, the life and legacy of Boston’s notorious James Michael Curley is interrogated, alongside the traditions of history-telling, utility of the past, and commodification of memory. Just as James Michael Curley challenged and redefined the dominant politics of early 20th century Boston; just as Curley’s legacy has been simplified and sanitized; just as history in general blunts and sculpts facts to meet an end; Curley: A Historiophoty by Billy Palumbo challenges narrativization, chronology, linearity, and objectivity in history-telling not in a search for truth but a quest for questions.

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Birth of a Luthier

Sep 2015

2015 | Directed by Thomas C. Webb

Luthier: One who makes stringed musical instruments, as violins or guitars. (Merriam-Webster)

This is the story of two men who find friendship through building musical instruments.

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Liz

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Sharyn Paul Brusie

Homeless at 13, Liz Leddy lived a tragic life of despair.  Her battle with addictions and raging behavior led to a brutal fight of survival on the streets.  Filmed over four years, in Portland, Maine, we follow Liz as she reclaims her life from desperation to a place of love, forgiveness and hope. Her dreams manifest as she becomes a favorite for competition in the 2012 Olympic sport of boxing.

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Among the Giants

Sep 2015

2009 | Directed by Cory Tomascoff

In 2001, Alex Truesdell started an independent non-profit called the Adaptive Design Association (ADA) with the mission that all children (and eventually adults) with “disabilities” would get the customized equipment and adaptations they need to participate fully in the community and achieve their full developmental, social, and academic potential.

Since then, ADA has established its home base in New York City, and has inspired numerous Adaptive Device Centers (ADC’s) around the globe. But the struggle to meet an often un-recognized need has continued to rage on. Unfortunately, in the United States, most children in need of support are either un-supported by their families, school systems, and/or communities.

Among the Giants is a short documentary film which tells Adaptive Design’s story through the tales of a few fascinating and courageous individuals, all of whom have had some relationship with ADA. The film challenges viewers to question the very nature of notions such as “disability”, and “capability”, as well as the unfortunate reality of “accessibility” in the United States.

Directed in 2009, the film continues to serve as a teaching tool around the world; it is ideal for classrooms, students, and educators of all age, as well as simply anyone who wishes to learn a little bit more about what it means to work with one’s hands, be creatively fearless, and question one’s own limitations.

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White Blaze

Sep 2015

2013 | Directed by Brian Bolster

Trail angels have become an integral presence along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) and other long distance hiking trails across the country. In general, trail angels perform random acts of kindness and assistance (often referred to as trail magic) to thru-hikers along remote stretches of trail where access to water and other amenities are limited or non existent.

The trail magic they perform often occurs unexpectedly and without warning in the form of fresh water, food, shelter, or a car ride to the nearest town. They know how important it is for thru-hikers to complete the trail in its entirety. Therefore, they understand the hardships of hiking a long distance trail and often appear when a thru-hiker needs help or encouragement the most.

For the past ten years, Apple has been setting up a large tent equipped with a wood burning stove in a remote corner of Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. By mid November, southbound thru-hikers, who started their journey on top of the 5,268 foot peak of Mount Katahdin in Maine, will have walked about 2,000 miles by the time they reach Apple’s shelter just 111 miles from the southern terminus located in northern Georgia. As if appearing out of nowhere, Apple’s shelter offers a brief respite for thru-hikers before they forge ahead to reach the summit of Springer Mountain in Georgia.

For one week in November, White Blaze follows Apple as he supports weary southbound thru-hikers along the Appalachian Trail by offering them food, water, and encouragement to reach the end of the famous 2,178 mile wooded footpath. White Blaze examines the brief encounters experienced between thru-hikers and one trail angel.

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America’s Forgotten Heroine: Ida Lewis, Keeper of the Light

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Marian Gagnon

America’s Forgotten Heroine: Ida Lewis, Keeper of the Light is an historical documentary that focuses on the intriguing life story of this country’s most famous maritime heroine.

Written, directed and produced by Marian Gagnon of Goodnight Irene Productions and shot and edited by Jim Karpeichik of Ocean State Video, this 47-minute documentary film provides an intimate portrayal of Ida’s life from age 15 to 69 (from 1857 to 1911) and the passion and moral fiber she intrinsically brought to her work as a lighthouse keeper and unlikely heroine. It also explores the myriad decisions which led to a life of both fame and isolation, Ida’s unexpected celebrity in Newport as well as across the U.S., and the impact she inadvertently had on the early women’s rights movement.

As John Williams Haley, author of The Rhode Island Historian wrote in 1939: “…of all the Rhode Island women who have achieved fame in one way or another…and there have been many…none attained the world renown of a modest little woman who was born and lived most of her life in Newport. In fact, it would hardly be exaggeration to say that she was more famous, particularly during the latter half of her life, than any American woman of the past or present.”

While this statement may very well stand today, Ida’s story has largely been forgotten. Gagnon’s goal with this film is to renew the “national memory” of Ida Lewis as an American heroine not only in her hometown of Newport and throughout RI, but across the United States.

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The Last Taboo

Sep 2015

2013 | Directed by Alexander Freeman

The Last Taboo tells the gripping and heart-warming story of six people with various physical disabilities and an able-bodied partner who was in a relationship with one of them. These individuals share their perspectives on intimacy, relationships and what their experiences have taught them about themselves. The Last Taboo asks us to step outside of our comfort zones in order to reconsider our misconceptions regarding disability, identity, gender, attraction, beauty and sexuality.

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Throwback Brewery

Sep 2015

2014 | Directed by Bryant Naro and Meagan Frappiea

Throwback Brewery is a short documentary on the women-owned nanobrewery in North Hampton, NH. Founded by Annette Lee and Nicole Carrier in 2010, Throwback’s mission is to source all of their ingredients within a 200-mile radius of the brewery— be it oysters for a stout or watermelon for a blonde ale.

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Guitar #1711

Sep 2014

Guitar #1711
2013 | Directed by Guy Benoit

Guitar #1711 is a beautifully filmed experience of one guitars construction. From raw materials to finished performance this film explores the tools, relationships and skills that go into building fine guitars.