Google or Wikipedia? Those of us who search online - and who doesn't? - are getting referred more and more to Wikipedia. For the past two years, this free online "encyclopedia of the people" has been topping the lists of the world's most popular websites. But do we really know what we're using? Backlight plunges into the story behind Wikipedia and explores the wonderful world of Web 2.0. Is it a r
The superb documentary War/Dance reveals the redemptive power of music, even in the most horrific places. Focusing on three children in their early teens in war-torn Uganda--stoic Nancy, driven Dominic, and soft-spoken Rose--War/Dance tracks the efforts of the school of a refugee camp called Patongo to compete in Uganda's countrywide music competition.The contrasts are staggering; in interview
Brenton Butler was just a regular 15-year-old African American high-school student living in Jacksonville, Florida. But when a woman was murdered on a quiet Sunday morning, Brenton suddenly found himself accused of the killing in one of the most fleftening cases of mistaken identity ever.This shocking documentary provides a candid look at the U.S. justice system at work andexposes the racial bia
Eight youngsters vie for one of the most hotly contested academic awards in the United States in this documentary. Every spring, the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee attracts students from all over the United States, and filmmaker Jeff Blitz follows eight promising entrants as they journey to Washington, D.C., in hopes of claiming the national championship and a 10,000-dollar prize. Neil Kada
A film about the American photographer James Nachtwey, about his motivation, his fears and his daily routine as a war photographer. If we believe Hollywood pictures, war photographers are all hard-boiled and cynical old troopers. How can they think about ‘exposure time' in the very moment of dread? Swiss author, director and producer Christian Frei followed James Nachtwey for two years into the w
Filmmaker, author, and political activist Michael Moore trains his satirical eye on America's obsession with guns and violence in his third feature-length documentary, which gets its title from a pair of loosely related incidents. On April 20, 1999, shortly before they began their infamous killing spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold attended their favorit
This film recounts the history and attitudes of the opposing sides of the Vietnam War using archival news footage as well as their own film and interviews. Using a wealth of sources-from interviews to newsreels to documentary footage of the conflict at home and abroad-Davis constructs a powerfully affecting portrait of the disastrous effects of war.The film also endeavors to give voice to the Vi
This film tells the unbelievable story of the weathermen the group of 70s radicals who fueled by outrage over the vietnam war & racism in america went underground throughout much of the decade to wage a low-level war against the government. It includes modern day interviews with key members & founders. The key players in the radical movement known as the Weather Underground are skillfully
There's no easy way to address a highly charged subject like the sexual abuse of young boys by Catholic priests, but with Twist of Faith, director Kirby Dick has taken a straightforward approach, using neither fanfare nor frills to create an unflinching but highly personal documentary about this disgraceful episode. The 2004 film's focus is on one place, Toledo, Ohio, and primarily on two men. On