America Works...America Sings

Woven Songs of the Amazon(en)

The Shipibo-Konibo people of Peruvian Amazon decorate their pottery, jewelry, textiles, and body art with complex geometric patterns called kené. These patterns also have corresponding songs, called icaros, which are integral to the Shipibo way of life. This documentary explores these unique art forms, and one Shipibo family's efforts to safeguard the tradition.

Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All(en)

An intimate look into the lives of one of the most iconic folk-rock bands in America - the Indigo Girls. With never-before-seen archival and intimate vérité the film dives into the songwriting and storytelling of the music that transformed a generation.

Strudel Sisters(hu)

Two elderly sisters share the delicate art of making traditional Hungarian strudel and reveal a deeply personal family story about their mother, who taught them everything they know.

Broken Token(en)

A single female voice sings of waiting in her garden for her ‘dark-eyed sailor’ to return from war, bearing the other half of their token, a gimmel ring. Three veterans pass on the road as she waits, and she asks them: “When you were fighting in distant lands, did you think of the home you left?” In reply the veterans relate their recollections. The garden images in the accompanying film represent ‘home’, but also stand for a more general possibility of redemption, of the potential of the past to return at any time, disguised and changed, to renew the present: “Each moment of time is a garden gate,” the song goes, “Through it my love may walk.”

Ayrudzi(hy)

The members of the Ayrudzi troupe travel across various villages of Armenia on horseback and put on folk song and dance concerts and shadow theatre performances for the locals.

Behind Time, Time Comes(pt)

“Behind time, time comes” interlaced with folk songs, narrates the rhythms of rural life, where time and its weight, shape and define the landscape, as well as the lives that compose it. Accompanying the reminiscences of a group of women from the parish of Dornelas, Sever do Vouga, Portugal.

Regarding Our Father(en)

Gerald S. Doyle was one of the first collectors of Newfoundland folk songs. He was also an avid cinematographer who left a collection of 12 hours of colour film, shot in outport Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1930's, 40's, and 50's.

AWAKE!(en)

AWAKE is a short experimental documentary about a liminal moment in the calendar - midwinter - observed by the inhabitants of a small rural village in England. A time outside time, magic is everywhere and anything is possible. Bearing witness to this turning point, the inhabitants gather for a wassail - a centuries old thanksgiving ritual in which folk gather to honour the slow return of the sun and bless the apple trees whose fruit are essential to the village ecosystem, not least the crumbles, juice and cider that sustains them throughout the year.

Yeoyu and Seolbin - [Comedy](ko)

The folk duo 'Yeoyu and Seolbin' completed their third album, 「Comedy」, while living in Jeju. The record swept the Folk category at the Korean Music Awards and was praised as "a single album that has it all—regret and sympathy, rage and sorrow, and hope." Exploring what it means to be alive in the face of life's tragedies, the duo weaves a subtle yet powerful narrative through Jeju's landscapes: an old house and its yard, a Chinese restaurant where they once worked, and the recording studio.

Rituals(id)

A husband and wife recall an event when their love was tested amid Punjabi pre-wedding customs, as their family continued to create a scene due to cultural and racial differences, which persisted despite the customs.

Sing a Song of Sex(ja)

Four sexually hungry high school students preparing for their university entrance exams meet up with an inebriated teacher singing bawdy drinking songs. This encounter sets them on a less than academic path.

Donkey, Herring and Broom(et)

The first story is based on an Indian fairy-tale. It is a story about a donkey who wants to win favour with its master and starts to mock the master’s favourite – his dog. The second story is based on a humorous Estonian song and tells the story of a land herring that became a sea creature and made the seawater salty. The third story is based on a Czech fairy-tale, which tells of two boys, who find a witch's broom and start to fly with it.

The Song of the Flute(el)

The love between the only daughter of a chief shepherd and a poor shepherd on the slopes of Mt. Olympus.

Alela Diane à la Salle Rameau(en)

Willi Carlisle: Live at MerleFest(en)

Willi Carlisle plays live at MerleFest in Window World Hall at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC on April 26, 2024. Set List: 1. Higher Lonesome 2. I Want No Children 3. Critterland

Testamento(pt)

Machhi Lewaima(ne)

Nepalese folk songs danced and sung by everyone.

Carpenter(ku)

An old Kurdish man Hussein Mahmood who is a carpenter tries to make artificial legs for people who have lost their legs.

Nancy Cartwright: The Voice of Success(en)

Voice actress Nancy Cartwright, best known for her work on FOX's "The Simpsons", attended Ohio University on a scholarship in 1976. In 1978, she left OHIO to follow her dreams in Hollywood. This film documents Nancy's trip back to Ohio University as she gives advice to the graduating class on how to be successful in life.

Mad Max Exposed(en)

Step into the world of the original Mad Max movie and take a rare behind the scenes look at the making of this groundbreaking film.

Neil Young: Heart of Gold(en)

In March 2005, Neil Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. Four days before he was scheduled for a lifesaving operation, he headed to Nashville, where he wrote and recorded the country folk album Prairie Wind with old friends and family members. After the successful operation and recovery period, he returned to Nashville that August to play at the famed Ryman Auditorium, once again gathering together friends and family for this special performance.

The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story(en)

A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert(en)

In this concert film, 'Hannah Montana' star Miley Cyrus performs a slew of hit songs, including 'Just Like You' and 'Life's What You Make It.'

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones(en)

A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.

The Last Waltz(en)

Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.

Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell(en)

Christopher Wallace, AKA The Notorious B.I.G., remains one of Hip-Hop’s icons, renowned for his distinctive flow and autobiographical lyrics. This documentary celebrates his life via rare behind-the-scenes footage and the testimonies of his closest friends and family.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III(en)

A musical study of Los Angeles in the late 90s, where homeless teens roam the streets and profess to live a punk lifestyle of music, drugs, and flouting authority.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston(en)

This 2005 documentary film chronicles the life of Daniel Johnston, a manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist, from childhood up to the present, with an emphasis on his mental illness and how it manifested itself in demonic self-obsession.

High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special(en)

The cast of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” delivers an abundance of feel-good holiday cheer as they perform their favorite Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s songs and share their fondest holiday memories.

Western Stars(en)

The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen himself.

Shawn Mendes: In Wonder(en)

A portrait of singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes' life, chronicling the past few years of his rise and journey.

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me(en)

After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

David Byrne's American Utopia(en)

A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky(en)

Film telling the untold story of John Lennon's 1971 album Imagine, exploring the creative collaboration between Lennon and Yoko Ono and featuring interviews and never-seen-before footage.

The Velvet Underground(en)

Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.

Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie(en)

The comedic stylings of four sort-of famous funnymen are brought to the big screen courtesy of this 2002 documentary.

Crossfire Hurricane(en)

This film is released as part of the ongoing 50th anniversary celebration of the Rolling Stones. It tells the story of the Stones' unparalleled journey from blues obsessed teens in the early 60s to their undisputed status as rock royalty. All of the Stones have been newly interviewed and their words form the narrative arc that links together archive footage of performances, news coverage, and interviews, much of it previously unseen. Taking its title from a lyric in "Jumpin' Jack Flash," this film gives the viewer an intimate insight into exactly what it's like to be part of the Rolling Stones as they overcome denunciation, drugs, dissensions, and death to become the definitive survivors. Over a year in the making and produced with the full cooperation and involvement of the Stones, this film is and will remain the definitive story of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band

American Pie: Revealed(en)

Documentary about the making of American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001) and American Wedding (2003).

OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)(en)

Grammy® winner singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo takes a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her debut album “SOUR,” to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album and shares her feelings as a young woman navigating a specific time in her life. Through new live arrangements of her songs, intimate interviews and never-before-seen footage from the making of the album, audiences will follow Olivia along on a cinematic journey exploring the story of “SOUR.”

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle(en)

A rather incoherent post-breakup Sex Pistols "documentary", told from the point of view of Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, whose (arguable) position is that the Sex Pistols in particular and punk rock in general were an elaborate scam perpetrated by him in order to make "a million pounds."