Described by Meredith Monk as a “memorial piece for a world at war” and an “opera in three movements,” Quarry is a typically difficult-to-classify multimedia piece by Monk, combining dance, song, film, and theatrical performance. Set during World War II, Quarry is told from the expressionistic perspective of a sickly child (played by Monk), whose idyllic domestic life becomes increasingly distorted and terrifying as news of the world enters her home and reshapes her imagination.
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In 1998, filmmaker Dan Reed and cameraman Jacek Petrycki traveled to the Drenica Valley as the civil war in Kosovo came to a head. They spent much of the year there, and The Valley documents the lives of soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict, as well as the violence and brutality they confront on a daily basis. Dispensing with narration, The Valley allows its subjects to speak for themselves, giving a sense of how bitter the divide had become between Islamics and ethnic Albanians, and how cruel fate had been to those caught in the middle of the fighting, as women and children who’ve lost their families shiver in makeshift huts, and people discover the bullet-riddled bodies of their loved ones.
A taut crime thriller about the hunt for a mysterious stranger who is poisoning small children with barbiturates. A tough and compelling film, which offers a gritty reflection of life in 1960s South East London behind the initial whodunnit. Ellen McIntosh gives a bravura performance as a single mother juggling work with raising a family, and Jean Anderson paints a sympathetic portrait of an older mother coming to terms with the extent of her son’s mental health issues. Striking and bold, The Silent Playground explores the fine line between innocence and criminality.
Manhattan-based writer Rich falls victim to AIDS in As Is. Virtually abandoned by friends and family, Rich is looked after by his gay lover, photographer Saul. Based on a play by William M. Hoffman, As Is wisely avoids editorial comment on the principals’ lifestyle, nor does it wallow in the tragedy of the situation.
On the highway of life, Jerry’s at a dead-end. Unemployed and still living at home with his parents, this thirty-three year old loser has no drive to better his life. That’s all about to change. A fateful drug deal gone bad transforms Jerry overnight into the cop’s number one murder suspect and the mob’s primary target. With a sack full of drugs and a budding romance at stake, Jerry could get a life… or lose it. Either way, it will be the ride of his life.
This drama about the Carmelite order of nuns is set during the French Revolution. A young woman seeks refuge with the Carmelites because she is terrified of dying during the upheaval. The longer she associates with the nuns the more she is transformed by their faith and devotion.
Hosts Alan Alda and Marlo Thomas trace the evolution of the roles and lives of women in the twentieth century. Examines the conflicting advice given to American women from generation to generation by the clergy, government, doctors, media and society, and shows how women’s lives have been changed by the efforts of women who fought for women’s rights. Includes newsreel footage, stills, radio and television footage, cartoons, and period music.