First Run Features (Firm)

The Book Keepers follows the uplifting journey of a husband who keeps his wife's dream alive by becoming the spokesperson for her book after her death. Carol Wall's debut memoir, about cancer, friendship, and cultivating an open heart, was a breakout success. But joy turned to tragedy when the breast cancer she wrote about returned, and she died months after its publication. Carol's husband, Dick, determined to help her life-affirming message find...

The Professor: Tai Chi's Journey West is a feature documentary about Tai Chi and one of its greatest masters, Cheng Man-Ching, a man who brought Tai Chi and Chinese culture to the West during the swinging, turbulent 60's. Though Cheng is an important transformational figure, his teachings have been overlooked. This documentary film tells the story of his remarkable life and features Tai Chi as a martial art and a spiritual practice..

James Thurber: The Life and Hard Times is the first major documentary on the life and work of one of America's greatest humorists. Known for his classic short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Thurber was a legendary contributor of prose and cartoons to The New Yorker magazine where he worked for many years. Narrated by George Plimpton, this documentary includes interviews with Edward Albee, John Updike, Alistair Cooke, Roy Blount Jr., Fran...

For generations, we have believed that man is driven by ruthless self-interest. But over the past decade, this idea has been increasingly challenged. New research from fields as diverse as political science, psychology, sociology and experimental economics is forcing us to rethink human actions and motivation.. There are strong biological reasons to believe why group co-operation may beat being selfish.. But if altruism is intrinsic in man and we...

A music-fueled journey through folk and traditional arts in America. At a time when the existence of the National Endowment for the Arts has never been more threatened, Alan Govenar's documentary focuses on one of its least known and most enduring programs: the National Heritage Fellowship, awarded annually since 1982.. Featuring a breathtaking array of men and women who have been awarded the fellowship, including musicians, dancers, quilters, woodcarvers...

An in-depth, intimate exploration of the true story behind Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning film *Argo*. In this gripping new documentary, the story of the "Canadian Caper" is told by the man who knows it best: Ken Taylor, Canada's former ambassador to Iran, who hid the six Americans in his official residence and obtained the counterfeit documents that allowed them to make their dramatic escape from Tehran. Based on Robert Wright's book, the film uncovers...

This documentary celebrates the life of the Dadaist, abstract painter and experimental filmmaker who was a major force in redefining art in the 20th century. In collaboration with friends including Marcel Duchamp, Sergei Eisenstein, Tristan Tzara, Mies Van Der Rohe and Hans Arp, Richter was at the leading edge of the European Avant Garde.. His 1920s experimental films "Rhythmus 21" and "Ghosts Before Breakfast" established film as a unique art form,...

In this astonishing, searing and vitally important documentary, Oscar-nominated director Michael Verhoeven unearths the long-buried truth - while simultaneously showing modern Germany in the throes of an identity crisis. THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER documents Germany's controversial Wehrmacht Exhibition, which for the first time ever revealed the personal letters, photographs and film footage implicating the common foot soldier in horrific acts. While nationalist...

From the director of the acclaimed FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO and winner of six festival Audience Awards comes FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO, a new documentary that explores the intersection of religion, sexual orientation and gender identity in current-day America. The arrival of marriage equality was seen by many as the pinnacle achievement of the march toward full equality for LGBTQ people. But for many on the Right, it was the last straw, and...

One composer, thousands of songs, millions of videos, and billions of views: Kevin MacLeod is the world's most-heard living composer...who nobody's heard of. His music reaches more people on a daily basis (measured by unique internet views) than every cable, broadcast, and network in western media combined. "ROYALTY FREE: THE MUSIC OF KEVIN MACLEOD" is a documentary about this remarkable musician, who has released thousands of his songs for free and...