Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo: Small is Beautiful
In Japan, the miniaturization of everyday objects and the shrinking of worlds, as with Zen gardening or Bonsai, lends itself to the exposition of nature's smallest creatures.
Got Bugs?
Beginning in the modern-day and working backward, this film explores the history of Japan's love affair with bugs. Using insects like an anthropologist's toolkit, the film uncovers Japanese philosophies that will shift viewers' perspectives on nature, beauty, and life, and counter the exigencies of day-to-day life.
Bhutto: Fairy Tale Wedding or Campaign Event?
Educated at Harvard and Oxford, Benazir made history as the first woman leader of a Muslim country, yet she was wed in a traditional arranged marriage to then-Karachi playboy Asif Ali Zardari that some compared to a Bollywood movie or a campaign event.
From Pampered Princess to Polarizing Politician
As the first Muslim woman elected to lead an Islamic nation, former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's life story unfolds like a tale of Shakespearean dimensions. She evolved from a pampered princess to a polarizing politician in one of the most dangerous countries on Earth.
Bhutto: Power From the People
In a recorded interview, Benazir Bhutto described how speaking publicly to her constituents gave her the strength to fight for the truth and to face her opponents.
Bhutto: Making the Ultimate Sacrifice for Democracy
In 2007, with Pakistan roiling in turmoil and under the thumb of yet another military dictator, Benazir was called back as the country's best hope for democracy. The very night of her triumphant return, a double-suicide bombing assassination attempt killed 170 of her supporters.
A Film Unfinished: Secrets From the Cutting Room Floor
Archivist Adrian Wood describes finding the outtakes from an infamous work of Nazi propaganda that clearly demonstrate the care the filmmakers took to create a false picture of life in the Warsaw Ghetto that would reinforce the official stereotypes and myths used to justify the brutal ethnic cleansing campaign against the Jewish people in Europe.
A Mystery Unravels from a Reel of Film
This haunting film about a film examines a classic Nazi propaganda film used by historians for decades to provide insight into the realities of life in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942. The recent discovery of a second reel in an East German archive has thrown the veracity and intent of the Ghetto footage into question.
A Film Unfinished: Scenes from the Warsaw Ghetto Staged to I
A survivor recounts his participation in a staged scene from an infamous work of Nazi propaganda -- "The Ghetto" -- that depicts rabbis and petitioners visiting a bureau where their grievances are cordially heard amidst a number of dubiously placed props -- including a large, lit menorah -- put there by the filmmakers who believed it would lend authenticity to the scene.
A Film Unfinished: Finding a Work of Nazi Propaganda
A decade after World War II, East German archivists began to sort through what remained of Hitler's propaganda machine. Thousands of films were discovered in the exact location in which they had been stashed, including a lone copy of a film with no soundtrack or credits entitled "The Ghetto."
Marwencol: The Golden Rule
In the lore of Marwencol -- the miniature World War II-era town built by Mark Hogancamp -- American and German soldiers converged simultaneously -- not to fight, but to "be friendly with each other" in this imaginary refuge from the kind of conflict that forever impacted Hogancamp's reality.
Marwencol: Two Thumbs Up From the Star of the Show!
Mark Hogancamp reflects on the finished film with filmmaker Jeff Malmberg, but shares his most glowing review for a surprise caller.
Marwencol: Imagination Unlimited...But Only 27 Barbies
Alter-egos and fantasies abound in the tiny (literally) town of Marwencol, where Mark's customized doppelgangers play out whatever he and his friends can dream up.
Marwencol: Was I a Bad Guy...Was I Mean?
After nine days in a coma and 40 days in the hospital, Mark was discharged with little memory of his previous life. He began to ask others what kind of a person he was, in order to rebuild a sense of who he was before his beating.
Marwencol: Action and Adventure! Romance and Redemption!
After being beaten into a coma, Mark Hogancamp is left brain damaged and traumatized. He devises his own brand of therapy by constructing a 1/16th-scale World War II-era town in his backyard, and weaving complex storylines around his doll characters. Through Marwencol, Mark embarks on a long journey back into the real world, both physically and emotionally.
Waste Land: Artistically Inspired, Afraid to Turn Back
For catador Valeria, collaborating with Vik Muniz and her community on artworks made from recycled materials has been a bittersweet experience, since she's now reluctant to return to being a garbage picker, the life she knows best.
Waste Land: Discussion with Director Lucy Walker
Director Lucy Walker discusses her Oscar-nominated documentary Waste Land, which is coming to Independent Lens on April 19 at 10pm (check local listings). The film follows Brazilian artist Vik Muniz as he creates portraits of people using found materials from the places where they live and work.
Waste Land: Lucy Walker's Fascination with Garbage
Waste Land Director Lucy Walker discusses her fascination with garbage and explains how she partnered with Brazilain artist Vik Muniz to make the film. The Oscar-nominated documentary is coming to Independent Lens on April 19 at 10pm (check local listings).
Waste Land: Finding Art in the Dump
Artist Vik Muniz photographs Tiao -- one of the catadores ("garbage pickers") in the world's largest garbage dump in Brazil -- in a pose reminiscent of David's painting "The Death of Marat."
Waste Land: A Scavenger Since the Age of Seven
Suelem has worked as a catador ("garbage picker") since she was 7 years old and describes it as an honest living, preferable to other alternatives available to the poor living in Rio de Janeiro.
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