Documentary Archives - Page 8 of 22

An Apology to Elephants

Elephants are among the most majestic and intelligent creatures on Earth--but for hundreds of years, they have suffered at the hands of humans. Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this documentary short traces our long history with elephants and explores the many problems that arise when they are brought to live in captivity in zoos and circuses.

Run time: 40m Release: 2013-04-13

Director: Amy Schatz

Stars: Lily Tomlin

The Crash Reel

The Crash Reel tells the story of a sport and the risks that athletes face in reaching the pinnacle of their profession. This is Kevin Pearce’s story, a celebrated snowboarder who sustained a brain injury in a trick gone wrong and who now aims, against all the odds, to get back on the snow.

Run time: 108m Tagline: The mind has mountains Release: 2013-06-10

Director: Lucy Walker

Stars: Danny Davis Jack Mitrani Jake Burton Kevin Pearce Mason Aguirre Scotty Lago Shaun White

Tapia

Albuquerque-born boxer Johnny Tapia's life was a maelstrom of turmoil. The glory of his punishing ring prowess and handful of world titles across three weight classes forever jockeyed with personal demons: his mother's kidnapping and murder when he was 8, drug addiction, mental illness and suicide attempts.

Run time: 81m Release: 2013-06-15

Director: Eddie Alcazar

Stars: Johnny Tapia

Miss You Can Do It

Miss You Can Do It chronicles Abbey Curran, Miss Iowa USA 2008 and the first woman with a disability to compete at the Miss USA Pageant, and eight girls with various physical and intellectual disabilities as the girls participate in the Miss You Can Do It Pageant. Abbey founded the annual Miss You Can Do It Pageant in 2004 and girls and their families travel from all around the country to participate in this one night where their inner beauty and abilities reign.

Run time: 75m Tagline: Big Dreams. Little Wishes. Major Triumphs. Release: 2013-06-24

Director: Ron Davis

Stars: Abbey Curran

The Cheshire Murders

In the early-morning hours of July 23, 2007, in Cheshire, Conn., ex-convicts Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky broke into the family home of Dr. William Petit, his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their daughters, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17. Dr. Petit was beaten and tied to a pole in the basement. The three women were bound in their bedrooms while the men ransacked the house. The brutal ordeal continued throughout the morning, ending with rape, arson and a horrific triple homicide.

Run time: 115m Release: 2013-07-22

Director: David Heilbroner, Kate Davis

Stars: Alicia Hayes Bob Farr Deb Biggins Jeremiah Donovan Marilyn Bartoli Marybelle Hawke Michael Daluz Rebekah Greer-Carney Richard Hawke William Gerace

Life According to Sam

Progeria is an extremely rare and fatal disease, exemplified by accelerated aging in the children who are afflicted by it. There is no treatment. There is no cure. Enter Doctors Leslie Gordon and Scott Berns. When their son, Sam, was diagnosed with progeria at age two, the prognosis was grim—the couple were simply told to enjoy the few years they had left with their only son—but they weren’t willing to give up that easily. They spearheaded a campaign to save Sam and the other children in the world who share this devastating illness. In a little more than a decade, their extraordinary advances have led not only to identifying the gene that causes progeria and testing the first experimental drug to treat it but also to the amazing discovery that it is linked to the aging process in all of us.

Run time: 90m Release: 2013-10-21

Director: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix

Stars: Sam Berns

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