American public education is in controversy. As public schools across the country struggle for funding, complicated by the impact of poverty and politics, some question the future and effectiveness of public schools in the U.S. For free-market reformers, private investors and large education corporations, this controversy spells opportunity in turning public schools over to private interests. Education, Inc. examines the free-market and for-profit...

This film offers unprecedented access to a small community of talented craftsmen, known as tentmakers, who practice the uniquely Egyptian art of Khayamiya, or hand stitched applique. In a small covered market, in the heart of Old Islamic Cairo, four tentmakers expertly stitch ornate Islamic designs, as their centuries-old craft collides with a 21st century revolution. Historically, Khayamiya was used to decorate the interiors of tents, and is an important...

The first documentary ever chosen to compete in the International Critics' Week at Cannes (where it won the grand prize), Janus Metz's Armadillo follows a platoon of Danish soldiers on a six-month tour of Afghanistan in 2009. An intimate, visually stunning account of both the horror and growing cynicism of modern warfare, the film premiered at the top of the box office in Denmark, provoking a national debate over government policy and the rules of...

What does it mean to be young, black, male and dare to step out of invisibility? Finding the Gold Within follows six Black men from Akron, Ohio, through their first years of college. Despite their high levels of confidence and critical thinking, the stark reality of being away from their families and communities brings a series of crises. A sister dies in a car accident; a home gets broken into, a brush with the law, racial jokes and provocations...

There is a group of people in the world today who are more persecuted than anyone else, but they are not political or religious activists. They are girls. Being born a girl means you are more likely to be subjected to violence, disease, poverty and disadvantage than any other group on Earth. In I AM A GIRL, we meet 14-year-old Kimsey from Cambodia, forced to sell her virginity at 12; Aziza from Afghanistan, who will be shot if she goes to school;...

The story of four students from different parts of the world that travel long distances to attend school.

"Coming Out Polish Style" offers a rare look into the lives of gays and lesbians in contemporary Poland. The film explores the issue of gay and lesbian rights in a conservative society, which is undergoing a very dynamic transformation, allowing for more and more successful liberal changes. The documentary focuses on the diverse and complex identity struggles involved in the process of 'coming out'. It profiles both celebrities who are openly gay...

Martin Creed is one of Britain's most engaging contemporary artists. His self-effacing work reflects an anxiety to communicate in a world already full of too many things. So he frequently tries to produce both something and nothing, and does so in idiosyncratic ways with the modest means from everyday life. In 2000 his Martin Creed works solo exhibition was organised by Southampton City Art Gallery. The show provided the first opportunity to reflect...

In this alternately enraging and heartbreaking documentary, Canadian student Jonathan Pedneault and filmmaker Alexandre Trudeau travel to Darfur to try to make sense of reports of genocide in the region. Making their way clandestinely with a group of rebels into the heart of the Sudanese war zone, they chronicle stories of unfathomable human despair and courage: NGOs struggling to get food to the starving, refugees fighting for water, waves of people...

In 2003 Chris Ofili created the spectacular installation within reach for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Combining a cycle of paintings depicting lovers in a Paradise-like garden with a shimmering glass dome, Ofili plunged visitors into disorienting spaces of dense colour and enveloping light. Shot in London, Germany and Venice, this film relates the creation of within reach. Chris Ofili's reflections on the process are complemented...