Dance Express: Hip Hop Club Dancing (1991)

NWA & Eazy-E: The Kings of Compton

Documentary looking back at the West Coast group who invented gangster rap. The original lineup of N.W.A consisted of Dr Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, all of whom went on to be successful in their own right. The documentary looks at how the group influenced the world of rap music as well as the controversial life and death of Eazy-E and the career developments of Ice Cube and Dr Dre.

Meditation on Violence

Chao-Li Chi shadow boxes indoors and practices with a sword outdoors. Theoretically, the film describes in a single continuous movement three degrees of traditional Chinese boxing, Wu-tang, Shao-lin, and Shao-lin with a sword. A long sequence of the ballet-like, sinuous Wu-tang becomes the more erratic Shao-lin; in the middle, there is an abrupt change to leaping sword movements, in the center of which, at the apogee of the leap, there is a long held freeze-frame.

May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story

May the Lord Watch follows the rise, breakup, and reunion of Little Brother, detailing the vast impact of the preeminent 2000’s rap group.

Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain

A smoke-filled journey across the lives and the careers of the groundbreaking, genre-defying Hip Hop group, Cypress Hill. Their unique sound, influenced by their Latin roots and West Coast upbringing, was built on a movement rooted in true authenticity: from cultivating the flower, to smoking it, to rapping about it, their influence is forever burned into the musical landscape of Hip Hop as they continue to stay relevant after 30 years.

Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do

A retrospective of Chita Rivera's film, television and stage career, including interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence and others. Originally aired as Episode 2 of Season 43 of the PBS series Great Performances.

Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis

"Butoh: Body on the Edge of Crisis" is a visually striking film portrait shot on location in Japan with the participation of the major Butoh choreographers and their companies. Although Butoh is often viewed as Japan's equivalent of modern dance, in actuality it has little to do with the rational principles of modernism. Butoh is a theater of improvisation which places the personal experiences of the dancer on center-stage. By reestablishing the ancient Japanese connection of dance, music, and masks, and by recalling the Buddhist death dances of rural Japan, Butoh incorporates much traditional theater. At the same time, it is a movement of resistance against the abandonment of traditional culture to a highly organized consumer-oriented society.

Lady Gaga: Glory

It's hard to define her. And that's precisely the way Lady Gaga wants it. Yes, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta had a plan to remake herself into an outrageous icon. It began with Italian Catholic New York City roots then expanded to glam pop, electronic rock, burlesque and even jazz alongside nonagenarian crooner, Tony Bennett. Piano lessons began at age four and taught Stefani to create music by ear. There were lead roles in high school standard Broadway show productions then open mic nights at downtown clubs and 1 1/2 years of formal training at N.Y.U.'s Tisch School of the Arts. Even a rape at age nineteen slowed but did not stop the mission that would yield over 200 million combined album and song sales. No wonder that Gaga's fans call her "Monster Mother." An outrageous fashion sense has wrought costumes made of plastic bubbles and raw meat. While elaborate videos and spectacular stage sets are the norm,

Big Fun in the Big Town

New York, 1986: a city of big dreams and equally big problems. Like New York itself, hip-hop music encompassed both of these human conditions. But hip-hop and its cultural birthplace shared other important characteristics, too: the desire to always be original, a hustle-to-survive ambition, and — if the stars aligned — the ability to come out on top, no matter what the odds. Big Fun in the Big Town is about hip-hop when artistry in the game was still at its center. When skills, not hype, got you your first record deal. When Run-DMC took the reins from Doug E Fresh and Grandmaster Flash, paving the way for hundreds of other hitmakers to follow. When a chart-topping LL Cool J still lived with his Grandmother. When the Latin Quarter was the club to be at on any weekend night. And when artists from all backgrounds could taste their own pop chart dreams, just beyond their reach but still seemingly attainable.

Young Man on the Bar Masturbating with Rage and Nerve

Dance and prostitution play the same role for Cristhian’s body. Virtuosity, desire, technique, and sex intertwine, granting coherence to a way of life that offers many answers to few questions. A leitmotiv that reconciles opposites and contradictions. Answers that are sometimes painful, like all truths.

Masta Ace - Disposable Arts (Album Documentary)

Originally released in 2001, Disposable Arts is a thematic/concept album by Masta Ace. The concept follows that Masta Ace is being released from prison, his return to home and joining ‘The Institute of Disposable Arts’. The album is one complete story with the skits and songs together. The album contain many guest artists like Masta Ace’s own group eMC (Stricklin, Punchline & Wordsworth), Apocalypse, Greg Nice, Rah Digga, J-Ro, King T, Jean Grae and more. Also a bunch of different producers, this album is seen as a classic album by most Hip Hop heads. This reissue by Below System, contains almost a 2 hour making of DVD where you will see most of the contributors to the Disposable Arts album. Interviews, stories behind the tracks and more content about the making of Disposable Arts.

This Is the Life

In 1989, a collective of young hip hop artists gathered at a health food café in South Central Los Angeles. Their mandate? To reject gang culture and expand the musical boundaries of hip hop. DuVernay's documentary chronicles the historic legacy of the Good Life Cafe — the open mic nights that became an L.A. institution, the eclectic array of talented young MCs that emerged there, the alternative hip hop movement they developed, and their worldwide influence on the artform.

5 Sides of a Coin

"5 Sides of a Coin" is a comprehensive overview of the worldwide cultural movement of Hip-Hop.

Beastie Boys Story

Here's a little story they're about to tell... Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz share the story of their band and 40 years of friendship in a live documentary experience directed by friend, collaborator, and their former grandfather, Spike Jonze.

Algo Está Pasando - Cómo Nació el Rap en Chile

1988 marked the year in which the debut album of the Chilean band De Kiruza - Oficial was released, where the single "Algo está pasando" stood out, the first Chilean rap recording.

Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back

Maurice Hines -- actor, director, singer, and choreographer -- navigates the complications of show business while grieving the loss of his more famous, often estranged younger brother, tap dance legend Gregory Hines.

Saturation

A documentary depicting the life of American boyband Brockhampton while making their Saturation album series.

Bye

BYE (AJÖ), a new dance film, is choreographed and directed by acclaimed Swedish choreographer Mats Ek. " About a woman (Sylvie Guillem) who takes leave of a certain stage in her life. It is a conversation that she has with herself that leads to new experiences.

Style Wars

Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's PBS documentary tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Maglabay Ra In Sakit

"Maglabay Ra In Sakit" — a Tausug phrase which roughly translates to "this pain shall pass" — showcases the spirit and resilience of RKJun (Khalid Hamid), a young musician in Zamboanga City who is determined to pursue rap music even as he is beset by the challenges of poverty, loss, and the effects of terrorism in Western Mindanao, Philippines.

Nas: Live from the Kennedy Center

Two decades after the album’s critically acclaimed release, hip-hop artist Nas teamed up with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to stage a symphonic rendition of “Illmatic,” one of the most revered albums in hip-hop history. Nas: Live From the Kennedy Center captures the energy and nostalgia of this collaborative performance.

Sabotage: Maestro do Canão

Mauro Mateus dos Santos was known by another name: Sabotage. Growing up amidst poverty in São Paulo, the musician, who became a legend after his death, is one of the most important names in national rap.

The Debut

A group of actors gather in a workshop performance. Its aim is to research, create and develop the drama of a future film. With an unfinished script, a story of love and bullfighting background, the TeatroLab actors with director Gabriel Olivares, we are immersed in the passion for the craft of storytelling from the emotion and truth.

Merlin Nightclub: The Last Dance

Merlin nightclub opened in 1992 in Barcelona and its medieval appearance did not leave anyone indifferent from the first day. After more than 30 years of enjoying the night with its characteristic atmosphere and varied musical selection, the castle was forced to close its doors in January 2023 despite filling the room every weekend. This video immortalizes the place through its regular customers and staff.

Bare

The tendency in the world is right-wing, neo-liberal, and people are more controlled. We have less liberty even if we think we have more. The last territory where we can be ourselves and where we can have full freedom is our own body. The documentary "BARE" focuses on male nudity in the modern dance. The story follows a well-known Belgian choreographer Thierry Smits through a process of building his new creation with a group of male dancers performing bare naked.

Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!

Concert film combining the footage from 50 camcorders given to audience members of a sold-out Beastie Boys show at Madison Square Garden on October 9, 2004. The audience members were instructed to keep the cameras rolling at all times.

Biggie & Tupac

In 1997, rap superstars Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace (aka Biggie Smalls, The Notorious B.I.G.) were gunned down in separate incidents, the apparent victims of hip hop's infamous east-west rivalry. Nick Broomfield's film introduces Russell Poole, an ex-cop with damning evidence that suggests the LAPD deliberately fumbled the case to conceal connections between the police, LA gangs and Death Row Records, the label run by feared rap mogul Marion "Suge" Knight.

Eminem: A Shady Story

Marshal Bruce Mathers III, better know by his stage name Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter, and actor. His somewhat humorous songs combined with dark and edgy lyrics give detailed accounts of his troubled upbringing, and feature all the personal struggles he went through on his journey to superstardom. Eminem recently released the much hyped and anticipated album The Marshall Mathers LP 2, a sequel to the recordbreaking and multi platinum album The Marshall Mathers LP. There is quite simply no other Hip Hop artist like Eminem, he has been on top of the game since his debut album The Slim Shady LP, and he shows no signs of letting up. This is the story of how a poor kid from Detroit rose to become a Hip Hop Legend. This is….A Shady Story.

Madeleine

A stop motion/collaged based independent short film plays with the recontextualisation of memories and how time distorts them.