Local Connection: Downtown Eastside Special

An aging Japanese bike gangster mentors a crop of halfhearted pledges threatened by police pressure. In doing so, he confronts his tough guy past and dwindling options for the future.

Hometown Glory is the true story of a small town Fire Department in the 70's. The town was expanding and the need for increased fire service led to a revolutionary idea - have teenage boys as young as 14 become the protectors of the city. With training from the slightly older firefighters after-school, weekend training sessions at a Fire Academy as well as Memphis Fire Department's training center, the high schoolers were trained as professional firefighters putting their lives on the line in service to the community. It is the story about the Fire Chief who was a mentor and a father figure to these boys, the horrific things they saw and the maturing of not only a city, but the young men that protected it. Before they were men, they were already heroes.

The story of lion trophy hunters in Africa. KING OF BEASTS offers a close-up on the world of the controversial 'sport" of lion hunting.

Infinity has different definitions but one idea the idea of no end. The film is based on this concept as the events are played backwards presenting an endless loop of events which have been lived and experienced by a group of teenagers who represent the majority of those who started the revolution; hoping for change and searching for a better future.

This film chronicles the quest of Mikael Rioux to find concrete solutions to the problems faced by our planet. The innovative projects developed by the planetary visionaries he meets are a survival guide and source of hope. Characters include : Christian de Laet, John Todd & Nancy Jack Todd, Ashok Khosla, Peter Koenig, Dr Karl-Henrik Robert, Marilyn Mehlmann, Wangari Maathai.

In the midst of the economic meltdown, 'Gaining Ground' explores the innovative, grassroots organizing efforts of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) in Boston. Over the course of two years, we watch a new generation of leaders working to prevent foreclosures and bring jobs and opportunities for young people to one of the city's most diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods. DSNI was created 25 years ago when the community had been devastated by bank redlining, arson-for-profit, and illegal dumping, and has become one of the preeminent models for community-based change.