S4.E3 ∙ Hot Start

A video of Sorghum Day in St. Donatus, Iowa in which local farmers demonstrate how to make sorghum molasses.

The Earth's language is spiritual and tenuous, a series of whispers and feelings. It is however also remarkably and shockingly incompatible with the languages of exploitation and commercialism. Many of us have completely forgotten that there ever was another language, another possibility. Historically, nature, mountains, rivers, trees, the sun, the moon have always been honored in ancient cultures. It's only when we start moving away from our connection to nature and ourselves, that we begin not showing care polluting and destroying the environment. We need to revive these attitudes that foster our connection with nature. As we continue to accelerate through the rapid-fire of a paradigm immersed in technology and a culture defined by the values of the simulacrum, have we come to expect tense, anxious and confrontational existence as the cornerstone of our humanity? It may be that the answer to this disconnect with the natural world lies in the lives and attitudes of the few remaining land-based cultures on this planet. I am convinced that these Indigenous cultures are a valuable and vulnerable resource we shouldn't ignore any longer. Desperately few remaining, many of them have been compromised by our lifestyle to various extents. Yet these old customs and beliefs have piercing details about our place in the practical calculus of existence. They contain durable messages from ancestors who turned to their senses and not the cold reductionist and dualism of 19th century Cartesian logic of, for answers to existential puzzles.

What are the essential ingredients in the development of young pianists? Certainly, love of music and a combination of skill and study are essential. But the pianists who become concert artists share an additional quality. For these performers, once on stage, a switch flips on, propelling them to soar beyond what they can do in the rehearsal hall. "Beyond the Practice Room" will take a close look at this "switch" to see what motivates young pianists to perform and to take risks on stage, to experiment as artists. Parental influence, passion for music, dreams and expectations are among the many themes that we will explore in this intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait of the contestants at the New York Piano Competition

The Central Pillar is a short documentary film featuring a young Haitian mother who became an amputee after the earthquake. After loosing everything but her family, she moves to the countryside village of Lamardelle to begin putting her life back together while raising her five children. This film focuses on her challenges, fears, and hopes while dealing with what it is like to be a woman amputee in Haiti.

What is a man...and what does he do?' is the question that begins '...You'll be a Man...' (YBAM), an exploration into Black male identity and development from the perspectives of Black men of varying ages and walks of life. YBAM explores identity formation, education, and the importance of rites of passage for Black men. In an attempt to define manhood as more than the maturation of youth to citizen-worker, consumer, and baby-daddy, YBAM leads a conversation that explores topics as broad as health and personal authenticity, fatherhood, spirit and god, and women, sex, and relationships, in order to redefine our notions of manhood while developing a living moving primer to help youth and the community at large construct functional conduct and optimal choice making.

Michael, a short documentary, tells the poignant story of Michael Arciola. Through Michael's mom's stories, Michael's letters home, archival footage of Michael in Iraq, and through the visual exploration of space, a vibrant image is created of a young man who decides to join the Army right after high school. This film was created as part of a series of profiles on American Soldiers whose lives were lost in combat.