Luminous

These are the stories of people who are transforming Australia into a society that protects, respects and connects with the natural world that sustains us.

Tina and Claude live in a retirement home. They are in a new relationship with each other happy and openly affectionate. But they are the exception in an environment where the loneliness of the body and mind predominate. At the end our days, when we are left solitary, What remains...?

Twenty five years have passed since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the arrival of former Soviet Union refugees to Richmond, Virginia. After decades of closed door policies under communism, liberalization in the 1980's allowed for Jewish emigration. With over a million emigres, mass resettlement efforts ensued in the United States. Draw Back the Curtain captures the experiences of resettlement and the Richmond community volunteers who welcomed them. The documentary explores dimensions of immigration, acculturation, and identity while weaving through the stories of thirty individuals. Whether they came as children or later in life, they share challenges and nostalgia for what they left behind, yet proudly identify themselves as American.

Following five circus acts from around the world to the 'Academy Awards' of circus competitions, the Monte Carlo Circus Festival, the film will reveal the behind the scenes life, history, and culture of circus on an international scale as never done before.