With a mission of collecting, preserving and making accessible the materials of human culture, the New York Public Library plays a vital role in the cultural life of the Big Apple. This film provides a multifaceted portrait of the institution. Viewers will learn about the library's history, collections and research centers as well as the individuals charged with upholding its mission while always keeping an eye to the future.
Narrator
29 Apr 2025
The story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea of a public library happen. From the pioneering women behind the "Free Library Movement" to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.
13 May 2005
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes humorous perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition.
01 Nov 1956
A documentary about the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. It presents the building, with its processes of cataloguing and preserving all sorts of printed material, as both a monument of cultural memory and as a monstrous, alien being.
01 Jan 1997
Don't Bring A Dog shows a part of the New York underground music scene - rooted in the early eighties - existing apart from MTV and billboard charts. Music, interviews, sounds and pictures of the city blend into a collage. Don't Bring A Dog works like a time capsule of people and music in NY at a particular moment
07 Sep 2007
On August 15th, 2006, filmmaker Ryan Dacko set out to get a 30-minute meeting with a major Hollywood producer by running on foot from Syracuse, New York to Hollywood, California.
06 Oct 2005
Shot over the course of 18 months in New York City's Lower East Side, METHADONIA sheds light on the inherent flaws of legal methadone treatments for heroin addiction by profiling eight addicts, in various stages of recovery and relapse, who attend the New York Center for Addiction Treatment Services (NYCATS).
01 Jan 1992
A short made for TV with director Peter Greenaway discussing the dazzling 3.5 minute opening sequence from his film, 'Prospero's Books'. As Prospero (John Gielgud) walks through his library, Greenaway comments on the historical, mythological, biblical & fictional characters occupying the library.
![Stand for Humanity [a PSA about Hate Crime]](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/2w5L7IBqjApZiMwM48hAivMpQS2.jpg)
A PSA about Hate Crime. Young Izaak finds out that his father has been yet another victim of Hate Crime, while also learning what to do in this situations.
17 Jan 2023
Known as the most liberal U.S. senator and "Border Czar," VP Kamala Harris has a long track record of policy positions; an in-depth look.
01 Jan 1950
Freedom, rights, obligations, the pursuit of happiness -- meanings of these terms are explored as this film develops its theme that the Declaration of Independence is not a dead historical document, but a vital force and guide to living today.
This documentary offers an intimate look at the life and legacy of American abstract expressionist Franz Kline. Through personal memories and reflections from those who knew him—such as fellow artist Willem de Kooning, de Kooning’s wife Elaine, and other contemporaries—the film paints a vivid portrait of Kline’s personality, artistic spirit, and lasting influence. Known for his powerful black and white compositions and bold brushwork, Kline is remembered not only for his art, but also for his wit, warmth, and passionate approach to painting. The episode explores both his creative process and the deep friendships that shaped his career.
06 Jun 2024
A documentary following the unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, star of the legendary film "Paris Is Burning," as Venus' two families — biological and ballroom — come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy.
19 Apr 2008
Set in New York City, the epicenter of a phenomenon cropping up in communities across the United States, "Nursery University" reveals the oddly competitive process of nursery school admissions. The film tells the story of five families attempting to place their toddlers in preschool classrooms that have limited space and high price tags.
19 Oct 2004
No overview found
12 Jun 2025
Empire Skate chronicles the colorful rise and enduring influence of New York skateboarding culture in the 1990s, through the global phenomenon of Supreme and intimate portraits of the skaters who breathed life into that world. From the highs of breakout film success and the creation of a brand and movement to the lows of fractured families and the loss of close friends, it is a style-and-substance trip through a unique moment when multiple trends converged on one city to create something timeless.
11 Jan 2010
Tito del Amo, a passionate 72-year-old researcher, takes the final step to unravel the enigma about the alleged Spanish origin of the American cartoonist Walt Disney, making the same journey that his supposed mother made to give him up for adoption in Chicago. A journey that begins in Mojácar, Almería, Spain, and ends in New York. An exciting adventure, like Alicia's through the looking glass, to discover what is truth and what is not, with an unexpected result.
30 Nov 2022
Built in 1755 at the height of the French and Indian War, Braddock's Road was one of the nation's most infamous military roads. Traces of this historic route, in western Maryland, still remain, buried beneath soil and brush, and a team of archaeologists is on the hunt.
03 Sep 2021
A unique and compelling account of the day that changed the modern world, captured by ordinary people who chose to pick up their cameras and film that fateful day.
15 Sep 1999
Marijuana is the most controversial drug of the 20th Century. Smoked by generations to little discernible ill effect, it continues to be reviled by many governments on Earth. In this Genie Award-winning documentary veteran Canadian director Ron Mann and narrator Woody Harrelson mix humour and historical footage together to recount how the United States has demonized a relatively harmless drug.
29 Aug 2014
The story behind Blondie's album Parallel Lines, which sold 16 million copies and captured the spirit of 1970s New York at a time of poverty, crime and an exploding artistic life.