Long considered a cult classic, "Mondo Hollywood" captures the underside of Hollywood by documenting a moment in time (1965-67), when an inquisitive trust in the unknown was paramount, hope for the future was tangible and life was worth living on the fringe. An interior monologue narrative approach is used throughout the film, where each principal person shown not only decided on what they wanted to be filmed doing, but also narrated their own scenes. The film opens with Gypsy Boots (the original hippie vegan - desert hopping blender salesman), and stripper Jennie Lee, working out 'Watusi-style' beneath the 'Hollywood' sign -- leading into the 'sustainable community' insight of Lewis Beach Marvin III, the S&H Green Stamp heir, who lived in a $10 a month garage while owning a mountain retreat in Malibu.
Keep It a Secret: The Story of the Dawn of Surfing in Ireland (2021)
In the early 1970s, the world-class waves of Ireland were uncharted waters for the international surfing community. Amidst the ongoing conflict of the Troubles, pioneers in both Dublin and Belfast transcended political hostilities to host the 1972 Eurosurf championship. This look into the unsung history of the Emerald Isle’s now world-renowned surf scene details the power of sport to bridge any divide.
Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin' (2013)
An account of the short life of genius musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), probably the most talented and influential guitarist of the twentieth century: his humble beginnings in Seattle, his time in New York, his rise to fame in swinging London… Live fast, love hard, die young.
At two in Lisbon (2022)
Two writers in Lisbon talk about what it means to be a woman in graffiti world where the survival of the fittest is prevailed and it's difficult to be accepted.
A Land Betrayed (1963)
Produced by Alfred Higgins Productions with assistance from the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Academic Support Center Film Library, Keep America Beautiful, Inc., and Keep Los Angeles Beautiful, Inc., the 1963 short film A Land Betrayed examines the various ways people have spread the “cancer of ugliness” across America and offers call-to-action solutions to combat the nation-wide problem.
Facing Monsters (2022)
Kerby Brown made headlines in 2008 when he surfed a 40-foot wave: The ride of a lifetime. He's been chasing that thrill ever since. Facing Monsters follows Kerby and his brother Cortney into the furious power of the ocean
Riding Giants (2004)
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.
Luz in Latin America (2016)
The inspiring account on international bodyboarding star Luz 'Loly' Grande - a young woman on a personal mission to make bodyboarding a means to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Brazil, and Peru.
XXL NAZARE: Scooby Facing His Biggest Fears | RISK VS REWARD (2021)
Brazil’s Pedro ‘Scooby’ Vianna risks everything the moment he hits the water at Nazaré. But what is everything? Risk vs Reward explores Scooby’s upbringing in Brazil and how surfing paved the way for a new life for himself and his family. Becoming a major figure in the world of big wave surfing, Scooby reflects on a nearly life-changing accident at Nazare and what it took to face and overcome his fears.
Emocean (2019)
Emocean started out as a surf film but quickly turned into something so much more than wild waves and barrel rides. This is a documentary with soul; a salty blend of stories by the eclectic assortment of people sharing tales of adventure, adrenaline, inspiration, love and loss and their relationship with the ocean. Some are well-known like Hawaii's Pipeline and California's Mavericks and others are remote spots tucked high up in North West Australia and deep in South Australia. This film, underpinned by inspiring surfing, is also a love letter to the sea woven through with experiences from surfers, filmmakers, fishermen, marine scientists and watermen.
Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998)
This film discusses the effect on how major American films in Hollywood were influenced by the Eastern European Jewish culture that most of the major movie moguls who controlled the studios shared. Through clips of various films, the filmmakers illustrate the dominant themes like that of the outsider, the outspoken American patriotism, and rooting for the underdog in society.
Mudflat (1980)
Years ago, artists would walk around the muck at the edge of the San Francisco Bay in Emeryville, and build loads of sculptures out there on the flats, created from driftwood and found objects that drivers would enjoy as they motored south on the old Highway 17 (known in numerous radio ads as 'Highway 17, The Nimitz'). Grabbing material off someone else’s work was considered fair game and part of the fun, and contributed a kinetic dynamic to the ongoing display. Now the place is a park, and the sculptures are gone, but you can see what it used to be like in this neat and funny documentary by Ric Reynolds, augmented by Erich Seibert’s wonderful musique-concrète/time-lapse sequences. The flashback circus sequence includes Scott Beach and Bill Irwin. Sculptors interviewed include Walt Zucker, Tony Puccio, Robert Sommer, Ron & Mary Bradden, and Bob Kaminsky.
Druid Heights (2015)
Druid Heights is a short documentary film by Marcy Mendelson about a wild & wooly place. California’s hidden bohemia. Where sex, drugs and philosophy thrived among the eucalyptus just a few miles north of the Golden Gate.
Down the Barrel (2007)
The essence of surfing is an elusive ideal. Part sport, part state-of-mind; an avenue for self-expression, a metaphor for freedom; a ritual, a competitive event, a dangerous journey, a dance. Nature supplies the power, and with the proper balance of respect and resistance, we enjoy the ride. From the North Shore of Oahu, to the end of the road in Tahiti. From Australia to California, from Florida to France, the world's greatest surfers share their insights, and show us how - and why -- it's done. Their skill, and the thrill of the experience, are captured as never before in this documentary. What is the secret to surfing's global appeal? The answer is revealed by Florida's Kelly Slater, California's Rob Machado, Hawaii's Kalani Robb and Australia's Joel Parkinson, through their own voices, in DOWN THE BARREL. The sport of Surfing is displayed for what it is. WITHOUT SCRIPT. WITHOUT ANIMATION. WITHOUT HYPE.
Legacy of the Hollywood Blacklist (1987)
This one-hour film, narrated by Actor BURT LANCASTER, explores the lingering effects of The Hollywood Blacklist, which occurred in the late forties and early fifties as part of the Anti-Communist witch-hunts that terrorized the nation. This film is seen through the eyes of the wives and children of the now deceased Hollywood figures whose careers were destroyed when studio bosses, along with guild and union officials capitulated to the demands of the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Break Free - Two People. Two Years. One Dream (2019)
When Lena and Ulli start the engine of their old Land Rover, Lady Terés, they have a plan: to drive from Hamburg to South Africa in six months. What they don't know yet is that they won't ever get there. Two totally different characters, jammed together in two square meters of space for almost two years, they experience what it really means to travel: leaving your comfort zone for good.
Marilyn Monroe: Beyond the Legend (1986)
Her story is well-known — the lonely child who yearned for affection and approval which she finally seemed to find as Hollywood's greatest love goddess. But even though she scaled heights few could even dream of, she was one of the loneliest of stars.
Compassing (2013)
No one knows Just Passing Through like Cyrus Sutton. And in the latest chapter of Cy's adventures, he's customized his van for experiencing life on the road. Through cutting, sanding, welding, and staining, he's transformed his old van into a unique camper that's been helping him traverse the Western side of North America to seek out good waves and good people. Reef is proud to partner with Cy on his new project, "Compassing," a film chronicling his recent van travels.
Cured (2020)
Mentally ill. Deviant. Diseased. And in need of a cure. These were among the terms psychiatrists used to describe gay women and men in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. And as long as they were “sick”, progress toward equality was impossible. This documentary chronicles the battle waged by a small group of activists who declared war against a formidable institution – and won a crucial victory in the modern movement for LGBTQIA+ equality.