People's Republic of Desire (2018)

2018-11-301h 35m

In China’s popular live-streaming showrooms, three millennials – a karaoke singer, a migrant worker and a rags-to-riches comedian – seek fame, fortune and human connection, ultimately finding the same promises and perils online as in their real lives.

Related Movies

125-thumbnail

Railway Station (1980)

Warsaw's Central Railway Station. 'Someone has fallen asleep, someone's waiting for somebody else. Maybe they'll come, maybe they won't. The film is about people looking for something.

526145-thumbnail

Expedition China (2017)

Expedition China invites you on location in some of the world's most intense, hard-to-reach environments with the filmmakers of Disneynature's big-screen adventure Born in China.

10884-thumbnail

10 Questions for the Dalai Lama (2006)

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.

668183-thumbnail

Billy Connolly: Life, Death and Laughter (2020)

Billy Connolly returns to Glasgow’s famous Kings Theatre, where his journey into comedy first began, to talk life, death and laughter, in a no holds barred encounter with Will Gompertz.

523676-thumbnail

Pirat@ge (2011)

The documentary Pirat@ge traces the history of the Internet through the testimonies of those who built it: the hackers. It delves into the concerns of Generation Y, analyzing their networked communication methods, cultural consumption habits, and the sharing of such content.

822138-thumbnail

Ascension (2021)

The absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the “Chinese Dream.” Driven by mesmerizing—and sometimes humorous—imagery, this observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.

524794-thumbnail

Eugenio (2018)

Documentary film about stand-up comedian Eugenio.

376424-thumbnail

Beware the Slenderman (2016)

In this horrifyingly modern fairytale lurks an online Boogeyman and two 12-year-old girls who would kill for him. The entrance to the internet quickly leads to its darkest basement. How responsible are our children for what they find there?

1273469-thumbnail

Lise Dion : 35 ans de complicité (2024)

At the dawn of her retirement from the stage, Lise Dion takes a step back from her 35 years in the profession. Accompanied by figures who were important to her, she revisits with humor and nostalgia the significant moments that shaped her career.

377197-thumbnail

Cyberspace (1995)

Documentary looking at the ways which computer on-line services and the Internet have evolved, how they have been applied and the problems they can cause.

534369-thumbnail

Out (2019)

Through a montage of compelling videos posted on the Internet by young gays, bis, lesbians or transsexuals, «Out» makes us experience from within the groundbreaking moment of their coming out – after which their intimate and social life shall be forever changed.

14268-thumbnail

Startup.com (2001)

Friends since high school, 20-somethings Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman have an idea: a Web site for people to conduct business with municipal governments. This documentary tracks the rise and fall of govWorks.com from May of 1999 to December of 2000, and the trials the business brings to the relationship of these best friends. Kaleil raises the money, Tom's the technical chief. A third partner wants a buy out; girlfriends come and go; Tom's daughter needs attention. And always the need for cash and for improving the site. Venture capital comes in by the millions. Kaleil is on C-SPAN, CNN, and magazine covers. Will the business or the friendship crash first?

16046-thumbnail

The Take (2004)

In suburban Buenos Aires, thirty unemployed ceramics workers walk into their idle factory, roll out sleeping mats and refuse to leave. All they want is to re-start the silent machines. But this simple act - the take - has the power to turn the globalization debate on its head. Armed only with slingshots and an abiding faith in shop-floor democracy, the workers face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale.

1137225-thumbnail

The Importance of Being Ernest (NaN)

Through nine feature films, an Emmy-award-winning TV show, and thousands of television commercials, Ernest P. Worrell became a beloved comedy icon. Originally created as an advertising character, Ernest transcended these humble beginnings to become an unexpected hit—given life through the creativity of an indispensable team of artists, as well as through the unparalleled talent of actor Jim Varney. Today, two decades after Varney’s death, both Ernest and Jim seem to endure largely as pop culture footnotes; or worse, as easy punchlines. But there’s more to Ernest than that, and this documentary film will guide viewers through the entire Ernest epoch to examine the shelf life of a phenomenon. Using archival footage, cast and crew interviews, and never-before-seen material, we will seek to answer the questions: “Who was Ernest, who was Jim Varney, how did they relate, and why do they both mean so much to people?”

13611-thumbnail

Heckler (2007)

HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie, Howie Mandel and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark.

13015-thumbnail

George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing (2005)

Carlin returns to the stage in his 13th live comedy stand-up special, performed at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for HBO®. His spot-on observations on the deterioration of human behavior include Americans’ obsession with their two favorite addictions - shopping and eating; his creative idea for The All-Suicide Channel, a new reality TV network; and the glorious rebirth of the planet to its original pristine condition - once the fires and floods destroy life as we know it.

826367-thumbnail

Visions Cinema: Film as a Way of Life: Hong Kong Cinema - A Report by Tony Rayns (1983)

Examines the early 1980s Hong Kong filmmaking community. Tony Rayns interviews some of the new generation of filmmakers and figures from the wider film culture.

232057-thumbnail

Girls Taking Time Checks (1904)

Almost 200 women file by a device on the wall from which they take their time checks. A man runs half-way across the screen at the end of the film.

383098-thumbnail

Ta'ang (2016)

The Ta'ang or Palaung people, an ethnic minority living in the mountainous area between Myanmar's Kokang region and China's Yunnan province, have historically suffered many forced migrations due to war. When their survival is threatened again in 2015, thousands of them flee across the border. Filmmaker Wang Bing accompanies them and becomes a privileged witness to a human story that is both a modern reportage and a mythical epic.

530999-thumbnail

China - Treasures of the Jade Empire (2015)