On November 8, 2018, a spark flew in the Sierra Nevada foothills, igniting the most destructive wildfire in California history and decimating the town of Paradise. Unfolding during the year after the fire, this is the story of the Paradise community as they begin to rebuild their lives.
Amargosa (2000)
The inspirational story of Marta Becket: 76-yr old singer, writer, dancer, painter, visionary, and her creation Amargosa.
The Mission Trail (1946)
This Traveltalk series short follows the route laid out by the famous chain of 21 Spanish missions, begun in 1769 and extending northward for over 500 miles, from San Diego to Sonoma, California. We stop briefly at San Luis Rey and San Juan Capistrano (to watch the swallows) as well as San Juan Bautista and other missions.
The Donut King (2020)
Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy builds a multi-million dollar empire by baking America's favourite pastry: the doughnut.
Around the World in California (1947)
This FitzPatrick's Traveltalks series short takes the viewer to various sites around California that resemble the geography, architecture, and culture of other places around the globe.
Glimpses of California (1946)
This Traveltalk series short looks at California, beginning with the diverse types of flowers found in the state. After a look at some popular Hollywood landmarks, we visit Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a famous cemetery.
The Second Wave (2013)
Spring 2012 the Swedish band La Fleur Fatale embarked on a journey to and through California. During two weeks they played with legendary psych musicians and met people who was part of making the 60's into what it later became both musically and spiritually, connecting the past with the present both musically and politically. What is the difference between then and now? Is the Anonymous movement now what 60's anti war movement was back then? The band themselves only knew about the shows they are supposed to play on the trip through California, they are lead on the journey by their manager that call in the next destination. In The Second Wave we find people and bands like La Fleur Fatale of course, Ebbot Lundberg (TSOOL), Strawberry Alarm Clock, James Lowe(Electric Prunes), Duncan Faure(Bay City Rollers, Rabbit), Patrick Campbell-Lyons (Original Nirvana) and more. The people behind this documentary have been working pro bono, by love to the band and the project itself.
A Breath Of Summer (2018)
Feel the rush of the breathtakingly beautiful National Parks of California with one deep breath of the summer air.
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.
At Berkeley (2013)
Direct cinema pioneer Frederick Wiseman takes an in-depth look at the preeminent American university during a fall semester that saw a vigorous debate taking place over tuition hikes, budget cuts, and the future of higher education in the United States.
Water and the Dream of the Engineers (1983)
Documentary where rich social history frames a spirited debate on the development of water infrastructure throughout the USA.
The Biggest Little Farm (2019)
The successes and failures of a couple determined to live in harmony with nature on a farm outside of Los Angeles are lovingly chronicled by filmmaking farmer John Chester, in this inspiring documentary.
Harmonium in California (1980)
Through concerts and interviews, folk-progressive group Harmonium takes Quebec culture to California. This documentary full of colour and sound, filmed in California in 1978, recounts the ups and downs of the journey of the Quebec musical group Harmonium, who came to feel the pulse of Americans and see if culture, their culture, can succeed in crossing borders.
Palava maa (2025)
As wildfires rage ever more fiercely across Europe, Finnish and Portuguese firefighters join forces on the front lines. This visually stunning documentary takes viewers into the flames and shows humanity's struggle against nature's most destructive force.
Burning (2021)
Follows the deadly Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known as ‘Black Summer’. Burning is an exploration of what happened as told from the perspective of victims of the fires, activists and scientists.
Love Exiled (2010)
On November 4th, 2008, three states - California, Florida and Arizona - voted to amend their constitutions, denying and revoking the rights of same-sex couples to marry. On May 26, 2009, with Canadian allies, gay American families rally at a Vancouver demonstration to protest these amendments that persecute the LGBTQ community. Demonstration organizer Roger Chin relays the California Supreme Court's infamous decision on Prop 8. Subsequent speakers talk about couples living in exile. Weaving elements of public protest and intimate interviews, four families share their stories of how they met, their decision to escape to freedom in Canada, their Canadian experience and their dreams of returning to their home country, family and friends. In the end, the organizer celebrates the freedoms to marry that exists in Canada.
When You're Strange (2010)
The creative chemistry of four brilliant artists —drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Kreiger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison— made The Doors one of America's most iconic and influential rock bands. Using footage shot between their formation in 1965 and Morrison's death in 1971, it follows the band from the corridors of UCLA's film school, where Manzarek and Morrison met, to the stages of sold-out arenas.
Last Men Standing (2016)
“Last Men Standing,” the first feature-length documentary from The San Francisco Chronicle, Northern California’s largest newspaper was selected for entry into a series of prestigious LGBT festivals being held in the U.S. and Canada this spring. One of the few newspapers to write, direct and produce a feature-length documentary, this film follows the lives and experiences of eight long-term AIDS survivors.