The Sixth Borough

The Smell of Money

A century after her grandfather claimed his freedom from slavery, Elsie Herring and her community fight for the right to clean air, water, and the life they were promised. The Smell of Money is the true story of everyday people versus corporate titans in a battle with life-or-death consequences.

Gospel

Dig deep into the origin story of Black gospel music, coming out of slavery, blending with the blues tradition, and soaring to new heights during the Great Migration. From Mahalia to Kirk Franklin, in the last century, gospel music has become the dominant form of African American religious expression and provided a soundtrack of healing and uplift to those at the front lines of protest and change.

All Up in the Biz

Acclaimed director Sacha Jenkins shines a spotlight on the life and rhymes of the 'clown prince of hip-hop', Biz Markie, best known for his Top 40 hit, "Just a Friend." A who's who of legends like rappers Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Doug E Fresh and actor/comedian Tracy Morgan share how Markie's playful approach to the genre made him a hip-hop icon and left an indelible mark in the world of music.

Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James

This profile of legendary funk/R&B icon Rick James captures the peaks and valleys of his storied career to reveal a complicated and rebellious soul, driven to share his talent with the world.

Get Me Roger Stone

From his days of testifying at the Watergate hearings to advising recent presidential candidate Donald Trump, Roger Stone has long offended people on both sides of the political fence as a force in conservative America. Outspoken author, pundit, ahead of his time election strategist, this is his story.

Between Goodbyes

When a queer Korean adoptee visits her original mother in Seoul, long-held regrets and cultural misunderstandings come to the surface alongside tenderness, humor, and tenacity.

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song

Interviews, archival footage and home movies are used to illustrate a social history of folk artist and activist Pete Seeger.

Sing Your Song

Most people know the lasting legacy of Harry Belafonte, the entertainer. This film unearths his significant contribution to and his leadership in the civil rights movement in America and to social justice globally.

Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

Never-before-heard personal recordings and archival footage tell the story of Louis Armstrong's life from his perspective. From musical phenom to civil rights activist to world-renowned artist, this illuminating film shows sides of Armstrong few have seen.

Ol' Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys

The untold story of the man and the musician who made an immense cultural impact across just a few short years. Having gained exclusive rights to a never-before-seen personal archive shot by his wife alongside access to his closest friends and family, the doc is described by the filmmakers as a culture-defining special that humanizes ODB as a man, a father and a husband like never before. It explores how Russell Tyrone Jones created Ol' Dirty Bastard, a Hip Hop alter ego superhero that would ultimately consume him.

Respect the Jux

A corrupted young man ventures to the United States in quest of the American Dream, and forms a band of robbers to obtain it.

MILWAUKEE 53206

MILWAUKEE 53206 chronicles the lives of those living in the ZIP code that incarcerates the highest percentage of black men in America, up to 62%. Through the intimate stories of three 53206 residents, we witness the high toll that mass incarceration takes on individuals and families that make up the community. The film examines Milwaukee’s ZIP code 53206 to illuminate the story of people from across the United States who live with the daily affects of mass incarceration.

Andrew Young: The Dirty Work

A Civil Rights icon shares his remarkable path from pastor to MLK's ally, congressman, UN Ambassador, and Atlanta mayor, revealing the gritty realities of fighting for social change across decades of American history.

Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance

The historical ties between Black and Jewish Americans began long before the Civil Rights era. Shared Legacies explores this significant alliance, sharing eyewitness accounts, interviews with civil rights leaders, including the late U.S. Representative John Lewis, and a treasure trove of archival footage. The film is a tribute to the pursuit of what Dr. King called a "coalition of conscience" and a celebration of partnership, as well as an urgent call to action for today.

The Falconer

This intimate portrait film follows master falconer Rodney Stotts on his mission to build a bird sanctuary and to provide access to nature for his stressed community. The Falconer weaves his present-day mission with the story of his past, both of which are deeply rooted in issues of social and environmental injustice. Stotts’s worldview in a nutshell: nature heals. In a forgotten corner of our nation’s capital, he takes the time to break through to those too often dismissed as “hard to reach.” This is a story of second chances: for injured birds of prey, for an abandoned plot of land, for a group of teenagers who have dropped out of high school, and for the falconer himself.