Burma Storybook

Māori tribal leader Ned Tapa takes a group of friends and family on a breathtaking canoe trip down the Whanganui River in Aotearoa, as the Māori call New Zealand. The Whanganui is the first river to be recognized as a legal person. Together, this diverse group of people embraces the spirit of the river and tries to find what is needed to save the planet.

BRIDE KIDNAPPING documents in harrowing detail four such abductions, from the violent seizures on city streets and the tearful protests of the women, who are physically restrained and persuaded to accept their fate by the women of the groom's family, to the often tense negotiations between the respective families, and either the eventual acquiescence or continued refusal of the young women.

Cape Verde, both literal and metaphorical epicenter of a world in crisis, is where powerful hurricanes are born. On these dry, wind-blown islands, filmmakers capture the will to live through humans and animals alike. Driven by the Coriolis Effect and worsened by global warming, storms grow ever more devastating.

Artist and political activist San Zaw Htway experienced the full force of military repression in Myanmar back in 1999, when he was sentenced to 36 years in prison for involvement in the re-establishment of the banned student union. Twelve years later, under a more lenient regime, he was released.

From director Petr Lom comes this metaphorical documentary that follows four Xinjiang province orphans learning the ancient practice of tightrope walking -- a tradition handed down by the Uighurs, China's biggest Muslim minority. But the government forbids the children from professing their faith, leaving them torn between Islamic values and those of atheistic communism. The film is the first in a trilogy about human rights in oppressive regimes.

Its about three women fighting for social justice in an African-American church in Philadelphia. We follow head cook Mamie, former Black Panther Barbara and Pastor Renee at the soup kitchen of the Church of the Advocate. When a Mexican immigrant, Carmela, asks the church for sanctuary, she and her children are welcomed with open arms. Pastor Renee courageously defies the ICE immigration authorities in an act of civil disobedience. A documentary about compassion that invites us to forget about all borders, be they of race, nationality or religion.