The Institute

Oct 11, 2013

1h 32m

★ 6.2

Is it a cult? Is it a game? Or is it a life-changing adventure...

Overview

Thousands of participants in a San Francisco-based alternate reality game end up getting more than they bargained for. Told from the players’ perspectives, the film looks over the precipice at an emergent new art form where the real world and fictional narratives merge to create unforeseen and often unsettling consequences. Examining counter-culture, new religious movements and street art, this film takes the viewer on a journey into a secret underground world teeming just beneath the surface of everyday life.

Genres

Documentary

The Institute Trailers

Cast

Octavio Coleman Esq

Arye Bender

Creator

Jeff Hull

Drybones

Gordon McLaughlin

Kelvin Williams

Daniel Shoup

An intimate documentary chronicling the rise of the band Counting Crows and the unrelenting pressure that followed their breakout success. Centered on frontman Adam Duritz, the film explores the emotional aftermath of the band’s landmark studio album debut “August and Everything After” and the pressures and creative process of making their follow-up album “Recovering the Satellites.”

0.0

Sunnyside

Invalid Date

Ninety-year-old sound artist and comedian Henry “Sandy” Jacobs lives a quirky existence at the end of Sunnyside Drive, a steep and winding dirt road washed by fog from the Pacific Ocean. Sixty feet down the hill lives his eccentric 84-year-old friend and neighbor, architect and former Frank Lloyd Wright collaborator Daniel Liebermann. These extraordinary old men, influential artists in the 1950s and ’60s, continue, each in their own way, to search the world for perfection. Sunnyside takes us to an extraordinary place, a microcosm with its own distinctive rhythm and remarkable inhabitants. It is a film about creativity, the capacity to dream and, ultimately, the transience of life.

6.9

The Donut King

Aug 24, 2020

Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy builds a multi-million dollar empire by baking America's favourite pastry: the doughnut.

8.0

Forever, Chinatown

Apr 2, 2016

Forever, Chinatown is a story of unknown, self-taught 81-year-old artist Frank Wong who has spent the past four decades recreating his fading memories by building romantic, extraordinarily detailed miniature models of the San Francisco Chinatown rooms of his youth.

4.5

Mondo Topless

Nov 17, 1966

Completely topless. Completely uninhibited. The craze that began in San Francisco is now exploding across the USA and Europe.

7.2

The Times of Harvey Milk

Oct 7, 1984

Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to inspire disenfranchised people around the world.

7.1

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Oct 9, 2003

A homeless musician finds meaning in his life when he starts a friendship with dozens of parrots.

0.0

Taking Alcatraz

Nov 1, 2015

A documentary account by award-winning filmmaker John Ferry of the events that led up to the 1969 Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island as told by principal organizer, Adam Fortunate Eagle. The story unfolds through Fortunate Eagle's remembrances, archival newsreel footage and photographs.

6.8

The Bridge

Oct 27, 2006

The Bridge is a controversial documentary that shows people jumping to their death from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.

6.8

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story

Jan 28, 2020

Exploring the rise and fall of the groundbreaking animated series Ren & Stimpy and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi, through archival footage, show artwork and interviews with the artists, actors and executives behind the show.

6.1

Rebuilding Paradise

Jan 23, 2020

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.

8.0

Coast Modern

Oct 11, 2012

A core group of architects embraced the West Coast from Vancouver to LA with its particular geography and values and left behind a legacy of inspired dwellings. Today, architects celebrate the influence established by their predecessors.

0.0

California's Golden Beginning

Jan 1, 1948

A description and enactment of the discovery of gold by James Marshall, and the role played by John Sutter. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.

7.5

Crumb

Sep 10, 1994

This movie chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist/artist who drew Keep On Truckin', Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, ex-wife and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind.

5.7

Out of Print

Aug 23, 2014

A documentary exploring the importance of revival cinema and 35mm exhibition - seen through the lens of the patrons of the New Beverly Cinema - a unique and independent revival cinema in Los Angeles.

7.7

Valley Uprising

Sep 1, 2014

In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service. And up on the walls, generation after generation has pushed the limits of climbing, vying amongst each other for supremacy on Yosemite's cliffs. "Valley Uprising" is the riveting, unforgettable tale of this bold rock climbing tradition in Yosemite National Park: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity -- and the laws of the land.

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0.0

Dance for All

Sep 22, 2007

No overview available.

0.0

Leaving California: The Untold Story

Apr 21, 2023

This in-depth analysis explores the disconnect between policymakers and regular Californians, causing a mass exodus from the state. It's an essential resource for all Californians to understand what's happening.

The Institute

Overview

Genres

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