Shirkers

Jan 21, 2018

1h 37m

★ 7.2

There are movers, there are shakers, and there are shirkers.

Overview

In 1992, teenager Sandi Tan shot Singapore's first indie road movie with her enigmatic American mentor Georges – who then vanished with all the footage. Twenty years later, the 16mm film is recovered, sending Tan, now a novelist in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges' vanishing footprints.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Cinereach

Doc Society

Shirkers Trailers

Cast

Self

Sandi Tan

Self

Sophia Siddique Harvey

Self (archive footage)

Georges Cardona

Self

Philip Cheah

Self

Jasmine Ng Kin Kia

Self

Stephen Tyler

Jeju-do is the largest of Korean islands and lies between Korea and Japan. There, for hundreds of years, women dive without breathing apparatus, to the ocean floor and collect shellfish, octopus, and urchins that they sell. The divers are in their sixties and seventies and their daughters do not want to inherit their work, lifestyle, and health problems that go with diving. As a filmmaker I was privileged to meet many of these women and dive with them. Their stories of hardship and pride confirmed my desire to record this unique and ancient tradition.

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6.5

Elevate

Oct 21, 2011

From a basketball academy in Senegal, to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, the film documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African Muslim teenage boys with NBA dreams.

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0.0

You and Me

Apr 24, 2014

The daily lives of two women in Santo Domingo, a white widow in her seventies and her young Afro-Caribbean maid, as they struggle to keep the house clean, the meat seasoned, and the soap opera on TV, without killing each other by the end of day.

5.7

American Teacher

May 3, 2011

As the debate over the state of America's public school system rages on, one thing everyone agrees on is the need for great teachers. Yet, while research proves that teachers are the most important school factor in a child's future success, America's teachers are so woefully underpaid that almost a third must divide their time between a second job in order to make a living. Chronicling the stories of four teachers in different areas of the country, American Teacher reveals the frustrating realities of today's educators, the difficulty of attracting talented new teachers, and why so many of our best teachers feel forced to leave the profession altogether. But this wake-up call to our system's failings also looks at possibilities for reform. Can we re-value teaching in the United States and turn it into a prestigious, financially attractive and competitive profession? With almost half of American teachers leaving the field in the next five years, now is the time to find out.

7.0

Angel Azul

Apr 16, 2014

Through the hauntingly beautiful lure of Jason deCaire's Taylor's underwater, life-like statues we witness the birth of an artificial coral reef, learn how we are inextricably connected to the ocean and everything in it, and are left to consider how our choices will determine what we leave to future generations.

6.8

Viva Zapatero!

Jan 1, 2005

Viva Zapatero! is a 2005 documentary by Sabina Guzzanti telling her side of the story regarding the conflict with Silvio Berlusconi over a late-night TV political satire show broadcast on RAI-3. The show, RAIot (a play on the name of the Italian state public TV: RAI, and the English word riot), lampooned prime minister Berlusconi. Since it wasn't considered a satirical show, but a political one, it was cancelled after the first episode.

2.5

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

Jun 18, 2021

The parallel lives of writer Truman Capote (1924-84) and playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-83): two friends, two geniuses who, while creating sublime works, were haunted by the ghosts of the past, the shadow of constant doubt, the demon of addictions and the blinding, deceptive glare of success.

0.0

Smile

Oct 10, 2018

A heartwarming exploration of a community art project by photographer Tawfik Elgazzar providing free portraits for locals and passers-by in Sydney, Australia's Inner West. The film explores the nature of individuality, cultural diversity and the positive joy for the photographer of seeing his subjects smile.

7.0

The Creek Runs Red

Nov 20, 2007

The town of Picher, Oklahoma, was once home to the world's richest lead and zinc mining field. After decades of mining, towering piles of mine waste covered 25,000 acres, devastating Quapaw tribal lands and local economies. Acid mine water burned nearby Tar Creek and stained it red. Despite these environmental hazards, many people in Picher desperately wished to stay and revitalize their town.

7.5

Relative

Apr 28, 2022

A filmmaker unearths a pervasive history of multigenerational trauma in her Italian-American family. As decades of secrets, home movies, and long-avoided conversations surface, a family once bound by tradition forges a new path forward.

6.4

My Perestroika

Jan 24, 2010

Tells the story of five people from the last generation of Soviet children who were brought up behind the Iron Curtain. Just coming of age when the USSR collapsed, they witnessed the world of their childhood crumble and change beyond recognition. Through the lives of these former schoolmates, this intimate film reveals how they have adjusted to their post-Soviet reality in today's Moscow.

0.0

Looking for Lowry

Apr 24, 2011

Looking for Lowry is an entertaining documentary film about the life and work of the much loved British artist L.S. Lowry (1887 – 1976). This contemporary new film illuminates Lowry’s extraordinary vision for the first time in high definition, as we meet those who knew him and those who have been inspired in our post-industrial age by his unique observations of our country and his powerful artistic legacy. Manchester-born rock star Noel Gallagher describes how Lowry’s life chimes with his own: “…for me it’s like when did you first hear the Beatles? Lowry has always been there… I guess all the people Lowry ever met are there in his paintings…”

7.4

The House Is Black

Feb 18, 1963

Set in a leper colony in the north of Iran, The House is Black juxtaposes "ugliness," of which there is much in the world as stated in the opening scenes, with religion and gratitude.

1.0

The Edge of Each Other's Battles: The Vision of Audre Lorde

Oct 10, 2003

A tribute to legendary black lesbian feminist poet Audre Lorde, one of the most celebrated icons of feminism's second wave.

7.0

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing

Oct 12, 2004

Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.

7.6

The Gleaners and I

Jul 7, 2000

Varda focuses her eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism.

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0.0

Seed Warriors

Jan 1, 2010

In the remote Norwegian town of Longyearbyen, just 1000 kilometres from the North Pole, politicians from around the world came to celebrate the opening of the world’s first global seed bank. After years of difficult negotiations and searching for the right spot, this was deemed to be the safest place on earth. Eventually, 4,5 million seed samples will be stored in this »Doomsday Vault« and ensure the continued existence of biodiversity. But is the dream of global food security achievable? By 2050 temperatures worldwide are expected to rise by at least 2 degrees. This will result in a 30 per cent drop in production of food crops. By this time global food demand will have doubled. How will we feed the world? In SEED WARRIORS we hear from the scientists behind this ambitious project and examine the reality of the fight against hunger.

10.0

Mudras Calling

Mar 16, 2018

When US-raised Jaden returns to his birthplace Myanmar, to search for his roots, he discovers a shocking truth, a new love and ultimately a possible future in his homeland.

4.1

Private Dicks: Men Exposed

Jan 1, 1999

Men, most of them naked, talk about their penises. They range from 17 to 70+, all from the U.S. The interviews are edited around themes: discovery, early sexual experiences, masturbation, size, oral sex, libido, performance, disease and maladies, maturity. A lexicographer discusses language, especially slang; a few archival educational-film clips divide the topics. Images and stories mix with facts and philosophical reflection. The usually private becomes public.

6.4

Cool It

Nov 8, 2010

A documentary that takes an alternative approach to dealing with the global warming crisis.

Shirkers

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

Shirkers Trailers