Directing
David Bennett, a struggling OCD scientist with father issues, has a life-altering encounter with a UFO and winds up falling for Jordan Waters, a quirky and mysterious female artist who, unbeknownst to him, turns out to be an alien who's being hunted by Ray Watts, a determined conspiracy theorist.
Soraya, a young Iranian woman, escaped the prospect of war in her homeland by moving to San Francisco to be with her American boyfriend. However she is unable to remain in that relationship so moves on to be an au pair due to the lack of a green card. She soon finds herself an unwilling participant of a custody battle. The film is notable for being the first contemporary feature film to be webcast on the internet, on The Sync (1997-2002).
Looking For My Anchor follows filmmaker Erica Jordan as she navigates her journey through grief after the loss of her mother, eviction from her home, the end of a long-term relationship, and her son leaving for college. Living aboard a small boat in a working-class maritime community on the edge of Marin county, she uses personal video journals and home movies to revisit moments of motherhood, loss, and longing, while confronting the uncertainty of life on the water. Her story intersects with the lives of three people living anchored out on the San Francisco Bay – the wise, self-described “anchor outlaw” battling health issues while struggling to maintain his boat; the young advocate fighting to save her community from displacement; and the artist whose untimely death underscores the fragility of their existence.
It won't take long to fall in love with the subject of Painted Nails, Van Hoang, a Vietnamese nail salon owner who serves an ethnically diverse group of working class women with acrylic nails and intricate airbrush designs. Through the course of the film, Van unintentionally becomes a contemporary Norma Rae or Erin Brockovich. Painted Nails brings us unprecedented insight into the personal nature of the political movement to regulate one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. Major loopholes in the federal law dating back to 1938 allow the 50-billion-dollar cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of chemicals into personal care products with no required testing, monitoring of health effects, or labeling requirements. (via Kanopy)
Filmmaker Erica Jordan follows renowned photographer Lisa Kristine on an unforgettable journey into the front-lines of modern day slavery, witnessing intimate moments of human connection and devastation. Central to the story is Lisa's pursuit to document Sonagachi, the largest brothel in India. As Lisa struggles to gain access, we witness her dedication and courage to shine a light a light on slavery and 'give a voice to the voiceless.' Woven into the story, Lisa shares her work in the trenches of global slavery from the broiling brick kilns of Nepal and India to the illegal mine shafts of Ghana, and the hidden lairs of sex slavery worldwide. Through this experience, Erica confronts her own fears and together they bear witness to the indomitable human spirit.
