Brent Renaud

On March 13, 2022, filmmaker Brent Renaud was killed by Russian soldiers, the first American journalist to die while reporting on the war in Ukraine. His younger brother and collaborator, Craig Renaud, recovered Brent’s body and his final recordings from Ukraine and brought them back to their childhood home in Arkansas. As Brent’s journey to his final resting place unfolds, the film chronicles the years he and his brother spent covering some of the world’s most dangerous conflicts.

From the farms and fields of Arkansas to the deadly streets of Baghdad, OFF TO WAR tracks the citizen soldiers of the Arkansas National Guard as they come face to face with the horrors of war. Never before has a unit of soldiers been followed from the beginning to the end of their deployment at war. In April 2004, filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud arrived in Iraq with the Arkansas National Guard during one of the bloodiest months to date. Within twenty-four hours of their arrival, one of the guardsmen lay dead. By the end of the first month, they had lost more soldiers than any other National Guard Brigade in Iraq From actual scenes of full-scale combat to a soldier's funeral, from the birth of a first child to the heartbreaking return home of a critically injured soldier, Off to War tells the story of a war in a way it has never been told before - through the eyes of the soldiers and families back home who endured it.

Two heroin-addicted couples lead hard and stressful lives on the streets of New York.

At the Covenant House, located on the outskirts of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, the doors never close, and there is always room for one more. On any given day, a constant stream of young people carrying everything they own in plastic garbage bags fills the courtyard. The prospective residents are just teenagers, but have already been labeled drug addicts, schizophrenics, criminals and outcasts. As one staff member puts it, “the most damaged population of youth that exists in society today”. Filming over the course of a full year, brothers Brent and Craig Renaud tell the raw and emotional stories of the incredible kids who seek shelter at the Covenant House, and the staff struggling to work miracles everyday on their behalf.

Auto racing is an obsession in Anderson, Indiana. Even with local auto factories closing down and jobs being lost, the town's residents continue to flock to the local speedway every Friday night--and its drivers continue to pour their dwindling resources into their Thundercars. Emmy(R)-winning filmmaker Jon Alpert presents this look at this passion for racing in rust-belt America. Since the closing of a GM plant and the loss of 33,000 jobs, the once-thriving town of Anderson now stands witness to empty factories, shuttered stores and abandoned home--but also to packed houses at Anderson Speedway where people put their troubles on hold to watch the cacophony of screeching tires and crashing metal as drivers vie for Thundercar supremacy.

As police and DEA agents battle sophisticated cartels, rural, economically-disadvantaged users and dealers–whose addiction to ICE and lack of job opportunities have landed them in an endless cycle of poverty and incarceration–are caught in the middle.

It has been called "the saddest acre in America." It is also one of the most sacred. Section 60 in Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for young men and women who died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. This emotional documentary filmed entirely in Section 60 provides intimate glimpses of family and friends who have come to honor their loved ones.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the forced integration of Central High School, Little Rock natives Brent and Craig Renaud provide a candid look at the lives of contemporary Central High students. Filmed over the course of a year, this documentary also follows teachers, administrators and community leaders while sharing the stories of both black and white students.

An exhilarating journey of artistic discovery... 100,000 miles, 1,000 destinations in the search for 100 under-recognized American artists for one unforgettable exhibition. The curatorial team of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, crisscrossed the nation to find extraordinary contemporary art happening in unexpected places: the woods of North Carolina, the deserts of Nevada, the backstreets of Pittsburgh, the foothills of Arkansas, the riverbanks of New Orleans. The art and artists found by the Crystal Bridges team led to a groundbreaking exhibition of 227 works of contemporary art, many of which might otherwise have never been seen.

The year 2020 was one for the history books. A global pandemic. A national social movement for racial equity. Wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. “Above & Beyond” is a feature-length documentary about incredible people that rose to the challenge of a truly unprecedented year. From Walmart associates & executive leaders, community members and beyond, this film goes out onto the front lines and tells the story of a group of ordinary men and women that proved to be extraordinary heroes when we needed them most.