L'extrême frontière, l'oeuvre poétique de Gérald Leblanc

A child of the Beat Generation, Gérald Leblanc conjoined urban-ness and American-ness, wandering and belonging, far beyond the boundaries of taboo. In so doing, he helped propel Acadia into the modern era.

Chicago 10

Archival footage, animation and music are used to look back at the eight anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

William S. Burroughs Birthday Bash

To celebrate the 100th birthday of America's most audacious writer, William S. Burroughs, Chicago Humanities Festival brings together a motley crew of poets, writers, and musicians. William Seward Burroughs (1914 - 1997) was an American writer and visual artist. He was a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author whose influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature. Burroughs's needs took him across the United States, down into Mexico, to Europe and beyond. On his travels, he meets up with various members of the underground drug and "outcast" cultures.

Sing! Fight! Sing! Fight! From LeRoi to Amiri

The story of how Everett Leroy Jones became Amiri Baraka, from his childhood to the mid '60s, is told through interviews recorded in the late '90s.

Ein regla um dagin má vera nokk!

In a film bursting with lyrics, pictures, and music the director shows us a way into the peculiar universe of Tóroddur, and the otherwise not very talkative artist gives us a glimpse of his thoughts on art, God, life and death.

Beat Angel

Jack Kerouac returns to earth as an angel with the goal of changing the life of a struggling writer.

Black Lodge

Set in a nightmarish Bardo, a place between death and rebirth, a tormented writer faces down demons of his own making. Forced to confront the darkest moment in his life, he mines fractured and repressed memories for a way out. A woman is at the center of all the writer’s afterlife encounters. She is the subject of his life’s greatest regret, and she materializes everywhere in this Otherworld. The writer cannot detach any thoughts of his life from her.

Pull My Daisy

Based on an incident in the life of Beat icon Neal Cassady and his wife, the painter Carolyn, the film tells the story of a railway brakeman whose wife invites a respected bishop over for dinner. However, the brakeman's Bohemian friends crash the party, with comic results. Pull My Daisy is a film that typifies the Beat Generation. Directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, Daisy was adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, Beat Generation; Kerouac also provided improvised narration.

The Honey Bee

Beat poem parable to black youth.

The Subterraneans

A disillusioned writer explores the subterranean depths of San Francisco's North Beach district.

Big Sur

Big Sur is a film adaptation of the Jack Kerouac autobiographical novel of the same name.

Hold on Tight

A short documentary exploring the ways LGBT couples show affection, and how small interactions like holding hands in public can carry, not only huge personal significance, but also the power to create social change.

Un volto tra la folla

My Name's Ben Folds – I Play Piano

A symphonic concert spectacle featuring rock maestro Ben Folds with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, combining the power of orchestral grandeur with the intimacy of close contact with the musicians. Audience participation peaks as Folds achieves the extraordinary feat of inducing the crowd to sing a choral refrain in three-part harmony. Interwoven with Folds’ personal narratives of the inspirations for his songs, the film transforms enthralling live performance into a unique portal revealing the creativity of the song writing process.

Queen of New York

Welcome to a different kind of drag race! As NYC emerges from the chaos of 2020, Marti Cummings (they/them), an audacious and big-hearted drag queen, goes all out in a historic bid to become a City Councilperson. It’s one of the most hotly contested Council races in years, and Marti’s strongest competitor is Shaun Abreu, a tenants’ lawyer with deep roots in the district’s Latinx community. As these first-timers race to do the most good for their Upper Manhattan neighbors, they offer very different visions for Democratic politics – one in a suit and tie, the other in combat boots and floral print. As this immersive documentary reveals, Marti’s passion inspires queer activists and allies to change the political system. Their campaign becomes a community of its own, especially for Marti’s non-binary peers who have never before seen themselves represented.

Franz Jagerstätter: A Man of Conscience

Knowing that he faced execution, Franz Jagerstatter refused to fight in Hitler’s army, saying no to war and working for peace.

La combattante

Mary-Jo receives daily visitors in her living room. An ethnologist specialized in Darfur, her guests aren't coming to have tea only. They need crucial help that only this 90-year-old woman can give.

Sid Waddell's Wacky World of Darts

Over the 21 years Sid Waddell has been commentating on this terrific sport, he has seen all the greatest matches, met the most amazing characters, and witnessed some unbelievable scenes. This movie is his ultimate collection of these hugely enjoyable moments, and makes for great family entertaiment.

Tesbih Çeken Adamlar

An experimental documentary based on photographs of the director's grandfathers whom he never had the chance to meet, his grandmothers, and the stories they told.

Laggiù qualcuno mi ama

The life of a dying young man at the short age of only forty-one after playing the lead in Il postino. He was a brilliant stage actor before becoming an astonishing film director.