Julie: Old Time Tales of the Blue Ridge
80-year-old Julie Lyon, sister of Old Time fiddler Tommy Jarrell, lights up this gem of a film as she spins tales of her Appalachian childhood in North Carolina – and…
Yum, Yum, Yum! A Taste of the Cajun and Creole Cooking of Louisiana
Les Blank marries his passion for spicy, down home food and his love for Cajuns and Creoles in this mouth-watering, exploration of the cooking, and other enthusiasms, of French-speaking Louisiana….
Gap-Toothed Women
A charming valentine to women born with a space between their teeth, ranging from lighthearted whimsy to a deeper look at issues like self-esteem and societal attitudes toward standards of…
In Heaven There Is No Beer?
A joyous romp through the dance, food, music, friendship, and even religion of the Polka. The explosive energy and high spirits of the polka subculture are rendered with warmth and…
Sprout Wings and Fly
Set in the North Carolina Appalachians, Sprout Wings and Fly honors the fiddle playing of 82-year-old Tommy Jarrell of Toast, NC. Tommy was quirky, gregarious and generous, and this film…
Burden of Dreams
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents,…
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
Directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever completed the…
Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers
A zesty paean of praise to the greater glories of garlic. This lip-smacking foray into the history, consumption, cultivation and culinary/curative powers of the stinking rose features chef Alice Waters…
Always for Pleasure
A musical portrait of New Orleans’ street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo in 1977: second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the…
Hot Pepper
A musical portrait of Zydeco King Clifton Chenier, who combines the pulsating rhythms of Cajun dance music and black R&B with African overtones, belting out his irresistible music in the…
Dry Wood
Featuring the stories and music of seminal Cajun musicians “Bois Sec” Ardoin and Canray Fontenot, Dry Wood is a short, vibrant documentary portrait of life, food, music and festivity in…
A Well Spent Life
A musical portrait of Texas blues songster Mance Lipscomb.
Spend It All
Another short documentary of “Real Food, Roots Music, and People Full of Passion for what they do!”, Spend It All is Les Blank’s spirited look at the French-speaking Cajun community…
The Sun’s Gonna Shine
A lyrical recreation of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ decision at age eight to stop chopping cotton and start singing for a living. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins
A musical portrait of Texas bluesman ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins. The film includes interviews and a performance by Hopkins. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.
God Respects Us When We Work, But Loves Us When We Dance
Les Blank’s poetic documentation of 1967’s Los Angeles Easter Sunday Love-In. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2002.