THE DWARVENAUT gives viewers a glimpse into the unique mind of Brooklyn-based artist and entrepreneur Stefan Pokorny. Director Josh Bishop weaves memories of Stefan’s tumultuous childhood with his current struggles and triumphs to paint a mesmerizing portrait. An art prodigy obsessed from a young age with Dungeons & Dragons, Stefan navigates absurd adventures—from Wisconsin to Venice to Bushwick—on a quest to bring his most personal project to life through an ambitious multimillion dollar Kickstarter campaign. Part philosopher, part jester, he preaches the virtues of fantasy gaming as a vehicle for uniting the human race on his whimsical, bizarre life’s journey.

Travel across four continents, through 19 countries, and into dingy Cambodian karaoke bars, Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district, Moldovan orphanages, legal Nevada brothels, and the street corners and alleyways of metropolises worldwide for more than a glance at the fastest-growing organized crime industry in the world with the groundbreaking, tell-all Nefarious: Merchant of Souls.

As Rio de Janeiro took to the world stage with preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics, a community of self-described “urban Indians” organized to fight back against their forced evictions, joining forces with other marginalized groups. A familiar narrative has emerged as these roaming corporate sporting events descend upon metropolises, causing major disruption and corruption to local democracies while displacing the most vulnerable. The resistance continues to grow from country to country, diminishing the power of these conglomerates with activism, independent media coverage and the determination of locals to hold their ground. Spending six years following their plight, Jason O’Hara embedded himself within these communities, steadfastly committed to highlighting the injustices that abound. Now that the spotlight moves on to Russia and Japan for these events, it’s increasingly necessary to witness the battles fought so they don’t end in vain

Documentary looking at the black market website known as the Silk Road, which emerged on the darknet in 2011. This ‘Amazon of illegal drugs’ was the brainchild of a mysterious, libertarian intellectual operating under the avatar The Dread Pirate Roberts. Promising its users complete anonymity and total freedom from government regulation or scrutiny, Silk Road became a million-dollar digital drugs cartel.

No Place To Call Home chronicles the lives of several people born and raised in Jesus People USA Evangelical Covenant Church, a religious sect on Chicago’s north side. The film is essentially a story within the story as the director details how he began exploring his past of growing up in the sect, and his discovery of dozens upon dozens of cases of child sexual abuse, of which many were allegedly unreported by the sects leadership. – Jaime M Prater

In 1985, former oil rig worker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experimental films to a budding community of cinephiles. Eventually incorporating as a nonprofit, the newly branded Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town filmmaker: James Benning. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, leading to many future encounters. Starting in the 1960s, Benning had been creating low budget films mostly on his own, while Linklater had just begun to craft his first shorts. The filmmakers have remained close even as their careers have diverged. After the cult success of Slacker, Linklater went on to make films with Hollywood support. Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture.

An interview with film director Roman Polanski conducted during his period of house arrest, discussing his life and work.

An explosion of crystal meth addiction is ravaging New York City’s gay community. “Crystal City” explores the worsening epidemic through the eyes of recovering addicts and active users as they attempt to overcome their disease.

This is a paralyzingly beautiful documentary with a global vision: an odyssey through landscape and time, that is an attempt to capture the essence of life.

A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were effected by it, and its impact on the world at large.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir is known and loved for his impressionist paintings of Paris. These paintings count among the world’s favourites. Renoir, however, grew tired of this style and changed course. This film, based on the collection of 181 Renoirs at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia,– examines the direction he then took and why it provokes such extreme reactions right up to today. Some claim they are repulsed by Renoir’s later works and some claim they are seduced. What may surprise many is that among the many artists who sought Renoir’s new works out and were clearly highly influenced by them were the two giants of the 20th century – Picasso and Matisse.

Chronicles the unlikely rise to prominence of the Australia-based Christian band, Hillsong United.