There's No Fish in Lake Michigan

Sacred Waters: Anishinaabeg Naagdawenmaanaanig Giigoonhkewin

"The First People Taking Care of the Fishery" are the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the largest indigenous tribe east of the Mississippi. For generations, they have been stewarding the fisheries of their Great Lakes territory in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This project explores the cultural and economic importance of the fishery to the tribe and how use historic and sustainable practices to ensure a healthy fishery and preserve their way of life for the next seven generations in the face of climate change and invasive species.

Girls Gone Grabblin'

The 90-minute DVD includes 30 different grappling scenes, also included a segment on the video year called Grabblin' 101. It's for anyone who wants to start grabblin' and needs some tips. We go to the lake in the winter months and show video footage of good catfish holes and different types of manmade setups. We also show demonstrations on how to pull the catfish from his hole and the types of poles that we use when the catfish are too far back in the hole to reach with your hand.

The Last in a Line of Fishermen

I have returned to the island were I grew up. My dad has spent thirty years alone at sea fishing lobster. He was taught the trade by his dad, who learnt from his dad. A heritage pasted down from father to son. My father never got a son, only daughters and since I was a girl no one assumed I was interested. After I turned eighteen I left Sweden and moved to Australia. After a decade abroad I started to long for home. I return to the island to see if I have it in me, can I learn the things I was never taught as a child? Will the legacy fade with me or can I become the family's next lobster fisherman? /Karolin Axelsson

Nanook of the North

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

City of the Winds

Documentary about the Chicago jazz scene.

Your War (I'm One of You): 20 Years of Joan of Arc

Your War (I'm One Of You) chronicles the life and career of Chicago's Tim Kinsella, frontman of ever-shifting band Joan of Arc and '90's pioneers Cap'n Jazz. With appearances from Tim's friends, family, and admirers, we learn what has made his legacy so unique and enduring for more than 20 years.

I Was a Contestant at Mother's Wet T-Shirt Contest

A short documentary on wet t-shirt contests at a Chicago bar.

Hoop Dreams

Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.

Watermen

In 1965, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, there was the last operating fleet of sailing work boats in the United States. Forty-odd "Skipjacks" were still used by Maryland watermen to dredge up oysters from the Bay. At that time, the fleet had survived because of a Maryland conservation law which prohibits the use of motor power for oyster dredging. The watermen traditionally marked the opening of each oystering season with a skipjack race which the Maryland State Tourist Board incorporated into its annual "Chesapeake Bay Appreciation Day."

She Fishes

A local fisherwoman navigates her way through a male dominated environment to work in an industry that has been essential to island life for hundreds of years.

Life After People

In this special documentary that inspired a two-season television series, scientists and other experts speculate about what the Earth, animal life, and plant life might be like if, suddenly, humanity no longer existed, as well as the effect humanity's disappearance might have on the artificial aspects of civilization.

Urbanites - You Can't Rewind The Years

When you listen to The Years, the debut studio recording from Urbanites, you're hearing a band in progress. They wanted to make The Years differently, and decided to record the album together, live, in the same space - Studio A of Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois. With the exception of limited overdubs, (vocals, drum ensembles and laptop atmospherics) each song represented one collective take, warmly captured to two inch analogue tape. This recording method embraced the mistake as much as the moment. They also chose to document the making of the record with a film, appropriately titled, 'You Can't Rewind The Years'. With a new understanding and years of progress to come, these longtime friends are making the music that they'd always hoped to. As they sing, in The Years' standout track Restless, "Not without trial, not without err - this brokenness is ours to share."

Waconichi

Report on a trout and pike fishing excursion on Lake Waconichi.

Vera Klement: Blunt Edge

As her 80th birthday is approaching, Vera Klement, an oil painter in Chicago, adamantly starts yet another new figure painting: a portrait of an artist under oppression, an homage to Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovitch.

River Monsters Presents: Killer Catfish Extended Cut

Halsted Street, USA

This documentary takes the viewer on a journey along Halsted Street, from the southern tip of Illinois, north through various Chicago neighborhoods, to the end of the road at Broadway in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

All These Sons

On Chicago's South and West sides, the scourge of guns and gangs is destroying countless lives. Taking matters into their own hands, two men dedicate their lives educating, empowering and healing young Black men at high risk for being victims—or perpetrators—of deadly gun-violence.

Marshall Field's

Discover the rise and fall of the legendary department store Marshall Field’s.

Åens Havørred - Spin

Seatrout Secrets 1 - Coastal Spin

The film is produced on a completely new way. While fishing, we have located underwater cameras out on the fishing site, and gets in the way an unusual glimpse of the sea trout and coastal fishing secrets. It's all about spin fishing from shore, and we follow Thomas Hansen and other experienced coastal fishers in a number of fishing trips. We participate in all seasons and at different fishing grounds. See the incredible underwater footage of sea trout in the fishing grounds - while fishing. Look under the water uptake of sea trout following the lure. See the catch of a big trout. See underwater footage of sea trout at night and see all seatrout prey. There are plenty of nice catches - fish entertaining situations and new knowledge. But it is also an instructive film that goes down in all the important details about the strategy, gear and fishing techniques with both light and bombardaflåd