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discriminated against, forced back into thecloset in retirement homes, or separatedfrom their significant others in assistedliving facilities.A Place to Live accompanies sevenindividuals as they attempt to secure ahome in Triangle Square Hollywood. Sincedemand far exceeded the number ofavailable units, a lottery system wasestablished to select who would live in thecomplex – not everyone would be chosen.A Place to Live is both a moving portrait ofgay and lesbian seniors on the fringe oftheir community and the triumph of theopening of this historic building.Award• Winner, Audience Award, Outfest,2008Item no. : AS05970723Format : DVDDuration : 84 minutesCopyright : 2008Price : USD 295.00SEX POSITIVEDirected by Daryl WeinSex Positive explores the life of RichardBerkowitz, a revolutionary gayS&M-hustler-turned-AIDS activist in the1980s, whose incomparable contributionto the invention of safe sex has neverbeen aptly credited.Berkowitz emerged from the epicenter ofthe epidemic as a community leader,demanding a solution to the problembefore anyone else would pay attention.However, it was not Berkowitz' voice alonethat sparked contention.Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, a controversialvirologist and AIDS doctor, postulated thatAIDS was more complicated than just anew virus. With Sonnabend's theory in tow,Berkowitz fought, alongside belovedactivist and musician Michael Callen, forsafer sex practices without giving up onsex altogether.Sex Positive looks at the explicit bravery ofthis unrecognized triumvirate, and theirdire quest to save lives in the midst ofunwavering dissent. Now destitute andalone, Mr. Berkowitz tells his story - thestory of the birth of the safe sexmovement.Reviews• "Important." - Tony Kushner• "A taut and fascinating look at a trueunsung hero." - John CameronMitchellAward• Grand Jury Prize, DocumentaryFeature, Outfest, LA?Gay &?LesbianFilm Festival, 2008Item no. : YZ05970743Format : DVDDuration : 76 minutesCopyright : 2008Price : USD 350.00TONGZHI IN LOVEDirected by Ruby YangDirected by Ruby Yang and produced byThomas Lennon - the filmmakers behindthe 2007 Academy Award-winningdocumentary The Blood of YingzhouDistrict - Tongzhi in Love explores what it'slike to be gay in modern China."Frog" Cui and his gay friends are tornbetween the lures of city life and the sterndemands of Chinese tradition. They live incosmopolitan Beijing, reveling in thefreedom that it affords them.But traditionally, a Chinese son's solemnduty is to produce a child and carryforward the family line. That China's lawslimit most families to a single child onlycompounds the pressures on gay men.Many resort to sham marriages.When his mother arrives to find him agirlfriend, Frog, 28 years old, understandsthat he cannot delay much longer. "Someof my gay friends have married lesbians,"he confides. "At the wedding, I saw howhappy their parents were."Long Ze, even as he relishes his sexuallife with men, lashes out against gays whorefuse to marry. "That attitude is selfish,completely selfish. If you live your wholelife for yourself, not for your parents," hesays, "how are you going to fulfill yourresponsibilities as Chinese man?"Frog's good friend, Xiang Feng, hasasserted that he will come out to hisparents on his next visit home. But whenhe and Frog travel the thousand miles intothe Chinese countryside to the familyvillage, events do not unfold as planned.Tongzhi, pronounced "tung- jee" is a nounthat means companion, friend, or comrade,as in fellow communist. It is also slang fora gay man.Review• "Of the three filial offenses, failing tomaintain the subsequent generation isthe worst." - Confucian TeachingNotes• Official Selection, SilverdocsInternational Film Festival, 2008• Official Selection, Frameline, SanFrancisco GLBT Film Festival, 2008Item no. : FM05970775Format : DVDDuration : 30 minutesCopyright : 2008Price : USD 295.00TRINIDADDirected by PJ Raval and Jay HodgesTiny Trinidad, Colorado (pop. 6,500) is oneof the world's leading centers for genderreassignment surgery.In 1969, Dr. Stanley Biber beganconducting genital-reassignment surgeriesthere. Since then, thousands of patientshave passed through Trinidad, and theonce prosperous coal-mining andranching town is now fondly known as the"Sex Change Capitol of the World." AfterBiber's death, his practice was handedover to his former patient, Dr. MarciBowers, who has enhanced the procedureto near perfection.This compassionate and compellingdocumentary follows Bowers and two ofher patients, both at different stages oftheir sexual transformation from male tofemale, as they struggle with thesadly-not-surprising intolerance ofsmall-town morals and the challenge ofreconciling their new personas with theexpectations of their spouses and children.It's a delicate transition for everyoneinvolved - the women themselves, theirfamilies, and their adopted community,which is still struggling to accept the factthat the economic growth from this newindustry is the only thing keeping theirtown on the map.Reviews• "Though Trinidad is a small town, it'semblematic of the world at large. Inthis documentary, three maincharacters make different choices in asociety struggling to accept them. Theuniversal themes and the compellingnarrative quality of the film make it amust-see." - Ellen Huang,GLAAD/Queer Lounge• "Who knew that Trinidad, Colorado,with a population of 6,500, was thesex change capital of world. Well, atleast I didn't. This documentary aboutthe small town, follows several of it'stransgendered residents including Dr.Marci Bowers — who is herself nowone of the world's top doctors forreassignment surgery... capturing thesubtle moments of people who'swhole life is lived in various states ofperformance and nuance." - TheAdvocate• "Fascinating. Avoiding ‘before andafter' sensationalism, filmmakersRaval and Hodges trace the women'spersonal stories with curiosity andsensitivity, using quaint, rural Trinidadas a mountain-girdled backdrop." -Austin American-StatesmanNotes• Official Selection, Outfest, L.A. Gay &Lesbian Film Festival, 2008• Official Selection, Los Angeles FilmFestival, 2008• Official Selection, Starz Denver FilmFestival, 2008• Official Selection, Chicago ReelingFilm Festival, 2008Award• Winner, Best Documentary, ClevelandInternational Film Festival, 2009Item no. : RJ05970778Format : DVDDuration : 86 minutesCopyright : 2008Price : USD 295.00________________________________________________________________________________________________________Email: inquiry@learningemall.comLearning Rendezvous LimitedWebsites: http://www.learningemall.com & http://www.learningemall.com.hk27
HEALTH CARE ANDMEDICAL SCIENCEENGLISH SURGEON, THEDirected by Geoffrey SmithWhat is it like to have God like surgicalpowers, yet to struggle against your ownhumanity? What is it like to try and save alife, and yet to fail? This film followsrenowned brain surgeon Henry Marsh ashe openly confronts the dilemmas of thedoctor patient relationship on his latestmission to the Ukraine.Driven by the need to help others wherehe can, Henry, one of London's foremostbrain surgeons, has been going out toKiev for over 15 years to help improveupon the medieval brain surgery hewitnessed there during his first visit in1992. Today the patients see him as thegreat savior from the West, desperateparents want him to save their child, andhis Ukrainian colleague Igor Kurilets (whois attempting to open Ukraine's firstindependent neurosurgical clinic) seeshim as a guru and a benefactor. But for allthe direct satisfaction he gets from going,Henry also sees grossly misdiagnosedpatients, children who he can't save, and alack of equipment and trained supportingstaff.It is this dilemma however; a dilemma ofhis own making that is what's sointeresting about Henry, what lets histroubled and compassionate humanitythrough, and what is the universal themeat the centre of the film; the struggle to dogood things in a selfish and flawed world.Devoted to his patients, he has to workwithin the logistical and politicalconstraints such a maverick career choicepresents him with. Instead of an expensivemedical drill for boring into patient's skulls,Igor has bought a cordless Boschhandyman drill from the local market; andbecause he needed rooms to rent for hisindependent clinic he has found atemporary refuge in the KGB hospital, thevery place which for years housed peoplewho tried to persecute him and Henry forworking outside of the State system.Ironies such as these abound inrevolutionary Kiev, and through patientssuch as Marian Dolishny we intimatelywitness life in this topsy-turvy land. Marianis very poor and is from a small town inWestern Ukraine. His religious faith helpshim cope with a brain tumor which iscausing him severe epilepsy, but he knowsthat it will ultimately kill him.Marian has been told that his tumor isinoperable in the Ukraine, but Henrybelieves he can save him. To do so Marianmust be awake throughout the entireoperation however, and this surreal set ofcircumstances give rise to a dramatic,humorous and unforgettable 15 minutescene filmed with three cameras inside theoperating theatre.The emotional climax of the film is ajourney to the South West of the countrywhere Henry visits the mother of a younggirl he tried to save but failed – anoperation that haunts him to this day.With an original soundtrack by Nick Caveand Warren Ellis, The English Surgeonopenly confronts moral and ethical issueswhich touch every one of us.Reviews• "A lovely film, the best documentaryfor a long time." – The Guardian• "Deeply touching, resonant and evensentimental, in its affirmation ofhuman goodness." - Variety• "A gorgeous and utterly movingportrait." - Indiewire• "One triumph that you should notmiss." – The IndependentAwards• Winner, Best International FeatureDocumentary,SilverdocsDocumentary Film Festival, 2008• Winner, Best International FeatureDocumentary, Hot Docs Film Festival,2008Item no. : JK05970641Format : DVDDuration : 94 minutesCopyright : 2008Price : USD 295.00IN A DREAMDirected by Jeremiah ZagarIn the vibrant, bohemian neighborhood ofSouth Philadelphia, 50,000-square feet ofconcrete are covered with tile andmirrors—mosaics that were created byIsaiah Zagar, an eccentric, tormentedartist.The murals chronicle his love for his wife,Julia, and subtly hint at the darker cornersof an extraordinary imagination. WhereIsaiah is obsessive and narcissistic—aformer Peace Corps volunteer who hasbecome an icon in South Philly's artcommunity—Julia is gracious and warm.For decades, their opposing naturescomplemented one another perfectly. Butsuddenly the family is torn apart at theseams: A few hours before picking up hisoldest son from a rehabilitation center,Isaiah declares to the camera, "As peopleget older they have less and less passion."He then confesses to an affair with hisassistant, is kicked out of the house, andspirals into a debilitating, suicidaldepression.In a Dream is a loving, but unsparingpsychological portrait of an artist, of theartistic process and mental illness.Reviews• "Bursting with vivid home movies andloving appreciations of Isaiah'sartwork — frenzied drawings andmonumental mosaics in tile and mirror,many of which now beautify hisPhiladelphia neighborhood — In aDream abounds in visual pleasure." -The New York Times• "A stunning, deeply personaldocumentary portrait. Mixing oldhome movies, wonderful animatedsequences derived from Isaiah's art,and scenes of Isaiah at work, of Juliain agony, and of their eldest son, Zeke,grappling with his own demons, In aDream captures a family imploding.Their lives are laid bare, in broken bits,like the ceramic that Isaiah uses forhis art, and they come together in In aDream with sadness and beauty, rageand insight." – Philadelphia Inquirer• "As a story about art and artists, In aDream is soft-spoken, well-paced,and smoothly engrossing. As aportrait of a sweet but slightlyfractured man, it's one of the mostunexpectedly touching documentariesI've ever seen." – CinematicalAwards• Winner, Emerging Visions AudienceAward, South by Southwest FilmFestival, 2008• Winner, Audience Award, SanFrancisco International Film Festival,2008• Winner, Guggenheim Emerging ArtistAward, Full Frame Film Festival, 2008• Winner, Best Documentary,Woodstock Film Festival, 2008• Winner, Best First Film, PhiladelphiaFilm Festival, 2008Item no. : PC05970674Format : DVDDuration : 80 minutesCopyright : 2008Price : USD 295.00LIFE. SUPPORT. MUSIC.Directed by Eric Daniel MetzgarIn 2004, Jason Crigler, an establishedmusician living and working in New YorkCity, suffers a brain hemorrhage during aconcert in Manhattan. The doctor'sprognosis is dire: if he survives, therewon't be much left of him.His pregnant wife and the rest of his familyrally around him in force, refusing toaccept the prognosis. They make apromise to themselves, a promise toJason: You will make a full recovery.Life. Support. Music., using footage shotby the hospital staff, tracks Jason as hebreaks through his vegetative state. Thesedevastating and life-affirming scenes areinterwoven with powerful and painfulreflections from Jason's doctors and family.We slowly witness the return of Jason'sconsciousness through his family'spersonal and deeply intimate home videos.We watch Jason as he learns to talk again,walk again, and live again. We followJason as he ventures into his new life,learns to accept his new reality, and triesto remember who he was and who heis—a husband, a musician, and now—anew father.Life. Support. Music. Is a painstaking________________________________________________________________________________________________________Email: inquiry@learningemall.comLearning Rendezvous LimitedWebsites: http://www.learningemall.com & http://www.learningemall.com.hk28
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