People Videos - The Documentary Network

Gaming Through New Eyes: Born Blind, Gamer with Passion

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 23 May 2017 11:35:55 +0000

This is a short documentary about Toby Ott, a man who was born with Bilateral Anopthalmia, or in other words, without eyes. This didn't stop him from discovering the medium of video games, and his childhood interest grew into a lifelong passion. This is a whole new perspective on video games, from the imagination of someone who has never known what it is to have sight. Berk Icel was inspired to shoot this documentary when Toby emailed him to express how much he enjoyed the content on his channel. After he learned that he had been blind since birth he wanted to know more, and as their correspondence progressed he felt compelled to visit him to hear his story and share it with the world. This was a solo 0 budget filmmaking project whose core premise was to tell Toby's story in the hope that it might encourage developers to add greater accessibility features for the blind.

Kish – How to see using sound

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 18 May 2017 13:27:42 +0000

Daniel Kish lost his eyesight at the age of 1, but taught himself how to see using sound. "Somehow, I've earned the moniker, "the remarkable Batman." Now, Batman I will accept. Bats are cool. Batman is cool. But I was not raised to think of myself as in any way remarkable. I have always regarded myself much like anyone else who navigates the dark unknowns of their own challenges. Is that so remarkable? I do not use my eyes, I use my brain." - Daniel Kish

The Internet Warriors

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 18 May 2017 13:25:05 +0000

Why do so many people use the internet to harass and threaten people, and stretch the freedom of speech to its limits? Director Kyrre Lien meets a global group of strongly opinionated individuals, who spend their time debating online on the subjects they care most strongly about. Online platforms are their favourite tools to express the opinions that others might find objectionable in language that often offends. Do they behave in the same way when they come offline?

Life Before Birth – In the Womb

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 19:13:23 +0000

“My chances are 50-50. Not great odds. And that’s only to get to the starting line. The human race is not for the faint hearted, when half the runners are doomed to die, before the race gets started.” This documentary film explores the development of the growing fetus from conception to delivery. Open a window into the hidden world of the foetus and explore each trimester in amazing detail. It’s meant to be a joyous event, but in reality, it's a gripping battle for survival. Using cutting edge technology, we go inside the womb and follow the incredible nine month journey from conception to birth, showing how the struggle for life turns into the miracle of birth. Enhanced by poet Roger McGough’s reading of a series of poems written for the occasion. “Until now, I thought I was the universe. But everything that is, was within me. Now that I can touch these walls, I realise I must be deep inside a greater universe.”

Ruben’s Elevator

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 10:30:58 +0000

Seventy-five year old Ruben Pardo is the oldest elevator manual operator in Los Angeles. For six days a week over the past 40 years, he has helped the patrons of 5514 Wilshire Blvd “up and down” while enlightening them with positive musings on the simple joys of life. Congrats on 40 years Ruben!

Taxidermists

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:25:00 +0000

For some, taxidermy is a practice about art, science and a love of wildlife. There is something supremely uncanny about taxidermy: the hyperrealism of its representation makes the inanimate seem animate, and – for some – uncomfortably real. That sense of eerie realness is the exact quality that makes for a superior piece of taxidermy – the kind that wins awards at the World Taxidermy Championships. Nicole Triche’s short documentary provides a balanced look at an uncommon profession, addressing the relationship between taxidermists, animals and nature, and the practitioners’ struggles to be taken seriously as artists.

Meet the 26-Year-Old Hacker Who Built a Self-Driving Car… in His Garage

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 17 Dec 2015 10:20:04 +0000

George Hotz, the first person to hack the iPhone, says he built a self-driving car in a month. How did he do it? Bloomberg's Ashlee Vance went to Hotz's home to find out... and took his retrofitted Acura for a test-drive. According to Bloomberg, Elon Musk - CEO of Tesla, wanted to contract Hotz to develop the system for Tesla or to simply work for the company:

“Frankly, I think you should just work at Tesla. I’m happy to work out a multimillion-dollar bonus with a longer time horizon that pays out as soon as we discontinue Mobileye.”

Hotz replied:

“I appreciate the offer. but like I’ve said, I’m not looking for a job. I’ll ping you when I crush Mobileye.”

Musk answered with his well-known one-word email “OK”. The now 26-year old hacker decided to found his own company, comma.ai, to develop level 3 autonomous driving systems, which translate into about 99% self-driving. Read the reaction from Tesla here

My Life After 44 Years In Prison

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 17:21:01 +0000

Otis Johnson went to jail at the age of 25. When he got out at 69, he rejoined a world that was starkly different from the one he remembered. This is his story.

Stepping out into Times Square in New York City, Otis Johnson is struck by the overwhelming number of people. Everyone seems to be walking quickly with blank faces and wires in their ears.

He’s confused. Being completely removed from society since 1975, Johnson thinks he’s entered a dystopia where everyone has become a secret agent wearing wires. The Steve Jobs era has completely passed him by. In August 2014, Johnson was released from prison after serving a 44-year sentence for the attempted murder of a police officer. He went to jail when he was 25 years old. By the time he came out, he was 69. Johnson’s release date was originally scheduled for earlier, but he ended up serving an additional eight months at the age of 69 for a juvenile shoplifting charge he received when he was 17. Johnson represents a very small set of people in the United States. In 2013, approximately 3,900 inmates were released from US prisons after serving at least 20 years, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. That is less than 0.7% of all state prisoners released that year.

Allow Me To Die: Euthanasia in Belgium

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 15:18:02 +0000

Imagine choosing to die when you don’t have a terminal illness. Is it a choice we should have? A powerful Dateline special gets rare access to film the journeys of two people in Belgium – going behind the most liberal euthanasia laws in the world. Peter Ketelslegers is a 33-year-old father of two, Simona de Moor is a physically healthy 85-year-old. Both of them want to die. Peter suffers cluster headaches, which have left him unable to work and look after his family. Ultimately, he feels, unable to live. “It’s like a knife being stuck in my head,” he tells reporter Brett Mason. “It spreads through my whole head. I hit it to get rid of the pain.” The intense headaches can last up to three hours, several times a day. He’s tried many different treatments, including drastic brain surgery last month, but nothing has worked. “If there’s no other solution than just an injection, and gone… do I have to say it? Euthanasia,” he explains. “I don’t want to be a burden to anyone… I should take care of the children rather than them taking care of me, but I can’t.”

My life as a female bodybuilder: it’s my body armour

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 17:19:25 +0000

Pro-bodybuilder Rene Campbell, 38, is ‘bigorexic’ – devoted to making herself as large as possible by cooking the right kind of food and training as much as she can. Her relentless pursuit of an ever-bigger body gives her self-esteem. But as she prepares for a competition in the United States, her body starts to show signs of major strain.

Age of the Farmer

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 17:05:42 +0000

“65 is the average age of farmers, and there are not enough young farmers to replace them. How did we get here?”** In the summer of 2015, Eva Verbeeck asked me to join her on a trip throughout the Pacific Northwest to produce a short film on young farmers, that would accompany her photo story for a variety of publications. Having spent much time WWOOFing on organic farms, I knew the importance of this mission. So we loaded our iPods with old bluegrass music and set off in a 1990 Nissan truck, heading from Portland to British Columbia. We offered our labor in exchange for room and board at the farms that we made it to. This film is an attempt to express some of the thoughts and feelings of the young farmers that we stayed with. Hopefully a little bit of justice was done for all the young farmers out there. The farmers narrating this film (in order of appearance): - Claire Jutras (Earth Candy Farm) - Alyssa Belter (Plenty Wild Farms) - Kate Rustemeyer (Hoe Down CSA at Tulaberry Farm) - Ellis Hroch (Earth Candy Farm) Music: - Black Twig Pickers and Steve Gunn - "Old Strange" (CC Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License) - Chris Zabriskie - "Another Version of You" (Licensed CC-BY) - Nicolas Jaar/Vera Remember - Essential Mix/Last Night Together Equipment used: - Panasonic GH4 and 14-45 3.5-5.6 native lens. - Occasional tripod usage. Directed/Edited by Spencer MacDonald (www.halfmagicfilms.com) Produced/Masterminded by Eva Verbeeck (www.evaverbeeck.com) This doc was made for love, not for money. Always for love. (**The average age of farmers in Canada is roughly 54 and in the U.S., 57)

Battle of the Baristas: Inside the 2015 U.S. Coffee Championships

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 08:12:13 +0000

Every year, the country's top baristas get to show off their skills at the annual U.S. Coffee Championships. We followed three of the competitors on their journey to snag the coffee industry's highest honor.

Grandt Mason

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 05:28:54 +0000

Ryan shot this video over a few visits to Grandt Mason's atelier in the Cape Town suburb Woodstock. He welcomed him into his workshop and revealed a world he had no idea existed. He intended to capture the production of a pair of hand-made shoes. Little did he know that in the process the vegan designer would use leather for the first time. Or that he would meet Boy, a local general in the Hard Livings - the most notorious gang in Cape Town.

El Chapo: CEO of Crime

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 13:32:41 +0000

The documentary presents a riveting look at the life of the world's most powerful drug trafficker, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. More powerful than Pablo Escobar ever was, and more elusive, this documentary takes viewers behind the scenes to meet the investigative reporters who faced dangerous situations to uncover the story of El Chapo. On the night of July 11th El Chapo Guzman has escaped from prison. This is the second time he has escaped from detainment in Mexico.

The Most Recognizable Voice in New York

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 17:30:13 +0000

Anyone who rides the New York City subway system is familiar with the friendly-yet-firm command to “stand clear of the closing doors, please.” This deep, sometimes vexing voice—which also apologizes for “unavoidable delays”—belongs to a man named Charlie Pellett. A radio anchor for Bloomberg News, Pellett was raised in London but cultivated an American accent by listening to the radio. His work for the M.T.A., which is done on a volunteer basis, is the only non-reporting voice-over work that he’s done. The filmmaker Andrew David Watson recently spent time with Pellett, to find out what it’s like to have the most recognizable voice in New York. “I’m sorry if you’re stuck in a train,” Pellett says. “I literally share your pain, because I’m probably stuck on that same train wondering, Am I gonna get to work on time?”