Gravitas Ventures (Firm)

Through stories fueled by fear, regret, defiance and redemption, HOW TO PREPARE FOR PRISON takes a unique and intimate look at people caught in the legal system and facing prison for the first time. By offering an intimate look at the lives and states of mind of those awaiting judgment, the film deepens our understanding of the legal system and challenges simplistic notions of crime and punishment. Official Selection at the **Hot Docs Film Festival**....

Murder of Couriers documents the lives of a group of bike messengers over a nearly three-year span. This film was made by couriers, about couriers, for a wide general audience and offers the chance to experience a lifestyle that not many get the privilege to enjoy...With the emerging popularity of urban fashion, green living and alternative lifestyles, people all over the world have begun to take to the streets on two wheels. At the heart of this...

Approaching a community filled with so many rumors and misconceptions is no easy task. Fursonas director Dominic Rodriguez is not without his own biases, but instead of attempting to deny this fact, he faces it head on, unafraid to be shot down by his subjects. Fursonas is a whistleblower film that oscillates between the fantastic and the unusual, with moments of awe and wonder slapped against harsh reality. ..The audience can delight in infiltrating...

A personal documentary about a public subject, My Father's Vietnam personifies the connections made and unmade by the Vietnam War. Featuring never-before-seen photographs and 8mm footage of the era, My Father's Vietnam is the story of three soldiers, only one of whom returned home alive. ..Interviews with the filmmaker's Vietnam Veteran father, and the friends and family members of two men he served with who were killed there, give voice to individuals...

A feature documentary about the increasingly militarized state of American police as told through the story of William "Dub"Lawrence, a former sheriff who established and trained his rural state’s first SWAT team only to see that same unit kill his son-in-law in a controversial standoff 30 years later. Driven by an obsessed sense of mission, Dub uses his own investigative skills to uncover the truth in this and other recent officer involved shootings...

The Source Family was a radical experiment in '70s utopian living. Their outlandish style, popular health food restaurant, rock band, and beautiful women made them the darlings of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip; but their outsider ideals and the unconventional behavior of their spiritual leader, Father Yod, caused controversy with local authorities. They fled to Hawaii, leading to their dramatic demise...Years later, former family members surface and...

An feature-length film about how climate change has accelerated a collision between one of the world's most endangered species, North America's most valuable fishery, and a federal agency mandated to protect both. The film, by the makers of Lobster War and Sacred Cod, won a Jackson Wild award, known as the Oscars of nature films. It also won Best Feature Film at the International Wildlife Film Festival, Best Conservation Film at the International...

An SOS note penned by a Chinese prisoner is found by a mom in Oregon, sparking a nail-biting chain of events that exposes appalling human rights violations and shuts down China’s labor camp system. Nominated for Audience Favorite at the **Hot Docs Documentary Festival**. Winner of Best Feature Film at the **Portland Film Festival**. "*What begins as an unusual “message in a bottle” story builds to a powerful tale of human suffering, compassion...

Isabella, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, discovers a sense of empowerment through dance and sets out on an international journey to help other survivors of sexual abuse and sex trafficking find healing.

The documentary looks at how viewers use sound in their world, the impact on humans and animals, and the science behind why it's important.