He lost nothing and fled. She lost everything and stayed. After surviving the 2018 Woolsey fire, record exec Damon Dash and lifelong Malibu resident LisaJo McGee developed very differing views on the value of home.
On-Topic Shorts is a seasonal collection of short films carefully hand-picked from festival favorites, originally-produced world debuts, award-winning classics and early works by eminent filmmakers. Some of the biggest stories come in small packages.
New Orleans lore collides with dark magic in this horror anthology series. Created by Coodie & Chike and starring Chad Coleman, PJ Morton and Omar Dorsey, these “Twilight Zone”-style tales expose chilling corners of the Big Easy.
An intimate look at four rising musicians from Chicago and the common issues that young Black women artists have to overcome both in a male-dominated music industry and a marginalizing society, from racism to physical expectations to sexual trauma.
Seven billion people. One act. Infinite ways to do it. Everybody eats, but that’s where the similarities end. With the power to influence cultures, industries, and personal ambitions, eating is a direct entry point into understanding humanity
What happens to a property after it’s been marred by tragedy? Can it be revived or will it be forever stigmatized? “Distressed real estate” expert Randall Bell shows us what has become of four infamous sites around the US steeped in trauma.
Get a glimpse at the future of health and rehab through five individuals testing out groundbreaking new technology and programs. Judging by their stories, the future is bright.
To us they’re mundane objects, but to them they’re priceless. House on Fire asks individuals to save one thing if their house were ablaze. The items they choose tell entire stories about culture, identity, and the true value of material possessions.
Nominated for an Oscar® in the Live Action Short Film category, The Letter Room follows an empathetic corrections officer (Oscar Isaac) who finds escape in the deeply personal letters written to an inmate on death row. Co-starring Alia Shawkat.
Jollof rice is a widely celebrated staple dish in both Nigeria and Ghana, but who does it better? In this seriously heated cook-off, Chef Segun of Nigeria and Chef Barbara of Ghana will each make a convincing case for their country’s version.
Sisterhood is more than skin deep. Half-sisters Jazmin and Timeisha are both proud to be Black, but having different skin tones means being impacted by prejudice in different ways. But they share one identical trait: they’ve got each other’s backs.
A great way to earn money or a pyramid scheme? Both Carly and Roberta sold clothes for controversial MLM (multi-level marketing) company LulaRoe, but see why one calls it a healthy outlet and one became an anti-MLM advocate.
With a sound that’s like Erykah Badu meets Little Dragon and an eclectic style, Jean Deaux is poised for breakout success. She revisits her first open mic stages, opens up about a trauma, and reveals how she resists fear.
Akenya, 26, is a quadruple threat: singer, pianist, composer, and arranger. After overcoming a lonely childhood, health issues, and every form of marginalization, she’s now working with Grammy-nominated artists and ready to release her own album.
At 22, singer Christian has already won the respect of Chance the Rapper, but it hasn’t been an easy road. On the South Side, she dealt with redlining; in Freeport, she faced open racism. Now the preacher’s daughter is taking on the music industry.
Shortly after releasing her mixtape, “RETROGRADE,” rapper, teacher, and tarot card reader Jasmine (aka J Bambii) talks about the roots of her anxieties and how music has helped her heal and learn to accept herself.
In 2007, a gunman killed 32 people at Virginia Tech. The majority of them were in Norris Hall. Today, the building has been transformed into a center for peace studies, which Randall Bell calls a “textbook” way to revive a tragedy site.
The mere mention of Jeffrey Dahmer’s name sends chills, so imagine being his neighbors. In this case, the stigma was so strong that the building had to be destroyed. But according to Randall, that should have been just the beginning.
The Flight 93 memorial site turned a common field into a national landmark, but not before the landowner demanded a hefty sum for the property increase. Was he profiting off of tragedy or just fighting for fair compensation? Randall Bell explores.
Occupying the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the National Civil Rights Museum honors his legacy by continuing his work. But it’s more than a memorial; it’s a catalyst for ongoing change.
Technology is enabling paralyzed individuals to have more options than ever. Sergio, a quadriplegic, trades his mouthstick for an app that allows him to paint using simple facial movements.
The era of relying on opioids is over. Virtual reality technology is enabling individuals with injury-induced paralysis like Woody to reduce chronic pain through simulating movements with VR limbs.
Technology is enabling paralyzed individuals to have more options than ever. Sergio, a quadriplegic, trades his mouthstick for an app that allows him to paint using simple facial movements.
Like many seniors in the US, Betsy has chronic health issues but not the finances to treat them, until she found TIPS (Telehealth Intervention Program for Seniors). Now she has help, and a new family.
After an accident left him wheelchair-bound, Robert turned his life around with the help of ReWalk, a cutting-edge robotic exoskeleton. A revealing look at how much our bodies rely on walking.
Cascade Locks, OR is a scenic town that was narrowly saved from a forest fire in 2017. This episode explores how almost losing everything changes one’s relationship to property and possessions.
Woodburn, OR is an agricultural town with a large Latinx population. In this episode, residents choose items that tell their immigrant stories and seemingly banal objects that they can’t live without.
Dignity Village and Kenton Women's Village, OR are self-run communities for previously homeless people. Being homeless has given some residents a uniquely profound perspective on material possessions.
Happy Valley, OR is a storybook upper middle-class suburb known for being safe. Here residents reflect on the importance of maintaining that sense of safety through their material possessions.