7th Art Releasing

Seventh Art Releasing distributes top-quality foreign and independent documentaries and narrative films that challenge and entertain. We specialize in Jewish History and Culture, LGBT, International and Human Rights, Music, Popular Culture and a wide variety of other issues.

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story

Jewish History and Culture

Pet

er Miller
91 minutes

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman
JEWS AND BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. More than a film about sports, this is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, the passing on of traditions, and the shattering of stereotypes.

The story is brought to life through Dustin Hoffman's narration, and interviews with dozens of passionate and articulate fans, writers, executives, and especially players including Al Rosen, Kevin Youkilis, Shawn Green, Bob Feller, Yogi Berra, and a rare interview with the Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax. Fans including Ron Howard and Larry King connect the stories of baseball to their own lives, and to the turbulent history of the last century. Their stories are inter-cut with dramatic and never-before-seen film clips and photos of great Jewish players, unforgettable games, and the broad sweep of American history.

Visit the official website

Klezmatics: On Holy Ground, The

Jewish History and Culture
Erik Greenberg Anjou 106 minutes World Premiere - April 2010 TORONTO JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL US Premiere - May 2010 LOS ANGELES JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground, is a feature-length documentary about the Grammy Award-winning, New York-based, klezmer band. The Klezmatics have made numerous television and radio appearances, including PBS’s Great Performances series with Itzhak Perlman as well as on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion on NPR. In 2006 the band released "Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie." It was the their first English language LP and won a Grammy Award for Best World Music. Anjou and crew followed the Klezmatics for over three years capturing the band's highs, lows, and relentless march forward. Official Film Site
Read more...

Trail Angels

American Culture & Politics
Daniel Peddle 52/89 minutes 'Trail Angels' is an inspiring portrait of unsung heroes who have made it their quest to help the seasonal thru hikers of the Appalachian Trail, a pilgrimage of five million footsteps. Mala, Baltimore Jack, Miss Janet, and Trail Angel Mary are working class Americans who have embraced The Golden Rule in spite of the sacrifices it often requires. For those willing to go the distance, a community based on kindness and simplicity emerges from the backwoods of America. About the Director Daniel Peddle's debut feature documentary film, The Aggressives, is considered an important and penetrating work on gender identity in the modern world. It was awarded the Alfred C. Kinsey Honor from the Kinsey Institute in 2006 and has won numerous "Best of" awards at documentary film festivals worldwide. Powerhouse Books published Peddle’s written exposé on the Aggressive subculture in the book Transculturalism © 2005. The film was embraced by its subjects and continues to engage audiences screening on LOGO, Viacom's channel geared towards the LGBT community.
Read more...

Owning The Weather

Environment

bert Greene
95 minutes

Featured Film
U.N. Climate Summit

The weather might be the most important thing to humankind. It affects our moods, what clothes we wear, what foods we eat and how we live. Despite centuries of scientific victories that have enabled us to exert some control and "air condition" the elements out of our lives, we may never escape the weather.

The desire to modify the weather has been around forever; but the threat of catastrophic climate change, water wars, and intensifying hurricanes, a new breed of weather control emerged.

Mixing character-driven verité with the scope of an essay film, OWNING THE WEATHER tells the story of weather modification in the United States, from Charles Hatfield's infamous rainmaking days to modern plans to engineer the climate.

There are more than fifty active weather modification programs in the United States alone. Through the eyes of key individuals on the front lines of a crucial but largely unknown debate, the film introduces the cloud seeders struggling for mainstream recognition, the "legitimate" scientists who doubt them, and the activists who decry any attempts to mess with Mother Nature.

Will the scientific renegades in the weather modification community ever shed the label of "snake-oil-salesman"? Will they succeed in securing government funding for the first time in decades? What does it mean to our society and our consciousness if there are no more acts of God?

Traversing vast ethical, political, and social currents, the film asks the question, "will we have to own the weather to save the planet?"

Rachel Is

American Culture & Politics

arlotte Glynn
67 minutes

Official Selection
TRUE/FALSE FILM FESTIVAL

Best Documentary
THIN LINE FILM FESTIVAL

In her feature directorial debut, Charlotte Glynn moves home to chronicle her sister Rachel's last year in school. Rachel is developmentally disabled, and the resulting film, Rachel is, moves past the safety of political correctness and into the most intimate and honest moments in their family's life. Rachel is mysterious, funny, difficult and full of contradictions but she wants what most people her age want – to move out of her mother’s house. This dream of independence seems impossible. Rachel can’t be left alone and the social services needed for her to live an “adult life” are unavailable.

Jane, Rachel’s mother is at her breaking point. Rachel is a difficult person and the relationship between mother and daughter is full of fighting and frustrations, both want independence from each other but at what cost? What is Jane willing to sacrifice for Rachel to be independent? What happens to a parent when they don’t have the support they need to give their child a good life. Rachel is is an observational style documentary capturing the rawest and most revealing moments of Rachel and her mother’s relationship. Charlotte dives into her family’s life in order to understand how Rachel sees the world and how the world sees her.

Rachel is - an honest, heartbreaking and funny film about parenthood, disability, and the universal struggle for happiness.

Rachel Is discussion guides (click links below for PDFs):
Grades 6-12
Universities, Colleges & Professional Development

For further reading about Rachel and her family,
follow the links below to Jane Bernstein's books published by University of Illinois Press.
Rachel in the World
Loving Rachel