Filmmaker and Web activist Brett Gaylor explores copyright issues in the information age in this documentary focusing on the controversy surrounding Girl Talk, a popular mash-up artist who takes existing songs and transforms them into something fresh and original. By the mere act of creating his popular, sample-based songs, Girl Talk has incurred the wrath of copyright lawyers across the world. While some celebrate Girl Talk as a true pop-culture innovator, others condemn him as a 21st Century media outlaw.

But reality is never as simple as black and white, as viewers quickly discover through interviews with such cultural critics as Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig, Brazilian Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil, and BoingBoing.net founder Cory Doctorow. As the lines of battle are drawn in the sand, everyone will be forced to choose a side. The world's first "open source" documentary, RiP: A remix manifesto was created in part by movie lovers and music fans, who were encouraged to remix raw film footage posted by the director on opensourcemedia.com. --Blockbuster.com

See this article for how musicians in Brazil deal with copyright hysteria.

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It’s almost impossible to believe that Sin Nombre is Cary Joji Fukunaga’s feature debut; its storytelling is so accomplished, its visual style so crisp, and its heightened naturalism and performances so textured. A social-political thriller in the tradition of American film noir, Sin Nombre is set on the border, where Mexico becomes the crucible and the fearsome gangs of today’s Mexican countryside, the gauntlet, to freedom.

The stories of Sayra, a teenager living in Honduras and hungering for a brighter future, and teen gang members Smiley and Casper, for whom the Mara Salvatrucha is nearly their entire universe, become interlaced on the train to the border, a journey that will determine the future of their lives.

Young Casper is already a wary veteran of the "Mara," and his new recruit is the 12-year-old Smiley, full of bravado and looking for status. The two run afoul of the everyday violence that penetrates their world and find themselves fellow passengers with Sayra on a States-bound freight, hugging the rooftop as their precarious journey unfolds. At once a love story and a chase film, a thrill ride and a vision of an apocalyptic hell, Sin Nombre demonstrates Fukunaga's skill; he envelops us in a nightmare that is all too real for its inhabitants.

Sin Nombre is a portrait of hope and desperation and announces the launching of a shining new filmmaking career.

Recipient of the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic, and the Excellence in Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic.

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A hard-hitting investigative film by Danny Schechter. The "News Dissector", explores how the financial crisis was built on a foundation of criminal activity. The film uncovers the connection between the collapse of the housing market and the economic catastrophe that followed.

To tell this story Schechter speaks with bankers involved in these activities, respected economists, insider experts, top journalists including Paul Krugman, and even a convicted white-collar criminal, Sam Antar, who blows the whistle on intentionally dishonest practices. --Amazon.com

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We meet individuals facing major turning points in their lives — a job loss, a cancer diagnosis, the death of a child, an accident — as well as those facing more common struggles. We learn from the latest research that we often incorrectly predict what will bring us greater happiness, leading us to look for it in the wrong places.

As the study of behavior turns more toward positive emotions, we explore the latest research on the activities and qualities that foster them, such as meditation, compassion, forgiveness and altruism. We also share the remarkable stories of resilient individuals that scientists are studying to learn more about us all, including a man who overcame an abusive childhood to become a renowned surgeon and a Vietnam veteran who survived torture, solitary confinement and seven years as a POW, yet emerged emotionally unscathed. Understanding why some people have the ability to bounce back after disaster strikes, while others do not, sheds light on how all of us can lead happier, more fulfilling lives.

The film ends by coming full circle to the understanding that it is the quality of our relationships — with friends, family and the larger community — that ultimately defines our happiness. -- PBS

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