Philanthrop

Hikikomori Confined to his room, a young man shuts himself away from the outside world as he slips further into realms of escapism.

Danzak Nina is a ten-year-old girl whose life dramatically changes when her father, a master Scissor Dancer, asks her to fulfill his last wish.

Chris Smither: One More ... On a late Spring evening in 2007, Chris performed two concerts for an intimate audience in Lyme, Connecticut. These shows, as well as footage from a rare concert with a full band at The Somerville Theatre in Boston and a personal interview in Chris’s home, come together on this long-awaited concert DVD.

Peter Mulvey: On the Way In 2001, Peter Mulvey went into the subways of Boston to record his fifth album, Ten Thousand Mornings. Parts of the recording project were caught on video by independent filmmakers Aaron, Seth, and Justin Howland, three brothers more formally known as 7 Fluid Oz. Productions. With just a little rough footage, On the Way had its start. Following the release of Ten Thousand Mornings, the Howlands spent nine months capturing Peter's engaging and dynamic above-ground performances at venues in and around Boston, including the beautiful 800-seat Somerville Theatre and the intimate Club Passim in Harvard Square.

The Baby's Gone A short film dealing with the loss of time.

Silver Path Two childhood friends head out from San Francisco one summer to see how far they can go hitching rides by freight train. Together they embark on a dizzying, back road journey through the Southwest, armed with only camcorders, blankets and a good book to read. The two dodge train yard cops and encounter a colorful cast of off beat characters on their quest for the perfect train, along the way witnessing a rarely seen side of the American landscape.

Ricco Ricco is the last film of Swiss-American director Mike Wildbolz, who died shortly before its release at age 55. Strangely enough, the subject of Wildbolz's documentary also died relatively young, the painter Erich "Ricco" Wassmer (1915-1972). Perhaps because it was prophetic, or because Wildbolz sensed his fate and truly identified with Ricco, the life of the artist is related with a captivating poignancy, from his privileged but troubled childhood in Germany, to his artistic triumphs in Bern, to his career-wrecking imprisonment on the charge of immorality, ending with his life-draining illness in France. Wildbolz portrays Ricco as a victim throughout, a man misunderstood by bourgeois society and despised for his pursuit of exotic experiences (which, by the way, included an obsession with naked boys).

G.W. Pabst's 'Kameradsch... Film scholar Jan-Christopher Horak discusses Pabst's 1931 film

Bra mennesker David has just been released from the prison. He meets the prostitute Maggi and follows her home. They decide to start a new life together and move to the countryside.

G.W. Pabst's 'Westfront ... Film scholar Jan-Christopher Horak discusses Pabst's 1930 film "Westfront 1918".