DocMiami International Film Festival

The Wave is a documentary short film that attempts to understand surfing and surf culture in terms of history, physical science, psychology, and dramatic performance. Featuring numerous interviews with renowned surfing experts from around the world, the film paints a portrait of the sport that is decidedly more gripping and complex than even surfers themselves might expect.

The King of Tibet, living in exile in Dharamsala in Northern India, is the 16-year-old Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari. As the only recognized descendent of the first Dharma King of Tibet (617-698 AD), Namgyal carries the unique responsibility of representing Tibet's unbroken history and heritage. Yet, as a teenager, he also represents a new generation of young Tibetans who are caught today between the peaceful traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and a desperate desire to fight for the freedom of their people. BYkids film mentor Dirk Simon, whose film Between the Lines has received world-wide recognition, worked with Namgyal during spring 2008 to help him tell his emblematic story through film. Dirk actually met Namgyal in Dharamsala four years earlier at the time of the young boy's coronation ceremony, presided by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, in June 2004. The previous Dharma King of Tibet, Namgyal's father, had died just a year earlier. Namgyal's father had been incarcerated by the Chinese authorities for 20 years and struggled for the survival of his lineage.Dirk describes the young king as carrying the vision of two worlds: the one-thousand-year-old heritage of Tibet's Dharma Kings and the current struggle of a people striving to survive under repression, abuse and ethnic genocide. "With his devotion to the principles of Tibetan Buddhism, his kindness and modesty, he touches the heart of everyone who meets him. Now we are back here to help him tell his story.”

CHALLENGING IMPOSSIBILITY chronicles the weightlifting odyssey of the late spiritual teacher and peace advocate Sri Chinmoy. Known worldwide for his message of oneness, Sri Chinmoy dedicated his life to inspiring people to go beyond their limits by using the strength developed through meditation. In this spirit, Sri Chinmoy offered hundreds of peace concerts at venues like Lincoln Center and Royal Albert Hall, gave lectures at institutions like Harvard and Oxford, wrote hundreds of books about philosophy and peace and sponsored a number of humanitarian outreach programmes.Surprisingly, at the age of 53, the Indian-born mystic took up weightlifting. Already an advocate of the necessity of physical fitness in the spiritual life, the New York City-based Guru was inspired to demonstrate the tangible power of inner peace by performing incredible, but real feats of strength.Sri Chinmoy's lifts were featured on hundreds of newscasts globally, including on CNN, Fox, ESPN and NBC affiliates. Some were standard. Others were designed to captivate. He lifted not only plate weights, but elephants, rock stars and airplanes.CHALLENGING IMPOSSIBILITY focuses on an exhibition he held on 13 November 2004 where he lifted a total of 200,408 pounds. He was 73 years old at the time. In the audience were dozens of renowned strength athletes and bodybuilders.Featuring: Bill Pearl, Frank Zane, Carl Lewis and Hugo Girard. Appearances by Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.

Produced for the Tennessee State Museum, this film commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Nashville sit-ins which ultimately led to the desegregation of lunch counters in the city. The film was commissioned by the museum as part of a major exhibit about the overall civil rights movement in Tennessee. The well-organized and student-led protests inspired similar actions throughout the South. Many of the leaders of the sit-ins, including future Congressman John Lewis, became significant figures in the Civil Rights Movement.

In the midst of California's coastal redwood region, Green Diamond Resource Company continues to clearcut redwood forests, devastating habitats and leaving scars across the land. Farmer, a direct action environmental activist in his late 20s, decides to tree-sit in the McKay Tract -- a 60-acre grove of ancient redwoods that is home to spotted owls, deer, flying squirrels, and countless other life forms. AMONG GIANTS begins three years into the McKay tree-sit. Stuck on his tiny platform a hundred feet up in the ancient redwood canopy, Farmer must battle the elements and avoid isolation as he fights for a sustainable future.The film uses a verite style that reflects the pace of life in the tree village and shows the forest from Farmer's perspective. As Farmer outlasts a vicious storm, counts the rings on a felled tree, and trumps through a recent clear cut, the film questions what it means to make personal sacrifices for a larger cause, and how a single person can affect real change in the world.At the end of the film, helicopter shots reveal ugly clearcut swaths that show the vast scale of the environmental destruction.

Filmed by the first group of women filmmakers in rural Zambia, "Hidden Truth"provides insight into a world that is rarely exposed â€" the lives of the women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Long silent for fear of persecution and retaliation, five survivors of domestic violence in Samfya, a remote region of Northern Zambia, summon the courage to release the burden of their secrets and speak out on one of the most urgent problems faced by their community and millions of others around the world â€" on film. Among the voices captured are Leah - trapped in an abusive relationship by economic dependence - and her younger dependent brother, Danny, a regular witness to his sister's abuse. Likewise, trapped by fear, a survivor of domestic violence named Sharon conceals her identity during her first interview. One year later, the filmmakers revisit her, and it is clear that she has been profoundly impacted by the experience of sharing her story. This time, Sharon confidently speaks on film about her new independence, her plans for the future and her dedication to helping other victims of gender-based violence. Challenging taboos by breaking the silence around gender-based violence, "Hidden Truth"is opening up unprecedented dialogue in the communities in which it is screened. In a country where more than half of women over the age of 15 have suffered physical abuse, "Hidden Truth"serves as a profound reminder of the independent media's power to bear witness and reveal truth.