Explore the extraordinary power and import of the Valentinian sacraments. Grasp the symbolism of the Eucharist and the complex ritual of baptism, as they represent resurrection and salvation. Study the Valentinian conception of salvation as a healing of the schism between our angelic and human (or female/male) selves.

Archaeology often involves a great deal of detective work, as is the case with the mysterious Bronze Age Crete. The myth of Daedalus and his labyrinth symbolizes Crete's location at the intersection of multiple cultures. Discover the Phaistos Palace, where extravagant religious rituals and entertainment spectacles were held.

No other head of state has been in power for as long as Queen Elizabeth, no other ruler has had such a lasting impact on our epoch.. The story of Her Majesty is unique. She shook hands with Eisenhower and Obama, discussed state secrets with Churchill and Blair, marvelled at the first flickering black and white television images, and saw the arrival of the iPad.. As head of state of the United Kingdom, the sovereign symbolises a power structure nearly...

A gender-bending farce set among the cliff-dwelling 18th century Dogon people, makes serious points about the status of women in Africa. It shows how ancient mythology can still shed light on modern issues. Director Adama Drabo has devised a gender-bending farce set among the 18th Century Dogon to make some serious points about the status of women in Africa today. This proleptic tale about a comic revolution in which women's and men's roles are reversed...

An aged woman lives with her fully grown and wholly dependent son. This film is a rare view of an enclosed world where an 82-year-old woman, alone, is 'The Burdened One'. Filmed over a period of one and a half years, this emerges as a haunting and powerful portrayal of their life together, a life of ritual and of their survival.

Communication scholar Sut Jhally applies the late sociologist Erving Goffman's groundbreaking analysis of advertising to the contemporary commercial landscape in this provocative new film about gender as a ritualized cultural performance. Uncovering a remarkable pattern of gender-specific poses, Jhally explores Goffman's central claim that the way the body is displayed in advertising communicates normative ideas about masculinity and femininity. The...

An historical allegory by Cheick Oumar Sissoko tells the tale of a tyrant overthrown. Winner of the most prestigious award in African cinema, the Grand Prize at FESPACO '95, Guimba has been acclaimed as one of the most visually ravishing African films ever made. This epic allegory contrasts Africa's tremendous wealth and potential with its present poverty and plunder. Director Cheick Oumar Sissoko comments, "Guimba is a political film, a fable about...

This **New York Times Critic's Pick** is a visually inventive and hypnotic portrait of a little-seen world, punctuated by truly trippy depictions of ceremonial splendor. ICAROS follows an American woman to the Amazon where she searches for a medical miracle. Her treatment options exhausted, she finds a young ayahuasca shaman who is losing his eyesight and learns instead to confront her 'susto' -- the disease of fear. Nominated for Best International...

How does one integrate lessons learned from nature in daily life? This feature documentary is an experiential journey into the mystical practices of Japanese mountain asceticism. In Shugendō (the way of acquiring power), practitioners perform ritual actions from shamanism, "Shintō," Daoism, and Tantric Buddhism. They seek experiential truth of the teachings during arduous climbs in sacred mountains. Through the peace and beauty of the natural...

Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan paint a detailed and astonishing portrait of PAHOKEE, a rural village in the Everglades, Florida. Very close-knit, its inhabitants fight to face fragile financial situations and an uncertain future. Through a precise observational approach, the film captures the daily life of this city restoring a rich palette of nuances. From sporting events to beauty contests at school, the filmmakers explore social and community...