3 docs you simply must see at the Tribeca Film Festival

The Birth of Saké – RUSH tickets available

Feeling stressed? Can’t get your mind to relax? Take a trip to Japan and follow a group of men who dedicate half of their year to making saké. The group of men eat, sleep, laugh and cry together all while preserving the centuries-old tradition.

The passion of the brewmaster Yamamoto and his young apprentice, Yasuyuki is where the heart of the story lies. They each care so much about not only the tradition, but the people they work with on a day-to-day basis.

The gorgeous imagery is enhanced by slowmotion and a calming score. Whether you’re a lover of saké or not, you’ll appreciate the amount of work that goes into its creation.

Orion is his iconic eagle suit. Photo credit Sun Records

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King – hurry, tickets still available!

Everyone has heard of Elvis, but only a fraction have heard of Orion aka Jimmy Ellis. When Jimmy Ellis sang, he sounded like the legendary Elvis. His talent was brought to new heights when Elvis died and people didn’t want to let go. Never an impersonator, Jimmy did capitalize on this coincidence and attempt stardom on his own.

Jimmy himself tells us his tale through audio interviews. Told with a candid and revealing, yet loving hand, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King is ultimately a story about fame sought, found and lost.

Whether you liked Elvis’ music or not, you’ll be captivated by a man who lived large and went after his dreams.

CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap – tickets are going fast!

When I was choosing classes for my first year of high school, I chose to take Technical Drafting. It seemed interesting to me. It never occurred to me that I’d be the only girl in the class. I was bullied every day. I was called unspeakable names behind the teacher’s back. I heard tales of how there were girls who had taken the class and dropped out. I’m sure I must have considered dropping the class, but I have no recollection of it.

I wasn’t the best in the class, but I was always willing to learn and tried my very best. My teacher, Mr Huff, was the kindest, most encouraging man and brought me to every tournament and entered me in every competition eligible. I rarely placed, but I got to see that there were girls in classes like mine at other schools. I was not alone.

Just before seeing this film I had made the decision to learn to code. In the few info sessions at bootcamps for code that I’ve attended, I can see that the gap is still there, but it’s much more encouraging than just twenty years ago.

Instead of focusing on one aspect of the gender gap in coding, this film really shows that everyone has something to give. The field of information technology is only getting bigger and we need all hands on deck. The more diverse the people building the future technologies are, the better the world is for it.