The Pittsburgh History Series is an ongoing series of hour-long documentaries that highlight various parts of our city's history. Since 1988, these documentaries have captivated local audiences by mixing memories, old films, [mementos], home movies, snapshots and new interviews.
THE SPIRIT OF PITTSBURGH celebrates the human achievement of a city's continuing Renaissance. It is the heroic story of how Pittsburgh, once plagued by industrial pollution and urban blight, was transformed in just 40 years to what it is today. It is a story told by people who were intimately involved in its change - scientists, politicians, teachers, construction workers, business and community leaders. Unique archival footage dramatically portrays Pittsburgh's past; stunning photography captures the city today - from its hills, bridges and rivers to the medical, educational and artistic communities in its mosaic of neighborhoods. This is Pittsburgh, a place whose people take pride in their heritage and in their ever-changing home. THE SPIRIT OF PITTSBURGH was commissioned by The Pittsburgh Foundation of Dollar Bank. Look for this remarkable film at its permanent home in the Renaissance Theatre of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Looking in other people’s houses can be fun. And in southwestern Pennsylvania, it doesn’t matter if you live in a city neighborhood like Friendship or in rural Washington County, you can find wonderful houses not far away that reveal much about the history, the culture and the people in this comfy corner of the state.
This film tells the story of an adolescent psychotherapy group that met at an outpatient clinic for two hours a week over a period of two years. Art and drama were the major therapeutic tools, along with music, movement, poetry, and filmmaking. The varied expressive modalities are demonstrated in this film, as well as the different roles the therapists played in facilitating the group process. In addition to telling the story of the group, this film also includes detailed case studies of two of the members. It is a rare example of multimodality group therapy unfolding over time.
Cal Thacker, a would-be artist, shares his slum living quarters with Mike Rubel, a pusher who exists in a private drug-centered world, and Richard Stoney Morgan, an embittered drifter who sponges from the other two. Cal's girl friend, Carrie, who has provided his only meaningful human contact, finds him in bed with another girl and breaks up with him. In despair, Cal tries unsuccessfully to obtain funds by selling his paintings. His motorcycle is wrecked in a crash, though Cal miraculously escapes injury. Later in the day, the three roommates meet at the apartment and attempt to obliterate their problems with cheap whiskey. The liquor only creates new problems, however; Mike and Cal become involved in a violent argument with Stoney, who eventually leaves. Seeking revenge, Stoney reports Mike to the police as a marijuana pusher and then returns to the apartment with a knife. In the fight that ensues, Cal kills Stoney; but Cal is then gunned down by police.
In this sequel to his 1992 documentary Downtown Pittsburgh, Rick Sebak takes viewers on a tour of a twenty-first century Pittsburgh that's both changing and charming.
The Strip District is a delicious old neighborhood in Pittsburgh. On most Saturday mornings, its one of the best places on earth, full of hungry people, crunchy fruits, snappy vegetables, world-class street food, cool characters and tasty surprises of all sorts. This 1996 documentary is a tour of the Strip including big breakfasts, shopping along Penn Avenue and Smallman Street, warehouses, churches and nightclubs, along with some amazing history. Producer Rick Sebak says, "It ends up being a big commercial for the Strip, but the neighborhood deserves lots of loving attention. Its a great, great place."
This documentary explores the wonders of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rick Sebak narrates while you are taken on a nostalgic journey through downtown Pittsburgh's rich history as a bustling American urban center. The film explores downtown Pittsburgh's culture, history, architecture, and secrets. With new and archival footage.
On a Hot Summer day, there may be no better place on earth than a traditional amusement park. A place where you can hop on a classic wooden coaster, reach for the ring as you whirl by on the merry-go-round, or cool down on the Caterpillar. In this documentary, you get to visit some of America's most charming parks from Lake Compounce in Connecticut to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California. You get to gallop on the Derby Racer at Playland, go with the flow on the Boat Chute at Lake Winnepesaukah, and rock on Deno's Wonder Wheel at Coney Island. And of course there are coasters, including the Thunderbolt at Kennywood, the Cyclone at Astroland, the Raven at Holiday World, and San Diego's Giant Dipper!
Horror / Suspense film, following the story of the Calaway family fighting to unmask a past made of lies and survive the haunting of a dark entity brought back from the grave.
"The trauma of 9/11, the ideology of violent retribution, military service as a patriotic family tradition, the “unfairness” of today’s warfare – in their voice-overs, five young Afghanistan war veterans first establish familiar foundations. Joe, Torrie, Mike, James and Justin from Pittsburgh are slow to show us their faces. Physically unharmed but full of inner pain they have become the misunderstood upon their return. Their violent experiences speak a language that the people at home don’t understand.
REkOGNIZE is a three-channel video installation and a meditation on photography, memory, and movement. Artist and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young (Selma, Arrival) finds inspiration in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood, a site of the early 20th-century Great Migration. During this time, millions of African Americans moved from the rural southern United States to cities in the north and west. The Hill District saw a flourishing of culture during these years and was a site of artistic development for luminaries such as August Wilson, Charles “Teenie” Harris, Errol Garner, and many others. REkOGNIZE takes its visual cues from the Pittsburgh landscape, especially the city’s tunnels, which serve not only as literal entry points into the city, but also as metaphors for this movement of people and culture.
The Bears recorded this DVD live at Club Cafe, an intimate and wired nightclub located in Pittsburgh, PA. Members of The Bears (Adrian Belew, Rob Fetters, Chris Arduser and Bob Nsywonger) chose Club Cafe during their sold-out Car Caught Fire tour as the venue of choice to record the band's first live DVD. Songs from the DVD include many of their fans' favorite songs from the CD Car Caught Fire as well as their first two releases Rise and Shine and The Bears. The DVD also features a cover of King Crimson's 'Red' as well as the classic Raisins track 'Fear Is Never Boring.' The DVD features over 90 minutes of live concert footage in 5.1 Dolby surround sound, as well as intimate interviews with each member of the band talking about their history and song writing.
It’s roller coasters! French fries! And lots of good times! It’s a high-flying, double dipped, screeching, squealing, scream-your-eyes-out documentary about one of America’s greatest amusement parks, Kennywood!
Here are twenty-six Amazing, Beautiful, Captivating and Delicious pieces of a great medium-sized city! This unusual video includes everything from Fish sandwiches to Grant Street, from the History Center to our Interesting Islands. Pittsburgh A to Z is a delightful documentary that celebrates (in alphabetical order!) a wide variety of topics from Amateur Archaeologists (looking for arrowheads and other ancient American artifacts) to the zinging zaps of the Zambelli’s. It’s an amusing adventure, a tantalizing tour, a homey history lesson led by popular producer Rick Sebak. All that and much more!
An actress confronts her quarter-life crisis by breaking up with New York City and returning home to win back the love of her life.
Captures the essence of Willa Cather's haunting story of Pittsburgh circa 1900. Lost in a world of fantasy, young working-class Paul dreams of escaping his dreary existence in turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh. As fate would have it Paul gets his chance by stealing some money and subsequently running off to glamorous New York City.
A young man returns to his home city of Pittsburgh and moves in with an older woman who he begins to rely on for emotional and financial support.
A dinner party turns deadly when a group of friends is trapped inside of their house after a massive alien invasion threatens to take over the world. Things take a turn for the worse when they discover that the chemical the military is using to destroy the aliens is also turning humans into zombie-like savages. Now the group must band together and try to survive the night... if they don't kill each other first.
The story of three Pittsburgh widows who meet every year to visit their husband's graves and talk about perspectives in their lives.