• Mademoiselle C - Directed by Fabien Constant - Mademoiselle C is a fashion insider profile of Carine Roitfeld, the fashionista who headed trendsetting French Vogue for a decade before she set out to give that fashion bible a run for the money by establishing her very own high concept magazine. The film follows Roitfeld and her collaborators through the creation of CR Fashion Book, based not in Paris, but in New York. Each issue of the magazine is to be uniquely themed and fantastic, with almost as much emphasis on story as on fashion. The big transition in Roitfeld's work life is paralleled by changes in her personal life, as she prepares herself to become a grandmother, a role that gives her a new perspective on creativity and her goals. Up until now, Roitfeld hasn't attracted as much around the watercooler conversation as other arbitrators of glamour - such as Anna Wintour, the subject of The September Issue or Diana Vreeland, who is profiled in Diana Vreeland: The Eye Must Travel, for example. Although Roitfeld isn't as well known outside the fashion world, her inner circle of friends and supporters includes the more famous Karl Lagerfeld, Donatella Versace, Diane von Furstenberg, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang and other haute couture and popular fashion insiders, many of whom share their thoughts about Roitfeld's talents in this style and trend-monitoring documentary by filmmaker Fabien Constant. Opening in limited theatrical release.

• GMO OMG - Directed by Jeremy Seifert - GMO OMY is a must see for anyone who believes that we are what we eat. Jeremy Seifert's documentary is a compelling investigation of how genetic modification of food - primarily of corn and soy - is impacting every aspect of contemporary life, including our human species' physical wellbeing, general health and sustainability. The film points out that every time we ingest something that contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs) we are "unwittingly participating in the largest experiment ever conducted on human beings." The film also shows that it is almost impossible to avoid GMOs, which are used not only as direct ingredients (think about the ubiquitous presence of corn syrup as a sweetener), but are also the diet staple of most farm raised fish, fowl and four legged species that we eat on daily basis. Seifert presents his alarming findings as a fact-seeking travelogue to some of America's largest food producers and processors, including corporations like Monsanto, the seed purveyor which was also closely scrutinized in other cautionary documentaries, King Corn and Food, Inc. For story, Seifert takes his adorable young sons on this fact-finding road trip, using their presence to prevent the film from becoming a pie chart of statistics. The entertaining toddlers ask questions and repeat what they've been taught about GMOs, and are shown at roadsides and in fields holding up anti-GMO slogan signs. Their presence feels a bit gimmicky, and perhaps even a bit exploitive. On other hand, the kids are a very compelling reminder about the reasons why we should address the issue of GMOs and how they are impacting our future. It is clearly time for consumers to find out all about the dangers of GMOs and heed the warnings being issued about them. This entertaining documentary provides the vital information. Opening in limited theatrical release.

• Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction - Directed by Sophie Huber - You'll instantly recognize the craggy face of this character actor who has appeared on big screens everywhere in more than 200 films directed by the likes of David Lynch, Wim Wenders and Sam Shepard. And, you've probably been delighted by his renditions of American folk songs by the musician whose name has a recognizable ring to it. But not everyone can link the face and voice to the name Harry Dean Stanton - until now. This entertaining show biz documentary is a fan-pleasing profile of Harry Dean Stanton's career in cinema and music, and an insider look at his friendships with some of the most famous and beloved Hollywood glitterati, including legendary rebels Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson, as well as Kris Kristoferson and Debbie Harry. The biodoc consists of candid on camera interviews with Stanton, who chats about his family background, romances and important moments in his life, and with some of his pals, who chat candidly about him. The interviews are augmented by a selection of great clips of his performances. Fun and well done, the film opens theatrically in limited release.

• Informant - Directed by Jamie Meltzer - This profile of Brandon Darby, the political activist whose political views migrated from left wing radical to ultra conservative right wing, uses reenactments - in which Darby stars as himself - to show is career progression from 2005, when he co-founded Common Ground, a successful grassroots relief organization addressing the needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, to his shocking reveal that he'd become an FBI informant, and had been instrumental in the arrest of two young protestors whom he'd actually provoked to plan acts of terrorism to take place at the 2008 Republican National Convention. In addition to Darby's reenacted sequences, film presents interviews with people who knew Darby and saw him in action, as well as expert commentators who offer opinions about the efficacy and impact of the use by authorities of embedded informants to monitor the opinions and activities of citizens who oppose current government policies. The film unreels like high drama and is quite engaging in its presentation of the mysterious Darby, but having the informant play himself in reenacted scenes seems to give Darby an upper hand in the interpretation of himself, his motivations and what actually happened - and that ultimately undermines the objectivity, authority and authenticity of the film as a documentary of record.

• Herb and Dorothy 50X50 - Directed by Megumi Sasaki - In this sequel to her 2008 documentary Herb and Dorothy filmmaker Megumi Sasaki follows the art-loving couple into the next phase of their career as collectors. As made known in the first film, the middle class Vogels used their modest income to assemble a world class collection of contemporary works. Beginning with art purchases made during the 1960s, they eventually acquired about 5,000 pieces of art - mostly small paintings, drawings and original prints - that they crammed into their small New York apartment, displaying as many as possible on every inch of available wall space, and resorting to stowing the remainder under their bed and anywhere else they could carve out some space. By the time the Vogels decided to donate their entire collection to the Eventually, they decided to give their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art in 1992, there was some much material, the NGA couldn't keep it all. Eventually, it was agreed that 50 works would be given to 50 museums, one in each of the 50 United States. This follow up film, 50X50, tracks Herb and Dorothy during the dispersal process, recording their travels to exhibition openings, receiving the applause and appreciation they deserve, and collecting their insightful comments, along with those from important museum curators and famous artists, including Chuck Close, Charles Clough, Mark Kostabi, Cristo and Jeanne Claude. This arts documentary is an intriguing reveal of the art world's behind-the-scenes machinations and how art is made accessible to the general public. The film also serves as a tribute to Herb Vogel, who passed away in 2012.

• Le Joli Mai - Directed by Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme - Fully restored and rereleased by Icarus Films, this version of Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's fascinating 1963 documentary captures the social and political ambience in Paris in May of 1962, which saw a "springtime of peace," following the cessation of hostilities between France and Algeria in March of 1992, after seven years of war. There are numerous man on the street interviews that reveal widely diverse perspectives and opinions among Parisians, while engaging fly on the wall footage reveals all aspects of Parisians' life at work, at home and on the streets. From today's perspective, the film feels nostalgically celebratory and somewhat similar in tone to a current release, London: The Modern Babylon by filmmaker Julien Temple. Re-releasing in theatrical venues, then becoming available on DVD.

• Sample This - Directed by Dan Forrer - This music documentary traces the origins of hip hop to the musical beats of the Incredible Bongo Band, a little known group promoted by music producer Michael Viner during the 1970s. The obscure group, comprised of studio musicians, released one album, entitled Apache, that was pretty much ignored until DJ Herc 'sampled' the record's persuasive percussion breaks in 1973, playing them repeatedly to create the extended beats that were instantly picked up by kids in the Bronx and became the underpinning of the hip hop genre. The film features commentaries and performance clips of Ahmir Khalib Thompson (aka Questlove), King Errisson, Jerry Butler, Freda Payne, Grandmaster Caz, Melle Mel, Roosevelt Grier, Afrika Bambaataa and many others, and is narrated by Gene Simmons of KISS. Opening wide in theaters.

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