Fred Frith

Act of God -- Is being hit by lightning a random natural occurrence or a predestined event? Accidents, fate, chance, and the elusive quest to make sense out of tragedy underpin director JENNIFER BAICHWAL's (Manufactured Landscapes) captivating new work, an elegant cinematic meditation on the spiritual and metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning. Using seven stories from around the world, Act of God explores profound questions with the sky and its fiery output the central visual metaphor. Novelist PAUL AUSTER, was caught in a deadly storm as a teenager, anchors the film, spriritualist DANNION BRINKLEY asks provocative questions, and improvisational musician FRED FRITH demonstrates the harmony of electricity in our bodies and in the universe. Visually dazzling and aurally seductive, Act of God captures the harsh beauty of the skies and the lives of those who have been forever touched by their fury.

"A mystical exploration of the sensory world as experienced by a renowned musician" (San Jose Mercury News), TOUCH THE SOUND passionately and delightfully shatters the way we think about sound.

Accidents, chance, fate and the elusive quest to make sense out tragedy underpin this captivating documentary: an elegant meditation on the metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning.

"A mystical exploration of the sensory world as experienced by a renowned musician" (San Jose Mercury News), TOUCH THE SOUND passionately and delightfully shatters the way we think about sound. Gracefully guided by the Grammy Award-winning percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who also happens to be deaf, this groundbreaking film opens the door to a world where sight, sound, and touch magically converge to elevate our everyday sensory experiences. Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer (Rivers and Tides) weaves awe-inspiring performances and street noises with artful silences and visual collages to gently, but powerfully entrance and engage us in Glennie's artistry. From an improvisation with chopsticks and cans in a Japanese restaurant to a stunning recording session with avant-garde musician Fred Frith at a dilapidated warehouse in Germany, Riedelsheimer's camera captures this globe-trotting phenomenon in all her splendor. While exploring the role of deafness in Glennie's music-making, TOUCH THE SOUND challenges our understanding of the senses and celebrates Glennie's uncanny gifts. Painstakingly crafted and wonderfully cinematic, TOUCH THE SOUND engages the ears, eyes, and heart to rousing effect.