Genre:  Documentary; Rated NR, 90 min.; 2009
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The RESTAURATEUR, produced and directed by Roger Sherman, is an intimate, cinema verité film about Danny Meyer, one of America’s preeminent restaurant owners. The one-hour film asks: How does Danny Meyer do it?

Danny Meyer bares all in this portrait. Watching him and his inner circle, we witness first-hand how incredibly difficult it is to create a world-class restaurant. The RESTAURATEUR is nothing like those reality shows. This is real.

Genre:  Documentary; Rated NR, 93 min.; 2010
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In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place.
 
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.

Genre:  Documentary; Rated NR, 84 min.; 2010
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Sixteen contenders seek the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France ("MOF"), France’s highest honor in the sublime art of patisserie, employing vast amounts of sugar, butter and eggs – not to mention adrenaline – to create gorgeous, fantastical, delicious creations. Some of the world’s most accomplished chefs gather in Lyon for three intense days of mixing, piping and sculpting everything from delicate chocolates and elaborate cream puffs to six-foot-high sugar sculptures. D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus secured exclusive access to shoot this never-before-filmed event. They follow chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of Chicago’s French Pastry School, as he journeys to his childhood home of Alsace to practice for the contest. During the competition itself, chefs work under constant scrutiny by master judges and their critical palates. These pastry marathoners race to deliver their creations (including extraordinarily fragile sugar sculptures) without shattering them. It’s a suspenseful quest for artistic perfection – brimming with passion, sacrifice, disappointment, and joy – to become one of the KINGS OF PASTRY.