Aztecs: Sacrifice And Science

Many of the truths behind the existence of the Aztecs have been obscured by centuries of myth making and bald-faced fantasy. However, an accurate portrait of their culture may be drawn through careful examination of the Aztec codices, an ancient series of books which have undergone considerable study and interpretation as detailed in the new documentary Aztecs: Sacrifice and Science. The invasion of Mexico by Hernan Cortes in the early 16th century set the stage for the extinction of the Aztec people and their culture. The work of Bernardino de Sahagun, a figure acclaimed as one of history's pioneering anthropologists, has proven essential in preserving the Aztec's footprint on world history. One of the final witnesses to their way of life, de Sahagun spent many decades documenting the Aztec culture and belief system, and made substantial strides in describing their unique language for future generations of scholars. One such scholar was Eduard Seler. Three hundred years after the drafting of de Sahagun's texts, Seler traveled with his wife Cecilia from Berlin to Mexico in search of more clues and answers. There, they called upon their keen archaeological prowess to uncover a series of Aztec sites and artifacts hidden underneath the Mexican infrastructures of the day. Most crucially, Seler successfully interpreted the Aztec calendar, which revealed deeper layers of understanding towards a long-forgotten people. Seler's work in this field continues to inform the research being performed today, as it offers a valuable testimony to the Aztec's way of life, customs of temple building, and even their penchant for the rituals of human sacrifice. But there is still much to learn. Amazingly, as the film points out, a significant portion of Seler's research materials currently remain un-examined in a Berlin museum. Through informed narration, a wealth of illuminating images and appealing re-enactments, Aztecs: Sacrifice and Science traces the milestones that have marked the preservation of the Aztec legacy. Thanks to the groundbreaking efforts of historical figures like Bernardino de Sahagu and Eduard Seler, these discoveries and revelations continue to this day. In the process, the film reminds us that history is a living thing - elusive and captivating - and never fails to refine and redefine itself with each passing century.

Superhuman: Genius

Where does genius come from? Is it the byproduct of tireless work, developmental happenstance or divine inspiration? The documentary Superhuman: Genius explores this phenomenon by portraying the lives and accomplishments of five individuals for whom cerebral superiority is second nature. The film opens with Akiane Kramarik, a 13-year old girl from Idaho who has painted with the detail and sophistication of a grand master since the age of four. She interprets her passion for painting as a literal calling from God, in spite of a complete lack of religious upbringing in her household. In nine short years, she's amassed an astonishingly accomplished collection of over 100 original paintings, and has published her works in numerous volumes. Her artistic intuition is guided by a force she herself does not fully understand. Ben Pridmore is first shown browsing through the grocery store aisles for product serial numbers, and later reciting them with perfect recall to the check-out clerk. His memorization of long and complex numbered sequences is an amazement to spectators, and has earned him the top prize at three World Memory Championships. Yet his achievements have not translated into monetary success, and he remains an unemployed accountant. The 1988 film Rain Man is perhaps the most popular of pop culture references to the enigmatic nature of genius. Superhuman: Genius traveled to Utah to meet Kim Peek (now deceased), the real-life inspiration for that Oscar-winning film. Diagnosed with savant syndrome at an early age, and told he would never be able to walk, communicate or learn as a result of his disorder, Kim has since gained notoriety for possessing the sharpest memory in recorded history, absorbing nearly 98% of everything he read. The film also spotlights Ariel Lanyi, a 10-year old pianist and composer from Israel who was fed classical music from the moment of his birth, and Ainan Cawley, a wunderkind in the world of science who passed O Level Chemistry at the age of seven. Each of their stories certainly inspire awe, but they also bring forth a series of perplexing questions about the human condition. Is the capacity for genius merely an untapped potential in all of us?

Indigo Children

Another provocative investigative piece from VICE News, Indigo Children examines the claims of a small community of people who believe they have been endowed with mystical powers beyond everyday human comprehension or capability. The medical community, however, vehemently disagrees with these claims. In their view, these individuals are afflicted with the far more common and clinical diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In an attempt to discover the truth behind these opposing viewpoints, investigative journalist Gavin Haynes embeds himself among several members of the Indigo Children community. These individuals have formed factions across the country, and they meet regularly to discuss what they believe are their singular gifts. Their New Age movement began in the 1970s when they were first identified by the indigo-colored aura that shrouded them. They believe they are astral beings placed on our planet to help us reach our higher purpose and spread beauty and grace throughout the world. They purport to have psychic and healing abilities and a strongly spiritual inner core. With a healthy dose of skepticism and good humor, Haynes enjoys a reading of past lives from a leading figure in the movement, visits a mother and daughter who run a holistic dentistry practice, and even attends a concert performed by a rap group whose art reflects the pursuits of the Indigo community. In spite of their unconventional beliefs, these subjects come across as congenial, thoughtful and confident in themselves. The flip side of the coin rests in the medical community. Haynes speaks with a clinical psychologist who urges these subjects to pay heed to the mental illness that exists beneath their mystical facade. These individuals suffer from a well-documented medical condition, he argues, and their avoidance of proper treatment has only deepened their fall into mental disrepair and delusion. Their family members also aren’t immune to scrutiny as the doctor discusses their role in furthering a destructive way of thinking for their children. Indigo Children takes a brief journey that is sometimes wacky, but always thought-provoking. At its center lies an issue for the ages. It exposes the oftentimes thin line between gifted and afflicted.

The Lucid Dreamer

The quest to unlock the mysteries of the mind lies at the heart of the documentary The Lucid Dreamer. Following committed Buddhist and teacher Charlie Morley, the film explores our capacity to maintain awareness during our deepest sleeping state, and how this practice may reap enormous benefits that we can then carry into our waking lives. The focal point of the film follows Morley as he teaches the discipline of lucid dreaming during an intimate four-day retreat, and it's complimented by a series of testimonies from additional pioneers of the practice. Lucid dreaming was born from the Buddhist tradition over a thousand years ago. In their belief, tapping into your deepest unconscious - in effect, remaining completely self-aware during the process of dreaming - could relieve fear and stress from our lives, instill a feeling of oneness with our surroundings and our fellow man, unlock our most progressive potential, and promote greater harmony between our body, mind and spirit. Nightmares, in particular, provide perhaps the most desirable opportunity for growth and enlightenment. It is only by facing our fears and phobias with clarity and purpose that we can empower ourselves to overcome them. As detailed in the film, this is exemplified by one of the tenants of the practice known as shadow integration, which is based on concepts originated by philosopher and psychotherapist Carl Jung. For both committed practitioners and beginners who may feel skeptical of its efficacy, Morley proves to be a convincing and impassioned advocate. He informs us that we spend as much as a third of our lives sleeping. That's up to thirty years of an average life span. Why spend that vast amount of time existing in oblivion? He lays out the steps to mastering the discipline in practical, easily achievable terms. The power of the mind, and the depth of imagination and potential locked therein, is nothing short of astonishing, yet it remains largely untapped by humans. The Lucid Dreamer gives us hope that we have the capacity within us not only to reach personal breakthroughs through our unconscious, but to contribute to the next evolution of our species as well in the process.

The Boy Who Can't Forget

For many of us, there are moments in our lives that we'd rather forget. But that isn't an option for Aurelien, a 20-year old student who resides in Durham, England. Possessed with the power of near-perfect recall, he can recite specific events from random dates in his past with almost superhuman accuracy. The Boy Who Can't Forget profiles Aurelien and others throughout the world who share his unique gift, and plumbs the mysterious depths of memory in the process. The filmmakers approach their subjects from both a human and scientific perspective. Those who possess this ability don't subscribe to complex memory retention techniques, nor are they hiding any tricks up their sleeve. For them, remembering which day of the week fell on a particular date twenty years ago, and all the personal activities and world events that correspond to that date, is as easy and natural as breathing. It's a talent that baffles and astounds members of the scientific community. The film introduces us to one such figure, a professor at the University of California who has spent a great number of years studying the phenomenon, yet continues to struggle in finding a reasonable explanation for it. Another professor from New York University offers his own tantalizing hypothesis by chalking it up to a form of obsessive compulsive disorder, a charge that is vehemently rejected by others in the film. The film also gives us a sense of what it's like to live with unlimited memories, and how it can serve as more of a curse than a blessing for some. Nature usually offers the comfort of distance from the undesirable moments in our lives, and grants us the ability to cope by allowing those memories to fade in reflection. The film's remarkable subjects are not afforded this luxury, and they live with the oftentimes overwhelming implications of this reality on a daily basis. How are memories formed and retained? Do we all carry in us the potential for total recall, or is it only bestowed upon a chosen few? By addressing these questions and many more, The Boy Who Can't Forget embarks on a fascinating exploration into the unknown corridors of the human mind.

The Mystery of the Cocaine Mummies

Known as the Lady of the Two Lands, Henut Taui was mummified and enclosed in a desert tomb three thousand years ago in ancient Egypt. In 1992, samples of her remains were tested in a Munich laboratory. Curiously, traces of both tobacco and cocaine were present in these samples. Neither plant could be found in the region for at least 1,000 years following the ancient civilization's demise. Understandably, Egyptologists and other experts looked upon these findings with great skepticism. The Mystery of the Cocaine Mummies explores these confounding results and seeks any possible explanation. When renowned toxicologist Dr. Svetla Balabanova first tested the remains, she was stupefied by the results as well. Were the samples manipulated by accidental contamination? Did her lab equipment malfunction in some way? Or was the mummy itself potentially fraudulent? Seeking to address some of these concerns, she conducted additional tests on the mummy's hair shafts only to receive the same results. This provided irrefutable confirmation of her initial findings. Meanwhile, more than 500 miles away at the Natural History Museum in Paris, Dr. Michelle Lescot also found traces of tobacco in the mummified remains of Ramses II. The film follows the intense investigations which ensued following the publications of these findings. It's an undeniably engrossing and multi-faceted journey that spans several continents. Along the way, the filmmakers explore the rituals and superstitions of ancient Egyptians, and the process by which their remains were mummified. Viewers also learn about a long-thriving underground industry that deals in the trading of mummified limbs and other body parts. Calling upon the expertise of anthropologists and historians from the finest universities in the world, The Mystery of the Cocaine Mummies wallows in minutiae - from the trading policies of ancient Egyptians to their belief that many ills could be cured from ingesting the ground flesh of the dead. Every bit of it is fascinating. Unbeknownst to both Drs. Balabanova and Lescot, their discoveries had the potential to shake up and redefine history. The film shows the lengths taken by the scientific community to scrutinize each new piece of evidence before confirming or rejecting their inclusion in the official narrative.

The Reality of Truth

In these chaotic modern times, it's easy to view the world as a dark and foreboding place. The 24-hour news cycle is awash in tales of terrorism, political corruption, and global strife. Is this truly the reality of the world in which we live? The powerful documentary The Reality of Truth defends an alternative realm of consciousness where we can all achieve a renewed sense of meaning and purpose. Religion provides the platform from which many seek enlightenment. That's where it all started for Mike "Zappy" Zapolin, a successful entrepreneur whose personal journey serves as the basis for the film. Blessed with great personal wealth and a happy family, Zapolin seemed to have it all. But something was missing. He happened upon passages in the Bible which described Manna from Heaven - a small, round edible substance with spiritual powers. He then noticed the appearance of mushrooms in ancient religious iconography. Could this provide the key to the fulfillment he seeks? Thus begins the revealing journey of self-discovery which is documented in the film. Zapolin receives counsel from Deepak Chopra, Joel Osteen and other popular spiritual teachers. He collaborates with a team of his closest confidants who have undergone their own personal expeditions of consciousness, including actors Michelle Rodriguez and Peter Coyote. He even travels to the windswept mountaintops of Peru where a shaman supervises his first foray into the world of mind-altering plant consumption. The established medical community may not yet fully embrace the healing powers of psychedelic plant remedies, but research has long testified to its effectiveness in treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other common ailments. Equally potent avenues of treatment can be found in the act of transcendental meditation and even something as simple as tightly controlled breathing exercises. The Reality of Truth explores each of these potential solutions thoroughly. In each instance, the practitioner appears to achieve a deeper sense of self, and an elevated relationship to the world around them. If these practices were adopted on a mass scale, might unity and love replace chaos and destruction? For some, this notion wouldn't seem so far-fetched after viewing the film.