Sam Henriques

Movies

Cured
Director of Photography
Mentally ill. Deviant. Diseased. And in need of a cure. These were among the terms psychiatrists used to describe gay women and men in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s. And as long as they were “sick”, progress toward equality was impossible. This documentary chronicles the battle waged by a small group of activists who declared war against a formidable institution – and won a crucial victory in the modern movement for LGBTQIA+ equality.
Tested
Director of Photography
A diverse group of 8th graders in New York City vie for a coveted spot in one of the city's elite public schools by taking a single standardized test.
First Cousin Once Removed
Camera Operator
Filmmaker Alan Berliner documents his first cousin, the poet-translator Edwin Honig, as he succumbs to Alzheimer's.
American Teen
Additional Photography
A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.
Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family
Director of Photography
In his early twenties, Sam Cagnina, oldest son of a Mafia hit man, meets Steven, a handsome 19-year old college student and they fall in love. Then, after a few years Sam offers Steven a "visionary" idea. What if they could find a woman who would fall in love with both of them and agree to live in a "trio" relationship? They spend the next 7 years dating and looking for that special woman. Finally, they meet Samantha, a young, struggling actress. THREE OF HEARTS explores this very unique trio union as they negotiate their living arangements, fall in love and open one of the hottest wellness centres in New York City. Everyone who comes in contact with them is never quite sure how the relationship works. But the one thing which seems certain is their love for each other.
The New Sideshow
Director of Photography
This fun and exhilarating look at the new faces of the carnival sideshow reveals today's most unusual performers who have taken their acts from the circus grounds to nightclubs, rock concerts, college campuses and even Broadway. Get a backstage pass to witness their outrageous acts before live audiences, who are still shocked, surprised and entertained!
The Farm: Angola, USA
Cinematography
Documentary depicting day to day life in Angola Prison mostly from an inmate's perspective. Interviews are with several inmates including one with a life sentence who is about to die.
Riding the Rails
Director of Photography
Riding the Rails offers a visionary perspective on the presumed romanticism of the road and cautionary legacy of the Great Depression. The filmmakers relay the experiences and painful recollections of these now-elderly survivors of the rails. Forced to travel more by economic necessity than the spirit of adventure, the film's subjects dispel romantic myths of a hobo existence and its corresponding veneer of freedom. Riding the Rails recounts the hoboes' trade secrets for survival and accounts of dank miseries, loneliness, imprisonment, death, and dispossession. Sixty years later, the filmmakers transport their subjects back to the tracks, where the surging impact of sound and movement resuscitates memories of a shattered adolescence and devastating rite of passage.
Paris Is Burning
Additional Camera
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
Crack USA: County Under Siege
Camera Technician
Documentary which aired in 1989 as part of the HBO documentary series "American Undercover". It was filmed in West Palm Beach, Florida over the course of eight weeks and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The documentary shows a cross section of abusers who have fallen under the deadly spell of the most addictive and affordable drug in America. Interviews with addicts and their families reveal that crack knows no socio-economic boundaries. Teenagers discuss the desperate measures they have taken to obtain the drug. The producers acknowledged the following for their assistance in making this film: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office; West Palm Beach Police Department; Data House of the Drug Abuse Treatment Association © Half-Court Productions Ltd. 1989