Intimately tying the political and personal, Josh Tickell's deft if sensationalist doc Fields of Fuel rallies with optimism against the nation's failing policies regarding renewable resources, particularly, as the audience is to hear repeatedly for the next 90 minutes, the use of biodiesel. While not nuanced or artful in its filmmaking style, relaying too heavily at times on its pop soundtrack, Fields of Fuel is the type of populist doc that kicks mental engines into gear, its message so powerful that it sends fatalistic tremors up the spine.

Today marks the denouement of the long, slow climb of Aaron Katz's films Quiet City and Dance Party USA from obscurity – Dance Party's second time out of the can was at a 2006 film festival in a barn in northern Minnesota – to national acclaim. The DVD release is a landmark for the Oregon-based indie filmmaker whose talent, previously spoken of in the grassroots by a respectable MySpace following, finally captured the attention of The New York Times in August during the IFC theatrical run of "The New Talkies: Generation DIY."

While often studied, particularly in independent film, the sexual plight and confusion of an adolescent female is little understood, even when the circumstances of deviance are glaringly apparent. In its twisted study of patriotism, racism and sexual awakening, Alan Ball's Towelhead approaches this understanding with a focus and an innocence that breaths life into its black humor, making for a feature adaptation at turns disturbing and sensitizing.

As a memorial to intrepid experimental filmmaker Derek Jarman, Isaac Julien's Derek paints with great ease the vision of an artist whose mysteries were explored through his nonconformist creations. As a biopic meant for audience with Jarman fans and unfamiliars alike, however, Derek stumbles in its narrative, failing to gain enough traction to land a spot as memorable.