Documentaries
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- DirectorAlexandra PelosiAaron LubarskyStarsGeorge W. BushR.G. RatcliffeWayne SlaterA documentary about George W. Bush's 2000 campaign for the White House.
- DirectorRob EpsteinStarsHarvey FiersteinHarvey MilkAnne KronenbergA documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.
- DirectorPenny LaneStarsJex BlackmoreChalice BlytheNicholas CroweA look at the quick rise and influence of the controversial religious group known as The Satanic Temple.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsSpalding GraySam WaterstonIra WheelerSpalding Gray discusses his participation in the film The Killing Fields (1984) and the background story about the troubles of Cambodia.
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsNorman MailerGermaine GreerDiana TrillingInfamously macho author Norman Mailer shares a 1971 NYC panel with an audience of intellectual women and famous feminists receiving a lively critique revealing the sophisticated political, literary discourse of early Women's Lib movement.
- DirectorBradford ThomasonBrett WhitcombA year in the life of a dying shopping mall.
- DirectorHalina DyrschkaStarsErnst Peter FischerJulia VossAnna Laestadius LarssonThe first abstract artist was a woman, misjudged and concealed, Hilma Klint rocks the art world with her mind-blowing oeuvre.
- DirectorNicolas PhilibertStarsGeorges LopezAlizéAxel ThouveninA documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher.
- DirectorTyler MeasomJustin WeinsteinStarsJames RandiPenn JilletteTellerThe life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.
- DirectorBeniamino BarreseStarsBenedetta BarziniBeniamino BarreseLauren HuttonA once-iconic fashion model strives to escape the world of images and disappear for good, but her son's determination to make a final film about her sparks an unexpected collaboration and confrontation with the camera's gaze.
- DirectorRoger MichellStarsMaggie SmithEileen AtkinsJudi DenchDames Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Joan Plowright, and Maggie Smith get together for tea to reminisce and discuss their acting careers.
- DirectorAlice GuStarsTed NgoyChristie SuganthiniChet NgoyThis documentary tells Ted Ngoy's story that is one of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption.
- DirectorWilliam BeaudineStarsRobert 'Buzz' HenryJames SeayDoris DayThe grandparents, Daniel Mason(William Halligan) and Mrs. Mason (Laura Treadwell) of Danny Mason (Robert 'Buzz' Henry)), an orphaned boy, are trying to have him put into their custody rather than that of his uncle, Jim King (James Seay), a racetrack veterinary, as they object to the track environment in which he is being raised. Their destinies become entwined with that of former silent-film stars Francis X. Bushman) and Clara Kimball Young) and ex-heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries), and that of a broken-down race horse named "Mr. Celebrity." The tagline tells it all.
- DirectorMika KaurismäkiStarsMiriam MakebaBageot BahHarry BelafonteDocumentary about Miriam Makeba.
- DirectorThor HeyerdahlStarsThor HeyerdahlHerman WatzingerErik HesselbergA documentary about the Kon-Tiki expedition of the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl.
- DirectorMatteo BorgardtStarsSilvia BizioCharles BukowskiLinda Lee BukowskiDocumentary based on a video interview conducted by journalist Silvia Bizio with writer Charles Bukowski in his house in San Pedro, California.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- DirectorD.W. YoungStarsParker PoseyFran LebowitzGay TaleseA behind-the-scenes look at the New York rare book world.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsSara LewinsteinDavid MandellSuzi MandellA collection of profiles of people dead from AIDS who are remembered in the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
- DirectorPeter WatkinsStarsTony CosgroveOlivier Espitalier-NoelDon FairserviceThe 1746 Battle of Culloden, the last land battle fought in the British Isles and the battle that ensured that Scotland was controlled by England.
- DirectorJames SzalapskiStarsPeggy BrooksGuy ClarkDavid Allan CoeThe best music and the best whiskey come from the same part of the country.
- DirectorTony ZierraStarsLeon VitaliRyan O'NealBrian CapronA documentary about how English actor Leon Vitali came to work as an assistant to American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick for over 30 years.
- DirectorSteve YeagerStarsJohn WatersPat WatersJohn Waters Sr.The life and times of Baltimore film maker and midnight movie pioneer, John Waters. Intercut with a 1972 interview of Waters are clips from his first films and recent interviews with his parents, his brother, Divine's mom, actors and crew, other directors, film critics, a film curator, psychologists, and Maryland's last censor, who shudders at the memory of Waters's pictures. Also included is footage of Waters making his early movies, culminating in an up-close and in-depth look at Pink Flamingos: the script, the set, the filming conditions, its editing, its distribution, and its impact. In sweet ways, this documentary is also a celebration of Divine (1945-1988).
- DirectorRobin LutzStarsDonald CoxeterGeorge EscherJan EscherFeature documentary about the life and work of MC Escher.
- DirectorChris McKimStarsAlan BarrowsBarry BlindermanBonoA controversial artist blazes a trail for other gay image makers in New York 's 1980s scene, only to perish at the end of the decade from the AIDS virus.
- DirectorTom VolfStarsFanny ArdantJoyce DiDonatoMaria CallasAn intimate look at the life and work of Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas, as told in her own words.
- StarsCharles BukowskiCharles packed his overnight bag, locked the door of his tumbledown East Hollywood apartment behind him, and took his first plane ride to the state of Washington to read at Bellevue Community College.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsPaul BrennanCharles McDevittJames BakerFour dogged door-to-door Bible salesmen travel from Boston to Florida on a seemingly futile quest to sell luxury editions of the Good Book to working-class Catholics.
- DirectorMark BoscoElizabeth CoffmanStarsMary SteenburgenRichard RodriguezHilton Als"Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is going to be called realistic..." Flannery O'Connor, 1958. Shy, funny, devout, disabled--words that describe one of the most acclaimed American short story writers of all time. Flannery O'Connor's stories about the southern U.S. have inspired writers, artists and musicians for decades with their dark humor and "gothic" sensibilities. "Flannery" tells the life story of a brilliant, young woman who died before she was forty through the eyes of contemporary writers and artists with cartoons, animations, never-before-seen archival footage and great music. Tommy Lee Jones, Alice Walker, Mary Karr, Tobias Wolff, Hilton Als, Alice McDermott, Bill T. Jones, Lucinda Williams--all share their opinions, their art and their music in this feature-length, NEH-funded documentary. How can people go to church AND commit murder, she wonders...?
- DirectorLisa Immordino VreelandStarsJim ParsonsZachary QuintoCarroll BakerThe work, lives and personal journeys of two iconic American artists coalesce with creative combustion in this innovative dual-portrait documentary.
- DirectorBeth BStarsRon AtheyBob BertTim DahlLYDIA LUNCH - The War Is Never Over by Beth B is the first career-spanning documentary retrospective of Lydia Lunch's confrontational, acerbic and always electric artistry. As New York City's preeminent No Wave icon from the late '70s, Lunch has forged a lifetime of music and spoken word performance devoted to the utter right of any woman to indulge, seek pleasure, and to say "fuck you!" as loud as any man. In this time of endless attacks on women this is a rallying cry to acknowledge the only thing that is going to bring us together - ART...as the universal salve to all of our traumas. LYDIA LUNCH - The War is Never Over by Beth B is the first career-spanning documentary retrospective of Lydia Lunch's confrontational, acerbic and always electric artistry. As New York City's preeminent No Wave icon from the late '70s, Lunch has forged a lifetime of music and spoken word performance devoted to the utter right of any woman to indulge, seek pleasure, and to say "fuck you!" as loud as any man. In this time of endless attacks on women this is a rallying cry to acknowledge the only thing that is going to bring us together - ART...as the universal salve to all of our traumas. In 2017, Lydia Lunch and filmmaker Beth B joined forces to create LYDIA LUNCH - The War Is Never Over a retrospective of Lunch's confrontational, acerbic and always electric spoken word performance and music. The film frames Lunch's work through the lens of the various philosophical themes that have obsessed her for years to enlighten and empower women to voice the unheard and to break the cycle of violence toward women throughout the world. Lydia Lunch is the psycho-sexual transgressive who revoked patriarchal expectations of what a female performer might mean, while forging a vocabulary of rare emotional honesty, philosophy and humor. Director Beth B has known and worked with No Wave legend Lydia Lunch since the late '70s when they broke boundaries in New York City, confronting audiences with uncensored poetry, music and films. Reflecting on the groundbreaking defiance Lydia Lunch has personified for over 30 years, she is a survivor who creates a dialogue of universal truth through her music and performances. In 1984, she penned the subversive and prescient spoken word piece, "Daddy Dearest", defying the gag order and spoke out about the sexual abuse she suffered as a young girl at the hands of her father. Lunch continues to expose the patriarchy, sexual abuse, the cycle of violence, and corporate greed with stubborn resistance. In 1976, at age sixteen, Lydia Lunch arrived in the bankrupted ruins of NYC with the killer instincts of a born survivor, inspired by the ravings of Lester Bangs in Creem Magazine, the Velvet Underground's sarcastic wit, the glamour of the New York Dolls, and the poetic scat of Patti Smith's Piss Factory. Having escaped a disrupted and abusive childhood, Lunch's refusal to submit to anyone's will led her to forge her own reality on stage with the unprecedented brutality of Teenage Jesus And The Jerks - a central pillar of the No Wave music scene and a legendary name to this day. Everyone from Alan Vega and Martin Rev (Suicide), to the future luminaries of Sonic Youth, would embrace Lunch as the violent heartbeat of their art/music rebellion. When Brian Eno chose to produce the No New York compilation of 1978, Lunch was there as the shrieking voice and guitar fronting one of the most influential bands of the era: Teenage Jesus And The Jerks. LYDIA LUNCH - The War is Never Over includes interviews with Lydia Lunch as well as some of her collaborators and colleagues including: Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth; performance artist Kembra Pfahler; Teenage Jesus bass player, Jim Sclavunos; Donita Sparks from L7; famed DJ and musician Nicolas Jaar; Art Critic Carlo McCormick; Filmmaker Richard Kern and a long list of other groundbreaking artists connected to Lunch's past and present. Filming in rehearsal and on tour with her band Retrovirus, the behind-the-scenes footage reveals a side of Lunch's personality that has been unseen. Her warmth and generosity in private interactions along with hilarious banter in the rehearsal studio with band members contrasts wonderfully with her brash, assaultive style of performance.
- DirectorHarry WinerStarsIvan MarxPeggy MarxYukon FridaA documentary about the legendary creature, Bigfoot, with emphasis on him being the missing link.
- DirectorMichael DweckGregory KershawStarsPiero BottoSergio CaudaMaria CicciùDeep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of men, seventy or eighty years old, hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle-which to date has resisted all of modern science's efforts at cultivation.
- DirectorOskar Pall SveinssonStarsVeiga GrétarsdóttirThe journey of Icelandic transgender Veiga Grétarsdóttir. An expedition beyond transformation.
- DirectorBill MorrisonStarsMikhail ZharovA Soviet film from 1969 is found in an Icelandic fisherman's net, and the filmography of its leading actor offers a portal into a history that has endured on celluloid.
- DirectorBill Morrison
- DirectorBill MorrisonStarsHans StüweOlga TschechowaFilm is a re-purposing of an early nitrate film, Pawns of Passion (Germany, 1928) which has begun deteriorating, into a new story, allowing us to preserve what still remains while also appreciating the beauty of its transformation. Music and lyrics have been added to enhance the storytelling.
- DirectorBill Morrison
- DirectorConnie HochmanStarsMerrill AshleyGeorge BalanchineJacques d'AmboiseIN BALANCHINE'S CLASSROOM takes us back to the glory years of George Balanchine's New York City Ballet through the remembrances of his former dancers and their quest to fulfill the vision of a genius.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsManfred SchulzMassimo VignelliRick PoynorA documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.
- DirectorLeo HurwitzStarsAlfred DrakeMuriel SmithGary Merrill"Strange Victory" is about racial bias in post World War II America. Folowing "Native Land" in Leo Hurwitz' filmography, it uses some of the same techniques: dramatized scenes interspersed with scenes of compilation news reel footage, and scenes of evocative imagery. An epilogue about the civil rights movement, added in 1964 makes the arc of the film more complete.
- DirectorMargot BenacerrafStarsJosé Ignacio CabrujasLaurent Terzieff"Araya" is an old natural salt mine located in a peninsula in northeastern Venezuela which was still, by 1959, being exploited manually five hundred years after its discovery by the Spanish. Margot Benacerraf captures in images, the life of the "salineros" and their archaic methods of work before their definite disappearance with the arrival of the industrial exploitation.
- DirectorMark HartleyStarsPhillip AdamsGlory AnnenChristine AmorThe story of the Australian exploitation genre cinema of 1970s and 80s.
- DirectorPeter BogdanovichStarsJohn FordPeter BogdanovichOrson WellesA documentary on the life and films of director John Ford.
- DirectorTessa Louise-SaloméStarsLeos CaraxMehdi Belhaj KacemRichard BrodyThe image of a mysterious, solitary filmmaker - a cineaste maudit - who flees from both the media and the public, is unrelentingly bound to the figure of Leos Carax, in France. Elsewhere, the real focus is on his films and he is considered to be an icon of world cinema. Mr.X dives into the poetic and visionary world of an artist who was already a cult figure from his very first film. Punctuated by interviews and unseen footage, this documentary is most of all a fine-tuned exploration of the poetic and visionary world of Leos Carax, alias "Mr.X".
- DirectorJ.B.L. NoelStarsAndrew IrvineGeorge MalloryThe official record of Mallory and Irvine's 1924 expedition.
- DirectorTed BalakerStarsGeorge CarlinAdam CarollaRon CollinsAn examination of Western society's apparent contemporary intolerance of edgy humor by comedians.
- DirectorNeil BerkeleyStarsGilbert GottfriedDave AttellJoy BeharGILBERT is a wildly funny and unexpectedly poignant portrait of the life and career of one of comedy's most iconic figures, Gilbert Gottfried.
- DirectorJohn SpottonStarsBuster KeatonEleanor KeatonGerald PottertonThis film is a documentary about the filming of one of Buster Keaton's movies: The Railrodder (1965).
- DirectorEva VitijaStarsAnnina ButterworthPatricia HighsmithMarijane MeakerBased on Patricia Highsmith's personal writings and accounts of her family and lovers, the film casts new light on the famous thriller writer's life and oeuvre, permeated by themes of love and its defining influence on identity.
- DirectorJulia MarcheseStarsPatton OswaltEdgar WrightSeth GreenA documentary exploring the importance of revival cinema and 35mm exhibition - seen through the lens of the patrons of the New Beverly Cinema - a unique and independent revival cinema in Los Angeles.
- DirectorRadu CiorniciucStarsGica EnacheVali EnacheRica EnacheIn the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, nine children and their parents lived in perfect harmony with nature for 20 years until they are chased out and forced to adapt to life in the big city.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsJames BaldwinWilliam F. BuckleyTruman CapoteA feature-length documentary starring Fran Lebowitz, a writer known for her unique take on modern life. The film weaves together extemporaneous monologues with archival footage and the effect is a portrait of Fran's worldview and experiences.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsLee ScottDon HunterJon HunterA look at the impact of the retail giant on local communities.
- DirectorLuis Fernandez de la RegueraStarsGary RayRockets RedglareWillem DafoeDocumentary on Rockets Redglare (aka Michael Morra), a colorful figure on the New York City art scene up until his death in 2001. In his life, Redglare was the bodyguard/drug dealer to Sid Vicious and Jean Michel Basquiat, a stand-up comedian (he toured with Steve Buscemi), and an actor in over 30 films, including "Stranger Than Paradise", "Down by Law", and "Mystery Train". Redglare died from liver failure and hepatitis C, which was brought on by years of heroin abuse and plenty of other drugs.
- DirectorBradley BeesleyFor centuries, a unique breed of fishermen has been catching monster catfish with their bare hands in the rivers and lakes of Oklahoma. Today, the tradition of "noodling" still has Okie anglers hooked. This documentary by Bradley Beesley features interviews with hardcore handfishing veterans as well as footage of real noodlers in action. Set against an original musical score by rock band The Flaming Lips, Okie Noodling offers an anecdotal look at a most unusual piece of Midwest American culture.
- DirectorMarilyn AgreloStarsHeather BermanEmma Therese BiegackiEva CarrozzaThe students of several New York City elementary schools learn ballroom dancing and compete in a city wide dance competition.
- DirectorBarak GoodmanJohn MaggioStarsCampbell ScottKenneth AngerJohn BancroftDocumentary examining the impact and continuing influence of 'Alfred Kinsey''s groundbreaking research on human sexuality.
- DirectorEmile de AntonioStarsJohn G. AdamsRoy M. CohnRay JenkinsAn unfiltered, unflinching document of the notorious 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings, compiled entirely from raw TV footage (with no narration, music, or added scenes).
- DirectorJosh PaisStarsJosh PaisRino ThunderAn actor moves back to his old neighborhood to tell the story of how the place that he once called home has changed through the times.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsMorgan SpurlockDaryl IsaacsChemeeka WalkerWhile examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
- StarsRick SebakBill GriffithA travelogue featuring oddly-shaped buildings (and the folks who live in, work in, own and admire them) located along USA highways.
- DirectorMatt MahurinStarsMichael FishmanJohn A. PapaEve ShopsinThis bitingly funny comedy follows a prickly, profanity-prone man seeking to preserve his dream; it dishes up bites of wisdom along the way, ultimately serving both a hilarious trip and a charming slice of New York history.
- 1985– 1h 23mPG-137.1 (1.6K)TV Episode71MetascoreDirectorSydney PollackStarsFrank GehrySydney PollackJulian SchnabelA look at the life and work of the renown architect.
- DirectorMarshall CurryStarsJen BluesteinCory BookerBill BradleyThis documentary follows the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey in which a City Councilman, Cory Booker, attempted to unseat longtime mayor Sharpe James.
- DirectorChris PaineStarsMartin SheenTom HanksMel GibsonA documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
- DirectorNancy BuirskiStarsJon VoightWaldo SaltJennifer SaltFollows the behind-the-scenes odyssey to get Midnight Cowboy (1969) produced, as well as the tumultuous era in which the movie was released and embraced.
- DirectorErik Greenberg AnjouStarsSteve AuerbachAdam CaslowAlan DershowitzA look at the history of delicatessens in the United States.
- DirectorGeorge MarshallStarsJohn BolesClaire TrevorHarry GreenA young man desperately in love with a nightclub singer sees an opportunity to spend some time alone with her when they're traveling through the Nevada gold country, and he takes the carburetor off her car and throws it in the river, stranding them there. They wind up staying at the cabin of a crusty old prospector, and soon the manager of a nightclub act shows up with his bevy of beautiful showgirls. Things get weirder from there.
- DirectorDavid GelbStarsJiro OnoYoshikazu OnoMasuhiro YamamotoA documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
- DirectorChuck WorkmanStarsOrson WellesSimon CallowChristopher WellesA look at the life and work of the great theatre, radio and film artist.
- DirectorStig BjörkmanStarsJoyce Carol OatesLaura DernJoyce Carol Oates has written over one hundred novels in a variety of genres over an award-winning career. Years of friendship and tireless research gave director Stig Björkman unprecedented access to the writer's solitude.
- DirectorJakub PiatekStarsLeonora ArmelliniAlexander GadjievEva GevorgyanYoung pianists take part in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition. A unique chance of a lifetime, portrayed from backstage and set to Chopin's music.
- DirectorManfred BlankWolf-Eckart BühlerStarsSterling HaydenCharles BrauerWolf-Eckart BühlerDocumentary profile of actor Sterling Hayden .
- DirectorTony PalmerStarsLeonard CohenJennifer WarnesDonna WashburnDirected by celebrated British filmmaker Tony Palmer, "Bird on a Wire" follows Cohen on his 1972 European tour. Long lost 16mm prints were restored for this release, not seen since 1972.
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsPaul MercurioTara MoriceBill HunterA maverick dancer risks his career by performing an unusual routine and sets out to succeed with a new partner.
- DirectorJames TinlingStarsTony MartinLeah RayJoan DavisRival advertising firms compete for a radio show's pickle manufacturing account.