Documentaries
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- DirectorAngeliki AristomenopoulouStarsPsaradonisPsarogiorgis'A Family Affair' is an inspirational film about the power of family and music, told through the lives of Greece's most famous musical clan, from the island of Crete. The film captures the Xylouris family at a crossroads: fifty-year-old Giorgis performs non-stop to satisfy his passionate fans, while his Australian wife and manager, Shelagh, struggles to keep the family together. Their three children find new freedom abroad, but struggle to uphold the music of their homeland while finding their own voice. 'A Family Affair' reveals how this age-old and little-known musical tradition is passed on from father to son to grandchildren. It brings to light the redemptive but also obstructive power of a strong family, while bringing us closer to the intimate process of the creation of music.
- DirectorJuliano Ribeiro SalgadoWim WendersStarsSebastião SalgadoWim WendersLélia Wanick SalgadoThe life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
- DirectorMark JohnsonJonathan WallsA documentary on undiscovered musicians all over the world.
- DirectorDereck JoubertStarsJeremy IronsFifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make. And when one takes into account the fact that big cats are at the very top of the food chain-and that their elimination would wreak havoc on all species below them, causing a complete ecosystem collapse-the need takes on a supreme urgency.
- DirectorJoshua OppenheimerStarsAdi RukunM.Y. BasrunVolker HanischA family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
- DirectorCharlie RussellStarsTerry PratchettAndrew ColganErikaTerry Pratchett looks at the highly controversial issue of assisted suicide.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- DirectorMichael Rossato-BennettStarsDan CohenLouise DuenoNell HardieDan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music's ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorSean FineAndrea NixStarsSam BernsLeslie GordonScott BernsA moving look at a couple's inspiring efforts to save their only son Sam from the rare and fatal premature-aging disease of progeria.
- DirectorJenny MorganStarsChristopher HitchensMother TeresaJean-Bertrand AristideChristopher Hitchens investigates whether Mother Teresa of Calcutta deserves her saintly image. He probes her campaigns against contraception and foeticide and her questionable relationships with wealthy religious and political leaders.
- DirectorAri FolmanStarsAri FolmanRon Ben-YishaiRonny DayagAn Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.
- DirectorRob StewartStarsRob StewartPaul WatsonErich RitterAn investigation of sharks' importance to ecosystems and humankind's mass destruction of shark species worldwide.
- DirectorMalcolm ClarkeStarsAliza Sommer-HerzZdenka FantlovaAnita Lasker-WallfischAliza Sommer-Herz, aged 109 and the world's oldest Holocaust survivor, tells the story of how music saved her life: both during her time at Theresienstadt concentration camp and in the years afterwards.
- DirectorJonas MekasStarsPeter BeardEd EmshwillerKen JacobsArtist-writer-poet-filmmaker Jonas Mekas documents his early years building a life and discovering an arts community in New York.
- DirectorBrook Silva-BragaStarsScott EriksonRebecca FilmerSabrina HezingerOn a trip around the world, every day feels like Saturday. A MAP FOR SATURDAY reveals a world of long-term, solo travel through the stories of trekkers on four continents. The documentary finds backpackers helping neglected Thai tsunami victims. It explains why Nepal's guesthouses are empty and Brazil's stoplights are ignored. But at its core, SATURDAY tracks the emotional arc of extreme long-term travelers; teenagers and senior citizens who wondered, "What would it be like to travel the world?" Then did it.
- DirectorJörg A. HoppeHeiko LangeKlaus MaeckStarsAndiBela B.Blixa BargeldMusic, art and chaos in the wild West-Berlin of the 1980s. The walled-in city became the creative melting pot for sub- and pop-culture. Before the iron curtain fell, everything and anything seemed possible. B-MOVIE is a fast-paced collage of mostly unreleased film and TV footage from a frenzied but creative decade, starting with punk and ending with the Love Parade, in a city where the days are short and the nights are endless. Where it was not about long-term success, but about living for the moment - the here and now.
- DirectorJohn CadiganKatie CadiganStarsAnne CadiganDick CadiganJohn CadiganJohn Cadigan was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1993. He talks about what it's like living with mental illness. He shows us how his art, his friends and family help him have a meaningful life.
- DirectorViktoria VellopoulouIn Kenya, in the year 2013, girls from 6 to 15 years of age are being "cut". 85% of them undergo total mutilation of their external genitalia for non medical reasons. Long before the completion of their growth, girls get in line, and undergo this operation, without any anesthetic or analgesic and under conditions of no hygiene. With the same blade, with no kind of sterilization, all of them will be "cut". Some will die of bleeding, some will get HIV. "Excision" documentary examines the consequences of FGM (female genital mutilation) through female portraits and demonstrates the effects of this action. It was shot in Kenya in the area of the Pokot Tribe in January 2013.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogScott RowlandStefan PashovFilm-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
- DirectorGreg OlliverWes OrshoskiStarsLemmyPhil CampbellMikkey DeeA documentary on the life and career of revered heavy-metal musician Lemmy Kilmister.
- DirectorBruce BrownStarsRobert AugustMichael HynsonLord James BlearsThe crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters.
- DirectorJoe AhearneStarsDavid SuchetMartin McDougallJoanne McQuinnThis two-part science fiction docu-drama examines the possibilities of a dangerous, manned space mission to explore the inner and outer planets of the Solar system.
- DirectorEllen HovdeAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesStarsEdith Bouvier BealeEdith 'Little Edie' Bouvier BealeBrooks HyersMeet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
- DirectorRoger Ross WilliamsStarsOwen SuskindCornelia SuskindRon SuskindA coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.
- DirectorChristian KrönesOlaf S. MüllerRoland SchrotthoferStarsBrunhilde PomselBrunhilde Pomsel describes herself as an "apolitical girl" and a "figure on the margins," but she got closer to one of the worst criminals in world history than anyone else left alive. Today aged 104, Pomsel served as Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels' stenographer. Brunhilde Pomsel's life mirrors all the major breaks and continuities of the 20th century. Many people think that the dangers of war and fascism have been overcome. Brunhilde Pomsel makes it clear that this is not case. "A German Life" makes the viewer automatically ask: How would I have acted? What principles might I have betrayed to advance my career? Her extraordinary biography and personal journey into the past lead to the disturbing but timeless question: How reliable is my own moral compass?
- DirectorEugene JareckiStarsBrian CoxHenry KissingerAnna ChennaultA film about the war crimes of the American diplomat, Henry Kissinger.
- DirectorJohanna SchwartzStarsAliou TouréOumar TouréGarba TouréIn 2012, jihadists took control of Northern Mali, imposing one of the harshest interpretations of sharia law in recent years and, crucially for Mali, banning music. Radio stations were destroyed, instruments were burned and overnight, Mali's musicians were forced into hiding or exile where many remain even now. Follow these musicians as they fight to keep music alive. Featuring rare footage of the jihadists, a glimpse at life in refugee camps and the perilous journeys home to war-ravaged cities, THEY WILL HAVE TO KILL US FIRST is a tale of courage in the face of conflict as Malian musicians refuse to give up the fight for their right to sing.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsKurt CobainWendy O'ConnorDon CobainAn authorized documentary on the late musician Kurt Cobain, from his early days in Aberdeen, Washington to his success and downfall with the grunge band Nirvana.
- DirectorCurro SánchezStarsPaco de LucíaPepe de LucíaAlberto GaviraDocumentary about guitar genius Paco de Lucía and his contributions to flamenco music.
- DirectorPeter CasaerEddie GregoorStarsDaniel Day-LewisAccess to the Danger Zone is a film narrated by Daniel Day-Lewis about victims of war and their need for humanitarian aid. It describes the difficulties and dangers humanitarian organizations face in trying to provide help in the most dangerous places on earth.
- DirectorIain ForsythJane PollardStarsNick CaveSusie BickWarren EllisWriter and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsCharles AdamsJonathan AlterRobert BalfanzAn examination of the current state of education in America today.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJames BrownChristian McBrideBobby ByrdA look at the music career of musician James Brown beginning with his first hit song, "Please, Please, Please," in 1956.
- DirectorRoberto RosselliniSeveral stories depicting the landscapes and fauna of India are mixed with documentary footage.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsIan BurumaGuo-Qiang CaiWen-You CaiTrace the rise of contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang from childhood in Mao's China to global art world superstar, and join his quest to realize his lifelong obsession: Sky Ladder.
- DirectorDheeraj AkolkarStarsLiv UllmannIngmar BergmanSamuel FrölerThe 42 year long relationship between legendary actress Liv Ullmann and master filmmaker Ingmar Bergman.
- DirectorAlex YoungStarsBill BerryJay BobergPeter BuckOn April 5, 1980 four college pals-Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe-took the stage together for the first time to play at a friend's birthday party. The band they started that night stayed together for thirty years and changed the shape of rock music. R.E.M. By MTV tells R.E.M.'s story in their own words, through three decades of performances and interviews R.E.M gave to MTV channels in the USA and around the world. Featuring revealing, never-before-seen footage, R.E.M. By MTV tells the amazing story of a band that did it their own way, and changed how a generation of musicians after them did it, too.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsAmilcar CabralFlorence DelayArielle DombasleA woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
- DirectorSabine GisigerStarsIrvin D. YalomMarilyn YalomSusan K. HoergerThis cinematic feature documentary is more than a classic biography. Yalom takes the audience on an existential journey through the many layers of the human mind while he shares his fundamental insights and wisdom.
- DirectorSam BuddKatie McDougallStarsSteven MackintoshBabis AnagnostopoulosCaroline CrouchTrue crime documentary examining the shocking story of Caroline Crouch, a young British mother murdered in her home in a suburb of Athens, Greece and of the unexpected revelation of who had murdered her.