Essential documentaries
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43 titles
- DirectorIlinca CalugareanuStarsIrina Margareta NistorTeodor ZamfirMircea CojocaruIn the oppressive 1980s communist Romania, the smuggled VHS tapes of banned Hollywood films become an inspirational ray of hope. A hybrid feature about the magic of film and the power it has to change lives.
- DirectorDoug PrayStars7 Year BitchValerie M. AgnewCarrie AkreDocumentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90s
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsJuliette PaskowitzDavid PaskowitzJonathan PaskowitzDoug Pray explores the life of surfer Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz.
- DirectorFrank PavichStarsAlejandro JodorowskyMichel SeydouxH.R. GigerThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
- DirectorLes ClaypoolStarsJonathan KortyAdam GatesBryan KehoeA graduate filmmaker chronicles a jam band's journey to a famous music festival.
- DirectorTellerStarsTim JenisonPenn JilletteMartin MullInventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsBill BlakemoreGeoffrey CocksJuli KearnsAn exploration of various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (1980).
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsNick BostromJoshua CookeErik DavisDocumentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher tackles the question "are we living in a simulation?" with testimony, philosophical evidence and scientific explanation in his quest for the answer.
- DirectorMitch SchultzStarsJoe RoganRalph AbrahamJoel BakstAn investigation into the long-obscured mystery of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a molecule found in nearly every living organism and considered the most potent psychedelic on Earth.
- DirectorChris AtkinsStarsJames BrownNick ColerCarl Cox"Who Killed the KLF?" explores the rise and fall of the KLF in the 1980s and 1990s, touching upon themes that perfectly capture the 21st century zeitgeist. A tale as intriguing as it is bonkers"
- DirectorMarshall CurrySam CullmanStarsDaniel McGowanLisa McGowanTim LewisA rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.'
- DirectorShaul SchwarzNarco Cultura (Spanish, English subtitles) takes viewers behind the scenes of narcocorridos, the most explosive and violent music subculture in America.
- DirectorArthur JonesStarsMatt FurieAiyana UdesenChris SullivanArtist Matt Furie, creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.
- DirectorFaythe LevineSam MaconAt a time when most American cityscapes are dominated by computer created signage, Sign Painters takes a close look at the past, present, and hopeful future of the hand paint sign industry in the USA.
- DirectorDouglas TirolaStarsDanny AbelsonJudd ApatowKevin BaconA look at the history of the American comedy publication and production company, National Lampoon, from its beginning in the 1970s to 2010, featuring rare and never-before-seen footage.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsHunter S. ThompsonJohnny DeppJoe CairoA portrait of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- DirectorDan OllmanSarah PriceChris SmithStarsAndreas BichlbauerMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumAnti-corporate activists travel from conference to conference, impersonating member of the World Trade Organization.
- DirectorAndy BichlbaumMike BonannoKurt EngfehrStarsReggie WattsMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumTroublemaking duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events.
- DirectorThorsten SchütteStarsFrank ZappaSteve AllenAngelAn in-depth look at the life and work of avant-garde musician, Frank Zappa.
- DirectorSacha JenkinsStarsRick JamesOscar AlstonBig Daddy KaneA profile of legendary funk/R&B icon Rick James capturing the peaks and valleys of his storied career to reveal a complicated and rebellious soul, driven to share his talent with the world.
- StarsRichard BloodMarty BrennamanPhil BrooksWWE fans, you have waited long enough! His glistening wardrobe, often-imitated cadence and grandiose style was outshined only by his virtuoso performances in the ring. Macho Man, with his gorgeous leading lady Miss Elizabeth, embodied the raging 80s in WWE and later, compounded his success in WCW. Now, the complete story of his incredible life can finally be told in Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsBlair AndersonOmar BarbourJulian BondThis documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century's most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world's attention for nearly 50 years.
- DirectorLutz DammbeckStarsLutz DammbeckEva MattesTom VogtUltimately stunning in its revelations, Lutz Dammbeck's THE NET explores the incredibly complex backstory of Ted Kaczynski, the infamous Unabomber. This exquisitely crafted inquiry into the rationale of this mythic figure situates him within a late 20th Century web of technology - a system that he grew to oppose. A marvelously subversive approach to the history of the Internet, this insightful documentary combines speculative travelogue and investigative journalism to trace contrasting countercultural responses to the cybernetic revolution.
- DirectorMatt HarlockPaul ThomasStarsBill HicksDwight SladeMary HicksPhoto-animated feature documentary, uniquely narrated by the 10 people who knew Bill best.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsDavid BowieTrevor BolderKen FordhamA cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey. From visionary filmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate.
- DirectorCosmo Feilding-MellenStarsTim ScullyNick SandAlice EinhornThe story of Nicholas Sand and Tim Scully, the unlikely duo at the heart of 1960s American drug counter-culture.
- DirectorSimon KloseStarsGottfrid SvartholmPeter SundeFredrik NeijAn intellectual freedoms documentary based around the interpersonal triumphs, and defeats of the three main characters against the largest industry in the known universe. The media industry.
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsFela KutiYeni KutiFemi KutiA look at the life and music of Nigerian singer Fela Kuti.
- DirectorSophie FiennesStarsSlavoj ZizekPhilosopher Slavoj Zizek examines the hidden themes and existential questions asked by world renowned films.
- DirectorNatalie WynnStarsDavis M.J. AuriniChanty BinxChristine Weston ChandlerContraPoints discusses the concept of "cringing".
- DirectorGrégory WalletStarsBruce DernStanley KubrickGaspar NoéA portrait of DOUGLAS TRUMBULL, the magician behind the visual effects of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner.
- DirectorPatrick O'DellStarsJeff GrossoTony HawkMarc JohnsonThe story of the rise and fall of the 1990s skate boarding magazine, 'Big Brother'.
- DirectorFernando VillenaStarsDonna CarpenterJake Burton CarpenterKelly ClarkAn irreverent entrepreneur overcomes a series of adversities to create a new sport- and unexpectedly launches a global cultural phenomenon: snowboarding.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsEdward AsnerPat BenatarJerry BrownA collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
- DirectorSacha GervasiStarsRobb ReinerSteve 'Lips' KudlowTiziana ArrigoniSince 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.
- DirectorMichael DowseStarsPaul SpenceDavid LawrenceGordon SkillingHeadbangers Terry and Dean explore the depths of friendship, and the art and science of drinking beer like a man.
- DirectorAndrew CallaghanStarsAndrew CallaghanJoker GangGum GangFollows events and characters surrounding the January 6th, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. Capital Building in the days preceding the attack.