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Your search by 'Documentary' identified 65 films
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United Kingdom, 2006, 86 min.
The Pamir Kirghiz tribe has been living in exile in eastern Turkey for nearly thirty years. When an Anglo-Turkish film crew arrives to them tell their story, tribe and filmmakers collaborate to reconstruct the past in this fascinating docudrama. …
United Kingdom, 2006, 145 min.
Director Michael Apted’s extraordinary experiment enters its seventh landmark installment with another gently probing, fascinating look at the continued development of its now 49-year-old subjects. Featuring 12 of the 14 participants originally introduced in 1964’s 7 up, this absorbing sociol …
USA, 2005, 75 min.
Offering a timely reminder of the erosion of America’s civil liberties, this amusing and enlightening portrait of Tommy Chong follows the $12 million investigation that led to his arrest for selling bongs on the Internet. Apparently, his true crime in the new war on drugs was making pro-marijuana mo …
USA, 2006, 90 min.
Al Franken’s transformation from Saturday Night Live performer to leading voice of Air America, the nation’s only left-wing talk radio network, is explored in this hilarious, engrossing documentary, featuring such beltway big mouths as Michael Medved, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Michael Moore …
USA, 2006, 86 min.
Filmmaker Ian Inaba uses the scandalous treatment of African American votes in the 2000 presidential election as a jumping off point for an exploration of how black political power has been systematically squelched in America. If you believe in truth, honesty and the American way, get ready for your …
USA, 2006, 77 min.
A father and son are reunited in the Canadian wilderness after nearly two decades—one adept at living off the land, the other a product of Seattle’s urban jungle. The rustic Yukon town of Old Crow (population 250) forms the stunning backdrop of this moving, vivid documentary. …
France, 2006, 85 min.
After their gay son is murdered by a gang of skinheads, a close-knit French family tries to move toward understanding and even forgiveness in this devastating documentary. In classic verité style, director Olivier Meyrou allows this immensely cathartic story to unfold at its own pace without unneces …
United Kingdom, 2006, 82 min.
From some of the most impoverished farms of an Ethiopian coffee growers' co-operative to the global marketplace, Black Gold scrutinizes the Fair Trade Coffee movement with an even hand and an eye for the facts. With tact and understanding, we learn about the journey of this commodity product …
USA, 2006, 75 min.
Chronicling the complex, often traumatic stories behind Hollywood’s biggest box-office hits and bombs, BOFFO! looks at the razor-thin line between commercial success and cataclysmic failure, and features appearances by some of Hollywood’s top players. …
France, 2004, 58 min.
Influential filmmaker Chris Marker (Sans Soleil) chronicles the absurd, enlightening details within the unpredictable and passionate world of French political protest—particularly the curious graffiti image of a grinning cat that rapidly spreads through the country — in one of his most entert …
United Kingdom, 2002, 240 min.
Adam Curtis’ brisk, insightful documentary follows the dissemination of Sigmund Freud’s influential theories of man’s unconscious drives into the larger world where advertisers, self-help gurus and even politicians get ahead by catering to the selfish demands of the id. …
USA, 2005, 99 min.
Writer Richard Ogust must move out of the Manhattan penthouse he shares with 1,200 turtles. Thirty truckloads later, he’s relocated his turtles to a warehouse in New Jersey while he sleeps in a nearby cornfield, dreaming of building an institute for extinct species. …
USA, 2005, 73 min.
40 years ago, a lumber baron in Philomath, Oregon created a scholarship to provide all of the town’s high school graduates with college tuition. As the area’s high schools become more liberal, the scholarship’s conservative administrators threaten to withdraw funding. The value clash reveals a perfe …
USA, 2006, 10 min.
Artists can impact strangers so deeply that they feel they've lost a personal friend when they die. On New Year's Day 2006, little-known musician Bryan Harvey made national news when the frontman for '80s rock duo House of Freaks and his family were brutally murdered in their home. …
Germany, 2005, 90 min.
Filmmaker Fatih Akin (Head-On) and musician Alexander Hacke explore the diverse musical landscape of Istanbul, finding everything from traditional Turkish music to modern hip hop and electronic music. Includes performances from maverick rocker Erkin Koray, digital dervish Mercan Dede, the "El …
Japan, 2005, 107 min.
Yang Yonghi has a volatile relationship with her parents, steadfast members of a diminishing, proudly pro-Communist faction of Koreans living in Japan. Her first-person narration, along with interviews with her brothers who were repatriated to North Korea, give voice to the vast cultural and generat …
Scotland, 2005, 11 min.
The fascinating account of a woman whose auditory hallucinations helped lead to her own diagnosis. …
In 1978, just as The Police were starting to get noticed, drummer Stewart Copeland bought a super-8 camera and began documenting the day-to-day life of the band. With candid footage capturing concerts, studio sessions and backstage shenanigans, is a rare first-hand account of …
Canada, 2005, 72 min.
An intimate, exciting look at the inner workings of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as it launches a new season with charismatic maestro Peter Oundjiian. Director Barbara Willis Sweete captures soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Emanuel Ax, and the lively backstage lives of the orchestra's musicians a …
Denmark, 2006, 78 min.
Emerging Master Nicolas Winding Refn found himself drowning in debt after the box-office failure of 2003’s Fear X, so he decided to produce two sequels to his cult hit Pusher. This documentary takes a painfully funny (and sometimes just painful) look at the treacherous balancing act be …
United Kingdom, 2005, 93 min.
Singer George Michael opens up for the first time about his life and career, speaking candidly about sex, death, pop fame and public disgrace. Featuring live performances, interviews with a host of ’80s pop luminaries, plus Michael’s first meeting with Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley in over 20 years. …
Switzerland, 2005, 95 min.
In 1991, the Taliban destroyed a pair of legendary Afghanistan statues. Stemming from that somber premise, Christian Frei’s documentary delves down some surprising avenue in its ruminations on terrorism and intolerance, including a quest for the long-rumored third statue and the blackly comic attemp …
Sweden, 2005, 80 min.
Following the recent unexplained detention of one of their countrymen, a pair of Swedish filmmakers visits the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay. They leave with an extremely timely, quietly searing investigative documentary that features interviews with military supervisors, contracted interrogators and, …
USA, 2005, 87 min.
When a maverick college tax professor takes over as coach and revitalizes Seattle’s struggling Roosevelt High School girls’ basketball team, he is challenged by Darnellia, an inner city tough girl with incredible skills, but her off-court difficulties threaten to sideline the team’s effort to win th …
Scotland, 2005, 24 min.
Follow “Hatred,” a heavy metal band from Scotland whose average age is 11, as they prepare for their first public gig. …
United Kingdom, 2005, 50 min.
A revelatory history/analysis of the role of public photography and surveillance, How Little We Know of Our Neighbours takes as its primary subject the Mass Observation Movement—an ambitious anthrolopological effort to record the habits and social patterns of London and the rest of Britain. P …
Beyond the quiet cities and towns of Iceland lies an invisible nation of mystical “hidden folk” who reveal themselves only to those who can “see beyond their stomachs.” Icelandic historians, writers, politicians, sorcerers, farmers and public road workers talk about the effect that the “invisibles” …
United Kingdom, 2005, 70 min.
After moving to England in 1965, Yash Pal Suri and his family in India began communicating with each other via super-8 home movies and reel-to-reel audio recordings. I FOR INDIA, directed by his daughter Sandhya Suri, pieces it all together to create a compelling, bittersweet portrait of separation. …
USA, 2005, 23 min.
The long and colorful (and occasionally sordid) history of Superman, as told by the men who drew him. Also featuring the actors who played Lois Lane and Clark Kent in the original TV series. …
Germany, 2005, 164 min.
Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world’s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary. They said they’d back to him. Sixteen years later, …
USA, 2006, 95 min.
A defining influence on several generations of underground artists, performers and filmmakers, Jack Smith was an intensely charismatic, sometimes exasperating fixture of the New York art scene. This fascinating documentary explores the life and work of the inspiring artist who became the patron sain …
Press images of the horrific 1978 mass suicide of 913 Temple members through poisoned Kool-Aid remain indelibly seared into our collective consciousness. This astonishing new documentary provides heart-rending testimony from survivors and chilling previously-unseen footage, some shot even as the tra …
USA, 2005, 109 min.
Narrated by Don Cheadle, this riveting exploration of the roots of colonial exploitation shows the ways in which King Leopold II of Belgium plundered the Congo in the 1800s, putting in place a system of slavery and tyranny that has shaped not just the Congo but the entire continent. …
USA, 2005, 98 min.
A treat for fans and newcomers alike, I’M YOUR MAN is both an intimate portrait of the great poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen and a moving concert film. Candid interviews with Cohen are interwoven with performances of his repertoire by Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright, Beth Orton and others. …
USA, 2006, 240 min.
Six years in the making, this extraordinary documentary follows five patients from Cincinnati’s pediatric cancer ward as they and their families cope, adapt and ultimately come to terms with their illness. The filmmakers avoid unnecessary sentimentality, allowing the human spirit to shine through br …
USA, 10 min.
The name of Meredith Hunter, the man killed in front of the stage at Altamont, has been almost totally forgotten. Filmmaker Sam Green (The Weather Underground) seeks out what may be the final reminder of Hunter’s existence, an unmarked grave. …
USA, 2006, 82 min.
Documenting their triumphant return to the stage after more than ten years apart, loudQUIETloud proves that influential Boston band The Pixies are still amazing performers, but remain unable to communicate with each other offstage. An exhilarating concert film and a fascinating portrait of the inner …
USA, 2006, 68 min.
A searing anti-globalization documentary about the plight of the MAQUILADORAS—female workers in Tijiana’s multinational-owned assembly plants who are forced to deal with the hardships of environmental toxins, the abuse of labor rights, housing problems and women’s rights issues. …
Switzerland, 2005, 85 min.
An engaging portrait of Brazil’s feminist icon and first lady of song as she gracefully transitions from rock chick to mature chanteuse. Featuring interviews with the crème de la crème of contemporary Brazilian musicians, including Bethania’s superstar brother Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Gilberto …
USA, 2006, 85 min.
At a time when both household and national debt is at an all-time high, MAXED OUT sheds light on the escalating dilemma of America’s “just charge it” attitude. Director James Scurlock expertly intertwines eye-opening information and interviews with economics professors, pawnbrokers, predatory debt c …
USA, 2006, 57 min.
An important document of GLBT history, Mom's Apple Pie looks at Seattle-based Lesbian Mothers Defence Fund, founded in the early 1970s as a resource for mothers whose children were being legally removed from their care based solely on the fact that they were lesbians. Narrated by Kate Clinton …
Germany, 2006, 77 min.
Award-winning Israeli photojournalist Ziv Koren thrives on covering the occupied territories. Shot over a two-year period in the heart of riots, terror attacks, pullouts and secret meetings, the documentary explores Ziv and his iconic photographs that shape our perceptions of the Middle East. …
Counting up to the days before the 2005 Iraqi elections, the film paints an intimate portrait of the day-to-day life of Iraqis, focusing on the life of an Iraqi doctor. Unfolding through actions and events as they occur, it’s a rare look inside the world of Iraqis living under US occupation. …
Turkey, 2005, 70 min.
In a remote Turkish village, nine peasant women put on a play based on their own histories. Pelin Esmer’s documentary captures a soaring moment of liberation from the most unexpected of places. …
USA, 2005, 20 min.
Can a video game called KUMA WAR be a new way to engage people on current events, or is it an unethical marketing gimmick that seeks to profit from the Iraq war? …
United Kingdom, 2005, 157 min.
One of the most provocative political films of the past decade, Emerging Master Adam Curtis’ film essay traces the ideological basis of the “politics of fear” that dominates contemporary government, exploring philosophical and historical ties between the two most important forces for political extre …
Guinea, 2005, 80 min.
In the wake of a violent civil war in Sierra Leone, thousands fled to the neighboring Republic of Guinea. The Refugee All Stars is the remarkable story of a group of musicians who bring hope and happiness to their fellow refugees before finally returning to Sierra Leone to record an album. …
Iceland, 2005, 88 min.
Why has Iceland produced so much imaginative music? This ravishingly-shot documentary combines visual and sonic treats as it examines the tiny island nation at the top of the world, suffused with the towering presence of Björk, seen here at all stages of her career. …
USA, 2005, 76 min.
After settling in Seattle in the ’80s, three Cambodian refugees were drawn into gang life and ultimately ended up in jail. In the wake of 9/11, Cambodia was pressured to change their policy against accepting deportees, so now these Cambodian Americans are faced with leaving their families and return …
USA, 2005, 82 min.
An intimate portrait of architect Frank Gehry by his longtime friend Sydney Pollack, SKETCHES traces the renowned architect’s life and creative struggles from his youth to his colossal artistic achievements, which include some of the most striking buildings of the modern era. …
