women filmmakers watchlist*
*but not removing films as I do watch them so it's always a reference list for finding films made by women
Tbest films directed and/or written by women; I'd suggest 'Sort by: IMDb Rating'
Tbest films directed and/or written by women; I'd suggest 'Sort by: IMDb Rating'
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- DirectorMegan GriffithsStarsToni ColletteThomas Haden ChurchNina AriandaA rock journalist is assigned to track down her ex-boyfriend.
- DirectorJulia BachaFollows a Palestinian leader who unites Fatah, Hamas and Israelis in an unarmed movement to save his village from destruction. Success eludes them until his 15-year-old daughter jumps into the fray.
- DirectorHanan AbdallaIn the wake of the Egyptian revolution, four women speak of their fight for the future and what it means to be a woman in Egypt.
- DirectorMarina ZenovichStarsAndrew BraunsbergRichard BrennemanDouglas DaltonExamines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary filmmaker Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
- DirectorIngrid VeningerStarsAaron PooleHannah CheesmanJohnathan SousaAs a thirty something acting teacher attempts to push a group of eager young performers out of their comfort zones, he struggles with his own ability to live an authentic and fulfilling life with his teenage son.
- DirectorAnn HuiStarsAndy LauDeannie IpHailu QinAfter suffering a stroke, an altruistic maid announces that she wants to quit her job and move into an old people's home.
- DirectorAnn HuiStarsJacky CheungAnita MuiKarena Kar-Yan LamYiu-Kwok is a high school teacher, having a perfect family. Good times don't last long, when a student, Choy-Nam, falls in love with him. For dealing with a relationship with Mr. Seng, a beloved teacher of the couple, his wife Man-Ching requests a leave for a month. A midlife crisis mixing with pressure sends him into an emotional tailspin. Everything seems to lead him towards Choy-Nam, the forbidden fruit. History seems to repeat itself.
- DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsLaia MarullLuis TosarCandela PeñaOne winter night, Pilar runs away from home. With her, she takes only a few belongings and her son, Juan. Antonio soon sets out to look for her. He says Pilar is his sunshine, and what's more, "She gave him her eyes"...
- DirectorIcíar BollaínStarsGael García BernalLuis TosarKarra ElejaldeAs a director and his crew shoot a controversial film about Christopher Columbus in Cochabamba, Bolivia, local people rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.
- DirectorSamira MakhmalbafStarsSaid MohamadiBehnaz JafariBahman GhobadiItinerant Kurdish teachers, carrying blackboards on their backs, look for students in the hills and villages of Iran, near the Iraqi border during the Iran-Iraq war. Said falls in with a group of old men looking for their bombed-out village; he offers to guide them, and takes as his wife Halaleh, the clan's lone woman, a widow with a young son. Reeboir attaches himself to a dozen pre-teen boys weighed down by contraband they carry across the border; they're mules, always on the move. Said and Reeboir try to teach as their potential students keep walking. Danger is close; armed soldiers patrol the skies, the roads, and the border. Is there a role for a teacher? Is there hope?
- DirectorKimberly ReedStarsKimberly ReedCarol McKerrowMarc McKerrowFilmmaker Kimberly Reed returns home for her high school reunion, ready to reintroduce herself to the small town as a transgender woman and hoping for reconciliation with her long estranged adopted brother Marc.
- DirectorShirin NeshatStarsTarek AylouchMichael MarkiewiczNatalie PortmanILLUSIONS and MIRRORS is about the futile attempt of chasing a shadow that wanders through the dunes of an empty beach. When it finally comes to an encounter in a deserted house, the young woman experienced a disturbing surprise.
- DirectorShirin Neshat
- DirectorJennifer Steinman SterninStarsSamantha GashTremaine KentDavid O'BrienA diverse cast of non-professional runners attempt to complete the most difficult ultramarathon race series on Earth. Their dramatic journey takes them across the World's most picturesque yet brutal landscapes, pushing their bodies, hearts and spirits through a myriad of external and internal obstacles. DESERT RUNNERS delves into the mindset of ultra-athletes, and the complex ways in which human beings deal with both heartbreak and triumph.
- DirectorMargarethe von TrottaStarsBarbara SukowaAxel MilbergJanet McTeerA look at the life of philosopher and political theorist Hannah Arendt, who reported for 'The New Yorker' on the trial of the Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem.
- DirectorVolker SchlöndorffMargarethe von TrottaStarsAngela WinklerMario AdorfDieter LaserA young woman's life is scrutinized by police and tabloid press after she spends the night with a suspected terrorist.
- DirectorDeborah ChowStarsKristin Di SpaltroSean ModicaJames UrbaniakA short comedy about love after life. A dead but undying romantic returns from the grave to further pursue the love of his life.
- DirectorSandra GoldbacherStarsAnna FrielMichelle WilliamsElla JonesTwo best friends grow up on the Isle of Wight and in Brighton in the 1970s and 1980s.
- DirectorTatiana HuezoThe inhabitants of a small town in El Salvador relive their life experiences during the civil war while remembering their loved ones.
- DirectorMaya Gallus
- DirectorHeddy HonigmannStarsYoshino KimuraBertrand BeyernCamille SolariForever is a film about the power and vitality of art and a place where love and death go hand in hand and beauty lives on: the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris.
- DirectorAmi Canaan MannStarsKieran MulroneyAnnabeth GishDarren E. BurrowsA man returns to his small-town roots following the death of his childhood friend.
- DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsShigeki UdaMachiko OnoKanako MasudaA care-giver at a small retirement home takes one of her patients for a drive to the country, but the two wind up stranded in a forest where they embark on an exhausting and enlightening two-day journey.
- DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsTôta KomizuHako OhshimaDurian SukegawaWoodwork artist Takumi moves to a small village Asuka.He then meets Kayoko,a woman who went to the same school as Takumi.Kayoko is fascinated with the color hanezu(crimson); lives with boyfriend Tetsuya.Soon,she falls in love with Takumi.
- DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsKohei FukungagaYuka HyyoudoNaomi KawaseThe Aso family live in the old town of Nara. One Day, Kei, one of the Aso's twin boys suddenly disappears. Five years later seventeen-year old Shun, the remaining twin, is an art student. He now has to move forward with his life, together with his childhood friend, Yu.
- DirectorKatja von GarnierStarsHilary SwankMargo MartindaleAnjelica HustonA little known, yet integral piece of American history: based on the lives of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two young radical women who were instrumental in getting women the right to vote in America.
- DirectorLily MariyeStarsNichole SakuraCourtney MunJessica TuckA 16-year-old half-Japanese teen's life spirals out of control after her parents divorce.
- DirectorNina PaleyStarsAnnette HanshawAseem ChhabraBhavana NagulapallyAn animated version of the epic Indian tale of Ramayana set to the 1920s jazz vocals of Annette Hanshaw.
- DirectorNina PaleyAn animated short set to the tune of Pat Boone's Exodus Song satirizing the history of the land called Israel/Palestine/Canaan/the Levant. "I envisioned This Land Is Mine as the last scene of my potential-possible-maybe- feature film, Seder-Masochism, but it's the first (and so far only) scene I've animated. As the Bible says, 'So the last will be first, and the first will be last.'" -Nina Paley
- DirectorVincent ParonnaudMarjane SatrapiStarsChiara MastroianniCatherine DeneuveGena RowlandsA precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
- DirectorFreida Lee MockStarsMaya LinA film about the work of the artist most famous for her monuments such as the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Civil Rights Fountain Memorial.
- DirectorFreida Lee MockStarsJill AbramsonJoe BidenJohn CarrA profile of Anita Hill, the African-American lawyer who challenged Clarence Thomas' nomination to the US Supreme Court and thus exposed the problem of sexual harassment to the world.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasFrédéric AuburtinGurinder ChadhaStarsJuliette BinocheLeonor WatlingLudivine SagnierThrough the neighborhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, sucked dry, reinvented, and awakened.
- DirectorIsabel CoixetStarsSophie TurnerClaire ForlaniRhys IfansA teenager finds her perfect life upended when she's stalked by a mysterious doppelganger who has her eyes set on assuming her identity.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsBobby FischerDavid EdmondsAnthony Saidy'Bobby Fischer Against the World' is a documentary feature exploring the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer. The drama of Bobby Fischer's career was undeniable, from his troubled childhood, to his rock star status as World Champion and Cold War icon, to his life as a fugitive on the run. This film explores one of the most infamous and mysterious characters of the 20th century.
- DirectorSusan SaladoffStarsChuck AllenJudy AllenJay AngoffHow the infamous McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit and similar cases were exploited as part of a right wing crusade to weaken civil justice.
- DirectorLaura ColellaStarsJonah ParkerTheo GreenDavid A. ParkerSyd is an eccentric bookseller with delusions of grandeur fueled by red wine. He caused a rift 5 years ago between his bohemian housemates and the family next door, but now tries to recruit his 14-year-old neighbor as a collaborator.
- DirectorGauri ShindeStarsSrideviAdil HussainMehdi NebbouA quiet, sweet tempered housewife endures small slights from her well-educated husband and daughter every day because of her inability to speak and understand English.
- DirectorVittoria ColonnaStarsFabio FerriSaharaShani WilliamsIdentities is a feature documentary charting the multicultural transgender community in Ireland. Five personal stories give shape to the vibrant, parallel worlds of Transvestism, Transsexualism, Drag, Sexual identity, and Gender Dysphoria.
- DirectorAnne AghionThe people of Rwanda attempt to reconcile after the genocide through an open process of admission and forgiveness.
- DirectorAnne AghionStarsAllan AshworthAndrew PodollAdam R. LewisUnique in the genre of exploration and adventure films, ICE PEOPLE takes you on one of the earth's most seductive journeys-Antarctica. Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Anne Aghion spent four months "on the ice" with modern-day polar explorers, to find out what drives dedicated researchers to leave the world behind in pursuit of science, and to capture the true experience of living and working in this extreme environment. And, as it turns out, the film also witnesses one of the most significant discoveries about climate change in recent Antarctic science. Intense public focus on climate change has turned the shores of Antarctica into a new tourist mecca, making the earth's coldest continent the hot place to be. But, inland from the penguins and ice floes is a magical Antarctica of volcanoes, boulder-strewn valleys and ominous glaciers. Only a small number of scientific research teams get there, braving severe conditions to learn about our planet's history, and make predictions about our future. ICE PEOPLE heads out into the "deep field" with noted geologists Allan Ashworth and Adam Lewis, and two undergrad scientists-in-the-making, where they scour across hundreds of miles to find tiny, critical signs of ancient life. Their findings would give the first evidence of a green Antarctica over 14 million years ago, that disappeared with a sudden shift in the temperature of the continent. The most authentic film about life on the ice since the trailblazing expeditions to Antarctica chronicled nearly a century ago, ICE PEOPLE conveys the vast beauty, the claustrophobia, the excitement and the stillness of an experience set to nature's rhythm.
- DirectorKim CummingsStarsNina KaczorowskiLukas HasselGeorge KattThe hardest choices in life are the ones we think we'll never have to make.
- DirectorKim CummingsStarsEmily DonahoeWendy GardnerEliza Pryor NagelBest friends forever, Katie and Maura have dreamed of being part of the live mermaid show at Weeki Wachee Spring for as long as they can remember. It's the summer of '79, they're fifteen and everything is changing; especially when Katie discovers Maura kissing another girl.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsOliver O'GradyThomas DoyleAdamDocumentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsJason BaldwinDamien Wayne EcholsJessie MisskelleyAn examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three.
- DirectorSandra NettelbeckStarsMichael CaineMichelle GoddetJane AlexanderHe's a widower in Paris who speaks no French. She's a dance instructor less than half his age. Can they become a family, or will his estranged adult children halt the friendship?
- DirectorJuanita WilsonStarsNatasha PetrovicFedja StukanJelena JovanovaA young female teacher from Sarajevo who travels to a remote village. Soon after arriving, the village is attacked by a group of soldiers. The men are killed, the women separated from the children, and placed in a makeshift brothel.
- DirectorLina WertmüllerStarsGiancarlo GianniniFernando ReyShirley StolerThe defense of honor, a strong value in Neapolitan society, and its effects on the life of everyman Pasquale Frafuso.
- DirectorZana BriskiRoss KauffmanStarsKochiAvijit HalderShanti DasTwo documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.
- DirectorSu FriedrichStarsJessica MeyersonIn a series of 26 short autobiographical vignettes, Su Friedrich methodically analyzes and reflects on her childhood and the emotional scars left by her detached and self-involved father.
- DirectorLaurie CollyerA gripping portrait of one Puerto Rican family living in NYC. Roberto, 29, the eldest son gay and living in Greenwich Village. Marta the family matriarch, living in Brooklyn and raising the grandchildren that have, for the most part been abandonded by their parents. Danny, 23, returning from Riker's Island after spending yet more time in jail. Beatriz, vanishing periodically to indulg her crack cocain habit. Hip-Hop and Latin music serve as the sound track to this honest but often painful portrait of an American family.
- DirectorBarbara KoppleCecilia PeckStarsNatalie MainesEmily StrayerMartie MaguireA documentary on the The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) in the wake of singer Natalie Maines' anti-George W. Bush statement at a 2003 concert.
- DirectorJoan Micklin SilverStarsSteven KeatsCarol KaneMel HowardIn 1896, a Russian Jewish woman immigrates to New York's Lower East Side to reunite with her Americanized husband, but has difficulty assimilating.
- DirectorAnnemarie JacirStarsSuheir HammadSaleh BakriRiyad IdeisA romantic drama about a working-class woman and her experiences traveling back home.
- DirectorRanda HainesStarsWilliam HurtMarlee MatlinPiper LaurieA new speech teacher at a school for the deaf falls in love with the janitor, a deaf woman speechless by choice.
- DirectorMarleen GorrisStarsWilleke van AmmelrooyJan DecleirVeerle van OverloopA Dutch matron establishes and, for several generations, oversees a close-knit, matriarchal community where feminism and liberalism thrive.
- DirectorCourtney HuntStarsMelissa LeoMisty UphamCharlie McDermottA mom looks for another source of income, when her husband leaves with the money meant for the new mobile home. A nearby Indian territory stretches across the border to Canada with a drivable frozen river between. Smuggling?
- DirectorShola LynchStarsShirley ChisholmWalter CronkiteGeorge WallaceA documentary on Brooklyn-based Congresswoman Shirley's Chisholm's 1972 presidential bid.
- DirectorCéline SciammaStarsZoé HéranMalonn LévanaJeanne DissonA family moves into a new neighborhood, and a 10-year-old named Laure deliberately presents as a boy named Mikhael to the neighborhood children.
- DirectorAnne BufordStarsAmadou Gallo FallDethieFrom a basketball academy in Senegal, to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, the film documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African Muslim teenage boys with NBA dreams.
- DirectorNatalia AlmadaThe glimpse into the life of Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles.
- DirectorAndrea StakaStarsMirjana KaranovicMarija SkaricicLjubica JovicRuza left Belgrade for Switzerland as a young woman full of hope for a new, better life. 25 years later she appears to have achieved everything: She owns a canteen in Zurich, which she manages with a firm grip and financial success. Ruza values her meticulously-structured daily routine, both in her professional and private life. Ruzas's orderly world shifts when 22-year-old Ana from Sarajevo enters the scene. She feels threatened by Ana's direct, impulsive manner while at the same time she is intrigued by her zest for life. Slowly a friendship develops between these two self-willed women. However, a certain distance between them remains: Ruza's afraid to open herself up completely, and Ana has a secret too difficult to reveal.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJeremy RennerAnthony MackieBrian GeraghtyDuring the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
- DirectorJennifer VendittiStarsPenny BakerBilly P.Heather Pelletier"I'm not black, I'm not white, not foreign, just different in the mind. Different brains, that's all," explains 15-year-old Billy in Jennifer Venditti's provocative coming of age film. Billy's intuitive commentary and intimate verite footage reveal a unique attitude as he responds to a painful childhood, first time love, and his experience as an outsider in small town Maine. By turns humorous and disturbing, this portrait challenges the viewer to understand a triumphant teen on his own terms.
- DirectorFloria SigismondiStarsElle FanningJohn HawkesEver RabineauMusic short for Sigur Ros.
- DirectorDaisy AsquithStarsThe Great VelcroPotty the PirateMr. PumpkinTommy Tickle is Britain's answer to Krusty the Clown. He hates his job, but does it to pay the bills. He drinks and smokes and swears, and although he tries to stay sober for parties, he often scares the children with his gravely 40 a day voice and his obtuse jokes about Robert Mugabe. Tommy thinks modern kids are spoilt and hard to please. He wears a cricket box to protect himself from five year olds who like to punch him in the balls. He has a volatile relationship with his own teenage daughter, Stephanie but one day while she is hanging out in town with a bunch of Goths, she spots him doing his act and something surprising happens. Potty the Pirate loves children. He loves their smiles and their cheers and the way their eyes light up. And he shares their love of pirates. Genuinely. Sometimes he feels the kids aren't paying proper attention to his show and he has to stop the performance to complain. In fact, Potty's friends, are concerned that he may not be able to divorce himself from the role; he's prone to making pirate noises at the most inappropriate moments. Potty agrees he is a child trapped in a man's body... will he ever grow up? And then there's Mr Pumpkin, the life and soul of the party one minute, tending to his sick mother the next always having to put his mum to the back of his mind when he puts on his happy face for the children. Daisy attempts to find out what drives these people because children are demanding these days and it's hard for a man with funny shoes to match up to Playstation 3, the latest Transformers gadget or the wonders of a Wii. This is a film about what modern children are like, and how it affects the men who aim to please them. What is the relationship between a clown and a child all about? And why does someone end up becoming a clown in the first place?
- DirectorFina TorresStarsAriadna GilArielle DombasleEvelyne DidiAna bolts from her wedding altar and flies from Venezuela to Paris (in her wedding gown) to realize her dream of becoming a great opera star. The great Parisian director Italo Medici is filming an operatic Cinderella, but will Ana "fit into the glass slipper" before she is deported back to Caracas? The evil, plotting, self-absorbed Celeste tries to thwart Ana, but Ana has a great team in her corner: her Russian voice coach, a wealthy lesbian psychoanalyst, a prescient gay waiter/astrologer, and a voodoo witch doctor. Fun and adventurous.
- DirectorJill MorleyStarsMelissa HernandezGary LeeSusan MerlucciFollow Jill Morley as she delves inside the world of female boxers. Real emotional histories and traumas bubble up, fleshing out a compelling story about women overcoming adversity.
- DirectorKristy Guevara-FlanaganDawn D. ValadezA four-year study of how four young girls come of age in today's world.
- DirectorKristy Guevara-FlanaganStarsLynda CarterJane EspensonMichelle FrankThe history of fictional female heroes in Western media from Wonder Woman's creation onward.
- StarsDon HenleyGlenn FreyDon FelderThe life and times of the super successful American soft-rock band, Eagles.
- DirectorKristi JacobsonLori SilverbushStarsJeff BridgesTom ColicchioKen CookA documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem.
- DirectorLori SilverbushMichael SkolnikStarsAnny MarianoJudy MartePaola MendozaFollows the choices made by three young women - one a drug dealer, one an addict, one a pregnant teen - in Jersey City.
- DirectorKristi JacobsonStarsMaury AllenDave AndersonYogi BerraThe '40s and '50s were a classic period in New York City nightlife, when the saloonkeeper was king and regular folks could drink with celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason. In this documentary, Kristi Jacobson profiles her grandfather, the king of kings: Toots Shor of the eponymous restaurant and saloon, which was once the place to be seen in Manhattan.
- DirectorKristi JacobsonThe Teamster's Union goes on strike against Overnite Transportation, a nationwide freight company that has resisted unionization. The Union, however, faces its own internecine battles as factions inside the organization, one led by James P. Hoffa (son of the infamous Jimmy Hoffa), vie for power.
- DirectorDawn PorterFollows three young, committed Public Defenders who are dedicated to working for the people society would rather forget. Long hours, low pay and staggering caseloads are so common that even the most committed often give up.
- DirectorDawn PorterStarsRoss BarnettMargaret BlockR.L. BoldenSpies of Mississippi tells the story of a secret spy agency formed by the state of Mississippi to preserve segregation and maintain white supremacy. The anti-civil rights organization was hidden in plain sight in an unassuming office in the Mississippi State Capitol. Funded with taxpayer dollars and granted extraordinary latitude to carry out its mission, the Commission evolved from a propaganda machine into a full blown spy operation. How do we know this is true? The Commission itself tells us in more than 146,000 pages of files preserved by the State. This wealth of first person primary historical material guides us through one of the most fascinating and yet little known stories of America's quest for Civil Rights.
- DirectorAnna MastroStarsCassandra ScerboKyle RiabkoDan FinnertyBench Seat, a classic love story with a musical twist, is a brief moment in the lives of a young couple on the verge of either moving forward or breaking up. While the girl envisions a bright and happy future with her boyfriend, he can only think of all the things he's missing out on by being trapped in their relationship. He reconsiders once she tells the story of the last boy who dared to dump her.
- DirectorNahid PerssonStarsNahid PerssonA documentary that follows two young women raising children and supporting drug habits through prostitution in a country ruled by fundamentalists.
- DirectorNahid PerssonStarsFarah PahlaviNahid PerssonZinat S. LloydFilmmaker and Iranian exile Nahid Persson Sarvestani talks with the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran, who was overthrown in 1979.
- DirectorChina Moo-YoungStarsGlenn DohertyFour characters, a drag queen, a city boy, a lad, and a loner are all uttering falsehoods, inflated fibs, and tragic untruths. Nobody knows who's telling the truth because every one is a LIAR.
- DirectorChina Moo-YoungStarsLouis CordiceLouis Sheridan CordiceGlenn DohertyThe bittersweet story of a single parent father with a teenage daughter, and the day she brings home her new boyfriend.
- DirectorMolly GreenJames LefflerStarsNoël WellsMatt MiderAmanda BauerSophie and Pete get engaged on their first date, which is a 6-hour drive through the desert. And then nothing goes wrong... nothing at all.
- DirectorNic DunlopRicki SternAnne SundbergStarsColin FarrellMyo MyintThe story of Myo Myint, a political prisoner, who made the transformation from being a soldier in Burma's junta to a pro-democracy activist.
- DirectorRicki SternAnne SundbergStarsEvelyn JeffersonFred FlaglerJohn Reeves"The Trials of Darryl Hunt" is a feature documentary about a brutal rape/murder case and a wrongly convicted man, Darryl Hunt, who spent nearly twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Both a social justice story and a personally driven narrative, the film chronicles this capital case from 1984 through 2004. With exclusive footage from two decades, the film frames the judicial and emotional response to a chilling crime - and the implications that reverberate from Hunt's conviction - against a backdrop of class and racial bias in the South and in the American criminal justice system. This documentary is the culmination of ten years of research and filming. In 1993, inspired by claims of injustice and police conspiracy, the filmmakers began to shoot in North Carolina. Working from a mix of formats (16mm and 24P video) the film melds the visceral reality of a murder case with first person accounts and cinematic imagery, illuminating perceptions and memories of events as they unfolded for the people closest to this haunting story. This unique look at one man's loss and redemption challenges the assumption that all Americans have the right to unbiased justice. Hunt's story - while one man's personal journey - reflects systemic issues of national concern: cross-racial eyewitness identification, prosecutorial misconduct, inexperienced defense attorneys assigned to capital cases, racial bias in death penalty cases and errors in police procedure. Barry Scheck from The Innocence Project, who worked on Hunt's case for ten years, and Gary Wells, professor and eyewitness expert, offer concrete examples where errors occurred in Hunt's saga and offer future remedies and effective ideas to prevent future "Darryl Hunts." Hunt himself addresses the need for systemic reforms to prevent wrongful convictions, underscoring the haunting reality that Hunt could have been sentenced to death and we would never have known this story.
- DirectorJenni OlsonStarsHarry DodgeLawrence FerlinghettiBeautifully composed landscape shots of San Francisco juxtaposed with voiceover detailing the emotional intricacies of the love affairs of a butch lesbian and the history of Golden Gate Bridge as the world's prime suicide location.
- DirectorSusan FroemkeMatthew HeinemanStarsClive AlonzoDon BerwickElizabeth BlackburnAn investigative documentary that uncovers the U.S. healthcare system's true design.
- DirectorDeborah DicksonSusan FroemkeAlbert MayslesStarsJacques ChiracChristoJeanne-ClaudeThis is the story of the quest of the artist Christo to wrap the famous Pont Neuf in France in fabric. It took Christo and his wife ten years to get permission from the Parisian government, and the project created a storm of dialogue throughout Paris.
- DirectorAngelo MeiStarsGary BuseyChasing the Dream is a candid portrayal of eight Huntington Beach High School kids trying to obtain the impossible -- a career in professional surfing. The teens must steer through the ranks of scholastic surfing while dealing with injuries, overbearing parents, demanding school curriculums and a trip to Australia aimed at separating the ones who surf from the ones who win. Narrated by Gary Busey and featuring interviews with surfing legends Kelly Slater, Tom Carroll and Mark Richards, Chasing the Dream is a coming of age story about kids who will do anything to achieve their dream of becoming a pro surfer.
- DirectorMaria DemopoulosJodi WilleStarsAhom AquarianIsis AquarianDon BollesA charismatic leader founds a commune in Los Angeles in the early '70s based on natural food, spiritual practices and psychedelic rock. This short-lived era is recreated with archival material and the memories of participants.
- DirectorAlana CashStarsMeredith MayShasta LuskJohn Wannen Jr.Using a then proto-type lens that would later revolutionize digital video's ability to have a true filmic quality, Tom's Wife was a monumental achievement in micro-budget cinema. An authentically period drama shot on practical sets in Elgin, Texas, using meticulously selected antique props and costumes, carefully researched colloquial dialogue, and a cast of talented unknowns, Tom's Wife was called "a sincere and austere feature that vividly convey period flavor," by Variety Magazine. The filmmakers diligently crafted a quiet and honest Depression era story of a young woman trapped in an abusive marriage who finds grace in the friendship of her neighbor, and hope in the love of a traveling salesman. Garnering awards at festivals all over the world, Tom's Wife offers a glimpse into the scope of truly independent cinema and will be a joy to watch for anyone looking for a story with heart and dignity.
- DirectorDitsi CarolinoA documentary that explores injustice, neglect and perpetual helplessness.
- DirectorChiemi KarasawaStarsElaine StritchTina FeyAlec BaldwinThe uncompromising Tony and Emmy Award-winner is showcased both on and off stage via rare archival footage and intimate cinema vérité.
- DirectorAlina MarazziStarsLuisa Marazzi HoepliAlina MarazziItalian documentary filmmaker Alina Marazzi tries to piece together the life of her mother who passed away in 1972 when she was 7 years old. Through a patchwork of home movies, recordings and diary entries, Alina crafts a moving tribute to the universal power of love.
- DirectorClio BarnardStarsConner ChapmanShaun ThomasSean GilderTwo thirteen year-old working-class friends in Bradford seek fortune by getting involved with a local scrap dealer and criminal.
- DirectorClio BarnardStarsManjinder VirkChristine BottomleyNatalie GavinPortrayal of the late Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar.
- DirectorSophie HuberStarsHarry Dean StantonSophie HuberWim WendersHarry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction is a mesmerizing, impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his own heart-breaking renditions of American folk songs. Stunningly lensed in color and b/w by Seamus McGarvey, the film explores the actor's enigmatic outlook on his life, his unexploited talents as a musician, and includes candid scenes with David Lynch, Wim Wenders, Sam Shepard, Kris Kristofferson and Debbie Harry. The fragile soul of an actor emerges from the poignant collage.
- DirectorSteve BrownJessie DeeterStarsHarley K. DuboisMarian GoodellLarry HarveyEach year, 60,000 people from around the globe gather in a dusty windswept Nevada desert to build a temporary city, collaborating on large-scale art and partying for a week before burning a giant effigy in a ritual frenzy. Rooted in principles of self-expression, self-reliance and community effort, Burning Man has grown famous for stirring ordinary people to shed their nine-to-five existence and act on their dreams. Spark takes us behind the curtain with Burning Man organizers and participants, revealing a year of unprecedented challenges and growth. When ideals of a new world based on freedom and inclusion collide with realities of the "default world," we wonder which dreams can survive.
- DirectorSara St. OngeStarsLola TashCharlie CarrickKrista BridgesAt Phoenix Progressive School, where everyone tries to outdo each other with creative self-expression, 16-year-old Molly Maxwell (Lola Tash) would rather be invisible than risk revealing herself as completely ordinary. When her young, handsome, disillusioned English teacher (Charlie Carrick) enters the picture and allows her to just be herself, Molly is suddenly able to flourish. As their student-teacher bond becomes more intimate, she begins putting herself on the line in unexpected ways while pursuing what she wants. But with each awkward, beautiful step towards an impossible romance, Molly risks alienating everyone she loves.