Recommended Documentaries
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- DirectorCeyda TorunStarsYaman BarlasSariArzu GölA profile of an ancient city and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat.
- DirectorPetra CostaStarsLi AnElena AndradePetra CostaElena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the military dictatorship. She also leaves Petra, her seven year old sister. Two decades later, Petra also becomes an actress and goes to New York in search of Elena. She only has a few clues about her: home movies, newspaper clippings, a diary and letters. At any moment Petra hopes to find Elena walking in the streets in a silk blouse. Gradually, the features of the two sisters are confused; we no longer know one from the other. When Petra finally finds Elena in an unexpected place, she has to learn to let her go.
- DirectorAi WeiweiStarsIsraa AbboudHiba AbedRami Abu SondosHuman Flow is director and artist Ai Weiwei's detailed and heartbreaking exploration into the global refugee crisis.
- DirectorPippa EhrlichJames ReedStarsCraig FosterTom FosterA filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.
- DirectorRoberto T. OliveiraJoão WainerA documentary about the urban impact and cultural movement of "pichação", the spray painting that that invades the São Paulo walls and facades of buildings transforming the city appearance.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsEduardo CoutinhoThe late director Eduardo Coutinho sits down and talks with young Brazilian students in his last documentary.
- DirectorEryk RochaStarsNelson Pereira dos SantosCarlos DieguesJoaquim Pedro de AndradeCinema Novo is a movie-essay that investigates poetically the most important movement of Latin America cinema, through the thoughts of its main auteurs: Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Glauber Rocha, Leon Hirszman, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Ruy Guerra, Walter Lima Jr., Paulo César Saraceni, among others.
- DirectorJoão Moreira SallesStarsSantiago Badariotti MerloDocumentary about Santiago, a peculiar man who used to work for the director and his parents as a butler. The material was filmed in 1992 but, for some strange reason, the director felt he couldn't edit it and put it aside. In 2005 he remembers the unfinished film and starts its edition.
- DirectorLeandra LealStarsRogériaJane di CastroDivina ValériaThe Divine Divas are the icons of the first generation of Brazilian transvestite artists in the 1960's. One of the first stages to host men dressed as women was the Rival Theatre, ran by Américo Leal, the director's grandfather. The film shows the intimacy, the talent and the stories of a generation that revolutionized the sexual behavior and defied the moral of a time.
- DirectorEduardo ChauvetStarsMelania AmorimRicardo ChavesRobbie Davis-FloydThe feature film ' The Birth Reborn' portrays the serious obstetric reality in the world, which is characterized by an alarming number of cesarean or deliveries with traumatic and unnecessary interventions, as opposed to what is known and recommended by science today. This situation has serious perinatal, psychological, social, anthropological and financial consequences. Through the reports of some of the leading experts in the area and the latest scientific discoveries, the film questions the current obstetric model, leads to a reflection on the new paradigm of the twenty-first century and the future of a civilization born without the so-called 'love hormones', released only under specific conditions of labor.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsMarília PêraAndrea BeltrãoFernanda TorresFollowing a newspaper ad, ordinary women tell part of their life stories to director Eduardo Coutinho, which are then re-enacted by actresses, blurring the barriers between truth, fiction and interpretation.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsFernando JoséThe daily lives and routine of 37 families living in a huge 12-story building in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: their drama, aspirations, intimate revelations, loneliness, dreams...
- DirectorJorge FurtadoStarsPaulo JoséCiça ReckziegelDouglas TraininiThe ironic, heartbreaking and acid "saga" of a spoiled tomato: from the plantation of a "Nisei" (Brazilian with Japanese origins); to a supermarket; to a consumer's kitchen to become sauce of a pork meat; to the garbage can since it is spoiled for the consumption; to a garbage truck to be dumped in a garbage dump in "Ilha das Flores"; to the selection of nutriment for pigs by the employees of a pigs breeder; to become food for poor Brazilian people.
- DirectorPetra CostaStarsDilma RousseffLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaMarisa Letícia Lula da SilvaPolitical documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsEduardo CoutinhoElizabeth TeixeiraFerreira GullarA filmmaker returns to Northeast Brazil after twenty years to resume his film (a profile of assassinated peasant leader João Pedro Teixeira) which was shut down by a right-wing military coup in 1964.
- DirectorPaolo CavaraGualtiero JacopettiFranco ProsperiStarsStefano SibaldiRossano BrazziYves KleinA "shockumentary" consisting of a collection of mostly real archive footage displaying mankind at its most depraved and perverse, displaying bizarre rites, cruel behavior and bestial violence.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsCat PowerJanis JoplinKarleen BennettMusician Cat Power narrates this documentary on Janis Joplin's evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.
- DirectorBonni CohenJon ShenkStarsRobin BourlandDaisy ColemanCharles ColemanA look at the effects that online bullying has on the lives of teenagers and their community.
- DirectorLina PlioplyteStarsIris ApfelJoyce CarpatiAri CohenAdvanced Style examines the lives of seven unique New Yorkers whose eclectic personal style and vital spirit have guided their approach to aging.
- DirectorGrace LeeStarsGrace Lee BoggsDanny GloverBill AyersGrace Lee Boggs is an activist and philosopher in Detroit who has dedicated her life to the next American Revolution and the possibility of a better, more just future for all of humanity. At age 97, she has been building movements and developing strategies for social change for most of her life -- reminding us that revolution is not only possible and necessary, but a process that must always be in motion.
- DirectorJon OlbMadeleine ParryStarsHannah GadsbyAustralian comic Hannah Gadsby reshapes standard stand-up by pairing punchlines with personal revelations on gender, sexuality and childhood turmoil.
- DirectorCristina CostantiniKareem TabschStarsWalter MercadoWilly AcostaLin-Manuel MirandaEvery day for decades, Walter Mercado — the iconic, gender non-conforming astrologer — mesmerized 120 million Latino viewers with his extravagance and positivity.
- DirectorLucy WalkerKaren HarleyJoão JardimStarsVik MunizOn the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.
- DirectorJohn MaloofCharlie SiskelStarsVivian MaierJohn MaloofDaniel ArnaudA documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.
- DirectorYann Arthus-BertrandStarsLuis CancuAtmanBerthonyA collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human.
- DirectorNanfu WangJialing ZhangStarsNanfu WangZaodi WangZhimei WangAfter becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China's one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.
- DirectorJulie CohenBetsy WestStarsRuth Bader GinsburgAnn KittnerHarryette HelselThe exceptional life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsNina SimoneLisa Simone KellyRoger NupieA documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."
- DirectorSamantha FutermanRyan MiyamotoStarsSkylar AstinAnaïs BordierJacques BordierAdopted from South Korea, raised on different continents & connected through social media, Samantha & Anaïs believe that they are twin sisters separated at birth.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsPina BauschRegina AdventoMalou AiraudoA tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations.
- DirectorJRAgnès VardaStarsAgnès VardaJRJeannine CarpentierDirector Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsFred RogersMargaret WhitmerTom JunodAn exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
- DirectorAndy MitchellStarsNeil WilsonBruce KornriechKristyn VitaleCat experts dive into the mind of the feline to reveal the true capabilities of the pouncing pet in this captivating and cuddly documentary.
- 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.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsTristan HarrisJeff SeibertBailey RichardsonExplores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
- DirectorFelicity MorrisStarsSimon LevievCecilie FjellhøyAyleen CharlottePosing as a wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul, he wooed women online, then conned them out of millions of dollars. Now some victims plan for payback.
- 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.
- DirectorDziga VertovStarsMikhail KaufmanElizaveta SvilovaA man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsMelina AbdullahMichelle AlexanderCory BookerAn in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
- 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.
- DirectorChico KertészStarsCaetano VelosoMarcionílioJoão AméricoA trip through the popular Brazilian music genre originated in the state of Bahia.
- DirectorJaime Eliezer KarasStarsAli WongAli Wong's stand up special delves into her sexual adventures, hoarding, the rocky road to pregnancy, and why feminism is terrible.
- DirectorTig NotaroStarsIndigo GirlsTig NotaroAmy RayComedian Tig Notaro performs a stand-up set at the historic Heights Theater in Houston.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsMarília PêraFernanda TorresA film starting from naught. With no prior research, no characters, no sites, nor specific themes, a film team arrive to the hinterland of Paraíba state in northeastern Brazil in search of people with stories to tell. In the village of São João do Rio do Peixe they come to Sítio Araçás, a rural community of 86 families, mostly relatives. With a girl from Araçás as mediator, the residents, in their majority, elderly, tell their life story, marked by popular catholicism, by a hierarchy, by a sense of family and honor - in a world fast disappearing.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsMaria Socorro Morais AlvesJosé Alves BezerraZacarias Feitosa de MoraisThe Story of the workers who had participated of the striker movement in the Brazil with President Lula when he was a syndical leader
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoResidents of a slum in Rio de Janeiro are invited to share religious experiences and personal beliefs while reflecting about their daily lives.
- DirectorEduardo CoutinhoStarsBenedita da SilvaMilton GonçalvesFerreira GullarAn essay on the imagination, cultural identity and prejudice against black people, focusing on the work of Gabriel Joaquim dos Santos, salt mine worker and semi-illiterate black artist who has built, in São Pedro d'Aldeia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Casa da Flor (House of the Flower), made of objects found in the trash.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorSteven BognarJulia ReichertStarsJunming 'Jimmy' WangRobert AllenSherrod BrownIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreRoger B. SmithRhonda BrittonAfter General Motors closes its factory in Flint, Michigan, eliminating 35,000 jobs, filmmaker Michael Moore undertakes a quixotic quest to interview General Motors' chairman, Roger B. Smith.
- DirectorJuliana VicenteStarsIce BlueMano BrownGeorgina Elizabeth OkonArmed with music and a message, influential hip-hop group Racionais MC's turned their street poetry into a powerful movement in Brazil and beyond
- DirectorMadeleine ParryStarsHannah GadsbyHannah Gadsby ("Nanette") returns for her second stand-up special and shares her latest takes on popularity, identity, language, feminism and more.
- DirectorMarina AbramovicStarsMarina Abramovic7- channel video installation (color, no sound), first performed at the MoMA, New York, which explores the complex relationship between artist and audience, as the performer is pushing past perceived limits of the body and mind.
- DirectorSara DosaStarsMiranda JulyKatia KrafftMaurice KrafftIntrepid scientists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded.
- DirectorRaoul PeckStarsSamuel L. JacksonJames BaldwinMartin Luther KingWriter James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
- DirectorTamta GabrichidzeA traveling trader provides a window into rural life in the Republic of Georgia, where potatoes are currency and ambition is crushed by poverty.
- DirectorJulian SchnabelStarsJeffrey WrightMichael WincottBenicio Del ToroThe brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
- DirectorJeppe RøndeStarsStephen FryThe award winning Danish director, Jeppe Rønde has invited 10 of the world's foremost scientists - and a single robot. - to zoom out at intergalactic distance and rethink our relationship with technology and investigate in microcosmic detail its dilemmas. The world-renowned comedian, actor, writer, presenter and activist, Stephen Fry has put his iconic voice to Rønde's visionary essay, and speaks to all of mankind while the film hauntingly leads us through our own history - as well as the history of technology itself. Philosophers, anthropologists, archaeologists and physicists demonstrate in each their thought experiment that our relationship with technology is as much about our relationship with ourselves.
- DirectorLisa CortesStarsLittle RichardRalph HarperNewt CollierThe life and career of Little Richard, the one-of-a-kind rock 'n' roll icon who shaped the world of music.
- DirectorJames MollStarsShawn CloningerWilliam GoldsmithJessy GreeneRising from the ashes of Nirvana, the Foo Fighters became a Grammy-winning sensation on their own. Sixteen years of the band's history comes to life in this documentary, from their demo tapes through the creation of their 2011 album, "Wasting Light."
- DirectorSini AndersonStarsKathleen HannaCarrie BrownsteinKim GordonA look at the life of activist, musician, and cultural icon Kathleen Hanna, who formed the punk band Bikini Kill and pioneered the "riot grrrl" movement of the 1990s.
- DirectorCheryl DunnStarsBoogieMartha CooperBruce DavidsonEverybody Street" highlights the lives and work of New York's iconic street photographers and the unparalleled city that has inspired them for decades.
- DirectorRichard PressStarsBill CunninghamAnna WintourMichael KorsA profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.
- StarsLiniersMaitenaIsabella CosseWe'll take a different look at Mafalda, diving deep into her story to reveal how a comic strip from the 60's could get so relevant culturally and how and why impacted everyone's lives around the world.
- DirectorEstela RennerStarsLaura SchichvargerDiscoveries in neuroscience can help us understand childhood development. When a person is born, it is more than just a genetic load. We are formed by our relationship with everything around us combined with our genetics, The Beginning of Life investigates what separates us and what is essential to all of us, how we can create a better world by investing in the first years of our lives.