Great & Greatest Documentaries.
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- DirectorMarc SingerStarsMarc SingerA cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
- DirectorWim van der AarFilmmaker Wim van der Aar discovers a box filled with audiotapes at the Waterlooplein market. It turns out to be a collection of private recordings of the youngest son of an influential Dutch family. This discovery forms the beginning of an exploration of a life story full of relationships, failures, hopes and sadness. The truth behind a bizarre upbringing, and its dramatic consequences, is gradually unraveled.
- DirectorJawad RhalibBoth the eco system and the local fisherman of Morocco are being suppressed by the big trawlers from foreign countries that rule the fishing business.
- DirectorMona EldaiefJehane NoujaimStarsRafea AnadBunker RoyRaouf DabbasRafea is a Bedouin woman who lives with her four daughters in one of Jordan's poorest desert villages on the Iraqi border. She is given a chance to travel to India to attend the Barefoot College, where illiterate grandmothers from around the world are trained in 6 months to be solar engineers. If Rafea succeeds, she will be able to electrify her village, train more engineers, and provide for her daughters. Even when she returns as the first female solar engineer in the country, her real challenge will have just begun. Will she find support for her new venture? Will she be able to inspire the other women in the village to join her and change their lives? And most importantly, will she be able to re-wire the traditional minds of the Bedouin community that stand in her way?
- DirectorThomas NapperStarsKevin CohenManuel CompitoDanny HarrisNarrated by Catherine Keener, Lost Angeles takes an uncompromising yet life-affirming look at the lives of eight remarkable individuals, people who have found a way to make a life for themselves within the community of homelessness..
- DirectorKen BurnsSarah BurnsDavid McMahonStarsAntron McCrayKevin RichardsonKharey WiseA documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
- DirectorRobert HendricksonLaurence MerrickStarsBobby BeausoleilMary BrunnerVincent BugliosiDocumentary on Charles Manson and his family. Has a number of insightful interviews with many family members most notably Squeaky and Sandy (Blue and Red). There is also a history of Manson from his birth to the family formation to the Tate/La Bianca murders. Plenty of footage of the family playing at Spahn Ranch.
- DirectorRoy DamesStarsDikke BobbieRoy DamesJantje de SloperDocumentary about four friends (Verbrande Herman, Rooie Jos, Dikke Bobbie and Jantje van Amsterdam) who are struggling to stay out of trouble.
- DirectorDavid SingtonStarsHerbert A. FuchsSammy SilverwatchNick YarrisA convicted murderer who has spent 23 years on Death Row tells his story.
- DirectorDavid FranceStarsKurt WolfeSue YackaCatherine Shugrue Dos SantosVictoria Cruz investigates the mysterious 1992 death of black gay rights activist and Stonewall veteran, Marsha P. Johnson. Using archival interviews with Johnson, and new interviews with Johnson's family, friends and fellow activists.
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsFatlipSpike JonzeA series of interviews with rapper Fatlip that took place over the few days while shooting the music video for his song 'What's Up, Fatlip?'
- DirectorMurray SipleStarsMurray SipleThis documentary follows a group of homeless men who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts.
- DirectorThomas WirthensohnStarsMark ReayYumi LambertHOMME LESS is about the underbelly of the American Dream, the hidden backyard of our society.
- StarsIsobel YeungCorrespondent Isobel Yeung returns to Syria to tell the stories of those who were caught in the crossfire between ISIS and the U.S.-backed coalition.
- DirectorHenry CorraStarsSal AbbatielloAfrika BambaataaWayne BarrettNew York City, 1977 - It was a time when the city had fallen into decay, with too few jobs, money, police, schools, and social services. There was a city wide blackout with major looting, a serial killer on the loose, and the Bronx was burning. And yet out of the chaos emerged one of the most creative times any city has ever encountered. Executive Produced by Academy Award Nominee Nanette Burstein ("The Kid Stays in the Picture"), "NY77: The Coolest Year In Hell" is a two-hour documentary that tells the story of one astonishing year in New York City history. Premiering Saturday, August 11 at 9PM*, the documentary is told chronologically and weaves together the stories of the emergence of hip hop, punk and disco, graffiti art, and sexual liberation. In the background are the major political events and social issues of the day -- crime, urban decay, financial woes, the infamous blackout, drugs, Son of Sam, the bitter mayoral election and the overall poverty that gripped the city. Out of chaos came creation. From the South Bronx came hip hop. From the Lower East Side, the thrashing guitars of punk. And all over the city, a disco revolution was underway. Elaborate, finely crafted graffiti art decorated the subway cars and break-dancers shimmied in the streets. The sexual revolution was in full swing. In January 1977, most of this activity existed in its own underground bubble. Yet by the end of the year this artistic expression was on its way to mainstream America, and would be with us for generations to come. The documentary uses groundbreaking animation to help tell the story, and features interviews with those who lived it, including Ed Koch, Geraldo Rivera, Jimmy Breslin, Gloria Gaynor, Afrika Bambaataa, Chris Stein (Blondie), Richard Hell, KRS-One, Grandmaster Caz, DJ Disco Wiz, Legs McNeil, Annie Sprinkle, Al Goldstein, Tommy Ramone, Jellybean Benitez, Lee Quinones, and many more. The Emmy Nominated "NY77: The Coolest Year In Hell" is the newest film in the VH1 Rock Doc franchise. VH1 Rock Docs are high-end feature-length documentaries that each reveal an untold story in the history of rock and hip-hop music, combining never-before-seen footage with a unique and unconventional narrative approach. The documentaries tell some of the most unique stories of artists and music from a wide range of genres, styles, and musical perspectives.
- DirectorBilly CorbenStarsJon RobertsAl SunshineSam BurstynThe story of how Miami became the cocaine capital of the United States in the early 1980's and the police officers who turned the tide on crime.
- DirectorJessica VilleriusStarsNabilThis documentary follows the 31-year-old Nabil who was (wrongfully) sentenced to one year preventive custody with treatment. But the treatment has never been executed. For six years he was in prison, whirling in bureaucracy and injustice.
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsClawJoe ConnollyEarsnotA feature-length documentary about graffiti culture as told through the experiences of six well-known graffiti writers and a graffiti buffer.
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsThe AlliesA-TrakCrazeThe story of the hip-hop DJ from the birth of hip-hop to the invention of scratching and "beat-juggling" vinyl, to the more recent "turntablism" movement. Underdogs and virtuosos who have radically changed the way we hear and create music.
- DirectorTony SilverStarsDemonKase 2Eric HazeA documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing.
- DirectorIsraelStarsAfrika BambaataaYasiin BeyCrazy LegsFrom the Boogie Down Bronx and beyond, the history of the B-Boy.
- StarsRon OllieBrittany WagnerJohn III FranklinIntense look inside the world of junior college football, chronicling the stories of players and coaches in the classroom and on the field.
- DirectorStanley NelsonStarsRebecca MooreJanet ShularTim CarterFeaturing never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
- DirectorGianfranco RosiDuring a five year period an Italian filmmaker documents the world of down-on-their-luck individuals who live in a Californian desert trying to get by one day at a time. None of them has more than a vehicle, a dog and some clothes.
- DirectorJairus McLearyGethin AldousStarsBrian NazarofChris RentonAlvin 'Bud' WheelerSet inside a single room in Folsom Prison, three men from the outside participate in a four-day group-therapy retreat with a group of incarcerated men for a real look at the challenges of rehabilitation.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsKevin SmithStan LeeEli RothA behind-the-scenes look at the fans who gather by the thousands each year in San Diego, California to attend Comic-Con, the world's largest comic book convention.
- StarsSpark AllatOn Chicago's West Side, there is a school for the city's most at-risk youth - the Moses Montefiore Academy. Most of the students at Montefiore have been kicked out of other schools for aggressive behavior, and many have been diagnosed with emotional disorders. "Last Chance High" takes viewers inside Montefiore's classrooms and into the homes of students who are one mistake away from being locked up or committed to a mental hospital.
- 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.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsRobert CrumbAline Kominsky-CrumbCharles CrumbAn intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
- DirectorPoull BrienStarsCharles BradleyAlex EverettSharon JonesThe incredible rise of 62-year-old aspiring soul singer Charles Bradley, whose debut album rocketed him from a hard life in the Brooklyn Housing Projects to Rolling Stone Magazine's top 50 albums of 2011.
- StarsBen AndersonShane Smith'Crude Awakening'- To combat the worst environmental disaster in American history, BP and the Coast Guard dumped nearly 2 million gallons of a chemical dispersant called Corexit into the Gulf. But instead of helping clean up the spill, Corexit made things worse. Shane Smith heads to Louisiana to report on the lasting effects of the BP oil spill. 'The Enemy of My Enemy' - Yemen, the fractured state in the Arabian peninsula, is at the top of the worry list for President Obama's national security team, and the rise of Al Qaeda there is only half the reason why. The real trouble is a current threat posed by the little-known Houthi rebel movement in the north of the country - a grassroots army, allegedly funded by Iran, that has never granted access to any other Western film crew before. Ben Anderson goes deep into Houthi-controlled territory to learn about the group that's fighting, and beating, Al Qaeda in the east, Saudi Arabia in the north, and Yemen's central government in the south.
- DirectorDarby WheelerStarsMatty MathesonMatty hangs with reformed gangsters, Spanto and 2Tone of Born X Raised - two Venice Beach natives fighting to save the spirit of their hometown against gentrification.
- StarsBrielle 'Tati' RheamesAlex MuglerJelani MizrahiBallroom is where your wildest dreams can come true, but to receive validation, status and recognition: you must walk.
- DirectorChristoffer GuldbrandsenStarsChristoffer GuldbrandsenBernhard ElsenerIvan GlasenbergHow Africa gets exploited even after most of the official colonialism has been 'abrupted'. How it systematically stays the impoverished continent whilst having so much resources. How for every $1 given in so called 'aid', $10 drains out.
- DirectorBrent RenaudCraig RenaudThe Covenant House, located on the outskirts of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, cares for the most damaged population of youth that exists in society today. In Shelter, Peabody award winning filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud (Dope Sick Love, Off to War) spent six months, with unprecedented access, filming the raw and emotional stories of the young people who live there. More than 70% percent of the residents have been physically and/or sexually abused, most suffer from severe PTSD. With few public facilities to treat youth mental illness, the courtyard of Covenant House is filled with a constant stream of teenagers carrying everything they own in plastic garbage bags, many pacing back and forth, victims of early onset paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. From the moment a kid walks thru the front door and pours their heart out to an intake worker, the Renaud's are at their side. A transgender girl named Raven whose "right wing fanatic" parents have kicked her out of the house; a 17 year old heroine addict named Taylor who wants to kill herself; Shonda a teenage mom trying to learn to read so she can earn a GED and get a job to support her daughter; and Elizabeth whose untreated schizophrenia has turned her into a desperately young bag lady roaming the streets of the French Quarter. The Covenant House of New Orleans is Hope. The doors are always open, and there is always room for one more.
- DirectorFredrik GerttenStarsLeilani FarhaSaskia SassenStig WesterdahlA documentary shedding light on the global phenomenon of the commodification of housing and consequent lack of affordability, especially through the eyes of Leilani Farha, a United Nations special rapporteur on housing who lives in Canada.
- DirectorMatt McCormickStarsMiranda JulyHugh McDowellGraffiti removal: the act of removing tags and graffiti by painting over them. Subconscious art: a product of artistic merit that was created without conscious artistic intentions. It is no coincidence that funding for "anti-graffiti" campaigns often outweighs funding for the arts. Graffiti removal has subverted the common obstacles blocking creative expression and become one of the more intriguing and important art movements of our time. Emerging from the human psyche and showing characteristics of abstract expressionism, minimalism and Russian constructivism, graffiti removal has secured its place in the history of modern art while being created by artists who are unconscious of their artistic achievements.
- DirectorMartin BellStarsAnnieEddieAntoineGritty documentary that looks at the lives of teenagers living on the streets of Seattle.
- StarsAllie SeverinoBrooke LawsingDopesick Nation takes place in southern Florida in the "recovery capital of America". The series follows two recovering addicts, Allie and Frankie, and their journey to take on the opioid epidemic by assisting as many addicts into recovery as they can. The series also highlights the corruption and exploitation that currently exists in the rehab industry.
- DirectorDon LettsStarsAndré 3000Macy Gray
- DirectorEric DrathStarsHector CamachoTeddy AtlasHector Camacho Jr.Hard-hitting look at the rise, fall and death of one of boxing's most colorful champions. The film chronicles his epic battles inside the ring, his struggles with addiction outside of it and the mystery of the crime that claimed his life.
- DirectorLauren GreenfieldStarsJaqueline SiegelDavid SiegelLorraine BarrettA documentary that follows a billionaire couple as they begin construction on a mansion inspired by Versailles. During the next two years, their empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis.
- DirectorRoeland KerboschStarsHaring ArieHagse GerrieParijse LeenDocumentary about the Amsterdam red light district as seen through the eyes of local 'Haring Arie'.
- DirectorJennie LivingstonStarsBrooke XtravaganzaAndré ChristianDorian CoreyA chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.
- DirectorGary WeisStarsLouis GiganteDepicts the daily life of gangs within the context of the South Bronx. Deals primarily with two African American and Puerto Rican gangs known as the "Savage Skulls" and the "Savage Nomads".
- DirectorAdam IrvingStarsCharles BilalCourtney BrownSally ButlerHow one man's love of transport led to a lifetime of incarceration.
- CreatorAlex CraigJason FordDavid GallowayStarsRick McCrankLeon ParsonsRaymond WrightsmanSkateboarder Rick McCrank explores abandoned places with the people who love them long after the lights have gone out.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldJoan ChurchillStarsBrianMarcusPedroAn intimate, hands on encounter with a maximum security juvenile correctional facility in Chino California.
- DirectorRenée ScheltemaStarsLester BrownCharles EisensteinRupert EncinasAward-winning documentary about humanity's WISEST response to climate change, species extinction, the depletion of critical natural resources and income inequality. This independent documentary examines how our economic and financial system connects all these issues, and offers SOLUTIONS, which could be implemented immediately.
- DirectorJon AlpertNina RosenblumStarsJon AlpertSean BryanJackieA look inside Rikers Island which is a rather unknown place in New York. Many of the inmates and various people working in the law enforcement field are interviewed. We see aftermath of violence, different units, a drug search in one of the prison units, judge visits etc.
- StarsAndy SerkisWith unique personal archive from civilians and soldiers from both sides of the conflict, this series takes viewers closer to the realities of war and life under ISIS than they have ever been before.
- DirectorGeorge KunhardtPeter W. KunhardtTeddy KunhardtStarsBryan StevensonChristy StevensonHoward StevensonA look at how Alabama attorney Bryan Stevenson struggles to create more fairness in the legal system.
- DirectorBarbara KoppleStarsSharon JonesStarr Duncan-LoweBinky GriptiteDreams never expire but sometimes they are deferred. The film follows the talented and gregarious soul singer of the Grammy-nominated R&B band "Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings." In the most challenging year of her life, Sharon Jones confronts pancreatic cancer. As she struggles to find her health and voice again, the film intimately uncovers the mind and spirit of a powerful woman determined to regain the explosive singing career that eluded her for 50 years.
- DirectorS. Leigh SavidgeJeff ScheftelStarsFrank AlexanderSam Gideon AnsonWilliam J. BennettThe true story of the rise and fall of Death Row Records.
- DirectorLeon GastStarsRay BarrettoWillie ColónLarry HarlowChronicle of the birth of Salsa at a concert August 26, 1971 at The Cheetah Club in Midtown Manhattan. The Fania record label gathered it's finest musicians for one night and dubbed them The Fania All-Stars, the cream of New York's latin scene.
- DirectorLoira LimbalStarsNunuPopPopExploring the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories of two working mothers and a child care provider - whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center.
- DirectorRadu CiorniciucStarsGica EnacheVali EnacheRica EnacheIn the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta, nine children and their parents lived in perfect harmony with nature for 20 years until they are chased out and forced to adapt to life in the big city.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsJim BrownTony MuhammadKershaun ScottWith a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.
- DirectorTerence DixonStarsJames BaldwinA meeting with James Baldwin doesn't quite go according to plan for a group of presumptuous white filmmakers in this Paris-set documentary short.
- DirectorNicolas PeduzziStarsOmb BloodbathWilliam FolzenlogenNate NicholsHouston, Texas. A hurricane is coming, ready to devour people and dreams alike. Alex rapper, ex gang leader, walk along the walls to avoid retaliation and to bury her best friend. Will and Nate, wandering souls of wealthy neighborhoods, struggle with their addictions and family demons. From this moist hell their symphony burst out.
- DirectorAgnès VardaStarsLucien BossyLeance DebrossianMarcelle DebrossianPortraits of the people that occupy the small shops of the Rue Daguerre, Paris, where the filmmaker lived.
- DirectorBooker SimStarsTragedy KhadafiCaponeJayson EvansAn in-depth look at the life of the hip-hop MC known as Tragedy Khadafi, aka Intelligent Hoodlum, who hails from the Queensbridge housing project in New York City.
- DirectorJoslyn Rose LyonsStarsMahmoud Abdul-RaufStephen CurryMahershala AliA documentary of Extraordinary Journey of Pioneer Activist and Basketball Prodigy Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsWhitney HoustonEllen WhiteMichael HoustonAn in-depth look at the life and music of Whitney Houston.
- StarsBarry Michael CooperNelson GeorgeVing RhamesFollows the lives of American gangsters.
- DirectorMatthew HeinemanStarsTim FoleyJosé Manuel 'El Doctor' MirelesPaco ValenciaFilmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the state of the ongoing drug problem along the U.S.-Mexican border.
- DirectorAndreas KoefoedStarsMohammad Bin SalmanDoug PattesonMartin KempThe mystery surrounding the Salvator Mundi, the first painting by Leonardo da Vinci to be discovered for more than a century, which has now seemingly gone missing.
- CreatorRichard MullinsDub CornettMike JudgeStarsMike JudgeKinky FriedmanShooter JenningsThe raucous adventures of musicians such as Johnny Paycheck, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, as told by those who knew them best. Season 2 covers the legends of funk.
- StarsLawrence WrightRichard LinklaterAlex StapletonTales of Texas told through the lenses of three directors, chronicling the state's past, present and future.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
- DirectorRuss ForsterStarsVyto B.James BurnetteTerry BurnsA documentary about obsessive 8-track tape collectors, the film documents a cross-country trip looking for those passionate few for whom the 70s never died.