Documentaries about Economy
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- DirectorJim BruceStarsLiev SchreiberPaul VolckerJanet YellenNearly 100 years after its creation, the power of the U.S. Federal Reserve has never been greater. Markets and governments around the world hold their breath in anticipation of the Fed Chairman's every word. Yet the average person knows very little about the most powerful - and least understood - financial institution on earth. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, Money For Nothing is the first film to take viewers inside the Fed and reveal the impact of Fed policies - past, present, and future - on our lives. Join current and former Fed officials as they debate the critics, and each other, about the decisions that helped lead the global financial system to the brink of collapse in 2008. And why we might be headed there again.
- DirectorJimmy MorrisonStarsRon PaulJim RogersMarc FaberCo-written by NY Times bestselling author Tom Woods, THE HOUSING BUBBLE is a critical, non-partisan examination of the policies and events that shaped the United States economy into one bursting bubble after another. Traveling the world for answers after starting a house painting business just in time for the crash, filmmaker Jimmy Morrison drove over 35,000 miles to track down the experts who saw it coming, seeking to understand the root causes, so that we can avoid being blindsided by the bigger bubbles and the inevitable crises that follow. Informative, eye-opening, fresh, funny, and occasionally shocking, THE HOUSING BUBBLE skillfully demystifies the boom/bust link between the stock market, the FED, and the housing market for the economist and layperson alike. Released as a feature in 2019, the film is broken into 2 episodes for the 4 part series THE BIGGER BUBBLE. (2023)
- DirectorCamilla SullivanRob LyallStarsJames AngelSal ArnukLinda Semans Donovan'Ghost Exchange' probes the volatile state of U.S. capital markets and their critical impact on America's economic future. The film explores the acceleration of the evolution of U.S. stock exchanges, and uncovers the risks resulting from this wholesale adoption. Wall Street has transformed from the world of human touch trading, to computer algorithm trading- where stocks are owned for mere microseconds. The thought-provoking documentary also examines how recent financial headlines are a direct result of automated systems running unchecked. The capital market system that many considered as the world's best, may have been inadvertently lost by the pursuit of speed and efficiencies that we still do not truly understand. Wall Street has become a 'ghost exchange'.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerStarsHenry PaulsonWendy PaulsonFor three weeks in September 2008, one person was charged with preventing the collapse of the global economy. No one understood the financial markets better than Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs. In Hank: Five Years from the Brink, Paulson tells the complete story of how he persuaded banks, Congress and presidential candidates to sign off on nearly $1 trillion in bailouts - even as he found the behavior that led to the crisis, and the bailouts themselves, morally reprehensible. Directed by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost Trilogy, Some Kind of Monster), the film features Paulson, and his wife of 40 years, Wendy. it's a riveting portrait of leadership under unimaginable pressure - and a marriage under unfathomable circumstances.
- DirectorJacob KornbluthStarsRobert ReichCandice BergenConan O'BrienA documentary that follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country's widening economic gap.
- DirectorMarc BauderStarsRainer VossAngela MerkelA former banker in Germany, who entered the business with the advent of modern computer systems reminisces of his working years in some of the world-leading banking corporations.
- DirectorJim BruceStarsLiev SchreiberPaul VolckerJanet YellenNearly 100 years after its creation, the power of the U.S. Federal Reserve has never been greater. Markets and governments around the world hold their breath in anticipation of the Fed Chairman's every word. Yet the average person knows very little about the most powerful - and least understood - financial institution on earth. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, Money For Nothing is the first film to take viewers inside the Fed and reveal the impact of Fed policies - past, present, and future - on our lives. Join current and former Fed officials as they debate the critics, and each other, about the decisions that helped lead the global financial system to the brink of collapse in 2008. And why we might be headed there again.
- DirectorTony VitaleIt was the defining moment of the 1980s. The New York Stock Exchange, the epicenter of the world financial markets and backbone of American capitalism, was under siege. On October 19th, 1987, the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508 points, the largest single day drop in the history of the stock market. But it was on Tuesday, October 20th that the world's financial markets came within 5 minutes of total disintegration.
- DirectorPeter NavarroStarsMartin SheenTom DanjzcekDan FitzpatrickIn 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization with the strong support of a Democratic President and Republican Congress. Before the ink was dry on this free trade agreement, China began flooding U.S. markets with illegally subsidized exports while the big multinational companies that had lobbied heavily for the agreement rapidly accelerated the off shoring of American jobs to China. Today, as a result of the biggest shell game in American history, China has stolen millions of our jobs, corporate profits are soaring, and we now owe over $3 trillion to the world's largest totalitarian nation. This film is about how that happened... and why the best jobs program for America is trade reform with China.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsNoah StewartRachele GilmnoreMichael WankoA documentary on the city of Detroit and its woes, which are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base.
- DirectorTim DelmastroStarsAdam FergussonG. Edward GriffinMike MaloneyIn 2008 the world experienced financial turmoil. Markets crashed, stocks plummeted, and financial institutions thought to be invincible, collapsed. Was the financial crisis solved or were the problems merely kicked down the road?
- DirectorMary Olive SmithEllen SpiroStarsDavid BrancaccioDo people exist to serve the economy, or should the economy exist to serve the people? In Fixing the Future, host David Brancaccio, of public radio's Marketplace and NOW on PBS, visits people and organizations across America that are attempting a revolution: the reinvention of the American economy. There are thousands of initiatives around the country - from farmers markets to local business networks - aimed at creating sustainable, local economies. The film highlights effective practices such as: local business alliances, community banking, time banking/hour exchange, worker cooperatives, local currencies and other innovative strategies that people across America have embraced to reinvent the economy on their own terms. By featuring Main Street communities using these innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity, Fixing the Future inspires hope and renewal in people struggling with economic adversity.
- DirectorRoss AshcroftStarsDominic FrisbyGillian TettLawrence WilkersonThe modern day Four Horsemen continue to ride roughshod over the people who can least afford it. Crises are converging when governments, religion and mainstream economists have stalled. 23 international thinkers come together and break their silence about how the world really works and why there is still hope in re-establishing a moral and just society. Four Horsemen is free from mainstream media propaganda, doesn't bash bankers, criticize politicians or get involved in conspiracy theories. The film ignites the debate about how we usher a new economic paradigm into the world which, globally, would dramatically improve the quality of life for billions.
- DirectorMarc LevinStarsChris FoleyAlan FrommSusan FrommThough the recession officially ended in summer 2009, the fallout continues for some 25 million unemployed and underemployed Americans, many of whom worked their way up the corporate ladder, achieving the American Dream, only to see it slip through their fingers.
- DirectorScott GallowayStarsCory BookerErskine Boyce BowlesBill ClintonFirst person accounts present factors contributing to the federal debt and possible solutions. Topics include entitlement programs, defense spending, tax reform, and the choices America's debt forces on individuals and businesses.
- DirectorJennifer BaichwalStarsMargaret AtwoodEric SchlosserRaj PatelAn adaptation of Margaret Atwood's book examining the metaphor of indebtedness.
- DirectorVictoria BruceKarin HayesStarsJames S. HenryChuck CollinsBernie SandersAn exposé on how the government has allowed U.S. corporations to avoid paying taxes and the growing wave of discontent that it has fostered.
- DirectorFrances CauseyDonald GoldmacherStarsElizabeth WarrenNomi PrinsFranklin D. RooseveltHeist: Who Stole the American Dream? reveals how American corporations orchestrated the dismantling of middle-class prosperity through rampant deregulation, the outsourcing of jobs, and tax policies favoring businesses and the wealthy. The collapse of the U.S. economy is the result of conscious choices made over thirty five years by a small group: leaders of corporations and their elected allies, and the biggest lobbying interest in Washington, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. To these individuals, the collapse is not a catastrophe, but rather the planned outcome of their long, patient work. For the rest of the country, it is merely the biggest heist in American history.
- DirectorJeff ProssermanStarsBernie MadoffFrank CaseyGaytri KachrooA look at how one investigator spent ten years trying to expose Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme that scammed an estimated $18 billion from investors.
- DirectorSteve BannonStarsMichael BaroneBruce BartlettJohn BoltonAn examination of the causes of the global economic crisis which began in 2008, studying how decades of social changes have influenced financial systems and practices.
- DirectorLeslie CockburnStarsBen BernankeSheila DixonPhil GrammThis documentary takes a look at how the Wall Street meltdown has affected the working class.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMichael RuppertA documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
- DirectorJames Allen SmithStarsBobby AnsaniJeff AnsaniRon BeebeFor some people, risking everything is nothing.
- DirectorJohanna LeeStarsRichard SyllaJoseph DigisoJon StefanickFollows a scrappy group of commodities traders as they try to make a living trading coffee on the New York Board of Trade before electronic trading threatens to make their way of life obsolete.
- DirectorDanny SchechterStarsGary AckermanJonathan AlpertBill BamberDocumentarian Danny Schechter explores the financial crisis and argues that it was built on a foundation of criminal activity. To get to the bottom of it all Schechter interviews bankers, economists, and journalists.
- DirectorMat WhitecrossMichael WinterbottomStarsJanine HuardEwen CameronNaomi KleinAn investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
- DirectorGary GasgarthStarsMarcus BartonPaul SorvinoThe rise and fall of America's home lending system as told by Wall Street bankers, renowned economists, public officials, industry experts and homeowners themselves, all across the U.S.
- DirectorPatrick CreadonStarsRobert BixbyHumphrey BogartWarren BuffettFew are aware that America may be on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. explores the country's shocking current fiscal condition and ways to avoid a national economic disaster.
- DirectorErwin WagenhoferStarsMark MobiusMirko KovatsK. Sujatha RaajuMost of us don't know where their money is. However, one thing is for certain, it's is not in the bank to which we entrusted it. The bank and our money is already a part of the cycle of the global money market.
- DirectorJamie JohnsonStarsNicole BuffetChuck CollinsSteve ForbesIn this hard-hitting but humorous documentary, director Jamie Johnson takes the exploration of wealth that he began in Born Rich one step further. The One Percent, refers to the tiny percentage of Americans who control nearly half the wealth of the U.S. Johnson's thesis is that this wealth in the hands of so few people is a danger to our very way of life. Johnson captures his story through personal interviews with Robert Reich, Adnan Khashoggi, Bill Gates Sr., and Steve Forbes, during which both Johnson's and his subjects' knowledge and humor shine. And he's not afraid to butt heads with Milton Friedman, the economist who coined the term "the trickledown effect." He also shows how the other half lives, using real-world examples of the wealth gap: he takes a tour of a dilapidated housing project in Chicago, rides around with an enlightened taxi driver, and sees the human toll of the unfair economics of the Florida sugar industry. Johnson's film is at its most powerful when it reveals how the super-rich work to preserve their own monetary dominance. As a member of the "Johnson & Johnson" family, he gets rare access to an exclusive wealth conference at which the über rich learn strategies for preserving their fortunes, and learns the personal management styles of some of the countries wealthiest employers. No great society has survived such a massive wealth gap; who knows if ours will?
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsLee ScottDon HunterJon HunterA look at the impact of the retail giant on local communities.
- DirectorMark AchbarJennifer AbbottStarsMikela JayRob BeckwermertChristopher GoraDocumentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsErrol MorrisAndrew CapocciaCredit card companies and collection agencies are trying to put a lawyer out of business for paying off other people's high-interest debts.
- DirectorRobert RichterStarsLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaEvo MoralesRobert RichterCritical investigation of The World Bank and IMF. Too hot for PBS, but prime time TV everywhere else. Do the World Bank and IMF make the poor even poorer? Are the Bank and IMF democratic institutions? Why do people demonstrate against the Bank and IMF? For the first time, a documentary global investigation of major criticisms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), two of the most powerful financial institutions in the world. Five country case studies are presented, each concentrating on a different aspect of critics' charges: 1. Bolivia: Debt, Drugs and Democracy 2. Ghana: The Model of Success 3. Brazil: Debt, Damage and Politics 4. Thailand: Dams and Dislocation 5. Philippines: The Debt Fighters. The charges, including those related to structural adjustment, are controversial and provocative. Some go to the heart of the power and policies of these institutions. They are made by economists, journalists, sociologists; church, labor, environmental, government and community leaders; and ordinary people from these countries who are perceived by critics to be victims of IMF and World Bank policies and projects. Responses to criticisms are presented by the World Bank Senior Vice President, the IMF Deputy Managing Director and top current and past government officials from each country. Bank/Fund history and decision-making processes are also included in this valuable teaching tool. "Clear and comprehensive... admired the way in which you were able to bring an in-depth exploration of these complex issues to life." -UN Development Program "Well balanced...Excellent...Superior." -U.S.A. Gabriel Awards "Thought provoking." -Bank Check Quarterly PBS would not telecast The Money Lenders because "it has a perception of bias in favor of the poor." Despite this allegation, Video Librarian magazine recommends it as an "interesting look at both sides of the issue..." It was a prime time telecast in the 1990s throughout Europe, updated in 2000 for educational institutions and is currently used in hundreds of college classrooms.
- DirectorJimmy MorrisonStarsRon PaulJim RogersMarc FaberCo-written by NY Times bestselling author Tom Woods, THE HOUSING BUBBLE is a critical, non-partisan examination of the policies and events that shaped the United States economy into one bursting bubble after another. Traveling the world for answers after starting a house painting business just in time for the crash, filmmaker Jimmy Morrison drove over 35,000 miles to track down the experts who saw it coming, seeking to understand the root causes, so that we can avoid being blindsided by the bigger bubbles and the inevitable crises that follow. Informative, eye-opening, fresh, funny, and occasionally shocking, THE HOUSING BUBBLE skillfully demystifies the boom/bust link between the stock market, the FED, and the housing market for the economist and layperson alike. Released as a feature in 2019, the film is broken into 2 episodes for the 4 part series THE BIGGER BUBBLE. (2023)