Documentaries to Watch before you Die
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- DirectorEmmett MalloyStarsTed DwaneBen Lovett'Country' Winston MarshallFolk rock and bluegrass musicians Mumford & Sons, Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes travel together by train from San Francisco to New Orleans in the spring of 2011.
- DirectorIlinca CalugareanuStarsIrina Margareta NistorTeodor ZamfirMircea CojocaruIn the oppressive 1980s communist Romania, the smuggled VHS tapes of banned Hollywood films become an inspirational ray of hope. A hybrid feature about the magic of film and the power it has to change lives.
- DirectorEllen HovdeAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesStarsChristoJeanne-ClaudeChristo, an artist, wants to put a piece of orange fabric across a valley. This Oscar-nominated film documents his success showing how a large piece of fabric can look small when accomplished.
- DirectorKimberley JosephAdam SchomerStarsKimberley JosephThe Polygon is a film by Australian actor/producer Kimberley Hawryluk and documentary filmmaker Adam Schomer that journeys to understand a Kazakh village that lies just 18km from a former Soviet Nuclear Test site, the Polygon, which was responsible for over 600 nuclear explosions that left the land, water & local people irradiated forever. Furthering the problem, the Kazakh Government that fought so hard to stop the testing and gain independence from the Soviet Union 20 years ago, has turned its back on the villagers, leaving them forgotten and fending for themselves on the vast Kazakh Steppe. Those that live near this area everyday and battle with high Cancer rates, Leukemia, deformations, irradiated food, irradiated water and even irradiated DNA which passes on from generation to generation. You will be amazed you didn't know about this or how deeply radiation can affect us all. If we cannot take responsibility for these real victims of the Cold War, giving them attention and help, then how will we ever find value from the real lessons of nuclear warfare?
- DirectorChad GraciaStarsAndrei AlexandrovichFedor AlexandrovichIgor AlexandrovichA gripping, award-winning documentary about an irradiated Ukrainian artist's search for the truth about Chernobyl and his prescient and powerful warnings about Putin's plans for a coming Russian invasion.
- DirectorFelix StarckStarsMogliFelix StarckTwo free spirits, one dog. Traveling the vast spaces of an enormous continent in search of something more.
- 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.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- DirectorAndrew Droz PalermoTracy Droz TragosStarsAlyssa JewellAndrew JewellElizabeth JewellRich Hill intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.
- StarsCallum PowellSacha PowellBenj CaveTeam Storror showcase Parkour on a stage never before seen - the rooftops of Asian megacities.
- DirectorTorquil JonesStarsNirmal PurjaSuchi PurjaKlára KolouchováFearless Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja embarks on a seemingly impossible quest to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in seven months.
- DirectorCarlos CarcasNorberto López AmadoStarsNorman FosterDeyan SudjicThe film traces the rise of one of the world's premier architects, Norman Foster, and his unending quest to improve the quality of life through design.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- CreatorDavid AlexanianCharley BoormanRuss MalkinStarsEwan McGregorCharley BoormanDavid AlexanianEwan McGregor and Charley Boorman embark on a grueling quest to motorbike from London to New York. Going east through Europe, Asia and then to Alaska, they experience different cultures and have to overcome the elements and adversity.
- CreatorDavid AlexanianCharley BoormanRuss MalkinStarsEwan McGregorCharley BoormanRuss MalkinEwan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman travel on electric Harley-Davidsons 13,000 miles through Central and South America.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorTim WardleStarsRobert ShafranMichael DomnitzHoward SchneiderIn 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.
- DirectorMalik BendjelloulStarsRodriguezStephen 'Sugar' SegermanDennis CoffeyTwo South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
- 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.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsAlex HonnoldTommy CaldwellJimmy ChinAlex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
- CreatorDavid AlexanianCharley BoormanRuss MalkinStarsEwan McGregorCharley BoormanDavid AlexanianTwo guys take a trip of several months on motorcycles. They travel from the North of Scotland, down through Europe, into Africa, finally winding up in Cape Town, South Africa.
- DirectorJosh LowellPeter MortimerStarsJohn BranchTommy CaldwellKevin JorgesonIn an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
- DirectorFelix StarckStarsFelix StarckYoung millennial German fueled by wanderlust and a lack of real world responsibilities travels the globe by bike, peddling across 22 countries and over 20,000 kms to find meaning in life. Leverages power of social media and parental support to overcome obstacles.
- StarsDeanna ThompsonJohn GreenClaudette HamlinA group of online justice seekers track down a guy who posted a video of himself killing kittens.
- 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.
- DirectorLaura PoitrasStarsEdward SnowdenGlenn GreenwaldWilliam BinneyA documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
- DirectorKip AndersenKeegan KuhnStarsBruce HamiltonKip AndersenAl GoreFollow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.
- DirectorJames LebrechtNicole NewnhamStarsJames LebrechtLionel Je'WoodyardJoseph O'ConorDown the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement.
- DirectorAli TabriziStarsAli TabriziRichard O'BarryLucy TabriziPassionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species - and uncovers alarming global corruption.
- DirectorKarim AïnouzMichael GlawoggerMichael MadsenStarsMeret BeckerGennadi VengerovBenedicte C. WestinSix directors tackle the question "If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?" by capturing iconic buildings with narration from the perspective of the buildings.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- 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.
- DirectorRod BlackhurstBrian McGinnStarsAmanda KnoxMeredith KercherRaffaele SollecitoAmerican exchange student Amanda Knox is charged with the 2007 death of another student in Italy.
- DirectorDavid GelbStarsJiro OnoYoshikazu OnoMasuhiro YamamotoA documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
- DirectorMami SunadaStarsHayao MiyazakiYumiko MiyoshiToshio SuzukiFollows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.