In the second installment of this groundbreaking documentary, viewers are reintroduced to a group of children at age fourteen, seven years after their initial interviews. The film chronicles the lives of fourteen students from England who come from various social backgrounds. Topics include secondary education, hobbies and free time, personal beliefs and financial ambitions. Directed by Michael Apted. Categories: Documentary. Year: 1970.
7 Plus Seven
This documentary chronicles the air guitar sensation that has swept the globe. Contestants from New York to Los Angeles compete in the first ever US Air Guitar Championships for the right to represent their country and possibly become the first American world champion. Using creativity, enthusiam and invisible guitars, competitors rock out for the chance to be named the best air guitarist in the world. Directed by Alexandra Lipsitz. With David S. Jung and Dan Crane. Categories: Documentary, Music. Year: 2006.
Air Guitar Nation
A critically acclaimed documentary about the fascinating creatures that live at the bottom of the ocean, this film uses state-of-the-art technology to show the mysteries of the depths. It takes you more than two-and-a-half miles into the ocean to investigate a world that it has only recently become possible to see. A movie designed for audiences of all ages. Directed by Steven Quale. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2005.
Aliens of the Deep
Two Muslim stand-up comics (Azhar Usman and Mohammed Amer) plus a Christian minister (Preacher Moss) take their comedy routine on the road. The three poke gentle fun at each other and their cultural and religious differences. The trio will be familiar from their many appearances of television talk shows. Directed by Andrea Kalin.. Categories: Documentary, Comedy, Talk-Show. Year: 2008.
Allah Made Me Funny: Live in Concert
This documentary chronicles the birth and development of the underground hardcore punk scene from 1979 to 1986. Interviews and rare live footage from artists such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and the Dead Kennedys reveal the heroes behind the music. Directed by Paul Rachman. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
American Hardcore
Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza invite some of thebiggest names in entertainment to give their take on the world's dirtiest joke, an old burlesque routine, too extreme to be performed in public. Comedians, including George Carlin, Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Carey, Gilbert Gottfried, Bob Saget, Paul Reiser and Sarah Silverman, reminisce, analyze, deconstruct the joke before delivering their own raunchy versions. Directed by Paul Provenza. With Jason Alexander, Hank Azaria, Howie Mandel, Jon Stewart, Robin Williams and many more. Categories: Documentary, Comedy. Year: 2005.
The Aristocrats
Documentarian Ken Burns delves into the rich history of America's pastime. Using old-time photos and illustrations depicting the game's early years and newsreels and video clips to highlight more recent developments, Burns shows the impact the sport has had on the nation and how it has changed over the years. Players and participants speak in their own words, and sports writers and broadcasters offer commentary on the sport and events they witnessed. With Bob Costas, Billy Crystal and George Plimpton. Categories: Documentary, History, Sports. Year: 1994.
Baseball
In this documentary, director Chris Bell explores America's steroid culture and the pressure to be bigger and better than your competition. Following his two brothers, Mark Bell and Mike Bell, who became users of steroids in an effort to achieve their athletic dreams, Chris sheds light on steroid's pervasive presence not only in major sports and body building, but in high schools, colleges and neighborhood gyms. Directed by Chris Bell. With Arnold Schwarzenegger and Hulk Hogan. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
Before his death in 1993, Comedian Bill Hicks incorporated irreverent rants, diatribes, social criticisms and philosophies into his stage act. Never afraid to step on toes or point out stupidity, Hicks is remembered as one of the greatest live comedians of all-time. Compiled here are "One Night Stand," "Revelations," "Relentless" and "Just a Ride," a featurette covering Hicks's career with testimonials from Brett Butler, Jay Leno and David Letterman. Categories: Comedy, Documentary. Year: 2004.
Bill Hicks Live: Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-up Comedian
During WWII, Hungarian poet Hannah Senesh (Meri Roth) leaves the safety of Palenstine to become a resistance fighter and joins a mission to rescue Jews in her native country; the only mission of its kind carried out during the war. After parachuting behind enemy lines, Senesh is captured, torture and executed by the Nazis, while her mother (Marcela Nohynkova) becomes her personal advocate and tries desperately to save her daughter's life. Directed by Roberta Grossman. With Zdenek Kozakovic, Zdenek Astr, Jindrich Hinke and Monika Malacova. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh
Controversial documentarian Michael Moore explores the incredible level of gun violence in the world's most powerful democracy. No one factor, from violent entertainment to ease of availability to powerful gun lobbyists, is enough to explain the culture of fear, prejudice and freedom of choice that makes the streets of America a battleground. With thousands of people killed each year, firearms are the number two killer of Americans aged 15 to 24. Directed by Michael Moore. With Charlton Heston. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2002.
Bowling for Columbine
In the Sydney suburb of Maroubra, a notorious gang known as the Bra Boys combine surfing, hard partying, rebellion and brotherhood to deal with the realities of larger society. This documentary chronicles the evolution of the gang's tough, close-knit culture and how the stigma of their surf community has contributed to their social displacement. The film focuses on the Abberon brothers (Koby Abberton, Sunny Abberton, Jai Abberton), who pursue their dream of professional surfing while one of their own is on trial for murder. Directed by Sunny Abberton and Macario De Souza. Narrated by Russell Crowe. Categories: Documentary, Foreign Film, Independent Film. Year: 2007.
Bra Boys
Director Jake Rademacher has two brothers serving in the military in Iraq and decided to make a documentary to try to understand what motivates them. Although he has own reservations about the war, he comes to admire his brothers' selfless devotion to their country, as well as to respect the price they pay for being under so much pressure and for living so far from their families. Directed by Jake Rademacher. Categories: Documentary, War. Year: 2009.
Brothers at War
Arnold Friedman seemed like the normal head of an affluent Jewish family living in upstate New York. His life is turned upside down when he and his son Jesse Friedman are charged with the rapes of several young boys who participated in computer classes given by the Friedmans. Together with the mother (Elaine Friedman) and two other sons (Seth Friedman and Jesse Friedman), the criminal trial of this father and firstborn son unfolds with the aid of photos and home video footage. Directed by Andrew Jarecki. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2003.
Capturing the Friedmans
This documentary looks at the portrayal of gays throughout movie history. It also looks at how gays relate to their on-screen counterparts. Many actors comment on gay characters they have portrayed in movies, including Tom Hanks, Lily Tomlin and Susan Sarandon. Directed by Jeffrey Friedman. Categories: Documentary, History. Year: 1995.
The Celluloid Closet
Using archival footage, animation, and music, this politically-charged documentary examines the eight anti-war protesters put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Directed by Brett Morgen. With the voices of Hank Azaria, Dylan Baker, Nick Nolte, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber and Jeffrey Wright. Categories: Documentary, Animation. Year: 2007.
Chicago 10
After Romanian dictator Nicolei Ceaucescu outlawed contraceptives and encouraged his people to have more children, thousands of children were born to broken or dysfunctional families in a nation full of political and economic instability. The result is a large and rapidly growing population of homeless children in the city of Bucharest. Directed by Edet Belzberg. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2000.
Children Underground
Documentarian Ken Burns provides a comprehensive survey of the American Civil War using over 16,000 archival photographs, paintings, and newspaper images from the time of the war intermixed with music, narration, anecdotes and insights from historians such as Shelby Foote, and quotes from historic figures, such as Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Walt Whitman, and Frederick Douglass. Categories: Documentary, History, War. Year: 1990.
The Civil War
This documentary follows comedian Jerry Seinfeld as he returns to stand-up and tries to build his act from scratch. Experiencing the highs and lows of performing before a live audience, he builds his confidence while getting advice from fellow comedians, including Colin Quinn. Serving as a counterpoint is up-and-coming comedian Orny Adams, a young man trying to make it big by putting in his time on the road. Directed by Christian Charles. With Ray Romano, Chris Rock, Jay Leno and Bill Cosby. Categories: Documentary, Comedy. Year: 2002.
Comedian
The American corporate structure is the foundation of its global business success. Each corporation exists, legally, as a person; but what kind of people are we dealing with? Composed of roughly 40 interviews and public domain footage of such historical figures as Noam Chomsky, Martin Luther King, Adolf Hitler and Harry S. Truman, directors Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar psychoanalyze the corporate business model and criticize the effect these money-making machines have on our individual lives and society at large. With Michael Moore. Categories: Documentary, History. Year: 2003.
The Corporation
This documentary details the shocking slaughter of captured dolphins off the coast of Japan. Their flesh is packaged and sold as whale meat. Activist Richard O'Barry, who trained dolphins for the Flipper television series, leads an expedition to expose this abuse. Directed by Louie Psihoyos. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2009.
The Cove
In 1950s New York, Burt Pugach, a married lawyer, loses his mind and throws acid in the face of his twenty-something mistress, Linda Riss, when she breaks up with him. The ordeal made headlines at the time, but the most shocking event occurs sixteen years later when the couple is unexpectedly married. Directed by Dan Klores and Fisher Stevens. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2007.
Crazy Love
Interviews, home movies and audiotape excerpts chronicle the life of Daniel Johnston, a genius musician and artist who suffers from manic-depression. In this portrait of madness, creativity and love, viewers learn about Johnston's pursuit of his art, from carnivals to MTV, and his losing battle with his own inner demons. Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig. Categories: Documentary, Biography. Year: 2005.
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
The collapse of Enron, the energy giant once listed as the 7th largest company in America, caused one of the biggest corporate scandals in history when executives walked away with over one billion dollars while over 20,000 people lost their jobs. Directed by Alex Gibney. Starring Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and Gray Davis. Categories: Politics, Documentary. Year: 2005.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
A documentary about the career of the legendary and controversial heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali. Ten of Ali's opponents pay tribute to the champ and his style, among them Joe Frazier and George Foreman. The film features footage from many of Ali's bouts, including his much trumpeted return to the ring in Zaire in 1974, after he had been prevented from boxing for years because he refused to serve in the Vietnam War. Directed by Pete McCormack. With George Chuvalo. Categories: Documentary, Sport. Year: 2009.
Facing Ali
Unconventional documentarian and troublemaker Michael Moore takes on George W. Bush and the War on Terror. Focusing on the events surrounding 9/11, Moore uses footage of celebrities, politicians, soldiers and families affected by the event and its aftermath to make his case that Bush failed in his duty to protect the country. Directed by Michael Moore. Categories: Politics, Documentary, War, Expose. Year: 2004.
Fahrenheit 9/11
Robert McNamara was Secretary of Defense for John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson before becoming President of the World Bank. In this film, documentarian Errol Morris interviews this powerful figure as he looks back at the 20th century. Using archival footage, documents and the wisdom of McNamara's age, this film raises many unsettling questions about the future of America and beyond. Directed by Errol Morris. Categories: Politics, Documentary. Year: 2003.
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
A documentary about the multi-billion dollar food industry and how innovations such as genetically modified food and hormone additives in livestock feed are having an adverse effect on public health. Authors Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser challenge the industry's regulators and go to Washington, DC to try to make some real, lasting changes. Directed by Robert Kenner. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Food, Inc.
They Might Be Giants is the musical pairing of John Flansburgh and John Linnell. Their unique coupling of typically complex and dark lyrics with bouncy melodies has made them an underground sensation for many years. Blending concert footage, music videos, television performances and live interviews, the film attempts to capture both their lives and personalities. Directed by AJ Schnack. Categories: Documentary, Music. Year: 2002.
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)
In December of 1969, the Rolling Stones joined Jefferson Airplane for a free concert at the Altamont Speedway in California. Attended by almost 300,000 people, the concert would go down in history for the disastrous employment of the notorious Hells Angels bikers for security. When fights broke out, the Angels responded ruthlessly and by the end of the day one person was dead. Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin. With Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and many more. Categories: Documentary, Music. Year: 1970.
Gimme Shelter
Timothy Treadwell was an incredibly free spirited, sensitive animal rights activist who spent the last years of his life living amongst and tending to the grizzly bears in the natural preserves of Alaska. In October of 2003, he and his girlfriend Amie Huguenard were killed by one of the grizzlies. Composed of video Treadwell filmed of his experiences, this documentary showcases the beauty and danger of wild animals and reveals Treadwell's fascinating but flawed psyche. Directed by Werner Herzog. Categories: Documentary, Biography. Year: 2005.
Grizzly Man
This documentary follows Field Artillery soldiers, known as "Gunners," stationed in one of the worst areas in Baghdad. Leading missions from one of Saddam Hussein's bombed out pleasure palaces, these troops tell an honest and gripping story of real life as soldiers in Iraq. Directed by Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker. Categories: Documentary, War. Year: 2004.
Gunner Palace
The Vietnam War remains the most controversial and divisive military action in American history. Told with news footage and interviews with American and Vietnamese participants in the war, ranging from top American commander William C. Westmoreland and presidents John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon to North Vietnamese leader Chi Minh Ho, this documentary attacks American racism and modern imperialist attitudes for the disastrous results of the war. Directed by Peter Davis. Categories: Documentary. Year: 1974.
Hearts and Minds
For over 40 years, artist Isaiah Zagar has painted more than 50,000 square feet of Philadelphia with murals. This documentary feature focuses on his work and his relationship with his wife, Julia. It follows the Zagars as their marriage falls apart and explores issues that confront artists trying to mix art and a personal life. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
In a Dream
From crumbling icebergs to shifting ocean currents to record worldwide temperatures, Al Gore takes his global warming wake-up call to the masses in the hopes of bringing awareness to one of the greatest challenges facing the planet today. A life-long advocate for the environment, Gore has devoted himself to spreading his message in a compelling and thoughtful way in order to convince people that there's still time to make a change. Directed by Davis Guggenheim. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
An Inconvenient Truth
Three music icons - Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, The Edge of U2 and Jack White of the White Stripes - get together, talk about music and put on a concert/jam session. This documentary was directed by Davis Guggenheim, who made the Oscar-winning film, An Inconvenient Truth. Categories: Documentary, Music. Year: 2008.
It Might Get Loud
Chris Pontius, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera and the demented Jackass crew return to the big screen with another collection of dangerous, gross and insane stunts. For your viewing pleasure, these maniacs tempt wild animals, strap themselves to rockets and ingest horrible things. Directed by Jeff Tremaine. With Ryan Dunn, Jason Acuña, Preston Lacy, Dave England and Ehren McGhehey. Categories: Documentary, Comedy. Year: 2006.
Jackass Number Two
In a world where religion takes up a significant portion of the headlines, a growing number of evangelical Christians are grooming a new generation to help deliver the fundamentalist community's religious and political message. The Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil's Lake, N.D. are inspired to take back America for Christ. Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
Jesus Camp
Former President Jimmy Carter sets out on a tour to promote his book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." Talking with the media and ordinary folks, Carter speaks about how peace can be achieved in the Middle East. Directed by Jonathan Demme. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2007.
Jimmy Carter Man from Plains
Two college friends, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, move to Iowa to try their hand at growing one acre of corn. With the help of their neighbors, some genetically modified seed, and an unhealthy dose of herbicides and pesticides, the pair grows a bumper crop of America's most productive, most subsidized grain. But, when they try to follow their harvest into the food system, they find as many questions as they do answers regarding what Americans eat and how corporate farming operates. Directed by Aaron Woolf. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2007.
King Corn
An autobiography by director Agn_s Varda, the film uses walks on the beach as a backdrop to her turbulent life. She was married to celebrated composer Jacques Demy, covered the revolutions in China and Cuba, and fought for women's rights before it was fashionable. A fascinating look at a brilliant filmmaker. Directed by Agn_s Varda. With. Categories: Documentary, Biography. Year: 2008.
Les plages d'Agnes
This documentary details the aborted production of director (Terry Gilliam's) ill-fated attempt to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in late 2000. Piece by piece, the entire film falls apart, despite the crew's best efforts to keep the ship afloat. A severe storm washes away equipment, jet fighters interrupt the filming of a pivotal scene and the star suffers a damaging back injury. Meant to be included as a featurette on the film's eventual DVD, this footage shows the end of Gilliam's decade-long dream to make a film based on Don Quixote. Directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe. With Johnny Depp. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2002.
Lost In La Mancha
Told from the candid perspective of a group of New York City school kids, this documentary follows their journey into the world of ballroom dancing. As the kids learn about attitude, movement, style and commitment, they transform from typical city kids into poised ladies and gentlemen. The team's hours of practice and perseverance lead up to a final citywide competition. Directed by Marilyn Agrelo. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2005.
Mad Hot Ballroom
This highly acclaimed documentary tells the story of one of the most famous stunts ever. In 1974, Philippe Petit went for a perilous walk on a high wire he stretched between the towers of the World Trade Center. His spectacular but illegal feat has been dubbed, "the artistic crime of the century." Directed by James Marsh. Categories: Documentary, Crime. Year: 2008.
Man on Wire
Dziga Vertov, one of the founding fathers of filmmaking, explores everyday Soviet life during one day in 1929. While exploring film techniques and the reaction of the public to the filmmaker among them, this movie is a celebration of the cinematic process, from shooting to editing to the reception of the audience. Category: Documentary, Classic, Silent Film. Year: 1929.
The Man with the Movie Camera
This documentary explores the philosophies of Noam Chomsky. A distinguished linguistics professor, intellectual and activist, Chomsky critiques the media and American society. Directed by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick. With Mark Achbar. Categories: Documentary. Year: 1992.
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, this incredible documentary follows the annual journey of the Emperor penguins of Antarctica as they travel to their mating grounds. Months of arduous travel and care by monogamous pairs of penguins brings new life into the world, captured for the first time in this gorgeous and moving tale of love and survival. Directed by Luc Jacquet. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2005.
March of the Penguins
The truth behind the modern financial industry is explained by the experts. Using first-hand accounts and real data, this documentary exposes why the rich are getting richer and the poor are sinking further and further into debt. Directed by James D. Scurlock. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
Maxed Out
Following rock legends Metallica during the making of their album St. Anger, filmmakers shot over a thousand hours of footage to create this startlingly personal and eye-opening look at what it means to be rock stars. Witness breakdowns, breakthroughs and enough therapy to make even these road-tested veterans question their sense of purpose. Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. With James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Bob Rock. Categories: Documentary, Music. Year: 2004.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Four-year-old Marla Olmstead became an overnight sensation in the modern art world. Gaining international renown and hundreds of thousands of dollars, the young artist was billed as budding Picasso. But, after a series of television appearances, the media and the art community began to question the motivation behind Marla's parents' (Laura Olmstead and Mark Olmstead) promotion of her talent, with accusations ranging from exploitation to outright fraud. Filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev agrees to document Marla's creativity, at her parents' request, and finds himself involved in a situation that might compromise his integrity as a journalist. Directed by Amir Bar-Lev. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2007.
My Kid Could Paint That
In the style of the Disney documentaries that first introduced a generation to the mysteries of nature, Oceans looks at the ocean life, both above and below the surface. Directed by Jacques Cluzaud. Categories: Documentary, Drama. Year: 2009.
Oceans
Capturing the true story of the team that almost changed how America defined its national pastime, this sports documentary chronicles the phenomenal rise of the New York Cosmos. Backed by TV mogul Steve Ross, the Cosmos were the crown jewel of the North American Soccer League in the 1970s, boasting star players such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer and inspiring a new era in U.S. soccer with their exploits on and off the field. Categories: Documentary, Sports. Year: 2006.
Once in a Lifetime
Bill Maher, the consummate skeptic, travels across the world to learn the truth about religion. Maher investigates religion's influence on a variety of cultures and its pervasive presence in the media, from Muslim outrage over cartoons of Muhammad to the question of displaying the Ten Commandments in front of courthouses. Directed by Larry Charles. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Religulous
This documentary showcases krumping, a frenetic, groundbreaking dance movement born on the streets of South Central Los Angeles. With roots in clowning, hip hop and African tribal rituals, krumping is an aggressive, visually stunning performance art that provides a positive outlet for many young people leading difficult lives. Directed by David LaChapelle. With Tommy the Clown. Categories: Documentary, Dance. Year: 2005.
Rize
Nicola Sacco (voiced by Tony Shalhoub) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (voiced by John Turturro), two Italian-born immigrants who worked as laborers in America, were executed in 1927 after being accused of armed robbery and the murder of two payroll clerks. Their controversial trial attracted enormous international attention, with critics accusing the prosecution and presiding judge of improper conduct and allowing anti-Italian, anti-immigrant and anti-anarchist sentiment to prejudice the jury. This documentary uses their story to offer insights into present-day issues of civil liberties and the rights of immigrants. Directed by Peter Miller. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
Sacco and Vanzetti
This documentary follows the trials and tribulations of four door-to-door Bible salesmen as they travel across the country. The men must contend with constant rejection, being away from home and family for long periods of time, and peddling expensive, decorated bibles to families with very little income. Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin. Categories: Documentary, Independent Film. Year: 1969.
Salesman
Actress Rosanna Arquette was inspired to make this film when she wondered why Oscar-nominated actress Debra Winger disappeared from movies after she turned 40. Arquette decided to interview as many actresses as she could about the challenges of growing older on screen, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Meg Ryan and Frances McDormand. Directed by Rosanna Arquette. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2002.
Searching for Debra Winger
This hard-hitting documentary provides a first-hand account of the rampant corruption and violent kidnappings that are ravaging the Brazilian people. The cycles of class warfare stemming from huge economic disparities are examined through the exploits of a wealthy businessman, a plastic surgeon and a politician whose income relies on a frog farm. Directed by Jason Kohn. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2007.
Send a Bullet
This documentary examines how Anna Wintour, the celebrated editor of Vogue, puts together the largest and most important issue of the year, the September issue. This behind-the-scenes look features interviews with the magazine staff, designers and models who work on the issue. Directed by R.J. Cutler. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2009.
The September Issue
This engrossing documentary chronicles the lives of fourteen students from various social backgrounds at the age of seven. From these interviews, viewers are invited to take a look at their lives in the making with anticipation of a follow-up film that checks in on them seven years later. Topics include secondary education, hobbies and free time, personal beliefs and financial ambitions. Directed by Paul Almond. Categories: Documentary. Year: 1964.
Seven Up!
A documentary about a gay man, Richard Berkowitz, who was one of the first to realize the danger of AIDS and advocate for safe sex. He was ridiculed and ostracized, and accused of self hatred. As events unfolded and hundreds of thousands died from the deadly virus, his crusade began to seem way ahead of its time. Directed by Daryl Wein. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Sex Positive
In the fall of 2006, Director Martin Scorsese filmed the Rolling Stones during two concerts at New York City's Beacon Theatre. The electric energy of the band's performance is enhanced with archival footage and interviews, as well as news clips which provide context for the band's greatest hits and lesser known gems. Directed by Martin Scorsese. With Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Charlie Watts, Christina Aguilera and Jack White. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Shine a Light
A documentary about the controversy surrounding the successful female country band, the Dixie Chicks. When singer Natalie Maines criticized then-president George W. Bush for his Iraq policy in 2003, the group was attacked by right-wing Bush supporters. The Dixie Chicks found themselves heckled in public at every turn. This film examines how they rode out the storm and grew as artists in the process. Directed by Cecilia Peck. With Emily Robison and Martie Maguire. Categories: Documentary, Biography, Music. Year: 2006.
Shut Up & Sing
Journey the world as one yellow surfboard is shared by a group of friends. Mailed from one destination and one surfer to the next, this board unites a small group of dedicated surfers who have never met one another. Shot on location in California, Australia, Mexico, Hawaii and Japan. Directed by Jason Baffa. Categories: Sports, Documentary. Year: 2005.
Single Fin Yellow
Since 1925, Scripps Howard newspapers have sponsored an annual spelling bee for grade school students from across the country. In 1999, ten million kids competed for the top prize. Following eight of these students from regional competitions all the way up to the national finals in Washington, D.C., this documentary tells an emotional, heartwarming story of preparation, competition and vocabulary. Directed by Jeffrey Blitz. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2002.
Spellbound
In this documentary, filmmakers investigate the events that took place at Abu Ghraib prison, which became global news in 2004. Through pictures and interviews, the unintended consequences of the war in Iraq are shown as members of the US military, who believed they were defending democracy, became vilified after it was revealed that they were torturing and abusing suspected terrorists. Directed by Errol Morris. With Christopher Bradley, Sarah Denning, Joshua Feinman and Jeff L. Green. Categories: Documentary, War. Year: 2008.
Standard Operating Procedure
This documentary follows the 2002 mayoral race in Newark, New Jersey. In a city where the vote is earned on the street, newcomer Cory Booker attempts to unseat longtime mayor Sharpe James. While the democratic process is celebrated, the slander, fraud and ethical challenges that go along with it are shown first hand. Directed by Marshall Curry. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2005.
Street Fight
Documentarian Morgan Spurlock sets out on a seemingly simple mission: for thirty days, he will eat nothing but McDonald’s fast food, three times a day. His emotional and physical breakdown forms the backbone of this compelling look at why America leads the world in obesity. Talking to experts and consumers alike, Spurlock's discoveries and disasters will make you wonder if the taste and convenience is really worth it. Categories: Documentary, Expose. Year: 2004.
Super Size Me
In the 1960s, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz gave up his life as a successful doctor, moved his family into an RV and began a nomadic life centered on surfing. With his wife, Juliette, and their nine children, Doc set out to live a highly controlled and principled life designed to free his family from the contrains of the materialistic world. Home schooling his children, keeping them on a strict diet and entering them in surfing competitions, Doc created a strong family, free from the excesses of modern American life. But, years later, we learn that the Paskowitz's lifestlye was never easy and resulted in a strange mix of gratitude and resentment. Directed by Doug Pray. Categories:Documentary, Sports, Family. Year: 2007.
Surfwise
Musician and life-long surfer Jack Johnson tries his hand at filmmaking, capturing an around-the-globe surf trip with a group of friends. Starting in Hawaii, where Johnson caught his first wave as a child, the group seeks out the best waves on the ocean before returning home. The soundtrack features material from Johnson, as well as G. Love, Finley Quaye and others. Directed by Jack Johnson. Categories: Documentary, Sports. Year: 2000.
Thicker Than Water
Although the MPAA views and gives ratings for blockbuster films viewed by millions of people, relatively few know who the raters are and how they make their decisions. Director Kirby Dick investigates this inconsistent, secretive process, questioning whether certain studios get preferential treatment, discrepancies in how the MPAA views sex and violence, and the association's efforts to control culture. Also included are interviews with John Waters, Maria Bello, Kevin Smith and more. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Harvey Milk was San Francisco's first openly gay Supervisor and one victim of a deadly attack by fellow Supervisor Dan White that killed Milk and Mayor George Moscone. The subsequent trial resulted in one of the most controversial criminal verdicts in American history. Directed by Rob Epstein. Narrated by Harvey Fierstein. Categories: Documentary, Biography. Year: 1984.
The Times of Harvey Milk
A documentary about the life, times and work of the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who wrote Spartacus, Roman Holiday and many other classics. He was blacklisted during the late Forties because he had been involved with the Communist Party, then went on to win an Oscar for a movie script, The Brave One, he wrote under a pseudonym. In interviews and archival footage, Trumbo and his friends and family recall his struggles and triumphs. Contemporary actors including Joan Allen, Michael Douglas, Brian Dennehy and Dustin Hoffman perform scenes from his work. Directed by Peter Askin. With Josh Lucas, Christopher Trumbo, Donald Sutherland and Peter Hanson. Categories: Documentary, Biography. Year: 2007.
Trumbo
This documentary focuses on the period of John Lennon's life from 1966 to 1976. During this time, Lennon transforms from a famous rock star into an antiwar activist and is in constant conflict with the US government and its actions. Directed by David Leaf and John Scheinfeld. With Walter Cronkite, Yoko Ono and Geraldo Rivera. Categories: Documentary, Music. Year: 2006.
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
A documentary by the master provocateur Michael Moore, it focues on the economy, particularly the collapse of Wall Street and the government bailout. The tentative title is "Capitalism: A Love Story." Directed by Michael Moore. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2009.
Untitled Michael Moore Project
Discovering that he has no memory of an Israeli Army mission he participated in during the first Lebanon War of the early 1980s, filmmaker Ari Folman sets out on a journey to recover a piece of his life that has been missing for over 20 years. Interviewing old friends and comrades around the world, Folman begins to remember the events as a series of surreal images that lead him deeper and deeper into the mystery of this lost period. Directed by Ari Folman. With Ori Sivan. Categories: Documentary, Animation, Biography, Drama, War. Year: 2008.
Waltz with Bashir
On October 30th, 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman faced off in the "Rumble in the Jungle." Shot in Zaire, this documentary highlights one of the most famous heavyweight bouts in boxing history and follows the weeks leading up to the event, giving an inside look at the fighters' last minute training and the soul music festival put on by Don King. Directed by Leon Gast. With Spike Lee, Norman Mailer and George Plimpton. Categories: Documentary, History, Sports. Year: 1996.
When We Were Kings
With a child on the way, documentarian Morgan Spurlock sets out on a one man mission to track down the most wanted man in the world, Osama Bin Laden. After intense weapons and survival training, Spurlock sets out to talk to Arabic people about the war on terror and the outside worls' view on America and Americans. As his investigation deepens, this would-be bounty hunter gains insight on himself, his country and the factors that created a man like Bin Laden in the first place. Directed by Morgan Spurlock. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2008.
Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?
This documentary explores the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future. Through news footage and celebrity interviews, viewers learn about GM's EV1 electric vehicle, a revolutionary modern car requiring no gas, no oil changes, no mufflers, and rare brake maintenance. Directed by Chris Paine. With Phyllis Diller, Mel Gibson and Tom Hanks. Categories: Documentary. Year: 2006.
Who Killed the Electric Car?
This documentary focuses on the military industrial complex and the rise of the American Empire. It surveys a half-century of military action and argues that the US economy's survival depends on a state of constant war. Directed by Eugene Jarecki. With John McCain, Gore Vidal and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Categories: Documentary, History. Year: 2005.
Why We Fight