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Manufactured Landscapes
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Manufactured Landscapes

2007
More than a simple portrait of an artist, this documentary about celebrated photographer Edward Burtynsky is also an examination of industrialization and globalization. Known for finding strange beauty in large industrial vistas, Burtynsky searches for great shots on trips to China and Bangladesh. In contrast to his seemingly impersonal aesthetic, the film focuses on individuals, revealing the dreariness and dangers of industrial work.

Directed by:

  • Jennifer Baichwal
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Ashtanga, NY
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    Ashtanga, NY

    2003
    Yoga enthusiasts take their practice to a higher level in this fitness documentary that reveals the power of Ashtanga, a high-energy regimen that works the mind, body and soul and promotes strength and healing. Filmed around the same time that tragedy struck the city of New York on September 11, 2001, Ashtanga, NY shows how yogis and other practitioners helped a populace find peace during a terrible and taxing time for the city's denizens.

    Directed by:

  • Caroline Laskow
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children
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    Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children

    2008
    A revealing look at the difficult challenges street children in Cambodia face every day, this documentary chronicles the stories of Charam, Leakhena, Meng Ly, Layseng and Hov Nhagn, five youngsters struggling to overcome their illiteracy and poverty. This emotional tale of heartbreak and hope profiles how one local shelter, the Cambodian Children's Fund, works hard to help a population the rest of the country ignores.

    Directed by:

  • Heather E. Connell
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    What Are Dreams?: Nova
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    What Are Dreams?: Nova

    2009
    The stuff of dreams -- not just the content, but the circuitry and neurological coding, too -- is the subject of this penetrating "Nova" inquiry into the most mystifying of human activities. Researchers are taking a variety of investigative tacks, from "eavesdropping" on sleeping rats to methodical studies of thousands of dreams, in an effort to fill in the blanks of understanding. Their findings give tantalizing glimpses of the mind at rest.

    Directed by:

  • Charles Colville
  • Sarah Holt
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man
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    Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man

    2006
    Thought-provoking and revealing, this biographical documentary profiles the personal and professional life of Ralph Nader, one of America's most controversial consumer advocates and political activists. Interviews and archival footage help illuminate the career of an influential public figure whose willingness to take on big industry earned him a reputation as both a working-class hero and a public pariah.

    Directed by:

  • Henriette Mantel
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Blindsight
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    Blindsight

    2006
    Six blind Tibetan teenagers set off on a gripping adventure as they attempt to climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest. Considered cursed in Tibetan culture, blind children are often hidden away to live as pariahs. Determined to challenge that perception, the kids gear up for a demanding expedition led by climber Erik Weihenmayer -- the first blind man to scale Everest -- and learn some lessons about life along the way.

    Directed by:

  • Lucy Walker
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    The Gleaners and I
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    The Gleaners and I

    2000
    Inspired by Jean-François Millet's famous painting "Les Glaneuses," filmmaker Agnes Varda strikes out with just a hand-held digital camera in search of the modern equivalent of Millet's grain field gleaners. She finds her quarry at dumpsters, outdoor markets and roadsides across France. Varda's no-holds-barred documentary about scavengers and recyclers is an insouciant treat from beginning to end, with an unexpectedly obtuse perspective.

    Directed by:

  • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    American Teacher
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    American Teacher

    2011
    Profiling four extraordinary teachers from diverse parts of the country, this documentary feature examines the struggles of an underpaid profession. Educators weigh in on how the American school system might be radically transformed.

    Directed by:

  • Vanessa Roth
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Thirst
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    Thirst

    2004
    Control over public water supplies is already a critical policy issue for nations around the world, and its importance will only grow in the next decade, according to this articulate and compelling documentary. A global business trend toward privatizing water supplies has already led to civil unrest and protests -- some of which are detailed by the multinational group of activists profiled here.

    Directed by:

  • Alan Snitow
  • Deborah Kaufman
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Deliver Us from Evil
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    Deliver Us from Evil

    2006
    This unsettling Oscar-nominated documentary from filmmaker Amy Berg investigates the life of 30-year pedophile Father Oliver O'Grady and exposes the corruption inside the Catholic Church that allowed him to abuse countless children. Victims' stories and a disturbing interview with O'Grady offer a view into the troubled mind of the spiritual leader who moved from parish to parish gaining trust ... all the while betraying so many.

    Directed by:

  • Amy Berg
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    No Impact Man: The Documentary
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    No Impact Man: The Documentary

    2009
    In this engaging documentary, a Fifth Avenue family goes green when writer Colin Beavan leads his wife, Michelle Conlin, and their baby daughter on a yearlong crusade to generate no trash and otherwise make no net impact on the environment.

    Directed by:

  • Laura Gabbert
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields
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    Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields

    2010
    A decade in the making, this documentary by filmmakers Kerthy Fix and Gail O'Hara examines the career of prolific singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt, the enigmatic, deep-voiced heart and soul of indie pop band the Magnetic Fields.

    Directed by:

  • Kerthy Fix
  • Gail O'Hara
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    A Film Unfinished
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    A Film Unfinished

    2010
    This potent documentary uses a long-lost film reel to illustrate how the Nazis controlled images of Jewish life during World War II. Though the Nazis made a propaganda movie of contented Jews in the Warsaw ghetto, the missing spool exposes the truth. Director Yael Hersonski shows how the imagery was staged to distort historical knowledge and, with the aid of Jewish survivors' testimony, chronicles the horrifying reality of ghetto life.

    Directed by:

  • Yael Hersonski
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    What's on Your Plate?
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    What's on Your Plate?

    2009
    Aimed at children and adults, this entertaining documentary from activist Catherine Gund follows her daughter, Sadie, and her best friend, Safiyah, as the two 11-year-olds spend a year investigating the politics of food in America. The intrepid tweens interview farmers, school officials, chefs and ordinary folks to find out how food is grown and how agriculture can be transformed in order to improve both nutrition and profit.

    Directed by:

  • Catherine Gund
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Chris & Don: A Love Story
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    Chris & Don: A Love Story

    2007
    The relationship between author Christopher Isherwood and artist Don Bachardy is chronicled in this documentary through home movies, interviews and readings from Isherwood's journal.

    Directed by:

  • Tina Mascara
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Double Dare
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    Double Dare

    2005
    With being thrown off buildings an occupational hazard, professional stuntwomen Jeannie Epper and Zoe Bell (the stunt doubles of Wonder Woman and Xena, respectively) would seem well-equipped for any challenges Hollywood might dish out. But finding roles -- and respect -- in a male-dominated field can prove more harrowing than dodging punches. Amanda Micheli directs this fascinating glimpse into the feminine side of a traditionally macho pursuit.

    Directed by:

  • Amanda Micheli
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


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    Now and Then
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    Now and Then

    1995
    Waxing nostalgic about the bittersweet passage from childhood to puberty in this tender coming-of-age tale, four childhood girlfriends -- Teeny, Chrissy, Samantha and Roberta -- recall the magical summer of 1970. During their walk down memory lane, they reconcile experiences with boys, secrets, bullies and more. Lesli Linka Glatter directs; Gaby Hoffmann, Ashleigh Aston Moore, Cloris Leachman, Thora Birch and Christina Ricci co-star.

    Directed by:

  • Lesli Linka Glatter
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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    Now and Then (1995)
    A heartwarming movie about four childhood girlfriends who, in adulthood reunion, relive their experience of the life-changing summer of 1970, including a mystery death, divorce, standing up to the boys, first kiss, and the meaning of true friendship. Each explores her unique identity amidst family and friends. Beautifully directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
    - Frances   
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