Documentary
Titanic Revealed
rating:3.7.png

Titanic Revealed

2004
Scouring the ocean's depths once again, Dr. Robert Ballard returns to the submerged &NFi;Titanic&NFi_; for the first time since his epic 1986 dive. Sadly, we see that the passage of time has not been kind to the sunken wreck, as many dive crews have tried to exploit the &NFi;Titanic&NFi_; for big money. Ballard also recounts his maiden voyage to the &NFi;Titanic&NFi_; and sheds some surprising light on how the luxury liner related to the Cold War. Peter Schnall directs.

Directed by:

  • Peter Schnall
  • Tracey Barry
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Freakonomics
    rating:3.7.png

    Freakonomics

    2010
    Freakonomics explains different elements of popular culture through economic theory and statistics. Issues include everything from cheating sumo wrestlers to whether Roe v. Wade produced a drop in crime.

    Directed by:

  • Heidi Ewing
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    What I Want My Words to Do to You
    rating:3.7.png

    What I Want My Words to Do to You

    2003
    Inmates at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women try to determine if redemption is really possible after committing a crime. Proctored by playwright Eve Ensler, the convicts (including two former members of the Weather Underground) perform a series of writing exercises and discussions that could lead to healing. The film culminates in a prison performance of the women's writings by Glenn Close, Marisa Tomei and Rosie Perez.

    Directed by:

  • Madeleine Gavin
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Deconstructing Supper
    rating:3.7.png

    Deconstructing Supper

    2002
    On a personal quest to understand our food choices, acclaimed chef John Bishop travels around the world exploring where genetically modified crops come from, whether they may be harmful and what alternative options currently exist. Through interviews with farmers, scientists and activists, this thought-provoking documentary offers substantial insight into the nuts and bolts of global food production.

    Directed by:

  • Marianne Kaplan
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    A Family Undertaking: POV
    rating:3.7.png

    A Family Undertaking: POV

    2003
    Before the Civil War, preparing the dead for burial and funeral rites generally fell to friends and family members of the deceased. The 20th century saw the rise of the professional undertaker, a trend that changed American attitudes toward death and distanced grievers from their loved ones. This eye-opening film uncovers a growing movement advocating a return to a more traditional, personal approach to honoring the dead.

    Directed by:

  • Elizabeth Westrate
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Carmen & Geoffrey
    rating:3.7.png

    Carmen & Geoffrey

    2009
    Filmmaker Linda Atkinson profiles an uncommon husband-and-wife team in this biographical portrait of dancer-choreographer Carmen De Lavallade and her husband, Geoffrey Holder, a choreographer, painter and set and costume designer. Highlights include candid interviews and performance footage that capture dance greats such as Judith Jamison, Gus Solomons Jr., Dudley Williams, Ulysses Dove and Alvin Ailey in action.

    Directed by:

  • Linda Atkinson
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Battlefield Britain
    rating:3.7.png

    Battlefield Britain

    2004
    Britain has long witnessed battles waged on its native soil, as documented in this fascinating series that uses computer-generated graphics to reenact actual events. Discover how the Battle of Culloden, which led to the disintegration of the Highland clan structure, unfolded; see how William III conquered James II at the Battle of the Boyne; and find out how the English Civil War ended at the Battle of Naseby.

    Directed by:

  • Mary Cranitch
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Time of Fear
    rating:3.7.png

    Time of Fear

    2004
    One of the most heroic times in American history is also the darkest; while World War II raged on and U.S. soldiers fought for freedom and democracy elsewhere, Japanese-Americans were removed from their homes and communities and interned in camps situated in the farthest recesses of Arkansas. Footage of teachers and internees makes time stand still as the subjects relive their most poignant experiences from that dark era.

    Directed by:

  • Sue Williams
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Before Stonewall
    rating:3.7.png

    Before Stonewall

    1984
    Life was very different before the 1969 Stonewall riots put the issue of gay rights front and center in America. Using archival films and interviews with gays and lesbians who were forced to hide their sexuality for fear of reprisals, this documentary by Robert Rosenberg, Greta Schiller and John Scagliotti sheds light on American gay life from the 1920s to the 1960s and the sociopolitical climate that finally led to profound change.

    Directed by:

  • Greta Schiller
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    I Love You, Mommy
    rating:3.7.png

    I Love You, Mommy

    2010
    Exploring the multifaceted meanings of love and family, filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal traces an 8-year-old girl's emotional journey from her homeland in China to her new home in the United States, where she'll live with her adoptive Jewish parents. Born Fang Sui Yong, she's now known as Faith. But her new name isn't the only unfamiliar element in the strange -- yet undeniably comfortable -- situation she now finds herself in.

    Directed by:

  • Stephanie Wang-Breal
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel
    rating:3.7.png

    Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

    2009
    Through interviews and rare footage, this documentary chronicles Hefner's journey, from the founding of Playboy magazine -- and the launch of the sexual revolution -- to his support for a wide range of progressive causes.

    Directed by:

  • Brigitte Berman
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Stonewall Jackson
    rating:3.7.png

    Stonewall Jackson

    1995
    An outstanding commander and brilliant tactician, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson led some of the most stunning campaigns of the Civil War, earning a storied place in military history. In this installment of A&E's popular "Biography" series, renowned Civil War historians and military experts examine period accounts and the general's battleground strategies, producing a revealing portrait of an impressive career.

    Directed by:

  • Donna E. Lusitana
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Paris: Luminous Years
    rating:3.7.png

    Paris: Luminous Years

    2010
    In the early 20th century, Paris was the glittering crossroad of the avant-garde art world, where Pablo Picasso mingled with Gertrude Stein and Jean Cocteau, and this vivid documentary charts its conversion from creative hotbed to cultural zeitgeist. Radicals in dance, film, music and literature flocked from all over, and key figures such as Ernest Hemingway, Marc Chagall and Marcel Duchamp recount their roles in the historic birth of modernity.

    Directed by:

  • Perry Miller Adato
    • rating:3.7.png 3.7 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Fidel Castro: American Experience
    rating:3.6.png

    Fidel Castro: American Experience

    2004
    Cuban leader Fidel Castro's life is chronicled in fascinating detail in this documentary, narrated by actor David Ogden Stiers, which charts Castro's rise from outspoken soldier to political icon who leads his nation through changing times. Powerful and puzzling, Castro remains a mystery decades after his first face-off against the American government. Outliving his foes, he's beloved by some in his native country but feared by many more.

    Directed by:

  • Adriana Bosch
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
    rating:3.6.png

    Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

    2010
    Documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg provide an uncompromising glimpse into the personal and professional life of comedian and red-carpet mainstay Joan Rivers, a woman clinging stubbornly and steadfastly to the pop-culture bandwagon.

    Directed by:

  • Ricki Stern
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Born Into Brothels
    rating:3.6.png

    Born Into Brothels

    2004
    British filmmaker Zana Briski's Oscar-winning documentary is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in Calcutta's red-light district, where their mothers work as prostitutes to ensure their survival. Spurred by the kids' fascination with her camera, Briski decides to teach them photography. As they begin to look at and record their world through new eyes, the kids awaken to their own talents and sense of worth.

    Directed by:

  • Ross Kauffman
  • Zana Briski
    • rating:3.6.png 3.6 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Now and Then
    rating:3.8.png

    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


    Find On Amazon
    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   
    We periodically update our movie database by adding new female directors and their movies. If you would like to receive notice of these new additions when they happen, please email us at:
    frances 'at' femaledirectors.com