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Making Grace
rating:3.1

Making Grace

2005Runtime:0 minutes
In this intimate documentary, filmmaker Catherine Gund examines lesbian motherhood through the eyes of longtime partners Ann Krsul and Leslie Sullivan, who desperately want to have a child. Charting their unconventional path toward parenthood, from the first tough decisions -- such as choosing a sperm donor and deciding who will carry the child -- to their joy at the birth of baby Grace, this moving film reveals a uniquely emotional journey.

Directed by:

  • Catherine Gund
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    Manufacturing Dissent
    rating:3.1

    Manufacturing Dissent

    2007Runtime:0 minutes
    This documentary dissects Michael Moore's unconventional approach to filmmaking. From his debut feature, Roger and Me, to Oscar winner Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore's films are scrutinized with an emphasis on errors and omissions.

    Directed by:

  • Rick Caine
  • Debbie Melnyk
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory
    rating:3.1

    A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory

    2006Runtime:0 minutes
    In this Tribeca Film Festival selection, director Esther Robinson paints an affecting portrait of her uncle, Danny Williams -- a talented young artist and former lover of pop-culture icon Andy Warhol -- who inexplicably vanished at age 27. Highlights include footage from Williams' 16mm films and interviews with colorful Factory personalities such as Brigid Berlin, John Cale, Gerard Malanga, Paul Morrissey and Billy Name.

    Directed by:

  • Esther Robinson
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    Stagedoor
    rating:3.1

    Stagedoor

    2005Runtime:0 minutes
    Summer camp is usually filled with activities and crafts, but for the kids of Stagedoor Manor, camp is all song and dance, literally. Spawning superstar alumni such as Natalie Portman, Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Jason Leigh and Felicity Huffman, Stagedoor Manor is a breeding ground for talent. Director Alexandra Shiva follows five dedicated campers through rigorous rehearsals to a theatrical performance that rivals professional productions.

    Directed by:

  • Alexandra Shiva
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    Great Directors
    rating:3.1

    Great Directors

    2009Runtime:0 minutes
    New York-based businesswoman and filmmaker Angela Ismailos offers this collection of in-depth interviews with David Lynch, John Sayles, Catherine Breillat, Bernardo Bertolucci and six other internationally acclaimed film directors. Touching on everything from the creative process and the history of cinema to the necessity of balancing art and commerce, Ismailos's interviews also include sit-downs with Liliana Cavani, Ken Loach and Agnès Varda.

    Directed by:

  • Angela Ismailos
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    Brother Born Again
    rating:3.1

    Brother Born Again

    2001Runtime:0 minutes
    Seeking to renew her relationship with her born-again Christian brother, documentary filmmaker Julia Pimsleur traveled to a remote Alaskan island, where brother Marc has lived for 10 years with his spiritual family. The resulting film captures Pimsleur -- a bisexual Jewish New Yorker -- as she searches for an understanding of her sibling's chosen life path, and in the process, delves into the definition of family and explores family dynamics.

    Directed by:

  • Julia Pimsleur
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story
    rating:3.1

    An Unlikely Weapon: The Eddie Adams Story

    2008Runtime:0 minutes
    Filmmaker Susan Morgan takes a provocative look at the wide-ranging career of Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Eddie Adams, best known for his photo of the summary execution of a Vietcong guerilla fighter in the streets of Saigon in 1968. Cooper reveals the many sides of Adams's work, including his 1977 visual essay of Vietnamese "boat people" refugees, his later commercial gigs snapping glamour shots of celebrities and more.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Morgan
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    60 Spins Around the Sun
    rating:3.1

    60 Spins Around the Sun

    2003Runtime:0 minutes
    Helmed by "Saturday Night Live" alumna Laura Kightlinger, this hourlong exposé chronicles -- warts and all -- the life of comedian turned activist Randy Credico, an up-and-coming funnyman whose candor tanked his career. But the end of his showbiz days didn't stop him: He switched gears and became a mouthpiece for various causes, including the fight against New York's draconian drug laws. Credico's peers and ex-girlfriends weigh in with insights.

    Directed by:

  • Laura Kightlinger
  • rating:3.1 3.1 Average Rating

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    Eat This New York
    rating:3.0

    Eat This New York

    2004Runtime:0 minutes
    Documentarians Andrew Rossi and Kate Novack intercut scenes of the trials and tribulations of two young restaurateurs with interviews with some of New York City's most successful and famous restaurateurs in this engaging film. Daniel Boulud (Cafe Boulud), Keith McNally (Balthazar) and Danny Meyer (Gramercy Tavern) tell of their humble beginnings and how they were able to make it in a city where most eateries close within five years.

    Directed by:

  • Kate Novack
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Blood in the Face
    rating:3.0

    Blood in the Face

    1991Runtime:0 minutes
    A blend of interviews, archival footage and white supremacy propaganda, this thought-provoking documentary takes an eye-opening look at the rise of neo-Nazism, fascism, the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nation in the United States. Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the film exposes a wide range of sometimes shocking beliefs, including the fear that illegal immigrants are entering the country with bombs strapped to their backs.

    Directed by:

  • Kevin Rafferty
  • James Ridgeway
  • Anne Bohlen
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    American Mystic
    rating:3.0

    American Mystic

    2010Runtime:0 minutes
    In this thought-provoking documentary, filmmaker Alex Mar immerses herself in her subject -- alternative religions -- by following three believers on divergent paths: a pagan priestess, a spiritualist and an American Indian sun dancer.

    Directed by:

  • Alex Mar
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Something Ventured
    rating:3.0

    Something Ventured

    2011Runtime:0 minutes
    This engrossing documentary traces the genesis of some of the world's most revolutionary companies, such as Apple, Intel and Genentech, and how their investors' visionary practices transformed the way the modern world communicates and does business.

    Directed by:

  • Dayna Goldfine
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Inside the Circle
    rating:3.0

    Inside the Circle

    2007Runtime:0 minutes
    For four years, filmmaker Marcy Garriott followed three young break-dancers -- Omar, Josh and Romeo -- as they struggled to be the best. The result is this kinetic documentary that showcases explosive performances as well as the b-boy lifestyle. Though beset with legal troubles, poverty and limited practice time, the guys put heart and soul into their quest for stardom. Grupo Fantasma's Adrian Quesada provides the pulsating soundtrack.

    Directed by:

  • Marcy Garriott
  • rating:3.0 3.0 Average Rating

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    Cinévardaphoto
    rating:2.9

    Cinévardaphoto

    2004Runtime:0 minutes
    How potent is the power of a picture? Filmmaker Agnès Varda asks this question and attempts to answer it in three separate vignettes. In the first, a female artist, Ydessa, collects photographs of teddy bears. But why? Next, the director examines her snapshots from the 1950s, taking a step back in time. The final short captures Cuba after the revolution, full of possibilities and on the brink of otherness.

    Directed by:

  • rating:2.9 2.9 Average Rating

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    American Mullet
    rating:2.9

    American Mullet

    2001Runtime:0 minutes
    Documentarian Jennifer Arnold hit the streets of America to see how people really feel about the mullet -- the 1980s short-on-top, long-in-back hairstyle (also known as "the ape drape" and "hockey hair," among other things). The results are hilarious and reveal that there are champions of this oft-maligned style in more American backwaters than you might expect.

    Directed by:

  • Jennifer Arnold
  • rating:2.9 2.9 Average Rating

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    14 Women
    rating:2.8

    14 Women

    2008Runtime:0 minutes
    Exploring the lives of the 14 female U.S. senators, this compelling documentary looks at the challenges they face, including the sometimes difficult balance between their roles as public servants and as wives and mothers. When the 109th Congress opened in 2005, it included more women senators than had served in the entire history of the Senate. With some of the senators' relatives producing and directing, the film offers a true insider's view.

    Directed by:

  • Mary Lambert
  • rating:2.8 2.8 Average Rating

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    Now and Then
    rating:3.8

    Now and Then

    1995Runtime:0 minutes
    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 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   
    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