Documentary
Grey Gardens
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Grey Gardens

1975
Documentary pioneers the Maysles brothers (Gimme Shelter) capture poignant moments in the lives of Jackie O's quirky relatives -- Edith Bouvier Beale, aka Big Edie, and her middle-aged daughter, Little Edie -- at their decaying estate, Grey Gardens. The ladies shut out their bleak present by recalling richer times and lost loves, and while Little Edie confides that she'd like to leave, the camera captures an enduring co-dependency.

Directed by:

  • Albert Maysles
  • David Maysles
  • Ellen Hovde
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    On Common Ground: A World War II Reunion
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    On Common Ground: A World War II Reunion

    2001
    Combat in the Huertgen Forest ranked among the most devastating of World War II, with American and German forces suffering casualties upwards of 60,000 troops. More than a half-century later, soldiers from both sides assemble at the site for an emotional reunion. The intense feelings they experienced as young men are never far from the surface. Tom Brokaw, Walter Cronkite and John Kenneth Galbraith provide commentary.

    Directed by:

  • David Eilenberg
  • Jessica Glass
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    An Islamic Conscience: The Aga Khan and the Ismailis
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    An Islamic Conscience: The Aga Khan and the Ismailis

    2007
    Meet the Aga Khan, the influential leader of the Ismaili Muslim sect. In a series of rare interviews, he shares his views on politics and social justice and discusses his foundation, which invests more than $400 million annually in aid projects. Though little known among non-Muslims, the Aga Khan has played an important role in fighting world poverty and is becoming a key voice of moderation at a time of rising religious conflict.

    Directed by:

  • William Cran
  • Shamir Allibhai
  • Jane Chablani
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Blue Vinyl
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    Blue Vinyl

    2002
    In this sardonic but sobering exposé, activist filmmakers Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold reveal the potentially toxic effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is used in everything from cars to water mains to toys. Armed with a piece of blue vinyl siding, Helfand and Gold head to Louisiana -- America's vinyl-manufacturing capital -- and to Italy, where bigwigs from a PVC-producing company stand accused of manslaughter in a landmark case.

    Directed by:

  • Daniel B. Gold
  • Judith Helfand
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Behind the Burly Q
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    Behind the Burly Q

    2010
    Dive into more than a century of decadence with this tantalizing look at the evolution of burlesque. Cabaret star Leslie Zemeckis traces the art form from vaudeville-style variety show through its extinction and contemporary rebirth. Vintage photos, film clips and ads illustrate burlesque's resilient history and how the public's sexual appetite kept it alive amid moral and legal ado. Zemeckis's husband, Robert, executive produces.

    Directed by:

  • Leslie Zemeckis
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    The Olympiad
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    The Olympiad

    1938
    Widely considered one of the greatest sports documentaries ever made, German director Leni Riefenstahl's chronicle of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin was also the first film to incorporate the use of cameras on rails. Riefenstahl, who was herself an athlete as well as a prized member of the Nazi propaganda machine, actually qualified to represent Germany in cross-country skiing but declined, electing to film the event instead.

    Directed by:

  • Leni Riefenstahl
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    Marjoe
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    Marjoe

    1972
    This Oscar-winning documentary explores the life of one-time child evangelist and faith healer Marjoe Gortner. The son of professional evangelists, Gortner was preaching on the Southern tent-revival circuit by the age of 3. Twenty-eight at the time of the film's release, Gortner freely admits to being a scam artist -- but still maintains a compelling charisma, possibly explaining his later career as an actor in B movies and in 1974's Earthquake.

    Directed by:

  • Sarah Kernochan
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Budrus
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    Budrus

    2010
    Documentarian Julia Bacha delves into the fraught world of Palestinian-Israeli relations in this amazing account of one family's leadership of a movement to prevent Israel's Separation Barrier from slicing the Palestinian village of Budrus in half.

    Directed by:

  • Julia Bacha
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    Speaking in Code
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    Speaking in Code

    2008
    Delving deep into the world of electronic music, filmmaker Amy Lee Grill lets the cameras run while colorful figures on the scene -- including artists, DJs, journalists, promoters and producers -- do most of the talking. Highlights include appearances from Ellen Allien, Tobias Thomas, Wolfgang Voigt, Michael Mayer, Reinhard Voigt, Sasha Funke and Miss Kittin, plus a parallel storyline about one man's quest to make Boston love techno.

    Directed by:

  • Amy Lee Grill
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    Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut
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    Buddha Wild: Monk in a Hut

    2006
    This warm-hearted documentary from filmmaker Anna Wilding takes viewers into the heart of a Buddhist monastery, where monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Featuring input from the Dalai Lama himself, this film also examines controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.

    Directed by:

  • Anna Wilding
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    The Best of the Real West
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    The Best of the Real West

    1992
    The myths, legends and realities of the Old West come alive in The Real West with Kenny Rogers. Through original footage, authentic diaries, paintings, photos and expert commentary, this award-winning History Channel series reawakens the adventure of our most fabled era, exposing the truth behind some of America's most celebrated stories and figures.

    Directed by:

  • Donna E. Lusitana
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Submitted for Your Approval: Rod Serling
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    Submitted for Your Approval: Rod Serling

    1998
    This documentary about Rod Serling derives its name from the weekly introduction that the "Twilight Zone" host delivered with his signature clenched diction. These fantasy playlets linger because of their twist endings and science-fiction trappings, which shrewdly disguise the taut morality plays the prolific screenwriter Serling (Seven Days in May, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Planet of the Apes) hid within.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Lacy
    • rating:3.5.png 3.5 Average Rating


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    Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
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    Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow

    2010
    Modern artist Anselm Kiefer and his monumental landscape creation at Barjac, France -- a vast complex including lakes, bridges, caves and galleries displaying Kiefer's other work -- are the focus of this documentary from Sophie Fiennes. The artist's ruminations on the creative process and his aims and ambitions are intercut with a careful study of the art itself, shining a spotlight on the processes at work in Kiefer's expanding mini-universe.

    Directed by:

  • Sophie Fiennes
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    American Experience: The Mormons
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    American Experience: The Mormons

    2006
    Documentarian Helen Whitney directs this fascinating PBS presentation exploring the history and influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the fastest-growing religions in the United States whose reach extends worldwide. Touching on all aspects of this complex and sometimes controversial religion, Whitney gains access to Mormon archives and captures candid interviews with church supporters, opponents and historians.

    Directed by:

  • Helen Whitney
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    Punk's Not Dead
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    Punk's Not Dead

    2007
    This documentary explores the evolution of punk music, tracing the scene from era to era with the bands that have come to define the genre. Sanctioned by the artists, this film features contributions from bands like the Ramones, Black Flag and NOFX.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Dyner
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    The Brandon Teena Story
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    The Brandon Teena Story

    1998
    Brandon Teena -- a Nebraska woman who was born Teena Brandon but identified and dressed as a man -- is the focus of this absorbing documentary that uses interviews, reenactments and news footage to tell the story. Although Brandon found happiness with a girlfriend and made a number of friends, he was brutally attacked -- and later murdered -- when his secret was discovered. Brandon's life served as the basis for the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Muska
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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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