Documentary
Encounter Point
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Encounter Point

2006
As violence continues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, some of those touched by the bloodshed become advocates for peace. This documentary introduces citizens on both sides for whom an end to conflict has become a personal crusade. Family members of slain Palestinians and Israelis, both military and civilian, share their stories and how they've turned their grief into a force for change in the region.

Directed by:

  • Ronit Avni
  • Julia Bacha
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Olympia
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    Olympia

    1938
    On the heels of her propaganda film, Triumph of the Will, German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl chronicled the 1936 Olympics with this stellar, poetic sports documentary which captures the games in Berlin, including Jesse Owens's history-making victory. The thrill of the games, the beauty and power of the athletes, Riefenstahl's groundbreaking camera techniques and an evocative soundtrack make this one of the best sports documentaries ever made.

    Directed by:

  • Leni Riefenstahl
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks
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    Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks

    2001
    The exuberant atmosphere of the Broadway blockbuster is captured in Recording the Producers: A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks, a new 85-minute film from the Emmy Award-winning director Susan Froemke and Maysles Films. The film candidly captures the excitement of translating the show into a complete experience for the recording's audience.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Froemke
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Cropsey
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    Cropsey

    2009
    Directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio explore an urban legend that always disturbed them while growing up in Staten Island, N.Y. -- a rash of child abductions that struck the area in the 1970s and 80s -- in their gripping documentary. The legend became real when a handyman and drifter named Andre Rand abducted numerous young kids, setting off myriad motive theories, frightening residents in the community and tripping up the legal system.

    Directed by:

  • Joshua Zeman
  • Barbara Brancaccio
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius
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    Robert Rauschenberg: Inventive Genius

    1999
    This episode from the PBS series "American Masters," which highlights the lives of great Americans and their contributions to society and the arts, features the work of artist Robert Rauschenberg. His interest in popular culture combined with his unique painting style made Rauschenberg one of the most celebrated artists of his time. Unorthodox methods such as applying paint to a car's tire and using the track as the piece of art were not uncommon.

    Directed by:

  • Karen Thomas
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Regret to Inform
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    Regret to Inform

    1998
    Venturing to Vietnam 20 years after her husband's death, filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn finds a landscape filled with the psychological remnants of war in this film about the common ground shared by widows on both sides of the conflict. Filled with archival footage, breathtaking visions of modern Vietnam and tragic stories from American and Vietnamese women who lost their husbands to war, this Oscar-nominated documentary details an unforgettable journey.

    Directed by:

  • Barbara Sonneborn
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    A Wayfarer's Journey: Listening to Mahler
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    A Wayfarer's Journey: Listening to Mahler

    2007
    Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss lends his voice as the late-19th-century Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, who overcame a difficult childhood by using music as his therapy. Nearly 100 years later, renowned pianist Christoph Eschenbach reveals how Mahler's music helped heal the wounds of his own childhood trauma. The documentary explores the healing power of music and how therapists are using it to treat patients today.

    Directed by:

  • Ruth Yorkin Drazen
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    The Second City: The First Family of Comedy
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    The Second City: The First Family of Comedy

    2006
    An uproarious behind-the-scenes look at Chicago's famed Second City comedy club and troupe, this retrospective spans from the group's early days to the hit "SCTV" series and beyond as it tickles with reminiscences from Dan Aykroyd, Tina Fey, Martin Short, Alan Arkin and Mike Meyers. Footage of Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, John Candy, Eugene Levy and other alumni affirms Second City's place in comedy history.

    Directed by:

  • Sharon Bartlett
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    What the #$*! Do We Know!?
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    What the #$*! Do We Know!?

    2004
    When she's thrust from her mundane life into an unfamiliar world, Amanda must develop an all-new perception of her surroundings and the people she interacts with in this quirky film that explores neurological processes and quantum uncertainty.

    Directed by:

  • William Arntz
  • Betsy Chasse
  • Mark Vicente
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Mary Pickford: American Experience
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    Mary Pickford: American Experience

    2005
    America's first film sweetheart, Mary Pickford, possessed a winsome way of acting that entranced audiences. She was also a shrewd businesswoman who played a pivotal role in shaping the media of the 20th century. (Pickford, along with husband Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, William S. Hart and others, formed United Artists.) This program features footage, stills, original audio interviews with Pickford and clips from her movies.

    Directed by:

  • Sue Williams
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    In the Realms of the Unreal
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    In the Realms of the Unreal

    2004
    Featuring the voices of Dakota Fanning and Larry Pine and the work of talented animators, this documentary tells the story of Henry Darger, a reclusive janitor by day with few -- if any -- friends, but by night a literary artist with a unique vision. Darger's resulting 15,000-page epic is a wonderland of imagination as it details the exploits of seven angelic sisters who lead a rebellion against men who enslave children.

    Directed by:

  • Jessica Yu
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    When the Mountains Tremble
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    When the Mountains Tremble

    1983
    Filmed amidst the bloody confrontation between Guatemala's military and virtually unarmed Mayans, this Sundance award-winning documentary chronicles the amazing story of Rigoberta Menchú, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

    Directed by:

  • Newton Thomas Sigel
  • Pamela Yates
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Forgiveness: A Time to Love & A Time to Hate
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    Forgiveness: A Time to Love & A Time to Hate

    2011
    Documentarian Helen Whitney explores the practice of forgiveness and how the reality of atoning can diverge from idealized concepts of it. Can bygones really be bygones, no matter the severity of the infraction?

    Directed by:

  • Helen Whitney
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Earth Made of Glass
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    Earth Made of Glass

    2010
    Filmmaker Deborah Scranton's inspiring documentary charts the dual stories of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and genocide survivor Jean Pierre, both of whom are searching for truths that remain elusive and mysterious. While Kagame sorts through questions swirling around the arrest of Rose Kabuye, his closest aide, on terrorism charges, Pierre remains haunted by his father's unexplained death 15 years ago.

    Directed by:

  • Deborah Scranton
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    The Trials of Ted Haggard
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    The Trials of Ted Haggard

    2008
    In this telling documentary directed by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Alexandra, former evangelical preacher Ted Haggard discusses his fall from grace in a highly publicized 2006 scandal involving crystal meth and a male prostitute. Among other things, the film reveals that Haggard remains committed to his wife and children despite a "personal struggle" with homosexuality he's long kept secret -- until now.

    Directed by:

  • Alexandra Pelosi
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 Average Rating


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    Talhotblond
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    Talhotblond

    2009
    Director Barbara Schroeder's true-crime documentary follows a real-life love triangle whose participants had never met beyond cyberspace -- yet whose passions ended up sending one member to prison and another to the grave. Drawing on interviews as well as transcripts of the lovers' online chats, Schroeder tells the story of a teen named Jessie and the devastation caused by her online affairs with two men who worked together.

    Directed by:

  • Barbara Schroeder
    • rating:3.4.png 3.4 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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