Documentary
Long Night's Journey into Day
rating:3.1.png

Long Night's Journey into Day

2000
After the South African government dismantled apartheid, it created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, promising amnesty to perpetrators of politically motivated crimes if they confessed at public hearings. This powerful documentary -- which received many international honors, including a Best Documentary Oscar nomination and the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize -- uses trial footage, newsreels and interviews to follow four cases.

Directed by:

  • Deborah Hoffman
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family
    rating:3.1.png

    Three of Hearts: A Postmodern Family

    2005
    Shot over an eight-year span, filmmaker Susan Kaplan's absorbing documentary follows the domestic struggles of three consenting adults: bisexuals Sam Cagnina and Steven Margolin and their live-in straight partner, Samantha Singh. After building an unconventional life together, the threesome decides to conceive a child, which changes the emotional dynamics and sets the stage for -- ironically -- degeneration into traditional family dysfunction.

    Directed by:

  • Susan Kaplan
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Blood of Yingzhou District
    rating:3.1.png

    The Blood of Yingzhou District

    2006
    In this Oscar-winning documentary short, Hong Kong filmmaker Ruby Yang chronicles the lives of young orphans living in the Yingzhou district of China's Anhui province, children whose parents have died from AIDS and now face a life of painful choices. The film centers on a silent boy named Gao Jun, who's been stigmatized, abandoned and kept away from other children for fear that he will infect them.

    Directed by:

  • Ruby Yang
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Soldiers Pay
    rating:3.1.png

    Soldiers Pay

    2004
    Filmmaker David O. Russell's revealing documentary provides insight into the Iraq War through interviews with people from various backgrounds and with differing opinions on America's involvement in Iraq. Shot during the war, the film features interviews with journalists, veterans of the war, politicians, Iraqis who fled to the U.S. to escape Saddam Hussein's regime, psychologists, a Marine general who served in the Gulf War and many others.

    Directed by:

  • David O. Russell
  • Tricia Regan
  • Juan Carlos Zaldivar
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    108
    rating:3.1.png

    108

    2010
    In this moving documentary, director Renate Costa delves into the life of his uncle Rodolfo, a free spirit who was arrested and tortured after being included on one of Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner's 108 lists of suspected homosexuals. While it celebrates Rodolfo's remarkable joie de vivre in the face of tyranny, the film also shines a light into a dark episode of Paraguayan history that reverberates through the country today.

    Directed by:

  • Renate Costa
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The List
    rating:3.1.png

    The List

    2012
    A young aid worker creates a life-saving list to help innocent Iraqis who've been targeted as traitors by radical militias. Their only crime? Cooperating with the United States during Iraq's post-war reconstruction.

    Directed by:

  • Beth Murphy
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Awake, My Soul
    rating:3.1.png

    Awake, My Soul

    2006
    Journey to the Deep South and take in the haunting sound of Sacred Harp singing -- an unusual form of a cappella that embraces "shape-note" singing -- in this absorbing documentary, which also traces the fascinating history of the genre. Seen nationwide on public television, the program represents the culmination of seven years of painstaking work by directors Matt and Erica Hinton. Country singer Jim Lauderdale narrates.

    Directed by:

  • Matt Hinton
  • Erica Hinton
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Red Birds
    rating:3.1.png

    Red Birds

    2009
    Director Brigitte Cornand matches the voices and thoughts of 14 female artists, including Louise Bourgeois and Kiki Smith, with film footage of the various bird species she associates with them. The subjects' serious reflections on their struggles and conflicts as female artists are given a wry perspective by the images of their avian counterparts, ranging from cardinals to chickadees, wood pigeons and blue jays.

    Directed by:

  • Brigitte Cornand
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Good Fight
    rating:3.1.png

    The Good Fight

    1984
    During the Spanish Civil War, thousands of Americans fought to end fascism, only to return home and be unfairly blacklisted as communist supporters. Narrated by Studs Terkel, this documentary tells the forgotten stories of these misunderstood heroes. Newsreel footage, archival photographs and interviews with surviving veterans shed new light on these brave civilian soldiers' amazing struggle for democracy.

    Directed by:

  • Noel Buckner
  • Mary Dore
  • Sam Sills
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Making the Misfits
    rating:3.1.png

    Making the Misfits

    2001
    The Misfits, starring the iconic Clark Gable and the enigmatic Marilyn Monroe, and directed by the acclaimed John Huston, was one of the most highly anticipated movies of 1961. Based on a short story by Arthur Miller (who was married to Monroe at the time of filming), it was a cinematic tour de force. But this documentary reveals that what took place &NFi;behind&NFi_; the scenes -- the back story -- proved to be an even more fascinating tale.

    Directed by:

  • Gail Levin
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Waiting for Armageddon
    rating:3.1.png

    Waiting for Armageddon

    2009
    In this eye-opening, equitable documentary, filmmakers Kate Davis, David Heilbroner and Franco Sacchi explore the lives of evangelical Christians who believe that Armageddon is imminent and that Israel will be the site of Christ's second coming. The film follows evangelicals as they prepare for the apocalypse and examines how their beliefs have influenced the U.S. government's relationships with Israel and the Muslim world.

    Directed by:

  • Kate Davis
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    American Experience: Sister Aimee
    rating:3.1.png

    American Experience: Sister Aimee

    2007
    At the peak of her immense popularity in the 1920s, evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson was drawing larger crowds to her revivals than those of P.T. Barnum or Harry Houdini. This chapter of "American Experience" paints a vivid portrait of the controversial and charismatic religious figure. Credited with mainstreaming religion in American culture, Sister Aimee created one of the country's first Christian radio stations, among other accomplishments.

    Directed by:

  • Linda Garmon
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Something Within Me
    rating:3.1.png

    Something Within Me

    1993
    In 1985, the administrators of St. Augustine's, a poor Catholic school in the South Bronx where many children were failing miserably at basic academics, tried a new approach. They revamped the curriculum to stress the arts, particularly music. The kids lifted up their instruments and, eventually, their test scores, too. This infectious, inspiring musical documentary by Emma Joan Morris won three awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

    Directed by:

  • Emma Joan Morris
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Whiz Kids
    rating:3.1.png

    Whiz Kids

    2009
    In this inspirational documentary, filmmaker Tom Shepard follows three gifted high school students as they advance into the final rounds of the Science Talent Search, America's most venerable science competition. As it reveals how these prodigies have risen above personal obstacles to reach their dreams, the film examines why most American students lag behind global standards in science achievement.

    Directed by:

  • Tom Shepard
  • Tina DiFeliciantonio
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Mamachas del Ring
    rating:3.1.png

    Mamachas del Ring

    2009
    This heartfelt documentary tells the tale of Carmen Rosa, aka the Champion, who smashed barriers -- and bones -- in the male-dominated world of Bolivian lucha libre when she entered the ring in 2004. However, her wrestling dream came true at a price. Banned from the sport she loves, Rosa forms her own all-female wrestling league with some fellow women fighters, but when her husband gives her an ultimatum, will she choose her family or her sport?

    Directed by:

  • Betty M. Park
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Reluctant Saint: Francis of Assisi
    rating:3.1.png

    Reluctant Saint: Francis of Assisi

    2003
    Pamela Mason Wagner produced this in-depth look at the life of Saint Francis, whose legacy lives on in the hearts of countless Catholics. Set in his native Umbria, Italy, the film details the events and influences that made him who he was. Known as everything from a soldier to a businessman to a nature enthusiast, Saint Francis was much more than that. Actor Liev Schreiber narrates and Robert Sean Leonard provides Francis's voice.

    Directed by:

  • Pamela Mason Wagner
    • rating:3.1.png 3.1 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