Documentary
The Arrivals
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The Arrivals

2009
Heart-tugging stories of refugees from around the globe -- all hoping to find a better life -- form the focus of this unblinking documentary about French social workers' efforts to help the world's dispossessed. Among the throng are families who can't even explain how they got where they are: at a crowded intake center in Paris. Lacking papers of any kind, the immigrants' fates rest in the hands of the overwhelmed workers trying to assist them.

Directed by:

  • Claudine Bories
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    Hana, Dul, Sed...
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    Hana, Dul, Sed...

    2009
    Filmmaker Brigitte Weich follows four members of North Korea's national women's soccer team during their careers and after retirement in this fascinating documentary that provides a look inside the nation's culture. While playing, the women receive financial perks at home, but endure taunts about their country when abroad. Forced to retire when the team doesn't qualify for the Olympics, the women move on to other jobs or raising families.

    Directed by:

  • Brigitte Weich
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    I Know a Woman Like That
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    I Know a Woman Like That

    2009
    Actress Virginia Madsen collaborates with her mother, Emmy Award-winning director Elaine Madsen, to produce this inspiring documentary, which profiles a collection of fascinating woman whom range between 64 to 94 years old. Among those featured in this extraordinary exploration of womanhood are famed model-turned-actress Lauren Hutton, screen and stage legend Rita Moreno and Hollywood pioneer Eartha Kitt.

    Directed by:

  • Elaine Madsen
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    We're Not Broke
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    We're Not Broke

    2012
    In this searing exposé, filmmakers explore the discontent of activists fed up with a government that allows U.S. corporations to skip out on paying their fair share of taxes, leaving consumers to shoulder the brunt of a great recession.

    Directed by:

  • Victoria Bruce
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    The World of Jacques Demy
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    The World of Jacques Demy

    1995
    For a change, French New Wave auteur Jacques Demy is in front of, instead of behind, the lens in this fascinating documentary -- directed by his wife, filmmaker Agnes Varda -- that looks at Demy's life and his work. Get to know the director of the seminal Bay of Angels, Lola and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg through the eyes of those closest to him.

    Directed by:

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    Flag Wars
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    Flag Wars

    2003
    A gripping look at a complex issue, this documentary explores the upheaval that occurs in a primarily African-American working-class neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, when it becomes gentrified by an influx of white homosexuals. While longtime residents struggle to survive, the gay newcomers face their own set of issues. The economic and political clash between two historically oppressed groups brings out prejudice and insensitivity on both sides.

    Directed by:

  • Linda Goode Bryant
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    Twisted: A Balloonamentary
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    Twisted: A Balloonamentary

    2007
    In this engrossing documentary, you'll explore the unusual world of balloon twisters, as eight experts explain how learning to transform balloons into animals, people and other amazing shapes has also transformed their lives. Filmmakers Naomi Greenfield and Sara Taksler visit Twist and Shout, one of the world's top conventions for this uncommon pastime, and discover that in the right hands, simple latex balloons can become almost anything.

    Directed by:

  • Naomi Greenfield
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    My Generation
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    My Generation

    2000
    In this penetrating documentary, filmmakers Thomas Haneke and Barbara Kopple compare the epic, independently organized 1969 Woodstock music festival with the corporate-branded Woodstock anniversary concerts held in 1994 and 1999. Focusing on how the festivals both forged and reflected the identity of two different generations, Haneke and Kopple also chronicle the chaos and ugly violence that marred the later concerts.

    Directed by:

  • Thomas Haneke
  • Barbara Kopple
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    Catching Out
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    Catching Out

    2002
    Sarah George's adventurous documentary chronicles the lives of four freight-train-hopping hobos. Candid interviews reveal the circumstances that led each individual to the hobo life, an existence free of authority figures and complicated financial obligations. After years of riding the rails, Switch and Baby Girl face the responsibilities of parenthood, while Lee publishes a hobo-zine and college dropout Jessica quenches her wanderlust.

    Directed by:

  • Sarah George
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    The Breast Cancer Diaries
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    The Breast Cancer Diaries

    2008
    Television news reporter and young mother Anne Murray Paige chronicles her nine-month battle with breast cancer in this poignant, insightful and humorous documentary directed by news correspondent Linda Pattillo. Sharing her thoughts in a video diary, Murray Paige gives a raw view into the life-altering journey taken by one in seven women worldwide, and challenges an emphasis on physical appearance as she rules out breast reconstruction.

    Directed by:

  • Ann Murray Paige
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    Class Act
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    Class Act

    2005
    Morgan Spurlock, Joe Morley and Heather Winters -- the same group of filmmakers that exposed the greasy truth about fast-food "supersizing" -- team with director Sara Sackner for this eye-opening documentary that looks under the hood of America's public school curriculum. Under the microscope this time is arts education and its pitiable lack of funding, as well as the vital role a teacher can play in the lives of struggling students.

    Directed by:

  • Sara Sackner
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    The Port of Last Resort: Zuflucht in Shanghai
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    The Port of Last Resort: Zuflucht in Shanghai

    1998
    Desperate to find a corner of the world that would afford safety from the scourge of Adolf Hitler, between 1938 and 1941 thousands of European Jews headed to Shanghai, China -- the only city without entry requirements. This fascinating documentary examines a little-known sliver of history through archival footage, home movies and the recollections of four people who experienced it: Fred Fields, Siegmar Simon, Ernest Heppner and his wife, Illo.

    Directed by:

  • Paul Rosdy
  • Joan Grossman
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    The Third Monday in October
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    The Third Monday in October

    2006
    As America faced a divisive presidential election in 2004, filmmaker Vanessa Roth took her camera to another series of elections: student council races in four diverse middle schools across the country. The kids discuss issues ranging from updating school textbooks and equipment to improving school lunches. With humor and insight, this documentary explores the impact of family, geography, class and national politics on the students' choices.

    Directed by:

  • Vanessa Roth
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    La Santa Muerte: Saint Death
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    La Santa Muerte: Saint Death

    2007
    Looking for spiritual solace, the disenfranchised of Mexico City's slums worship the skeletal figure of Saint Death. Filmmaker Eva Aridjis examines the role this icon plays in the lives of gang members, prisoners, transsexuals and everyday people. In their need for hope, this disparate group of poor and indigent finds a tangible presence in death that no other religious figure can provide. Gael García Bernal narrates.

    Directed by:

  • Eva Aridjis
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    Visions of Eight
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    Visions of Eight

    1973
    Eight shorts from eight directors make up this documentary anthology, which offers a multifaceted meditation on the spirit of sporting achievement at the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany.

    Directed by:

  • Jim Clark
  • Milos Forman
  • Kon Ichikawa
  • Claude Lelouch
  • Yuri Ozerov
  • Arthur Penn
  • Michael Pfleghar
  • John Schlesinger
  • Mai Zetterling
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    Persons of Interest
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    Persons of Interest

    2004
    In the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, more than 5,000 Arab or Muslim immigrants were taken into custody by the U.S. Justice Department and held indefinitely on the grounds of national security. This documentary consists of a series of interviews with 12 detainees and family members, conducted in a bare room that functioned variously as interrogation room, prison cell and home.

    Directed by:

  • Alison MacLean
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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
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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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