Documentary
Building Big: Dams
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Building Big: Dams

2000
Explore man's never-ending quest to control water flow in this documentary hosted by David Macaulay. The film focuses on the significance and power of dam structures such as Egypt's Aswan Dam; explores the reasons for the deadly 1889 flood in Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and reveals the visionaries behind the engineering feats, including Hoover Dam's relentless chief engineer, Frank Crowe. Extras include a mini-dam-building activity for kids.

Directed by:

  • Judith Dawn Hallet
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    Magnificent Obsession: Frank Lloyd Wright's Buildings and Legacy in Japan
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    Magnificent Obsession: Frank Lloyd Wright's Buildings and Legacy in Japan

    2005
    Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright gained renown for his designs in America, but he drew great inspiration from Japan, where he worked for several years. This documentary explores his experiences in Japan and his influence on Japanese architecture. By examining the monuments Wright created in Japan, such as an embassy, a school and hotels, the program offers viewers insight into the brilliant architect's genius as well as his Japanese obsession.

    Directed by:

  • Karen Severns
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    Lockdown, USA
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    Lockdown, USA

    2006
    Rebecca Chaiklin and Michael Skolnik's stimulating documentary follows hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons's efforts to reform the New York Rockefeller drug laws that inordinately punish first-time and minority offenders. As the outspoken mogul rallies community support, he personalizes the case of Darryl Best -- who was unwittingly caught in the laws' dragnet and sentenced to 15 years -- and enters the quagmire of political negotiation.

    Directed by:

  • Michael Skolnik
  • Rebecca Chaiklin
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    The Peddler
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    The Peddler

    2010
    Movie magic sparkles at the heart of this portrait of Daniel Burmeister, a one-man film crew who drives through rural Argentina convincing locals in one town after another to help him make a feature film right there "on location." The rambling director's energy and ingenuity, and the enthusiasm his productions inspire in the locals, transform villages into movie sets and villagers into the stars of their own features.

    Directed by:

  • Lucas Marcheggiano
  • Eduardo de la Serna
  • Adriana Yurcovich
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    ANPO: Art X War
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    ANPO: Art X War

    2010
    The power of art to articulate the ideas of social activists and generate political action is illuminated in this documentary about Japanese artists who create to protest the American military, who have been in Japan since the 1940s. Using archival footage of demonstrations occurring since World War II, interviews with artists and profiles of many art works, director Linda Hoaglund examines the complex history between Japan and the U.S.

    Directed by:

  • Linda Hoaglund
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    Signs Out of Time: The Story of Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas
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    Signs Out of Time: The Story of Archaeologist Marija Gimbutas

    2003
    Blending eye-opening interviews and authentic footage, this documentary doubles as a carefully crafted portrait of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, shedding light on her influential research in the field of prehistoric European civilizations. After shaking up the archaeological establishment with her unconventional theories, Gimbutas went on to inspire a whole new generation of thinkers, winning both supporters and critics along the way.

    Directed by:

  • Donna Read
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    Cosmic Voyage / Destiny in Space
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    Cosmic Voyage / Destiny in Space

    1994
    Travel to outer space in these two spectacular IMAX features, which take viewers to the outer edges of the universe and back again. Narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, the computer-animated Cosmic Voyage explores scientific theories. Then, actor Leonard Nimoy narrates Destiny in Space, a documentary that looks at American astronauts searching for extraterrestrials, their journey to repair the Hubble Space Telescope and more.

    Directed by:

  • Bayley Silleck
  • Ben Burtt
  • Phyllis Ferguson
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    The New Americans
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    The New Americans

    2004
    Filmed over the course of four years, this award-winning documentary series that originally aired on PBS tracks the ups and downs of newly minted immigrants who are struggling to put down roots on American soil. The film captures the experiences of an Indian couple riding the dot-com boom, a pair of Nigerian families fleeing violence and political persecution, and two baseball players from the Dominican Republic, among other stories.

    Directed by:

  • Steve James
  • Gordon Quinn
  • Jerry Blumenthal
  • Indu Krishnan
  • Susana Aikin
  • Carlos Aparicio
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    Si Sos Brujo: A Story of Tango
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    Si Sos Brujo: A Story of Tango

    2005
    Caroline Neal's intimate documentary follows young bass player Ignacio Varchausky as he sets out to ensure the future of Argentina's beloved musical tradition by creating a tango orchestra school. With the help of 87-year-old retired violinist and composer Emilio Balcarce, Varchausky recruits some of the giants of tango's golden era, including Pepe Libertella, Raúl Garello and Néstor Marconi, to help preserve a national cultural treasure.

    Directed by:

  • Caroline Neal
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    In Nelson's Footsteps: Life and Times of Lord Horatio Nelson
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    In Nelson's Footsteps: Life and Times of Lord Horatio Nelson

    2008
    In this documentary, historian Colin White examines the career of British flag officer Lord Horatio Nelson, chronicling the naval hero's rise to prominence and his dramatic victory over France and Spain at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Journeying to the locales that figured prominently in Nelson's life, including his childhood home and the ship HMS Victory, White also reveals aspects of Nelson's personal life, including his troubled marriage.

    Directed by:

  • Sally Jenkinson
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    Eat This New York
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    Eat This New York

    2004
    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
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    Lost Civilizations
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    Lost Civilizations

    1995
    This series unearths the mysteries of ancient worlds, brought to life by astounding computer graphics and technology, accurate reenactments and fascinating stories. See how culture and history developed over 6,000 years in 25 countries. Learn about the reign of the pharaohs; how the Mayan culture established itself and influenced other communities; what truly happened to Atlantis and its people, lost in the seas forever; and more.

    Directed by:

  • Robert Gardner
  • Jenny Barraclough
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    Leona's Sister Gerri
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    Leona's Sister Gerri

    2007
    Jane Gillooly's intense documentary humanizes an iconic photograph that became the centerpiece for the fight for abortion rights. Before her body was found on a motel floor after a botched illegal abortion -- an image captured and reprinted hundreds of times -- Gerri Santoro was a beloved mother and a sister. She was also a woman struggling to leave an abusive marriage. Here, she's remembered in all her complexity, rather than as simply a victim.

    Directed by:

  • Jane Gillooly
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    The Good Life
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    The Good Life

    2010
    This gently observant documentary relates the tragicomic life story of once-wealthy dowager Mette Beckmann and her middle-aged daughter, Annemette, who subsist in a cramped Portuguese apartment on Mette's tiny pension and their own bickering company.

    Directed by:

  • Eva Mulvad
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    My Name Was Sabina Spielrein
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    My Name Was Sabina Spielrein

    2002
    Using letters, photographs and dramatic reenactments, director Elisabeth Marton provides a portrait of Sabina Spielrein, a key but often overlooked figure in the early days of psychoanalysis. The first patient as well as the lover of Carl Jung -- a relationship Jung's mentor Sigmund Freud advised against -- Spielrein went on to become a psychoanalyst herself. The letters between Spielrein, Freud and Jung form the basis for this documentary.

    Directed by:

  • Elisabeth Marton
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    Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business
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    Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business

    1994
    Beloved by U.S. audiences as the embodiment of Latin American spice but dismissed in South America as a caricatured stereotype, actress Carmen Miranda was once the richest woman in America. Her complex and turbulent life gets the star treatment in this 1994 documentary about the Brazilian Bombshell, whose signature fashion statement was a fruit basket on her head. Interviewees include actors Cesar Romero, Alice Faye and Rita Moreno.

    Directed by:

  • Helena Solberg
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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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