Documentary
Words of Witness
rating:3.0.png

Words of Witness

2012
Witness Hosni Mubarak's ouster through the eyes of reporter Heba Afify, who engaged in the protests while writing for an Egyptian newspaper. Amid the fervor and danger of the Arab Spring, Afify also copes with her mother's growing disapproval.

Directed by:

  • Mai Iskander
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles
    rating:3.0.png

    Let It Come Down: The Life of Paul Bowles

    1998
    American expatriate author and composer Paul Bowles -- best known for his influential 1949 novel The Sheltering Sky -- is the subject of this definitive documentary from Canadian director Jennifer Baichwal. While the film's nucleus is an extensive interview with the famously reclusive Bowles, who is surprisingly forthcoming, the highlight is footage of his final rendezvous with fellow scribes Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs.

    Directed by:

  • Jennifer Baichwal
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Corporal's Diary: 38 Days in Iraq
    rating:3.0.png

    The Corporal's Diary: 38 Days in Iraq

    2008
    This poignant documentary shares the video journal kept by 22-year-old Cpl. Jonathan Santos during the 37 days he served in Iraq before being killed in a bombing on October 15, 2004, along with several other soldiers. Jonathan's mother, Doris Kent, received the journal along with the rest of his belongings after his death, and the film follows her subsequent meetings with family members of other soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.

    Directed by:

  • Patricia Boiko
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Knuckleball!
    rating:3.0.png

    Knuckleball!

    2012
    Focusing on one of baseball's more eccentric wrinkles, this documentary spotlights a pitch that's confounded batters and extended pitchers' careers. Archival footage combines with a look at two modern knuckleballers, R.A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield.

    Directed by:

  • Ricki Stern
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Police Tapes
    rating:3.0.png

    The Police Tapes

    1976
    In 1976, two filmmakers rode along with police officers from the South Bronx's 44th precinct to depict the violent crime they saw. The result is this riveting documentary that won multiple awards, including three Emmys. Dramatic footage captures bold gangs, murder investigations and an explosive hostage situation. Surprisingly candid, the officers talk about the frustrations and fears they face as they serve in the savagely violent streets.

    Directed by:

  • Alan Raymond
  • Susan Raymond
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasens
    rating:3.0.png

    Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasens

    1997
    This amazingly candid, affectionate documentary chronicles the closing of legendary L.A. restaurant Chasen's, which shut its doors in 1995 after 60 years of serving its famous chili (among other entrees) to movie stars, presidents and other VIPs. During its two final weeks, Chasen regulars, management and staff (including waiter Tommy Gallagher, a longtime fixture) gave interviews where the anecdotes flowed as freely as the wine.

    Directed by:

  • Shari Springer Berman
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    211: Anna
    rating:3.0.png

    211: Anna

    2009
    Witness journalist Anna Politkovskaya's austere approach to covering stories such as the Chechen War and Beslan school hostage crisis. Politkovskaya's 2006 assassination earned her place no. 211 on the Russian Union of Journalists record of members killed in Russia since 1991, but her highly lauded work lives on in this documentary that features interviews with her children, spouse and newspaper colleagues.

    Directed by:

  • Giovanna Massimetti
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Blood in the Face
    rating:3.0.png

    Blood in the Face

    1991
    A blend of interviews, archival footage and white supremacy propaganda, this thought-provoking documentary takes an eye-opening look at the rise of neo-Nazism, fascism, the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nation in the United States. Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the film exposes a wide range of sometimes shocking beliefs, including the fear that illegal immigrants are entering the country with bombs strapped to their backs.

    Directed by:

  • Kevin Rafferty
  • James Ridgeway
  • Anne Bohlen
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Meaning of Food
    rating:3.0.png

    The Meaning of Food

    2004
    Discover the rich and varied history of American dining in this series that has filmmakers sitting at the table with guests from across the country who bring to the discussion opinions and experiences informed by their own cultural expectations.

    Directed by:

  • Maria Gargiulo
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius
    rating:3.0.png

    The Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius

    2004
    A close look into the psyche of prominent surrealist artist Salvador Dali, this documentary uses rare film clips and interviews to reveal his true nature. Special attention is paid to examining the inspirations that led to his incredible work. Known for creating strikingly bizarre images, the always-imaginative Dali regularly branched out beyond painting to create equally impressive works of art in film, sculpture and photography.

    Directed by:

  • Joan Ubeda
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Forbidden Lie$
    rating:3.0.png

    Forbidden Lie$

    2007
    Australian filmmaker Anna Broinowski takes viewers on a fascinating journey through Jordan, Australia and Chicago with discredited author Norma Khouri, who's determined to prove her innocence in this riveting documentary. Khouri's best-selling 2003 book Forbidden Love (published as Honor Lost in the United States) tells the story of her best friend's honor killing by her own father -- but was outed as a hoax a year after publication.

    Directed by:

  • Anna Broinowski
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Meeting Resistance
    rating:3.0.png

    Meeting Resistance

    2007
    Filmmakers Molly Bingham and Steve Connors capture an unseen side of the Iraq War with this compelling cinematic portrait of the men and women who are actively resisting their homeland's occupation. Via intimate first-person accounts and candid one-on-one interviews with eight Iraqi insurgents, the documentary offers insight to their motivations and allows them to explain their actions, shedding light on several myths in the process.

    Directed by:

  • Molly Bingham
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    They Made America
    rating:3.0.png

    They Made America

    2004
    In this four-part program from the producers of the "American Experience" series that originally aired on PBS, the innovators whose brainstorms and entrepreneurial spirit gave birth to such landmark advances as the steamboat and the 747 jetliner (as well as the Barbie doll and CNN) are profiled. It's an examination of more than two centuries of glorious growth and invention. Based on the titular book by journalist Harold Evans.

    Directed by:

  • Dan McCabe
  • Megan Gelstein
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood
    rating:3.0.png

    The Bronze Screen: 100 Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood

    2002
    The cinematic careers of Latino stars are celebrated in this progressive retrospective that deftly chronicles their many contributions. Movie clips and special interviews are used to narrate the importance of stars such as Anthony Quinn, Rita Moreno, Benicio Del Toro, Antonio Banderas, Desi Arnaz, Salma Hayek, John Leguizamo, Jennifer Lopez, Carmen Miranda and many more, from their beginnings in silent films to more contemporary fare.

    Directed by:

  • Nancy De Los Santos
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    Cruel & Unusual
    rating:3.0.png

    Cruel & Unusual

    2006
    Five transgender women share their experiences behind bars in this shocking documentary. Though they consider themselves women, their male genitalia forces them into men's prisons, where they face unspeakable abuse from both inmates and officials. Easy targets on the inside and frequently denied the medical care and hormone treatments they require, these inmates spend years caught between worlds, making their sentences even harder to bear.

    Directed by:

  • Dan Hunt
  • Janet Baus
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 Average Rating


    Find On Amazon
    The Shield Around the K: The Story of K Records
    rating:3.0.png

    The Shield Around the K: The Story of K Records

    1998
    Director Heather Rose Dominic's engrossing documentary details the laborious but fulfilling process of building a record label -- in this case, do-it-yourself K Records, which is responsible for such discoveries as Calvin Johnson's influential band, Beat Happening. Included are interviews with alternative-music legends Ian MacKaye of Fugazi; Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500; Rose Melberg of Softies and Tiger Trap; and more.

    Directed by:

  • Heather Rose Dominic
    • rating:3.0.png 3.0 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