Documentary
The Little Travelers: Japan
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The Little Travelers: Japan

2008
Experience Japan through the eyes of a child as American sisters Chantelle Hart and Nakia Hart begin their travels making friends and exploring the country's culture and customs in this award-winning educational adventure for the whole family. Spending three months in the ancient country, the twosome learn a little Japanese, play taiko drums, dress up in kimonos, meet ninjas, spend a day in preschool and taste lots of food -- even snails.

Directed by:

  • Angelina Hart
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    Soldiers of Conscience
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    Soldiers of Conscience

    2007
    In battle, American soldiers grapple with the split-second decision of whether to kill an enemy combatant. This documentary profiles four soldiers who are prepared to kill if they must, and four who refuse to kill, becoming conscientious objectors. Narrated by Peter Coyote, the film includes footage of basic training and combat in Iraq, illustrating the extreme circumstances under which soldiers face this very difficult moral quandary.

    Directed by:

  • Gary Weimberg
  • Catherine Ryan
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    Long Story Short
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    Long Story Short

    2008
    Oscar-nominated filmmaker Christine Choy explores the lives of husband-and-wife performers Larry and Trudie Long, who rose from the Chinatown nightclub circuit in the 1940s and '50s to "The Ed Sullivan Show," battling racism along the way. Narrated by their daughter, actress Jodi Long, the documentary weaves together a glamorous showbiz tale with the touching story of the Long family's personal struggles.

    Directed by:

  • Christine Choy
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    Behind the Glass Door: Hannah's Story
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    Behind the Glass Door: Hannah's Story

    1998
    A family learns to cope with their developmentally disabled daughter through prayer, patience and outside support in this inspiring Christian program. Diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a form of autism, Hannah lives in her own world marked by constant tantrums that challenge her parents and siblings. With help from professionals and her family's faith in God, Hannah improves, and the family grows closer than ever before.

    Directed by:

  • Karen Pascal
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    One Nation Under Dog
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    One Nation Under Dog

    2011
    This touching documentary explores the complex connections Americans have with their dogs. Stories include a look at rescuers, pet loss counselors and a Florida couple who cloned their adored canine at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

    Directed by:

  • Ellen Goosenberg Kent
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    American Mystic
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    American Mystic

    2010
    In this thought-provoking documentary, filmmaker Alex Mar immerses herself in her subject -- alternative religions -- by following three believers on divergent paths: a pagan priestess, a spiritualist and an American Indian sun dancer.

    Directed by:

  • Alex Mar
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    Rhino Rescue
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    Rhino Rescue

    2009
    Beverly Joubert and Dereck Joubert produce and direct this National Geographic documentary that recounts their efforts to rescue black rhinos from extinction. Targeted by poachers, the worldwide population of black rhinos has diminished at an alarming rate, now totaling less than 4,000. Aided by the Botswana Defense Force, the Jouberts helm a historic effort to remove the rhinos from harm's way and relocate them.

    Directed by:

  • Dereck Joubert
  • Beverly Joubert
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    Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis
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    Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis

    2006
    In this entrancing documentary on performance artist, photographer and underground filmmaker Jack Smith, photographs and rare clips of Smith's performances and films punctuate interviews with artists, critics, friends and foes to create an engaging portrait of the artist. Widely known for his banned queer erotica film Flaming Creatures, Smith was an innovator and firebrand who influenced artists such as Andy Warhol and John Waters.

    Directed by:

  • Mary Jordan
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    Wonders of the African World
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    Wonders of the African World

    1999
    Take a journey to far-off lands with world-renowned scholar and educator Henry Louis Gates Jr. as he examines the historical events that shaped 20th century Africa. Exploring the continent on both land and water, Gates attempts to locate the centuries-old remains of celebrated African cities and kingdoms, sometimes finding what he's looking for in unlikely places scattered throughout modern towns.

    Directed by:

  • Helena Appio
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    Soul in the Hole
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    Soul in the Hole

    1997
    Documentary filmmaker Danielle Gardner examines New York street basketball and its powerful place in African-American communities. The film focuses on the Brooklyn champion Ed "Booger" Smith and one season with his team, The Kenny Kings, and the hotheaded man who coaches them, Kenny Jones. The Bedford-Stuyvesant hoopsters' relationships with each other, the community and their coach add up to much more than a simple sports documentary.

    Directed by:

  • Danielle Gardner
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    Shoot Down
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    Shoot Down

    2007
    In this compelling documentary, Cuban-American filmmaker Cristina Khuly tries to piece together the events of Feb. 24, 1996, when the Cuban military shot down two American airplanes, killing her uncle and three other civilians. Khuly uses archived radar tracks, intercepted radio transmissions and interviews with victims' families to re-create an event that's still in dispute and explain the complex relationship between the two countries.

    Directed by:

  • Cristina Khuly
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    Searching for Debra Winger
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    Searching for Debra Winger

    2002
    Originally airing on Showtime, this documentary directed by actress Rosanna Arquette focuses on the life of somewhat hermetic star Debra Winger, as well as the struggles that actresses over the age of 40 have endured in Hollywood. Through interviews with contemporaries such as Diane Lane, Teri Garr, Holly Hunter, Whoopi Goldberg, Meg Ryan and Sharon Stone, Arquette conveys a problem facing many older actresses: the search for quality roles.

    Directed by:

  • Rosanna Arquette
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    The Astronomers
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    The Astronomers

    1991
    Outer space is demystified in this riveting series that makes use of interviews, footage, animation and special-effects technology to explore the universe through the eyes of the men and women who know the most about it: astronomers. Six episodes are included in this collection: "Where Is the Rest of the Universe?" "Searching for Black Holes," "A Window to Creation," "Waves of the Future," "Stardust" and "Prospecting for Planets."

    Directed by:

  • Linda Feferman
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    Geburt
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    Geburt

    2009
    Beautifully photographed and conceived, this sublime documentary from filmmakers Erich Langjahr and Silvia Haselbeck artfully chronicles the stages of pregnancy, from gestation and fetal development to Lamaze classes and delivery. Additionally, Langjahr and Haselbeck's film profiles the work of a modern-day midwife, and reveals the serene and almost spiritual way she welcomes a new life into the world.

    Directed by:

  • Erich Langjahr
  • Silvia Haselbeck
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    I Am My Own Woman
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    I Am My Own Woman

    1992
    This docudrama tells the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdor -- born Lothar Berflede -- who, defining herself as a woman trapped in a man's body, survived World War II and the East German Stasis to become a founder of the German gay liberation movement. Melding documentary footage and interviews with dramatic reenactments, filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim paints a vivid portrait of a woman who defied convention to live according to her own rules.

    Directed by:

  • Rosa von Praunheim
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    Route 66
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    Route 66

    1994
    Get your kicks on Route 66 -- the historic all-American highway stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles -- through this video that will show you all the hot spots, best-kept secrets and everywhere in between. Follow historian Michael Wallis (author of the award-winning &NFi;Route 66: The Mother Road&NFi_;) as he makes pit stops at the quaint towns and often kitschy attractions along the way.

    Directed by:

  • Linda Lewis
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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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