Documentary
Thing with No Name
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Thing with No Name

2008
Filmmaker Sarah Friedland's harrowing documentary takes an unblinking look into the lives of the millions of Africans living with HIV or AIDS by chronicling the trials and tribulations of two Zulu women suffering with the deadly virus. Counted among the scores of patients living in a region hampered by limited resources and medical support, Friedland's subjects exhibit unquestionable strength in the face of alarming adversity.

Directed by:

  • Sarah Friedland
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Something Like Flying: The Experimental Films of Debra Stratman
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    Something Like Flying: The Experimental Films of Debra Stratman

    2005
    Three short films by media artist Debra Stratman blur the line between abstract and documentary filmmaking, featuring haunting and beautiful visuals. "Kings of the Sky" follows tightrope artist Adil Hoxur on a tour of the Chinese desert; "In Order Not to Be Here" goes undercover in the suburbs to investigate a culture of isolation; and "From Hetty to Nancy" uses handwritten letters to tell the story of two turn-of-the-century friends.

    Directed by:

  • Deborah Stratman
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    International Documentary Challenge
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    International Documentary Challenge

    2006
    Directors and all-volunteer crews from around the world are given five days to shoot and edit a short non-fiction film in the unique competition known as the International Documentary Challenge, which began in 2006. This collection showcases the best films from the first three years of the contest. Selections include films from China, the Netherlands, Israel, Palestine, New York, Seattle, Montana, Japan and more.

    Directed by:

  • Niklas Sven Vollmer
  • Laura Kissel
  • Brendan Gill
  • Gregory Scott
  • Jon Ward
  • Chris Thomas
  • Kevin Thomas
  • Izzy Abrahami
  • Erga Netz
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Design
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    Design

    2006
    Filmmakers Danielle Schirman and Anna-Celia Kendall explore the fusion of form and function in six iconic products that helped define 20th-century design. See how the iMac, Akari lamp, BIC Cristal pen, Bubble Club sofa, Hoover vacuum and Citroën's DS19 went beyond pure functionality to capture the public's imagination and become part of popular culture.

    Directed by:

  • Danielle Schirman
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Mission: God at Work, Faith in Action
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    Mission: God at Work, Faith in Action

    2004
    Missionaries Steve Saint and Dianne Becker serve as hosts for this series of documentary-style, Christian magazine programs filmed at the Florida-based Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center. This program contains 24 segments featuring evangelists' worldwide efforts, including the Malawi Living Water Project, the Honduras Micah Project, World Team's work in Indonesia and Guatemala's God's Child Project.

    Directed by:

  • Dianne Becker
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Vanishing Cultures: Bushmen of the Kalahari
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    Vanishing Cultures: Bushmen of the Kalahari

    2005
    British actor Michael York narrates filmmaker Paula Ely's thought-provoking examination of the San people of southern Africa, a culture rooted in the Kalahari Desert that's survived for some 80,000 years but now faces all-out extinction. Also known as Bushmen, these inherently peaceful people are now grappling with the encroachment of modern society. In the process, their ancestral ways are vanishing.

    Directed by:

  • Paula Ely
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Barbara Hendricks: Artist of Life
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    Barbara Hendricks: Artist of Life

    2001
    Combining performances, interviews and archival footage, Artist of Life presents a rare look into the life of the multi-talented and multi-faceted opera singer Barbara Hendricks. Not only one of opera's biggest stars, Hendricks -- who has been a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN's High Commission for Refugees -- is also renowned as a humanitarian and global art advocate.

    Directed by:

  • Catherine Tatge
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez
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    The Short Life of Jose Antonio Gutierrez

    2006
    Nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this 2006 documentary profiles the life of Marine Lance Cpl. José Antonio Gutierrez -- a "green card" (non-U.S. citizen) soldier and the Iraq War's first American casualty. A former street kid from Guatemala, Gutierrez traveled to America in search of a better life, only to end up on the other side of the world when he enlisted in the Marines to gain U.S. citizenship after serving.

    Directed by:

  • Heidi Specogna
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Earth Camp One
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    Earth Camp One

    2007
    Using mixed-media techniques, this contemplative film chronicles a painful period in the life of director Jennie Livingston, who lost four members of her family in five years. On the flip side, the movie recounts her experiences at a hippie summer camp in the 1970s. Known for tackling uncommon subjects, Livingston made waves with her debut documentary Paris Is Burning, which copped the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival.

    Directed by:

  • Jennie Livingston
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Who's Dancin' Now
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    Who's Dancin' Now

    1999
    In 1983, the children of the National Dance Institute were introduced to the world in the Oscar-winning documentary He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'. Now, in 1999, the children involved in Jacques D'Amboise's educational dance program are all grown up -- and they've moved on to illustrious and disparate careers. This engaging documentary profiles the adult lives of program graduates and reveals the impact dance has had on each of their destinies.

    Directed by:

  • Judy Kinberg
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Oceania: The Human/Dolphin Connection
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    Oceania: The Human/Dolphin Connection

    2008
    Filmmaker Estelle Myers directs this award-winning program that originally aired on television in Australia and New Zealand, delivering a fascinating investigation of the human-dolphin connection. Diving below the surface of what is commonly known about the graceful marine mammals, the documentary features interviews with people whose lives have been dramatically altered by their contact with dolphins and whales.

    Directed by:

  • Estelle Myers
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Through a Child's Eyes
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    Through a Child's Eyes

    2002
    Through words, artwork and music, this enthralling documentary records what it was like for children to experience the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. The interviewees are children ages 2-11 who hail from New York, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., as well as children living in America with roots in Afghanistan, Burma and Burundi. Music and children's artwork is used throughout this engrossing film.

    Directed by:

  • Amy Schatz
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Assunta Spina / The Last Diva: Double Feature
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    Assunta Spina / The Last Diva: Double Feature

    1915
    Based on the novel and play by Salvatore Di Giacomo, Assunta Spina tells of a Neapolitan working-class girl (Francesca Bertini) whose livelihood and honor is constantly threatened by people more powerful than herself. The Last Diva is a tribute to Italian silent-film actress Francesca Bertini, including a special interview with the star herself and clips from her films, with a special focus on Assunta Spina (filmed in 1915).

    Directed by:

  • Francesca Bertini
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Afro Promo
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    Afro Promo

    2005
    Allowing the mesmerizing collection of promotional film trailers to speak for itself, this entertaining documentary tracks the evolution of black cinema from 1946 to 1976 -- warts and all. With appearances by Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Pam Grier and many others, the clips run the gamut from the progressive to the offensive, covering everything from blaxploitation flicks to plantation dramas.

    Directed by:

  • Bruce Knapper
  • Jenni Olson
  • Karl Bruce Knapper
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Freaky Circus Guy
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    Freaky Circus Guy

    2006
    Jane Burek directs this documentary that takes you inside the wondrously strange and fascinating world of circus sideshow performers. Burek's film follows the eccentric Ken Harck, whose passion is collecting circus posters from the 1920s and '30s (he has the world's largest collection). Harck takes his obsession to a new level when he decides to launch a sideshow -- complete with sword swallowers and other oddities -- on a New Jersey boardwalk.

    Directed by:

  • Jane Burek
    • rating:2.5.png 2.5 Average Rating


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    Grandi Speranze
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    Grandi Speranze

    2009
    Filmmakers Massimo D'Anolfi and Martina Parenti craft a fascinating documentary that takes a hard look at entrepreneurship, business ethics and the global economy through the words and actions of three modern Italian businessmen. There's tense drama and bitter comedy in their efforts to establish a mineral water factory in Shanghai, China, as their Western beliefs and business models clash with a culture they can't comprehend.

    Directed by:

  • Massimo D'Anolfi
  • Martina Parenti
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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
    • rating:3.8.png 3.8 Average Rating


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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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