Up the Yangtze (2007)

A luxury cruise boat motors up the Yangtze - navigating the mythic waterway known in China simply as "The River." The Yangtze is about to be transformed by the biggest hydroelectric dam in history. At the river's edge - a young woman says goodbye to her family as the floodwaters rise towards their small homestead. The Three Gorges Dam - contested symbol of the Chinese economic miracle - provides the epic backdrop for Up the Yangtze, a dramatic feature documentary on life inside modern China. 93 min. Written by National Film Board of Canada

Director: Yung Chang
Writer: Yung Chang

IMDB 7.5

Trailer

The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)

In his second film, former commercial director Jeff Feuerzeig tackles the documentary format, introducing the world to Daniel Johnston -- a reclusive musical genius now in the throes of manic depression. Blending up-to-date footage with home movies, archival material and rare audio, Feuerzeig creates a dizzying -- and heartbreaking -- portrait of a man whose inner demons are taking over, one delusion at a time. 110 min.

Director: Jeff Feuerzeig
Writer: Jeff Feuerzeig

IMDB 8.0

Trailer

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson (2004)

Long before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier, boxer Jack Johnson became the first African-American to obtain the world heavyweight title. This documentary tracks the life of the trailblazing boxer, from his early days as the son of former slaves to his rise through the ranks of a traditionally all-white sport, culminating with the 39-year-old's achievement of the prestigious title in 1908. 214 min.

Director: Ken Burns
Writer: Geoffrey C. Ward

IMDB 8.2

Trailer

A Touch of Greatness (1964)

In an era when Dick, Jane, and discipline ruled America's schools, Albert Cullum allowed Shakespeare, Sophocles, and Shaw to reign in his fifth grade public school classroom. Through the use of poetry, drama and imaginative play, Cullum championed an unorthodox educational philosophy that spoke directly to his students' needs. Many of Cullum's projects were recorded on film by then novice filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr. Weaving stunning black and white footage and rare archival television broadcasts together with interviews of Cullum and his former students, this is a portrait of a maverick teacher who transformed a generation of young people by enabling them to discover their own inner greatness. 54 min. Written by Anonymous

Director: Robert Downey Sr.

IMDB 7.3

Trailer

Encounters at the End of the World (2007)

Filmmaker Werner Herzog takes you on a wild and woolly journey to the South Pole in this Oscar contender -- from the National Science Foundation's headquarters on Ross Island to some of Antarctica's most remote and dangerous terrain, where we meet the odd men and women who have dedicated their lives to furthering the cause of science in treacherous conditions. A scientist studies neutrinos, which are everywhere, yet elusive; he likens them to spirits. A researcher's nighttime performance art includes contorting her body into a luggage bag. A survival guide teaches his students to survive white-out conditions by wearing cartoon-face buckets over their heads. Animal researchers milk mother seals as part of their study. Volcanologists offer advice on what to do when a volcano erupts. A pipefitter shows us the anomaly in his hands that he says are a sign he descended from Atzec royalty. A former Colorado banker drives what he has christened Ivan the Terra Bus. An underwater diver shows his colleagues DVDs of apocalyptic sci-fi films like Them! (1954). 99 min. ... Written by J. Spurlin

Director: Werner Herzog
Writer: Werner Herzog

IMDB 7.8

Trailer

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)

Madness and genius are often inexplicably intertwined, as was the case with brilliant jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, who spent his last years living as a virtual hermit. Straight, No Chaser's archival footage only hints at the madness to come. Interviews with Monk's family and collaborators complement footage shot in 1968 for German television in this music-filled portrait of talent and torment. 90 min.

Director: Charlotte Zwerin

IMDB 7.7

Trailer

Touching the Void (2003)

In the mid-80's two young climbers attempted to reach the summit of Siula Grande in Peru; a feat that had previously been attempted but never achieved. With an extra man looking after base camp, Simon and Joe set off to scale the mount in one long push over several days. The peak is reached, however on the descent Joe falls and breaks his leg. Despite what it means, the two continue with Simon letting Joe out on a rope for 300 meters, then descending to join him and so on. However when Joe goes out over an overhang with no way of climbing back up, Simon makes the decision to cut the rope. Joe falls into a crevasse and Simon, assuming him dead, continues back down. Joe however survives the fall and was lucky to hit a ledge in the crevasse. This is the story of how he got back down. Written by bob the moo

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Writers: David Darlow (script writer), Joe Simpson (book)

IMDB 8.1

Trailer

Dark Days (2000)

Near Penn Station, next to the Amtrak tracks, squatters have been living for years. Marc Singer goes underground to live with them, and films this "family." A dozen or so men and one woman talk about their lives: horrors of childhood, jail time, losing children, being coke-heads. They scavenge, they've built themselves sturdy one-room shacks; they have pets, cook, chat, argue, give each other haircuts. A bucket is their toilet. Leaky overhead pipes are a source of water for showers. They live in virtual darkness. During the filming, Amtrak gives a 30-day eviction notice. 94 min. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Director: Marc Singer

IMDB 7.8

Trailer

Murderball (2005)

Quad rugby as played by the US team, between 2002 games in Sweden and the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. Young men, most with spinal injuries, play this rough and tumble sport in special chairs, seated gladiators. We get to know several and their families. They talk frankly about their injuries, feelings in public, sex lives, competitiveness, and love of the game. There's also an angry former team member gone north to coach the Canadian team, tough on everyone, including his viola-playing son. We meet a recently injured man, in rehab, at times close to despair, finding possible joy in quad rugby. After Athens, the team meets young men injured in war: the future stars of Team USA. Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro

IMDB 7.8

Trailer

Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train (2004)

The life and times of Howard Zinn: the historian, activist, and author of several classics including "A Peoples History of the United States".

Matt Damon narrates this documentary chronicling Howard Zinn's commitment to social change through archival materials, commentary from Zinn and interviews with contemporaries Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Tom Hayden and Alice Walker, among others.

Directors: Deb Ellis, Denis Mueller

IMDB 7.4

No trailer.

Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. 103 min. Written by Martin Lewison <lewison+@pitt.edu>

Director: Barbara Kopple

IMDB 8.3

Trailer

Vernon, Florida (1981)

Conducting interviews with the denizens of a small backwoods town, documentarian Errol Morris mixes it up with such quirky residents as a diehard wild-turkey hunter, an elderly couple who vacationed at a nuclear test site, a worm farmer, and a preacher giving a sermon on the definition of the word "therefore." 55 min.

Director: Errol Morris

IMDB 7.4

The "therefore" sermon.

Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004)

Two documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.

Admist the apparent growing prosperity of India, there is a dark underbelly of poverty of another side of the nation that is little known. This film is a chronicle of filmmakers Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's efforts to show that world of Calcutta's red light district. To do that, they inspired a special group of children of the prostitutes of the area to photograph the most reluctant subjects of it. As the kids excel in their new found art, the filmmakers struggle to help them have a chance for a better life away from the miserable poverty that threatens to crush their dreams. 85 min. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

Directors: Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman
Writers: Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman

IMDB 7.8

Trailer

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)

This film showcases Noam Chomsky, one of America's leading linguists and political dissidents. It also illustrates his message of how government and big media businesses cooperate to produce an effective propaganda machine in order to manipulate the opinions of the United States populous. The key example for this analysis is the simultaneous events of the massive coverage of the communist atrocities of Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia and the suppression of news of the US supported Indonesian invasion and subjugation of East Timor. 167 min. Written by Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>

Directors: Mark Achbar, Peter Wintonick

IMDB 8.2

Trailer

The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream (2004)

Since World War II North Americans have invested much of their newfound wealth in suburbia. It has promised a sense of space, affordability, family life and upward mobility. As the population of suburban sprawl has exploded in the past 50 years, so too the suburban way of life has become embedded in the American consciousness. Suburbia, and all it promises, has become the American Dream. But as we enter the 21st century, serious questions are beginning to emerge about the sustainability of this way of life. With brutal honesty and a touch of irony, The End of Suburbia explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. World Oil Peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, some scientists and policy makers argue in this documentary. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? Are today's suburbs destined to become the slums of tomorrow? And what can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia? 78 min.- Written by sciphex

Director: Gregory Greene
Writer: Gregory Greene

IMDB 7.7

Trailer

Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (2001)

This astonishing documentary from Thomas Riedelsheimer shadows renowned sculptor Andy Goldsworthy as he creates works of art with ice, driftwood, leaves, stone, dirt and snow in open fields, beaches, rivers, creeks and forests. With each new creation, he carefully studies the energetic flow and transitory nature of his work. The film won the Golden Gate Award Grand Prize for Best Documentary at the 2003 San Francisco International Film Festival.

Director: Thomas Riedelsheimer

IMDB 8.1

Trailer

The Who: The Kids Are Alright (1979)

Through rare concert performance footage and interviews, this 1979 documentary offers an in-depth look at the wildly successful career of classic rock group The Who -- from their initial formation to their first major hit. Highlights include footage from many of the band's early performances, capturing their zaniness and outrageous antics, plus an interview with drummer Keith Moon and footage from his last performance just prior to his death. 109 min.

Director: Jeff Stein
Writer: Jeff Stein

IMDB 8.1

Trailer

From the Earth to the Moon (1998)

This 12-hour HBO miniseries created by Tom Hanks garnered 17 Emmy nominations and captivated audiences. From the early stages of the space program and Kennedy's 1961 call to reach the moon within a decade to the successes and heartbreaking failures of the race for space, the dream was kept alive by dedicated, daring professionals and a nation intent on reaching for -- and landing amid -- the stars, all while the world faced the Vietnam War. 639 min.

IMDB 9.0

Trailer

Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant-Garde (1999)

Produced as part of the PBS "American Masters" series, this documentary covers the life and artwork of painter, photographer, sculptor and filmmaker Man Ray (born in Brooklyn as Emanuel Radnitsky). The profile includes a look at Man Ray's disassociation with the New York art world in the early 1900s, his name change and his move to Paris, where he was embraced by the Dadaists. The program also includes a look at his Paris studio and home. 60 min.

Director: Mel Stuart

Writer: Neil Baldwin

Narrator: Stockard Channing

IMDB 7.6

Trailer

Winged Migration (2001)

This documentary follows several species of migratory birds over a four year filming period. These birds travel several hundreds if not thousands of miles toward the equator in the autumn, and make the return journey to their higher latitude summer homes in the spring, always taking the same route, using the natural compasses of the universe, the stars, to find their way. Some species, like the arctic tern, even fly from pole to pole. These long and often torturous treks are a matter of survival, to live in a hospitable climate and find sources of food. With the exception of migratory penguins, travel over oceans is especially difficult as the birds have little refuge unless there is something floating on the water, such as a ship, on which to land. Otherwise they must continue flying until they reach land. Some will not survive the migration due to predators, including man, illness or injury. 89 min. Written by Huggo

Directors: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats
Writers: Jean Dorst, Stéphane Durand, Guy Jarry, Valentine Marvel, Jacques Perrin, Francis Roux

IMDB 8.0

Trailer

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (1970)

The director's cut of Michael Wadleigh's Oscar-winning documentary restores footage snipped from the original 1970 release. With the help of a young editor named Martin Scorsese, Wadleigh not only chronicles Woodstock's memorable music and legendary artists, he also captures the festival's dauntless free spirit. The presentation features live performances from, among others, Jimi Hendrix; the Who; Janis Joplin; and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Director: Michael Wadleigh

IMDB 8.0

Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)

In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. gathered the best musicians from Detroit's thriving jazz and blues scene to begin cutting songs for his new record company. Over a fourteen year period they were the heartbeat on every hit from Motown's Detroit era. By the end of their phenomenal run, this unheralded group of musicians had played on more number ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers. Forty-one years after they played their first note on a Motown record and three decades since they were all together, the Funk Brothers reunited back in Detroit to play their music and tell their unforgettable story, with the help of archival footage, still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, 20 Motown master tracks, and twelve new live performances of Motown classics with the Brothers backing up contemporary performers. 108 min. Written by Anonymous

Director: Paul Justman
Writers: Walter Dallas (Narration), Ntozake Shange (Narration)

IMDB 7.8

Trailer

Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped. Barefoot, surviving monsoons, leeches, and machete-wielding villagers, he was rescued. Now, near 60, living on Mt. Tamalpais, Dengler tells his story: a German lad surviving Allied bombings in World War II, postwar poverty, apprenticed to a smith, beaten regularly. At 18, he emigrates and peels potatoes in the U.S. Air Force. He leaves for California and college, then enlistment in the Navy to learn to fly. A quiet man of sorrows tells his story: war, capture, harrowing conditions, escape, and miraculous rescue. Where did he find the strength; how does he now live with his memories? 80 min.

Director: Werner Herzog
Writer: Werner Herzog

IMDB 8.1

Trailer

90 Degrees South 1933/1987

Cinematographer Herbert Ponting accompanied Capt. Robert Scott on his doomed 1910 expedition to the South Pole, and the result is this remarkable photographic diary. Not only did Scott discover that a Norwegian had beaten him to the finish line, but his entire party perished on the brutal return trip. Ponting's footage was re-edited into a documentary feature in 1933, with his own journal entries serving as poignant narration. 70 min.

Director: Alan Ravenscroft

IMDB 8.0

Clip

Dont Look Back (1967)

Documentary covering Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England, which includes appearances by Joan Baez and Donovan.

Portrait of the artist as a young man. In spring, 1965, Bob Dylan, 23, a pixyish troubador, spends three weeks in England. Pennebaker's camera follows him from airport to hall, from hotel room to public house, from conversation to concert. Joan Baez and Donovan, among others, are on hand. It's the period when Dylan is shifting from acoustic to electric, a transition that not all fans, including Baez, applaud. From the opening sequence of Dylan holding up words to the soundtrack's "Subterranean Homesick Blues," Dylan is playful and enigmatic. 96 min. Written by

Director: D.A. Pennebaker
Writer: D.A. Pennebaker

IMDB 7.9

Opening clip.

Muscle Shoals (2013)

A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman".

Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. Under the spiritual influence of the 'Singing River' as Native Americans called it, the music of Muscle Shoals changed the world and sold millions upon millions of copies. At its heart is Rick Hall who founded FAME Studios. Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, he brought black and white together in Alabama's cauldron of racial hostility to create music for the generations while giving birth to the 'Muscle Shoals Sound' and 'The Swampers'. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Gregg Allman, Clarence Carter, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Bono, and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals' magnetism, mystery, and why it remains influential today. 111 min Written by Anonymous

Director: Greg 'Freddy' Camalier

IMDB 7.4

Trailer

Fishing with John (1991)

Actor-musician John Lurie hosts a fishing trip around the world with celebrity boat mates -- including Matt Dillon in Costa Rica, Jim Jarmusch in New York, Tom Waits in Jamaica, Dennis Hopper in Thailand and Willem Dafoe in Maine.

Director: John Lurie

IMDB 8.1

Intro.

Finishing Heaven (2008)

The movie's money quote comes early in the film. Middle-aged, disheveled director Robert Feinberg says of his career: "When I was 22, it was great to have a film. When you're 58 with an unfinished film that you made when you were 22, that's not so great ... That's too bad. That's, uh-oh." But that's just the situation Feinberg finds himself in, because he hasn't finished editing a movie he shot as a promising young filmmaker—starring his young girlfriend and with the backing of a young Martin Scorcese no less, in 1970 in New York. Now with the help of his erstwhile girlfriend, he's determined to finally get it done. Or is he, really? Contemplate your own fear of finishing a thing—and the humiliation and horror of not finishing it—with lovelynutty characters, against the ridiculously rich backdrop of Feinberg's footage of that gritty era in New York.

Director: Mark Mann
Distributor: HBO

Trailer

Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

Chronicles a man who is obsessively interested in only one thing,the pictures he takes that document the way people dress. The 80-year-old New York Times photographer has two columns in the paper's Style section, yet nobody knows who he is. Written by Anonymous

Director: Richard Press

IMDB 7.9

Trailer

Gumby Dharma (2006)

Step into the life and work of Art Clokey, creator of Gumby, grandfather of stop-motion animation, and explore why a man would spend his 85 years on earth playing with lumps of colored clay. Art has lead a vital life and influential artistic career, guided by his persistent and evolving spiritual pursuits. His world famous characters, Gumby and Pokey, and Davy and Goliath, echo the spiritual path of their creator. Art's journey takes us from the orphanage to inspiring adopted father, from the Seminary to the Hollywood movie business, and from traditional Episcopalian church values to Buddhism and Indian guru Sai Babba. It is a fascinating life and career in it's own right but also in how it gently influenced his characters and story lines for 40 + years. Clokey's work is one of the few animation characters that have survived the test of time to become a true American Icon. Interviews with contemporary leaders in animation, including Director Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas). ... Written by Robina Marchesi




Director: Robina Marchesi
Writer: Robina Marchesi

IMDB 7.0

Trailer

The Act of Killing (2012)

A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous

IMDB 8.2

Trailer

The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2005)

The epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer. Castigated as a pariah in his community, Farmer John bravely transforms his farm amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and arson. He succeeds in creating a bastion of free expression and a revolutionary form of agriculture in rural America.

- Written by Anonymous

Director: Taggart Siegel

IMDB 7.5

Trailer