aspects of reality
looking into,
the art of the documentary,
this is my own personal documentation,
of the many different documentary films that i have found to be important...
for one reason or another.. here they are...
the art of the documentary,
this is my own personal documentation,
of the many different documentary films that i have found to be important...
for one reason or another.. here they are...
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- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- DirectorMarc SingerStarsMarc SingerA cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
- DirectorOrson WellesGary GraverOja KodarStarsOrson WellesOja KodarFrançois ReichenbachA documentary about fraud and fakery.
- DirectorMikael KristerssonStarsCaisa PerssonFilmed over several years, it is a wonder-filled portrait of a family of kestrels (European falcons) who live in a church tower above a small Swedish town. The amazing cinematography, nominated for a Swedish Oscar.2 European falcons star in one of my all time favorite experiences within film.
simply awe-inspiring & beautiful - DirectorAuguste LumièreLouis LumièreStarsMadeleine KoehlerMarcel KoehlerMrs. Auguste LumiereA train arrives at La Ciotat station.
- DirectorRobert J. FlahertyStarsAllakariallakAlice NevalingaCunayouIn this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.
- DirectorDziga VertovStarsMikhail KaufmanElizaveta SvilovaA man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsWalter HustonBenjamin SimonA group of mentally traumatized veteran patients is followed as they go through psychiatric treatment.
- DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsMichel BouquetReinhard HeydrichHeinrich HimmlerThe history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
- DirectorBruce BrownStarsRobert AugustMichael HynsonLord James BlearsThe crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters.
- DirectorTheodor KotullaStarsRobert BressonNadine NortierA documentary featuring director Robert Bresson on the set of Mouchette and interviews with him (off and in).
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsPaul BrennanCharles McDevittJames BakerFour dogged door-to-door Bible salesmen travel from Boston to Florida on a seemingly futile quest to sell luxury editions of the Good Book to working-class Catholics.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsFini StraubingerM. BaaskeElsa FehrerThrough examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind struggle to understand and accept a world from which they are almost wholly isolated.
- DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsWilliam FriedkinFritz LangAmerican director William Friedkin interviewed Austrian director Fritz Lang on February 21st and 24th, 1975.
- DirectorEllen HovdeAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesStarsEdith Bouvier BealeEdith 'Little Edie' Bouvier BealeBrooks HyersMeet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsTakako IrieDaisuke ItôKyôko KagawaA documentary film on the life and works of director Kenji Mizoguchi.
- DirectorBarbet SchroederStarsKokoPenny PattersonSaul KitchenerA documentary that follows Dr. Penny Patterson's current scientific study of Koko, a gorilla who communicates through American Sign Language.
- DirectorLes BlankStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleA documentary following German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make his film Fitzcarraldo (1982).
- DirectorWim WendersStarsWim WendersMichelangelo AntonioniMaroun BagdadiDuring the '35th Cannes International Film Festival' (14th-26th May 1982), German director Wim Wenders asked a sample of 15 other international film directors to get, each one at a time, into the same hotel room to answer in solitude the same question about the future of cinema, while they were filmed with a 16mm camera and recorded with a Nagra sound recorder. In social sciences the goal of standardization is that each person is exposed to the same question experience, and that the recording setting of answers is the same, too, so that any differences in the answers can be correctly interpreted as reflecting differences between persons rather than differences in the process that produced the answer. The wide sampling frame in "Room 666" included European 'auteurs' and Hollywood directors, narrative and experimental filmmakers, male and female professional film directors that presented their films or were simply present at the 35th Cannes Festival in May 1982. The directors came from France, Italy, Brazil, Lebanon, Germany, Turkey, the Philippines and the USA. This unique documentary shows the complete footage (or selected parts) of the 15 answers that resulted from this 'standardized survey interviews'. The historical value of "Room 666" has increased over time: The 5 directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Yilmaz Güney, Maroun Bagdadi, Robert Kramer and Michelangelo Antonioni have died since then in this order. Fassbinder died only a few weeks later on June 10th 1982 and gave his last 'interview' in "Room 666".
- DirectorTony SilverStarsDemonKase 2Eric HazeA documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsDavid ByrneBernie WorrellAlex WeirConsidered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time, the live performance was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and features Talking Heads' most memorable songs.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsHoward ArmstrongTed BoganYank RachellAbout the obscure country-blues musician and idiosyncratic visual artist Howard "Louie Bluie" Armstrong, member of the last known black string band in America.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsChishû RyûWerner HerzogYûharu AtsutaMoved by the work of director Yasujirô Ozu, Wim Wenders travels to Japan in search of the Tokyo seen in Ozu's films.
- DirectorJohn HeynJeff KrulikStarsJohn Cloud Jr.Judas PriestA look at the wild scene outside a Judas Priest concert.
- DirectorChristine ChoyRenee Tajima-PenaStarsLily ChinRonald EbensStarleneThe film recounts the murder of a Chinese-American automotive engineer in a racially motivated hate crime, and how the murderer escaped justice in the court system.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRandall AdamsDavid HarrisGus RoseA film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreRoger B. SmithRhonda BrittonAfter General Motors closes its factory in Flint, Michigan, eliminating 35,000 jobs, filmmaker Michael Moore undertakes a quixotic quest to interview General Motors' chairman, Roger B. Smith.
- DirectorVince DiPersioBill GuttentagStarsJoe MantegnaTim WagmanJack MaxwellAmerica Undercover goes to Florida's Palm Beach County in order to investigate the growing crack cocaine epidemic in the United States. It talks to police officers and follows them as they work undercover to make arrests. It also talks to drug dealers and drug users.
- DirectorFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon BrandoDocumentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorJohn DorrMike KaplanStarsRobert AltmanTim RobbinsFred WardA detailed look into the process of filming of Robert Altman's masterpiece "Short Cuts". The great ensemble cast composed of 22 actors, Raymond Carver's widow, few members of the crew and Altman himself share the glorious experience of working in this dream epic project, revealing positive insights about Altman and his work and also on the Carver's writings that inspired the film. A lot more than just behind the scenes; the documentary exposes a lot about the power of cinema and the power of storytelling.
- DirectorHans Günther PflaumStarsHarry BaerMichael BallhausKarlheinz BraunAn insightful examination on the life and work of New German Cinema master Rainer Werner Fassbinder, "I Don't Just Want You to Love Me" presents friends, actors and collaborators of his many films talking about his work, creativity, behavior, personal life and the magic behind his several films made non-stop in a period of 15 years.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsRobert CrumbAline Kominsky-CrumbCharles CrumbAn intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsWilliam GatesArthur AgeeEmma GatesA film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
- DirectorRachel LieblingStarsSam BushCurly Ray ClinePat EnrightTraces the music and sounds from its Appalachian roots to the present. The rise, fall, and consistent revival of bluegrass chronicled through oral history and visual record.
- DirectorPaul WagnerStarsGabriel ByrneBrenda FrickerKelly McGillisTraces the history of Irish immigration to the United States, following the stories of several families and their journeys to America, including where they ended up.
- DirectorClaude NuridsanyMarie PérennouStarsKristin Scott ThomasJacques PerrinA documentary on insect life in meadows and ponds.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldStarsMistress BeatriceNick BroomfieldMistress CatherineMasochism, rubber, corporal punishment, wrestling, and infantilism are all examined into detail as a documentary crew visits a bondage house and its mistresses in upstate New York.
- DirectorSarah KellyStarsRick StriblingKen BondyAmy Minda CohenA documentary about the production of From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and the people who made it.
- DirectorGrant GeeStarsRadioheadThom YorkeJonny GreenwoodAn entertaining "rockumentary" about Radiohead that shows some of the tedium of being a rock star, as well as some of the fun stuff.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMark BorchardtMike SchankTom SchimmelsDocumentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleThe love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.
- DirectorCarl-Gustav NykvistStarsSven NykvistErland JosephsonSusan SarandonCarl-Gustaf Nykvist's documentary about his father, Sven Nykvist. The film is based on Sven's memoirs with Sven himself as narrator. A journey to the place of birth, Moheda, constitutes the hub of the film and during the journey friends and memories emerge.
- DirectorCharles KiselyakStarsSeymour CasselCarol KaneJon VoightA look at the life, times, and art of independent film pioneer John Cassavetes through interviews with his family, friends, and admirers of his work.
- DirectorArlene NelsonStarsSpencer TunickTrey AnastasioFraya BergPhotographer Spencer Tunick travels the U.S. in search of volunteers to pose nude for his outlaw photo-shoots, all of them done out in public and often without legal permits. This documentray chronicles Tunick's logistic nightmares, his brushes with the law, and the free-spirit-volunteers who discard their inhibitions for his artistic vision, and their own personal concepts of self-gratification
- DirectorMark RanceStarsPaul Thomas AndersonFiona AppleWilliam ArnoldA behind-the-scenes documentary, following the 80+ days of filming Paul Thomas Anderson's epic film Magnolia.
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudMichel DebatsStarsJacques PerrinPhilippe LabroDocumentary on the migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents.
- DirectorAndrew AbbottRussell LevenStarsMark KermodeMichael BiehnRalph BrownMark Kermode brings a tribute to the successful Alien series, featuring interviews with the cast members and directors, including Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsSean PennJay AdamsTony AlvaDocumentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.
- DirectorJan HarlanStarsKatharina KubrickMalcolm McDowellStanley KubrickThe career and life of Stanley Kubrick is explored through pictures, clips from his films, his old home movies, comments from his colleagues and a narration by Tom Cruise.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorKeith FultonLouis PepeStarsTerry GilliamJohnny DeppJeff BridgesTerry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsJeffe AlperiRobert ChadwickCatherine E. CoulsonA collection of visionary director David Lynch's short films from the first 29 years of his career is accompanied by a special introduction to each film by the director himself.
- DirectorJeffrey BlitzStarsAngela ArenivarUbaldo ArenivarJorge ArenivarSpellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.
- StarsMasayuki YuiYoshirô MurakiTeruyo NogamiAn in depth look at the making of Kurosawa's films.
- DirectorLaura KightlingerStarsLewis BlackJohn BynerJudith Love CohenA look at the work of stand-up comic Randy Credico whose confrontational political humor led him to a new career as an activist for various causes.
- DirectorWayne EwingStarsBob BraudisDouglas BrinkleyAlex CoxA documentary on the infamous gonzo journalist, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
- DirectorDana BrownStarsLaird HamiltonLayne BeachleyDan MalloySurfers and secret spots from around the world are profiled in this documentary.
- DirectorJocelyn GlatzerAfter surviving Cambodia's Killing Fields as a boy musician who entertained his captors, Arn Chorn Pond strives to heal the deep scars of his past by reviving Cambodia's traditional music.
- DirectorLancelot NarayanStarsChristopher FraylingTonino Delli ColliGabriele FerzettiPart one of the making of Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West.
- DirectorDan OllmanSarah PriceChris SmithStarsAndreas BichlbauerMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumAnti-corporate activists travel from conference to conference, impersonating member of the World Trade Organization.
- DirectorJørgen LethLars von TrierStarsClaus NissenMajken Algren NielsenDaniel Hernandez RodriguezFilmmaker Lars Von Trier challenges Jørgen Leth, the filmmaker behind The Perfect Human (1967), to remake his classic short under circumstances of increasing constraint.
- DirectorWendy AppleStarsKathy BatesZach StaenbergJodie FosterDocumentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
- DirectorTony MontanaMark Brian SmithStarsTroy DuffyJeffrey BaxterChris BrinkerA documentary on the rise and stumble of Troy Duffy, the bartender-cum-filmmaker who was swept up by Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to turn his script for The Boondock Saints into a feature film.
- DirectorNick DunlapStarsSteve-OJason 'Wee Man' AcuñaNick DunlapSteve-O's world tour in the spring of 2003.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsMorgan SpurlockDaryl IsaacsChemeeka WalkerWhile examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
- DirectorBruce HeptonStarsTy BeesonDonald BrennanDonnyDocumentary about the controversial BUMFIGHTS: A CAUSE FOR CONCERN phenomena. It covers the video itself, as well as the copycat cases that followed.
- DirectorMatt MahurinStarsMichael FishmanJohn A. PapaEve ShopsinThis bitingly funny comedy follows a prickly, profanity-prone man seeking to preserve his dream; it dishes up bites of wisdom along the way, ultimately serving both a hilarious trip and a charming slice of New York history.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsJames HetfieldKirk HammettLars UlrichThe iconic metal band struggles for two years to create their album St. Anger, dealing with alcoholism, the loss of their bass player, and the challenge of working with a psychotherapist.
- DirectorWilliam ArntzBetsy ChasseMark VicenteStarsMarlee MatlinElaine HendrixJohn Ross BowieA fictional photographer's quest to spiritually rediscover herself is interspersed with documentary footage of scientists and theologians discussing the philosophical aspects of quantum physics.
- DirectorBenjamin De LoenenStarsHoward LotsofPatrick K. KroupaIbogaine: Rite of Passage follows an American heroin addict through an ibogaine session at a clinic in Tijuana, Mexico. Through a series of critical interviews with former addicts, ibogaine facilitators, and other experts, the documentary asks if the controversial status of ibogaine is due to economics or to its hallucinogenic effects? [maps.org]
- DirectorJon GunnBrian HerzlingerBrett WinnStarsBrian HerzlingerDrew BarrymoreJohn AugustSince the second grade, Brian has had a crush on Drew Barrymore and now 20 years later he wants to fulfill his dream by asking her on a date.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogGraham DorringtonDieter PlageEngineers attempt daring journey above Guyanese rainforest canopy with airship prototype. Adventure fraught with risks, as previous expedition ended tragically. This is a unique story of exploring uncharted jungle from the air.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsLaird HamiltonDarrick DoernerDave KalamaDocumentary detailing the origins and history of surf culture.
- DirectorEric ChaikinJulian PetrilloStarsJoe EdleyMatt GrahamMarlon HillA look at the obsessive world of competitive Scrabble.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
- DirectorBrian FlemmingStarsSam HarrisRobert M. PriceRichard CarrierDid Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.
- DirectorCanaan BrumleyStarsDrill Instructor MarananDrill Instructor MartinezDrill Instructor LiebfriedDocumentary of the life of a USMC Drill Instructor, and the recruits that they mold.
- DirectorRalph ArlyckStarsRalph ArlyckSean FarrellThirty years, three generations, and a lifetime later, award-winning filmmaker Ralph Arlyck returns to San Francisco in search of Sean, the boy who was the subject of his controversy-sparking 1969 documentary.
- DirectorMichael BliedenStarsPatton OswaltBrian PosehnMaria BamfordFollow four comedians as they tour the States.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsLee ScottDon HunterJon HunterA look at the impact of the retail giant on local communities.
- DirectorBob SmeatonStarsSamuel BayerKurt CobainSteve DiggleIt has sold millions and is responsible for the birth of grunge. This documentary looks at the story behind how Nirvana came to record Nevermind and the effect it was to have on the music world. Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Butch Vig share their memories and give us an insight into the genius of Kurt Cobain.
- DirectorNicholas JareckiStarsWoody AllenRobert Downey Jr.Neve CampbellNicholas Jarecki follows director James Toback on the 12-day shoot of his thriller, When Will I Be Loved -- a movie made without a script or distribution deal.
- DirectorBradley BeesleyStarsBradley BeesleySteve BurnsDolly CoyneA documentary on the evolution of the Oklahoma band The Flaming Lips.
- DirectorMichel NegroponteStarsMichel NegroponteBillEddieThere's one cure for heroin addiction. But is it a cure? Methadonia is the borderland between high and straight, where recovering heroin addicts on methadone "maintenance" exist.
- DirectorGreg WhiteleyStarsArthur KaneDavid JohansenSylvain SylvainA recovering alcoholic and recently converted Mormon, Arthur "Killer" Kane, of the rock band The New York Dolls, is given a chance at reuniting with his band after 30 years.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsKirby DickKimberly PeirceDarren AronofskyKirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- DirectorChris PaineStarsMartin SheenTom HanksMel GibsonA documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
- DirectorDylan AveryAn exploration of the viewpoint that the September 11, 2001 attacks were planned by the United States government.
- DirectorHarry MosesStarsTeri HortonTod M. VolpeBen HellerIn this documentary, veteran filmmaker Harry Moses exposes the controversy in the world of high priced artwork. He paints a vivid picture of how art is bought and sold in America.
- DirectorStewart CopelandStarsTerry ChambersMiles A. Copeland IIIIan CopelandStewart Copeland, drummer for The Police, compiles his Super 8 footage for an intimate look at what it was like to be a member of one of the world's biggest rock bands.
- DirectorJeff GarlinStarsJohn WatersJeff Garlin's documentary on the work of John Waters.