Documentaries Worth Watching
(Alphabetical order) A list of my favorite documentaries which I find to be thought-provoking and worth watching.
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- DirectorDavid GelbStarsJiro OnoYoshikazu OnoMasuhiro YamamotoA documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
- DirectorBrian FlemmingStarsSam HarrisRobert M. PriceRichard CarrierDid Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.
- DirectorDaniel G. KarslakeStarsImogene RobinsonVictor RobinsonGene RobinsonAn exploration of the intersection between religion and homosexuality in the U.S. and how the religious right has used its interpretation of the Bible to stigmatize the gay community.
- DirectorTegan BukowskiLoressa ClisbyKevin MacdonaldStarsHiroaki AikawaCindy BaerTeagan BentleyA documentary shot by film-makers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the twenty-fourth of July, 2010.
- DirectorLauren GreenfieldStarsJaqueline SiegelDavid SiegelLorraine BarrettA documentary that follows a billionaire couple as they begin construction on a mansion inspired by Versailles. During the next two years, their empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis.
- DirectorBart LaytonStarsAdam O'BrianNicholas BarclayCarey GibsonA documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
- DirectorN.C. HeikinStarsYoung Hun ChoiChol-Hwan KangLee ShinNorth Korean defectors tell their stories of repression, escape and hope.
- DirectorLisanne PajotJames SwirskyStarsJonathan BlowBrandon BoyerRenaud BédardA documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
- DirectorSean BuckleyStarsRichard MorganMelanie PorterJennifer FranksThis documentary examines a selection of real life serial killers and compares them to the fictional Hannibal Lecter.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsNev SchulmanAriel SchulmanHenry JoostYoung filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.
- DirectorLutz HachmeisterStarsUdo SamelKenneth BranaghHeinrich BrüningThrough archival footage and dramatic readings of his personal writings, the life of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister, Josef Goebbels, is examined.
- DirectorTim HetheringtonSebastian JungerStarsThe Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat TeamJuan 'Doc RestrepoDan KearneyA year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.
- DirectorVikram JayantiStarsMarc GhannoumJoel BenjaminMichael GreengardIn 1997, chess champion Garry Kasparov goes head-to-head against IBM's computer, Deep Blue, and accuses IBM of cheating its way to victory. Interviews with Kasparov, his manager and members of the Deep Blue team illuminate the controversy.
- DirectorPeter YostStarsJay O. SandersJohn ClementsFredrik Charpentier LjungqvistThe Vikings were the most ferocious warriors of the Middle Ages. Especially fearsome were the select few who wielded a formidable weapon: a light, razor sharp, virtually indestructible sword with its maker's name, ULFBERHT, inlaid along the blade.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorJamie JohnsonStarsNicole BuffetChuck CollinsSteve ForbesIn this hard-hitting but humorous documentary, director Jamie Johnson takes the exploration of wealth that he began in Born Rich one step further. The One Percent, refers to the tiny percentage of Americans who control nearly half the wealth of the U.S. Johnson's thesis is that this wealth in the hands of so few people is a danger to our very way of life. Johnson captures his story through personal interviews with Robert Reich, Adnan Khashoggi, Bill Gates Sr., and Steve Forbes, during which both Johnson's and his subjects' knowledge and humor shine. And he's not afraid to butt heads with Milton Friedman, the economist who coined the term "the trickledown effect." He also shows how the other half lives, using real-world examples of the wealth gap: he takes a tour of a dilapidated housing project in Chicago, rides around with an enlightened taxi driver, and sees the human toll of the unfair economics of the Florida sugar industry. Johnson's film is at its most powerful when it reveals how the super-rich work to preserve their own monetary dominance. As a member of the "Johnson & Johnson" family, he gets rare access to an exclusive wealth conference at which the über rich learn strategies for preserving their fortunes, and learns the personal management styles of some of the countries wealthiest employers. No great society has survived such a massive wealth gap; who knows if ours will?
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsJacquy PfeifferRegis LazardPhilippe RigollotThe collar awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) is more than the ultimate recognition for every pastry chef - it is a dream and an obsession. The 3-day competition includes everything from delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures and requires that the chefs have extraordinary skill, nerves of steel and luck. The film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to France to compete against 15 of France's leading pastry chefs. The filmmakers were given first time/exclusive access to this high-stakes drama of passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy in the quest to have President Sarkozy declare them one of the best in France.
- DirectorLutz HachmeisterStarsYannick AllénoElena ArzakJuan Mari ArzakThe feature doc takes a look behind the scenes at top-class restaurants and offers exclusive interviews with celebrity chefs from France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, the USA and Japan.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogRichard LopezMichael PerryConversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.
- DirectorSally RoweStarsHeston BlumenthalDaniel BouludFrank BruniPaul Liebrandt is one of the most talented and controversial chefs in the food world and the youngest chef to have received 3 stars from the New York Times. He was 24. NY Times food critic, William Grimes, likened Paul to 'a pianist who seems to have found a couple of dozen extra keys.' Through Paul, the film reveals the creative process, the extreme hard work, long hours, and dedication it takes to be a culinary artist and have success in the cutthroat world of haute cuisine. Exploring the complicated relationships between food critics, chefs, and owners the film delves into the life of a dedicated young chef ahead of his time.
- DirectorAlison KlaymanStarsAi WeiweiDan AiLao AiA documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government.
- DirectorK. Ryan JonesStarsBill BuntenWarren CarterKelly FranzThe shocking story of Rev. Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church, those who oppose it, and those who chose to leave it all behind.
- DirectorLucy WalkerKaren HarleyJoão JardimStarsVik MunizOn the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.
- DirectorMathieu RoyHarold CrooksStarsRonald WrightMark LevineRobert WrightTheorists consider the evolution of human society and question the sustainability of the current paradigm.
- DirectorChoi Jin-sungStarsBoAf(x)Girls' GenerationThe movie reflects the past, present and future of 32 Korean artists with behind-the-scenes footage that follows the stars as they undergo rehearsals, revealing their day-to-day lives and also features interview, video diaries and never-seen-before archive files.
- DirectorMark HallIn this meticulously researched documentary, filmmaker Mark Hall traces the origins of sushi in Japan to its status today as a cuisine that has spawned a lucrative worldwide industry.
- DirectorJulie BenasraStarsManolo BlahnikMeghan ClearyFergieGod Save My Shoes is the first documentary film to explore the intimate relationship between women and shoes, questioning why shoes are the most addictive item in a woman's closet and how shoes have become a totem object.
- DirectorJames BelzerStarsTerry AginsJ. AlexanderMax AzriaFirst ever look behind-the-scenes at NY Fashion Week, with the history of how it all began in the early 1990's. Story told by the 'Fashion Insiders' and the Top Fashion Designers: Betsey Johnson, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger, Zac Posen, etc.; the Top Fashion Editors from Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, In-Style Magazine & other fashion industry journalists. Commentary from Carson Kressley, Michael Musto and Robert Verdi. Featuring Models galore and the best runway fashions from over the years. Original music from some of the most exciting new artists on the scene. This film documents the total extravaganza that NY Fashion Week has become and takes a look at the future of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week as it prepares to make the debut at Lincoln Center.
- DirectorJake ClennellOsaka's top host club owner trains boys to excel in the underground love scene. They learn to fake relationships with girls, their income source.
- DirectorTyler MeasomJennilyn MertenStarsBruce BarlowDeloy BatemanMichelle BenwardAn inside look at former FLDS teens who have become religious refugees in mainstream America.
- DirectorYung ChangStarsKyle AllattMarie-Alice DepestreKyle GatehouseAdventurers, exotic fruits fanatics and even movie star Bill Pullman, are the subjects of The Fruit Hunters, the new film from acclaimed director Yung Chang. A thrilling journey through nature, commerce and adventure, The Fruit Hunters is a cinematic odyssey that takes viewers from the dawn of humanity to the cutting of edge of modern agriculture - a film that will change not just the way we look at what we eat, but what it means to be human.
- DirectorMonika TreutTaiwan is known around the world as having one of the most diverse cuisines in Asia, and food is the foremost passion of its 23 million inhabitants. THE RAW AND THE COOKED is a sumptuous exploration of the island's rich culinary traditions, and their relationship to the Taiwan's unique mix of cultures. The film begins in Taipei, circles the island, and then heads inland. Along the way we enter the world-renowned restaurant Shin Yeh atop the city's Taipei 101 skyscraper; are treated to a mathematically precise lesson on how to eat soup-filled xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung, Taiwan's most celebrated dumpling house; and visit Shitiping, where aboriginal chef Ladibisse makes a bouillabaisse from inside a tree trunk, cooked by heated stones. The grande finale is set at Jindou Restaurant in Pulin, where fusion chef Liu Heng-hong offers spectacular edible objects such as roses, paper, bitter gourds, water bamboo and ailanthus prickly ash.
- DirectorRelicStarsJiddu KrishnamurtiThe Dalai LamaGeorge CarlinOwned & Operated is a mosaic of the world through the lens of the Internet. Showing our lives as consumers, under the thumbs of privileged individuals and their methods of control. But the world is awakening, and the experience is something outside the normal rules of social interaction, causing excitement in those who are not served by the current system... and fear in those who are pampered by it.
- DirectorJulia CortJosh RosenStarsAllan AdamsChristopher Mark ChanJohn ClauserThis program explains some of the weirdest aspects of quantum mechanics: uncertainty and entanglement. Despite the absurdity of these behaviors they have been confirmed time and again and have never been refuted. Lastly the theory that suggests the possibility that teleportation and quantum computers may be possible are examined.
- DirectorB.Z. GoldbergJustine ShapiroCarlos BoladoStarsMoishe Bar AmB.Z. GoldbergShlomo GreenSeveral Jewish and Palestinian children are followed for three years and put in touch with each other, in this alternative look at the Jewish-Palestinian conflict. The three filmmakers followed a group of seven local children between 1995 and 1998. They all have a totally different background. These seven children tell their own story about growing up in Jerusalem. Through this portrait of their generation, we see how deep rooted and almost insoluble the problems of the Middle East have become. When the protagonists speak out in an epilogue a couple of years later, it becomes apparent that all have lost their childlike innocence.