Society and People
Documentaries that tell stories about people, their living conditions, challenges and battles in their life.
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51 titles
- DirectorMarc SingerStarsMarc SingerA cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
- DirectorLixin FanStarsChanghua ZhangYang ZhangSuqin ChenA couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.
- DirectorJeffrey BlitzStarsAngela ArenivarUbaldo ArenivarJorge ArenivarSpellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- DirectorLarry CharlesStarsBill MaherTal BachmanJonathan BouldenBill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorYoav ShamirStarsYoav ShamirAbraham FoxmanBob WolfsonIntent on shaking up the ultimate 'sacred cow' for Jews, Israeli director Yoav Shamir embarks on a provocative - and at times irreverent - quest to answer the question, "What is anti-Semitism today?"
- DirectorAsger LethMilos LoncarevicStarsWinson '2Pac' JeanWyclef JeanJames 'Bily' Petit FrèreDocuments the violent lives of gang leaders in Haiti's worst slum, focusing on two brothers loyal to then-President Aristide.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsJim BrownTony MuhammadKershaun ScottWith a first-person look at the notorious Crips and Bloods, this film examines the conditions that have lead to decades of devastating gang violence among young African Americans growing up in South Los Angeles.
- DirectorMarcus LindeenStarsOrlando FaginMikael JohanssonTwo men in their 60s meet for the first time and discuss their respective sex changes, and subsequent reversals.
- DirectorHavana MarkingStarsRafi NaabzadaLima SaharHameed SakhizadaA documentary about the simultaneously unifying and divisive effects of Afghanistan's version of the TV talent show format on its society. It focuses on "Afghan Star" which airs on the Tolo TV channel in Afghanistan.
- DirectorGreta SchillerRobert RosenbergStarsRita Mae BrownBruce NugentHenry OtisThe history of the Gay and Lesbian community before the Stonewall riots began the major gay rights movement.
- 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.
- DirectorAlbert NerenbergStarsGeorge W. BushNoam ChomskyJohn CleeseAn exploration into the nature of stupidity in Western society and its history of our perception of it.
- DirectorStefan JarlJan LindqvistStarsStefan JarlKenneth 'Kenta' GustafssonGustav 'Stoffe' SvenssonThe first entry in a series of films about the lives of social misfits Kenneth 'Kenta' Gustafsson and Gustav 'Stoffe' Svensson.
- DirectorStefan JarlStarsStefan JarlEva BlondinKenneth 'Kenta' GustafssonThis documentary is the third in a trilogy about a group of Swedish nonconformists. The first documentary was shot in 1967, and followed a bunch of rebellious youths around. These kids had nothing but contempt for those who fit into the society around them, and they were experimenting with drugs, and partying pretty heavily. In particular, it tells the stories of two young men, Kenta and Stoffe. Then, in 1979, the documentarian returns to cover the two men's lives, and the lives of their friends. What had been a friendly, cheerful bunch is now deeply involved in petty crime and drug use. Indeed, one of the two men followed in the earlier film (Stoffe) dies of a drug overdose during the filming of the documentary. The filmmaker returned in the early '90s, to see what has become of Stoffe's family, his friends, and Kenta and his family and friends. Stoffe's wife refused to meet with the filmmaker, but indicated that his son had been adopted, and has become a mechanic, living in the countryside. Kenta remained a "rebel," and remains proud of that fact, but his children studied hard and are on the verge of more conventional success.
- DirectorStefan JarlStarsKenneth 'Kenta' GustafssonGustav 'Stoffe' SvenssonEva BlondinAbout a couple of friends in Stockholms drug world.
- DirectorFredrik GerttenStarsByron Rosales RomeroJuan J. DominguezDuane MillerJuan "Accidentes" Dominguez is on his biggest case ever. On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers he is tackling Dole Food in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that was known by the company to cause sterility.
- DirectorMichael WebberStarsTim HarrisonTerry BrumfieldRuss ClearTake a journey deep inside the fascinating world where wild exotic animals are kept as household pets.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsJason BatemanWill ArnettMorgan SpurlockA documentary that explores the question: In the age of manscaping, metrosexuals, and grooming products galore - what does it mean to be a man?
- DirectorIan PalmerStarsJames Quinn McDonaghPaddy Quinn McDonaghMichael Quinn McDonaghAn epic 12-year journey into the brutal and secretive world of Irish Traveler bare-knuckle fighting. This film follows a history of violent feuding between rival clans.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- DirectorSheldon RenanStarsChuck RileyEd DorrisThomas NoguchiA documentary of the decline of America. It features footage (most exclusive to this film) from race riots to serial killers and much, much more.
- DirectorDennis M. LynchStarsDennis M. LynchA documentary that explores the human and financial costs of illegal immigration.
- DirectorAnders ØstergaardStarsGeorge W. BushJoshua Min HtutKo MuangUsing smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsEdward AsnerPat BenatarJerry BrownA collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorHenriette MantelSteve SkrovanStarsRalph NaderPat BuchananHoward ZinnA look at the career of consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
- DirectorKim BartleyDonnacha O'BriainStarsHugo ChávezPedro CarmonaJesse HelmsIn April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made.
- DirectorStefan JarlStarsPeter AnderssonThommy BerggrenJacob BurrellA cry from the revolutionary wilderness. Drowsy and beautiful about the solidarity that disappeared.
- DirectorMads BrüggerStarsMads BrüggerSimon Jul JørgensenTommy KenterTwo Danish comedians join the director on a trip to North Korea, where they have been allowed access under the pretext of wanting to perform a vaudeville act.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsTio HardimanAmeena MatthewsToya BateyA year in the life of a city grappling with urban violence.
- DirectorOren JacobyStarsLiev SchreiberPhilip BoscoNatasha RichardsonAn exploration of the dark side of Christianity, following acclaimed author and former priest James Carroll on a journey of remembrance and reckoning.
- DirectorDror MorehStarsAmi AyalonAvraham ShalomAvi DichterA documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.
- DirectorChristopher Dillon QuinnTommy WalkerStarsPanther BiorJohn Bul DauNicole KidmanThree young men from Sudan embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety.
- DirectorGöran Hugo OlssonStarsAngela DavisStokely CarmichaelBobby SealeFootage shot by a group of Swedish journalists documenting the Black Power Movement in the United States is edited together by a contemporary Swedish filmmaker.
- DirectorSteven GreenstreetStarsRichard AtkinsonDenise AustinBrooke BatesAn overview of the politics, social effects and problems associated with the rising epidemic of American obesity.
- DirectorJennifer Siebel NewsomStarsJennifer Siebel NewsomJean KilbourneJim SteyerExplores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsVelda BontragerMark BontragerDewayne ChuppAmish teenagers experience and embrace the modern world as a rite-of-passage before deciding which life they will choose.
- DirectorRob LemkinThet SambathStarsThet SambathNuon CheaPol PotOne of the most harrowing and compelling personal documentaries of our time, ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE exposes for the first time the truth about the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge who were behind Cambodia's genocide.
- DirectorLinda Goldstein KnowltonLinda HawkinsStarsEdward G. ChristieA documentary which examines the creation and co-production of the popular children's television program in three developing countries: Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa.
- DirectorSarah PolleyStarsMichael PolleyJohn BuchanMark PolleyA film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers.
- 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.
- DirectorFrederick WisemanDocumentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater where people stay trapped in their madness.
- DirectorMatt DworzanczykStarsMatt DworzanczykNorth Korea lies somewhere between a 1930s Soviet Union frozen in time and a dark, futuristic vision of society... as imagined back in the 70s. 'Land of Whispers' invites you to visit arguably the most unique and isolated travel destination in the world - not to criticize, but to observe and listen. Aside from usual highlights such as Pyongyang or Arirang, this unique one-man documentary brings you to areas such as Chongjin or Wonson, still virtually unknown to even Google or Wikipedia. There, the director attempts to pierce through the ever-present 'national mythology' and as much as possible, he tries to connect with people - such as the waitress mesmerized by tablet computers, or a tour guide cautiously fascinated by modern pop culture.
- DirectorJuliano Ribeiro SalgadoWim WendersStarsSebastião SalgadoWim WendersLélia Wanick SalgadoThe life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
- DirectorCrystal MoselleStarsMukunda AnguloNarayana AnguloSusanne AnguloConfined in an apartment from a New York housing project, the six Angulo brothers learned everything they know about the world through watching films and spend their time reenacting their favorite movies with intricate homemade costumes.