The best documentaries
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- DirectorMichael MadsenStarsCarl Reinhold BråkenhjelmMikael JensenBerit LundqvistA documentary on the safety of nuclear storage.
- DirectorJeremy EarpSut JhallyStarsBo DerekAna ObregónJack ShaheenThis groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged form the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood blockbusters. Featuring acclaimed author Dr. Jack Shaheen, the film explores a long line of degrading images of Arabs--from Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and gun-wielding "terrorists"--along the way offering devastating insights into the origin of these stereotypic images, their development at key points in US history, and why they matter so much today. Shaheen shows how the persistence of these images over time has served to naturalize prejudicial attitudes toward Arabs and Arab culture, in the process reinforcing a narrow view of individual Arabs and the effects of specific US domestic and international policies on their lives. By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture.
- DirectorChris MalloyStarsYvon ChouinardDoug TompkinsKeith MalloyThe film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
- DirectorBrook Silva-BragaStarsScott EriksonRebecca FilmerSabrina HezingerOn a trip around the world, every day feels like Saturday. A MAP FOR SATURDAY reveals a world of long-term, solo travel through the stories of trekkers on four continents. The documentary finds backpackers helping neglected Thai tsunami victims. It explains why Nepal's guesthouses are empty and Brazil's stoplights are ignored. But at its core, SATURDAY tracks the emotional arc of extreme long-term travelers; teenagers and senior citizens who wondered, "What would it be like to travel the world?" Then did it.
- DirectorHunter WeeksStarsMike DionMichael 'Mac' McCoySteve KingA small group of adventurous mountain bikers attempt to race the longest mountain bike route in the world traversing over 2700 miles along the Rocky Mountains from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border.
- DirectorPatricio GuzmánStarsGaspar GalazLautaro NúñezLuís HenríquezA documentary about two different searches conducted in the Chilean Atacama Desert: one by astronomers looking for answers about the history of the cosmos, and one by women looking for the remains of loved ones killed by Pinochet's regime.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsBalinese Tari Legong DancersNi Made Megahadi PratiwiPuti Sri Candra DewiFilmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorRon FrickeCarefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.
- DirectorBilly MalleryA unique look at total eclipses, capturing the experience within the scenery of a wide range of settings around the planet, from ancient ruins to city skylines. Totality is constantly growing as a film, as it represents "a lifelong dance with the Moon's shadow". Thus far the film has been shot on location in Venezuela, France, Turkey, China and Easter Island. Mallery also composes the original score for each segment as the film progresses.
- 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.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsBelladonnaMarlon BrandoElton JohnA visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioStarsChristie BrinkleyDavid BrinkleyPatrick DisantoAn exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
- DirectorGregory ColbertStarsPatrick DisantoLaurence FishburneJeanne MoreauExploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals.
- DirectorGodfrey ReggioImage and music are intertwined in this third collaboration between director Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass. The film was produced to celebrate the World Wildlife Fund's Biological Diversity Campaign. The film combines images of nature with pulsing rhythms in a Microcosmos (1997) meets Koyaanisqatsi (1983) spectacle.
- DirectorClaude NuridsanyMarie PérennouStarsKristin Scott ThomasJacques PerrinA documentary on insect life in meadows and ponds.
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudMichel DebatsStarsJacques PerrinPhilippe LabroDocumentary on the migratory patterns of birds, shot over the course of three years on all seven continents.
- DirectorJacques PerrinJacques CluzaudStarsPierce BrosnanPedro Armendáriz Jr.Jacques PerrinAn ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.
- DirectorMatthew AeberhardLeander WardStarsMariella FrostrupZabou BreitmanKaroline HerfurthThe mysterious lives of flamingos are captured on film with a birds-eye view of the animals living in Africa.
- DirectorYann Arthus-BertrandMichael PitiotStarsJosh DuhamelSharon MannDive into our planet's greatest mysteries with a team of international underwater cinematographers as they explore the breathtaking bond between humanity and the ocean.
- 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.
- DirectorDerek FrankowskiRyan GibbStarsGraham TraceyGraham AgassizMike HopkinsStory of the bike, from its creation to its demise.
- DirectorAlastair FothergillMark LinfieldStarsJames Earl JonesPatrick StewartAnggunFeature-length version of the documentary TV series Planet Earth (2006), following the migration paths of four animal families.
- DirectorEdward TyndallStarsEustace ConwayPreston Estep IIIS. Waite Rawls IIIReconvergence offers an intriguing exploration of mortality, consciousness and identity in the modern age from the perspectives of four distinct characters: a naturalist, a neuroscientist, a poet and a historian. The combination of their separate journeys creates a rich tapestry that weaves together several complex facets of the existential dilemma.
- DirectorAngela SunStarsLewis GoldsmithWallace J. NicholsAngela SunAngela Sun's journey of discovery to one of the most remote places on Earth, Midway Atoll, to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Along the way she encounters scientists, industry, legislators and activists who shed light on what our society's vast consumption of disposable plastic is doing to our oceans, and what it may be doing to our health.