1. The Prostitution Monologues (7 מונולוגים על זנות)
Diana, Ilana, Rona, Shelly, Rucha and Liat openly speak about their life in prostitution: from the initial lure, through learning the rules, to survival strategies. They present stories of independence, resourcefulness, pain and trauma, expressing an extreme feminine and human experience. Michaela – a young woman currently engaged in prostitution, sounds off on the struggle to survive, turning her cellphone camera into a weapon. The women challenge what is expected of them – to be ashamed and conceal themselves.
2. Das Dorf der Freundschaft (Das Dorf der Freundschaft)
A German Documentary about the “village of friendship” that was created by American Veteran George Mizo to help the Vietnamese kids suffering from the Vietnam War.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
3. Exit
The film accompanies two women who have left the Jewish ultra-orthdox community. While Sara is still struggling with the consequences of her pullout, Heidi is already fighting for the rights of women who have the courage to take this step.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
4. Pussy Riot, rage against Poutine (Pussy Riot, rage against Poutine)
(Pussy Riot, rage against Poutine)
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
5. Last Men Standing
“Last Men Standing,” the first feature-length documentary from The San Francisco Chronicle, Northern California’s largest newspaper was selected for entry into a series of prestigious LGBT festivals being held in the U.S. and Canada this spring. One of the few newspapers to write, direct and produce a feature-length documentary, this film follows the lives and experiences of eight long-term AIDS survivors.
6. You Have Struck a Rock!
You Have Struck A Rock! commemorates the special contribution of South African women to the success of the anti-apartheid struggle. It recovers the remarkable "women's campaigns" of the 1950s against the hated pass system. This massive, non-violent civil disobedience movement was only finally crushed by the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and the banning of anti-apartheid organizations. Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Dora Tamana and other leaders recall this struggle and their imprisonment and banning. Yet they remain undaunted, demonstrating the South African proverb: "When you have touched a woman, you have struck a rock."
7. Memory Books
In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death.
8. We Weren't Given Anything for Free (Non ci è stato regalato niente)
Annita Malavasi was just 22 when the Germans occupied Italy, their former allies, in 1943. As a partisan in the Italian resistance named “Laila”, she moved throughout the Apennines with and between fighting units, delivering information, transporting weapons, and taking part in battles. She spent over a year in the Apennines, fighting against the German occupation. At the same time, she had to assert herself against the men of the mountain villages. By the end of the war, Laila had risen among the ranks to become one of the few female commanders in the Italian resistance. This film chronicles the story of a lifelong struggle for emancipation that began with the battle for Italy’s liberation from fascism. Laila and her two comrades, Gina “Sonia” Moncigoli and Pierina “Iva” Bonilauri talk about their time in the Resistenza and what it meant to them and many other women.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
9. Afghan Women
The words of the women and the rhythm of their lives in the seclusion of family compounds suggests both the satisfying and the limiting aspects of a woman's role in a rural Afghan community. Filmed in the Balkh Province, an area inhabited by Tajik and other Central Asian peoples. The town of Aq Kupruk is approximately 320 miles northwest of Kabul. The theme of the film focuses on women. The film and accompanying instructor notes examine the economic, political, religious, and educational status of women, their legal and customary rights, and the degree of change in their actual and perceived roles.
10. Landfall (Landfall)
Hurricane María abated, the news crews packed up and left Puerto Rico, and the interest of the international community turned elsewhere. What happened next?
11. El canto de los dioses (El canto de los dioses)
Road documentary that delves into the musical and religious expressions of sub-Saharan Africa. Through Mauritania and Mali, the film documents the lives of Dogon, griots, musicians and instrument makers who, through oral accounts, explain why music plays a fundamental role in the socio-religious organization of peoples. The film culminates its search with the recording of the performance of the traditional Dogon mask dance, in Begnematou, a small village lost in the desert.
12. Kvinnorna på fröken Frimans tid (Kvinnorna på fröken Frimans tid)
The story of the road to women's suffrage in Sweden featuring interviews with relatives of the main characters.
13. Like a Prayer
Produced by the activist video collective ACT UP/NY called DIVA TV , this tape analyzes the collaborative demonstration "Stop the Church" by WHAM! and ACT UP/NY on December 10, 1990, against Cardinal John O'Connor and the Roman Catholic Church's murderous stand on abortion rights, safer sex, and homosexuality.
14. Quand les pouvoirs s'emmêlent (Quand les pouvoirs s'emmêlent)
(Quand les pouvoirs s'emmêlent)
15. I Was a Soldier
Three young Texans try to adjust to small-town life after experiencing the emotional toll of combat in the jungles of Vietnam.
16. To Live Is Better Than To Die (好死不如赖活着)
In the 1990s HIV/AIDS came to Wenlou through a blood purchasing program. To supplement their income many poor villagers sold their blood and 60% of those who sold blood contracted HIV/AIDS from unsanitary equipment. Many have died from the disease. In his documentary film, To Live is Better than to Die, Wiejun Chen tells of the impact AIDS has had in parts of rural China by showing how it has affected the Ma family. It is spring when the film takes up the family’s story.
It has an average vote of 8.3 on TMDB.
17. Ciudad a la Espalda (Ciudad a la Espalda)
María and Isabel are two women in their fifties who, like many others, recycle in Quito, where there is no recycling system. María leads a collective fight for basic labor rights; while Isabel transmits her knowledge of environmental care while she raises her daughters.
18. Pfui, Rosa! (Pfui, Rosa!)
German iconoclast filmmaker and gay-rights activist Rosa vonPraunheim examines his own life and career in the documentary Phooey Rosa! With a quickly paced editing style, the film is a mix of personal banter, candid interviews, and clips from his filmography. It also includes footage from his early film Bed Sausage to his later work Neurosia. At the age of 60, vonPraunheim reveals intimate details about his past relationships and his childhood growing up after WWII. He also implicates some of his friends and inspirations, including Luzi Kryn and Rainer Kranach.
19. Atatürk, père de la Turquie moderne (Atatürk, père de la Turquie moderne)
(Atatürk, père de la Turquie moderne)
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
20. Bright Eyes
One of the earliest documentaries to deal with AIDS.
It has an average vote of 1 on TMDB.
