1. The Battle for Christianity
Professor Robert Beckford looks at how immigration, radical social action, conservative morality and charismatic worship are all transforming the face of the faith, and asks what that might mean for the future in an increasingly secular society. Some academics are warning that popular churches who take a firm line on issues like gay marriage, abortion and euthanasia are pushing Christianity farther away from the attitudes of mainstream society. Others believe that the fervour of charismatic faith is attracting large numbers, but ignoring a quiet exodus out of the back door. Robert Beckford speaks to church leaders in the UK, including the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, about how they see the future. This revealing film gets to the heart of what’s changing within Christianity in the UK. It will show how the faithful are kicking back against the steady decline in church attendance, and provide evidence of a more committed, but potentially divided, future.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
2. O tecido da memoria (My room number is cucumber) (O tecido da memoria (My room number is cucumber))
(O tecido da memoria (My room number is cucumber))
3. Natpwe: The Feast of the Spirits (Natpwe (le festin des esprits))
In Natpwe, the feast of the spirits, co-directors Tiane Doan na Champassak and Jean Dubrel have produced an immersive, seemingly timeless document of an annual Burmese trance ritual that dates back to the eleventh century. Shot in Super 8 and 16mm in sooty black and white, the film conveys the astonishing sense of liberation of tens of thousands of bodies and minds — a mass expression of faith, but also a rapturous respite from societal intolerance.
It has an average vote of 5.5 on TMDB.
4. Faith Connections (Faith Connections)
A filmmaker's insight into the biggest gathering on earth -the Kumbh Mela.
It has an average vote of 4.357 on TMDB.
5. Carmita (Carmita)
Nearly half a century ago, Carmen Ignarra arrived to Mexico after leaving behind her Cuban homeland, in the hopes of becoming the greatest Caribbean actress in Hollywood. But the American dream tur- ned out to be more difficult than she’d thought, and her brief initial success was followed by a slow, painful decline. Today, at 80, the woman who was once Cuba’s most beautiful actress lives totally forgotten in an old mansion in Monterrey. There she survives thanks to her tenants—strange men who she is constantly blaming for mysterious thefts and disappearances. Laura, a young woman also from the Caribbean, arrives at the mansion to work as an assistant in cleaning and housekeeping. With her she brings a video camera and the secret intention of making a documentary about the diva. Together they talk about the past, about wasted talent and lost loves.
It has an average vote of 5.9 on TMDB.
6. Venus (Venus)
In the Catholic religion Mayordomia, devotees wait their turn to ask Mary Magdalene to grant their wishes by speaking to her in private. They are convinced to be heard by someone who unfailingly send their requests to God.
7. The Jupiter Menace
George Kennedy narrates this documentary that examines the theory that the world is doomed due to the influence the planet Jupiter has on the Earth.
It has an average vote of 5.5 on TMDB.
8. Ars (Ars)
With ghostly eyes looking through the winter landscapes of the plains and villages of Ain, where the sanctified priest the Curé of Ars once lived, Jacques Demy tried to understand this fighter for communal spirituality and his daily torments of mysticism.
It has an average vote of 5.7 on TMDB.
9. We Are Here
Family comes in many shapes and sizes. And this family are bound by the urge to make change. This film follows individuals from an international order of queer nuns as they live their lives, just a little larger than most. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence stand proudly across the globe as a beacon of self-acceptance and self-expression, but not everyone agrees with their message. The judgement they face may be challenging but their intentions are clear: to spread joy, end stigmatic guilt and do it all in a habit.
10. Tales of Sand and Snow (Histoire de sable)
In a quest to rediscover the spiritual values of his own people, an African filmmaker from the Gourmantche tribe of Burkina Faso visits an Aboriginal band, the Atikamekw of northern Quebec. The resulting documentary is a dialogue between those who divine the future in the sand with those who use snow-encased sweat lodges to reconnect with the spiritual world.
11. Morality for Youth
An accident on a youth rafting trip is used to illustrate the dangers of flirting with immorality. States the Lord's standard for morality and provides parents, leaders, and teachers with a starting place for discussions with youth to help them stay morally clean.
12. John Brown's Holy War
Documentary about abolitionist John Brown
13. Quakers: That of God in Everyone
Though many are familiar with the Quaker names such as William Penn, Susan B. Anthony, Daniel Boone and Johns Hopkins, lesser-known Quakers also impacted society in significant ways. These are untold stories Friends who profoundly influenced the course of American history by seeing that of God in everyone.
14. The Small Hours (La madrugá)
In Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, tradition, memory and folklore, walk the streets on the shoulders of a people who proudly displays a legacy rooted in their culture for centuries.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
15. Ordinary Time (Tempo Comum)
The film follows Tarcísio Amaro, a retired miner living in the vicinity of Serra da Estrela, interweaving thoughts on the past and the present, and looking at the decline of rural life in the deserted Portuguese hinterland.
16. Olympic Pride, American Prejudice
In 1936, 18 African American athletes dubbed the "black auxiliary" by Hitler defied Nazi Aryan Supremacy and Jim Crow Racism to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. The world remembers Jesse Owens. But, Olympic Pride American Prejudice shows how all 18 are a seminal precursor to the modern Civil Rights Movement.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
17. Meet the Mennonites
Like the Amish, the ultra-conservative Christian community of the Mennonites reject modern society and live a life frozen in the 19th century. Nearly all Mennonites live in self-sufficient colonies, embracing isolation, which helps protect them from the temptations of the modern world. Now, for the first time, one of these communities has agreed to open their doors to our cameras.
18. Kidneys for Jesus
The Jesus Christians are unusually committed to their faith. They give up everything they own - including, now, their spare kidneys. For a year, journalist Jon Ronson has exclusively followed the group as they attempt to donate their kidneys to strangers in the UK and the US. But who should they give them to? Where can they advertise? Will the hospitals, the media, and the potential recipients see their gesture as a miracle, or as the self-destructive act of a controversial religious movement? Presented by Jon Ronson.
19. 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas
In this true-life twist on a holiday fable, Jeremy Morris brings a whole new meaning to Christmas spirit when his extravagant seasonal display sparks a dispute with his neighbors that lands them all in court.
It has an average vote of 6.2 on TMDB.
20. Servant or Slave
During the time of the Stolen Generations, thousands upon thousands of Aboriginal girls were taken from their families and pressed into domestic servitude by the Australian Government. They were supposedly employed as servants, but with total control over their movements, wages and living conditions, their lives all too frequently became an inescapable cycle of abuse, rape and enslavement, with consequences that echo powerfully to this day. Recounting the stories of five of these women – Rita, Violet and the three Wenberg sisters – Servant or Slave is a commanding piece of first-person testimony to a dark and unacknowledged corner of Australian history. Shot with admirable craft and humanity by documentarian Steven McGregor , Servant or Slave is a work of great sadness and urgency, bringing to forceful life the human tragedy of Australia's Indigenous history in the unadorned words of those who lived it.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.