1. Gowanus Canal
Sarah J. Christman continues her 16mm ecological studies with Gowanus Canal, in which contamination and compression of refuse intimate a stultifying state for one of the most polluted bodies of water in the United States.
2. The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle
What led Arthur Conan Doyle to create, and then destroy the world famous detective, Sherlock Holmes? This compelling drama explores the dark secrets that surround the author and his creation.
It has an average vote of 6.125 on TMDB.
3. A Portuguese Film
A documentary about the world of portuguese cinema, with interviews with some critics and directors.
4. What Is Democracy?
A vast, timely, and often chilling investigation into the idea and practice of democracy, ranging from Ancient Greece and Renaissance Europe to civil rights, fears of voter fraud, and the spectre of authoritarianism.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
5. Still Alive: A Film About Krzysztof Kieslowski (Still Alive: Film o Krzysztofie Kieślowskim)
Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz directed this insightful TV documentary tracing the Polish filmmaker's career. Former classmates reminisce about Kieslowski's happy beginnings at the Lodz film school and how his dissatisfaction with some of his early documentaries prompted the dramatic work and stylistic experimentation that led to his monumental series of films The Decalogue . Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, and Juliette Binoche are among the many admirers weighing in on his hard-driving work methods and preoccupation with the ephemeral. In Polish, French, and German with subtitles.
It has an average vote of 8.5 on TMDB.
6. A Calculated Forecast Of Ultimate Doom / The Deliberate Evolution Of A War Zone
Two Shows from Survival Research Laboratories: San Francisco, CA 1994 and Graz, Austria 1992. The Doom show was SRL's biggest show ever and the War Zone event resulted in a nation-wide defense alert in Austria.
7. For Love or Money
Using almost totally historical material, For Love or Money encompasses the role of Australian women in both paid and unpaid work, over a 200 year period.
8. The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (L'arrivée d'un train à La Ciotat)
Likely in June 1897, a group of people are standing along the platform of a railway station in La Ciotat, waiting for a train. One is seen coming, at some distance, and eventually stops at the platform. Doors of the railway-cars open and attendants help passengers off and on. Popular legend has it that, when this film was shown, the first-night audience fled the café in terror, fearing being run over by the "approaching" train. This legend has since been identified as promotional embellishment, though there is evidence to suggest that people were astounded at the capabilities of the Lumières' cinématographe.
It has an average vote of 7.106 on TMDB.
9. Bizarre: A Circus Story
An intimate look at the extraordinary life of Master Lu Yi, hailed as the father of modern acrobatics, and the vast community of big-top lovers who share his dream of a thriving US circus industry.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
10. The Paw Project
This is a David and Goliath story of one veterinarian's battle to protect her patients from big corporations, with their big corporate money, that will shamelessly do anything to animals to increase their bottom line. She starts a grassroots movement that is fueled by passion, but appears to be losing the battle. Then, unexpectedly, she realizes that the corporations accidentally left her a giant loophole. In a scramble to take advantage of this unforeseen gift, she leads the crusade passing legislation protecting animals from de-clawing in seven cities in just six weeks.
It has an average vote of 8.7 on TMDB.
11. We Came Home
We Came Home is the story of Afghanistan through Afghan American musician, Ariana Delawari. Born in LA, the year the Soviets invade Afghanistan, her home's filled with refugees, Afghan music and her father's dedication to Afghanistan, a country nobody else seemed to care about. After 9/11, her parents move to Kabul to help reconstruct. Ariana spends ten years between LA and Afghanistan, documenting her father's homeland in photographs, film and music. During the Taliban resurgence, Ariana records an album with master musicians in Kabul, revealing the challenges of building anything in this country. Ariana experiences firsthand the threat of war and corruption when her father is arrested. Through this, she unexpectedly realizes why her father could never abandon his people. She now understands Afghanistan cannot be forgotten.
12. Intimate Interviews: Bela Lugosi
Actor Bela Lugosi discusses his career, his social life, and his feelings about his most famous role, Count Dracula.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
13. The Pearl
THE PEARL is a cinematic and intimate portrait of four transgender women who come out in their senior years. Set in logging towns in the Pacific Northwest, the visceral, observational story explores what it means to leave behind presenting as a man.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
14. Bitch Academy (Как стать стервой)
A documentary on women in St. Petersburg who enroll in a program which will help them land millionaire husbands.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
15. Maestra
Cuba, 1961: 250,000 volunteers taught 700,000 people to read and write in one year. 100,000 of the teachers were under 18 years old. Over half were women. MAESTRA explores this story through the personal testimonies of the young women who went out to teach literacy in rural communities across the island - and found themselves deeply transformed in the process.
16. Freedom Fields (حقول الحرية)
In post-revolution Libya, a group of women are brought together by one dream: to play football for their nation. But as the country descends into civil war and the utopian hopes of the “Arab Spring” begin to fade, can they realise their dream? And is there even a country left to play for? Freedom Fields is a film about hope and sacrifice in a land where dreams seem a luxury. Through the eyes of these accidental activists we see the reality of a country in transition, where the personal stories of love, struggle and aspirations collide with History.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
17. Bisonhead
A quietly devastating look at a family of Ponderai Native Americans as they travel to Yellowstone to preserve their treaty hunting rights.
18. Buitenkampers (Buitenkampers)
(Buitenkampers)
19. I'm My Own Dolly Parton (Jag är min egen Dolly Parton)
Five women musicians are brought together by their love for singer Dolly Parton. They all have dreams for their futures, but they are also burdened by their painful pasts. During a series of tribute concerts a warm friendship develops which leads to in-depth descriptions of the women's life stories.
It has an average vote of 5.3 on TMDB.
20. Ob's stürmt oder schneit (Ob's stürmt oder schneit)
On December 12, 1945 Maria Stadler got the license to operate a movie theater. At first she ran a traveling cinema, which went so well that she opened on 30 October 1953 Maria's Kino in Bad Endorf, which still exists today. In the winter of 1976/77 students of the Munich University of Film and Television made a documentary about the idealist, who had since become a movie legend.
