1. #monalisa
People looking at the Mona Lisa in the Louvre – or are they just looking at themselves?
2. City of Photographers (La ciudad de los fotógrafos)
A film about the fearless photographers and photojournalists who documented strikes, demonstrations, protests etc during the Chilean military regime of Augusto Pinochet, sometimes risking their very lives.
It has an average vote of 7.8 on TMDB.
3. The Photographer's Wife (Die Frau des Fotografen)
Gerti Gerbert was photographed by her husband Eugen over a period spanning more than forty years. Besides the obligatory family photographs, from their wedding day until his death Eugen took countless pictures of Gerti: in her underwear, in homemade summer frocks, or completely naked; on the beach, in the woods, in the car, or on the floor at home. Using the Gerberts’ picture archive, interviews with Gerti, and Eugen’s notes, the film looks at what remains of life and love at the end.
4. Helmut by June
An intimate portrait of iconic photographer Helmut Newton shot by his wife and fellow photographer June Newton.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
5. Concerning Violence (Om våld)
Concerning Violence is based on newly discovered, powerful archival material documenting the most daring moments in the struggle for liberation in the Third World, accompanied by classic text from The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon.
It has an average vote of 6.9 on TMDB.
6. Down the Rabbit Hole
James Roddie is a caver, climber and a professional photographer. He’s also a 30-year-old man with an eating disorder. After the death of his father, James deals with it the best way he knows how – heading underground with his camera. Delving into his story, James candidly explores why caving, adventure, and mental health are so intricately tied together.
7. Portraits and Dreams
Revisit photographs created by Kentucky school children in the 1970s and the place where their photos were made. Photographer and artist Wendy Ewald, who guided the students in making their visionary photographs, returns to Kentucky and learns how the lives and visions of her former students have changed.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
8. Milli Vanilli: From Fame to Shame
The crazy story of two fancy boys, a French and a German, models and dancers, who won a Grammy award in 1990 just by moving their lips: the rise and fall of the Milli Vanilli duo. Playback singers, lies and video clips.
It has an average vote of 7.3 on TMDB.
9. Infinity. The Universe of Luigi Ghirri (Infinito. L'universo di Luigi Ghirri)
In this poetic portrayal of Luigi Ghirri , a master of contemporary photography, the director gives voice and, in particular the image, to the protagonist. The photographer takes the audience on a tour of the outskirts of daily life as seen from the corner of his eye, the area in between what is artificial and authentic or grand and small – the meso-scale.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
10. Taiwan: The Generation After Martial Law (Taiwan: The Generation After Martial Law)
This program illustrates how video activists have developed sophisticated use of small format video, with poetic and powerful imagery, complex mixes of sounds and scores and an effective editing style that belies the urgency under which it is being made. The video movement in Taiwan has made successful use of home cassette distribution, via both mail and street vendors. The Green Team collective has pioneered in this effort with over 100 titles in distribution, documenting the struggles of farmers, students, workers and environmentalists.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
11. That Click
A man at the cutting edge of fashion, photojournalism and portraiture, photographer to the stars Douglas Kirkland has portrayed over sixty years of pop culture. This fascinating feature takes a closer look into the career of one of the most important photographers of the last century. His subjects, who are some of the biggest stars of Hollywood and the fashion world, provide testimonials.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
12. The Fall
The Fall tells the remarkable story of a South African barefoot runner, an American track-and-field prodigy, and the events behind one of the most memorable moments in sporting history – the 1984 LA Olympics. The film charts two journeys, from rural South Africa under apartheid and the rolling hills of Southern California, to the starting line of the women’s 3,000 metres. It uncovers a tale of betrayal and exploitation, of the blurred lines between politics, media and sport, and of the dedication and sacrifice required to compete at the highest level. It’s a story that split governments and divided nations, but at its heart is a tale of two young women who, despite the turmoil in their lives, just wanted to run.
It has an average vote of 8.6 on TMDB.
13. The Race for Colour
Antonia Quirke looks at the history of the colour film industry to find out who produced the first moving colour images.
14. The World According to Parr
Alan Yentob explores the work of Martin Parr, considered to be the most influential photographer of his generation
15. Harry Benson: Shoot First
What we know today about many famous musicians, politicians, and actresses is due to the famous work of photographer Harry Benson. He captured vibrant and intimate photos of the most famous band in history;The Beatles. His extensive portfolio grew to include iconic photos of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jackson, and Dr. Martin Luther King. His wide-ranging work has appeared in publications including Life, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Benson, now 86, is still taking photos and has no intentions of stopping.
It has an average vote of 6.4 on TMDB.
16. Dezo Hoffmann – Photographer of The Beatles (Dežo Hoffmann – fotograf Beatles)
(Dežo Hoffmann – fotograf Beatles)
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
17. Better Living Through Chemistry
In the 1970s, Dr. Alexander “Sasha” Shulgin significantly contributed to the development and psychopharmaceutical use of MDMA: a catalyst to personal doors entombed or unknown. His widow, co-author, and research partner, Ann—alongside friends, family, and colleagues—gives a guided tour of their life and laboratory, reflecting on how risks and revelations opened a world of compound enlightenment. Stippled with spirituality, sadness, and skepticism, the Shulgins’ chemical love story examines the power of psychedelic psychotherapy, sacred alchemy, and challenging the path of misunderstood resistance.
18. The Faces We Lost
A documentary about how Rwandans use personal and family photographs to remember and commemorate the loved ones they lost in the 1994 genocide.
19. Water Trix
In this Pete Smith Specialty, cameraman Charles T. Trego films water skiing champion Preston Petersen, as he and two unnamed female skiers perform various tricks and feats of skill in their sport.
It has an average vote of 5.6 on TMDB.
20. Tracing the Future: Photographer Naoya Hatakeyama (未来をなぞる 写真家・畠山直哉)
Tracing the Future follows In the Wake exhibition artist Naoya Hatakeyama as he photographs the devastated landscape of his hometown of Rikuzentakada after 3/11. Hatakeyama, who represented Japan in the 2001 Venice Biennale and is renowned for meticulous photographs that explore the relationship between humankind and nature, suffered enormous losses on 3/11: his family home was washed away in the tsunami and his mother lost her life. Tracing the Future delves into the artist’s deeply personal response to the disaster and explores his four-year-long mission of documenting the place of his upbringing.