1. The Song of the Butterflies (El canto de las mariposas)
Rember Yahuarcani is an indigenous artist from the Uitoto Nation who lives in Lima, Peru. From his clan, the White Heron, only two families remain in Peru. Rember's paintings are inspired by the stories his grandmother Martha told him before she died. However, he has never dived into the darkest part of his nation’s history: the indigenous massacre during the rubber boom. Martha is a survivor of the horror and she speaks to Rember in dreams guiding him in a spiritual journey back to the jungle. He first visits his parents, who are also artists, in the Peruvian jungle. And finally, he sails to La Chorrera, in Colombia, where he confronts the past and meets other members of his clan.
2. Temple of Art
A documentary that explores what it means to be an artist and why it's important to pursue your passion- even in the face of failure.
3. Soundz of Spirit
Award winning documentary by Joslyn Rose Lyons exploring the relationship between spiritual connection and the creative process in hip-hop music.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
4. A Desert Moment with Noah
Paying tribute to artist Noah Purifoy and his Outdoor Museum, Matthew’s film ‘A Desert Moment with Noah’ rapidly animates 78 still Super 8mm images like a slideshow gone haywire. Exploring the of elasticity of time, the film manipulates the essence of a moment as it periodically pauses to allow the viewer a space with various objects, surfaces, and textures within Purifoy’s Joshua Tree sculptural environment.
5. Michael Palin In Wyeth's World
Michael Palin heads for rural Pennsylvania and Maine to explore the extraordinary life and work of one of America's most popular and controversial painters, Andrew Wyeth. Fascinated by his iconic painting Christina's World, Palin goes in search of the real life stories that inspired this and Wyeth's other depictions of the American landscape and its hard grafting inhabitants. Tracking down the farmers, friends and family featured in Wyeth's magically real work, Palin builds a picture of an eccentric, enigmatic and driven painter. He also gets a rare interview with Helga, the woman who put Wyeth back in the headlines when the press discovered he had been painting her nude, compulsively but secretly for 15 years.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
6. Kanga
Early 90s London gets a vibrant dose of African culture in this mini odyssey fusing dance, music and fashion.
7. Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality (Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality)
The documentary proposes an exhaustive journey through the life and work of Salvador Dalí, and also of Gala, his muse and collaborator. It starts in 1929, a crucial year in Dalí's career and life, as he joined the surrealist group and met Gala, and advances until the year of the artist's death in 1989.
It has an average vote of 7.3 on TMDB.
8. Amargosa
The inspirational story of Marta Becket: 76-yr old singer, writer, dancer, painter, visionary, and her creation Amargosa.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
9. Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists
Directors Jonathan Alter, John Block and Steve McCarthy bring New York columnists Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamill’s courageous writing to life, celebrating the acclaimed journalists and the city they loved.
It has an average vote of 6.9 on TMDB.
10. Equilibrium by Okuda San Miguel (Equilibri by Okuda San Miguel)
Join street art artist Okuda San Miguel on his journey of making a 30 metres-tall sculpture for the Fallas in Valencia.
It has an average vote of 2 on TMDB.
11. DAS ES (DAS ES)
The long flights of spacecraft have been in the past, as well as the chronicle of accomplishments. Snatches of memory bring to us the fragments of those memories that are confused and do not leave a coherent and consistent trace. All in the past. But was it really ?!
It has an average vote of 8.5 on TMDB.
12. See: An Art Road Trip
Artists Bo Bartlett and Betsy Eby travel the country finding art in their surroundings before being unexpectedly forced to consider what it would mean to lose the ability to see.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
13. Always Forward (Siempre para Adelante)
Plastic artist Aparicio Arthola talks with his student about the catarsis in his creative process, the loss, death and uncertainty of art life in Nicaragua
14. Maverick Modigliani (Maledetto Modigliani)
Born in Livorno, Tuscany, artist Amedeo Modigliani lived a short, tormented life, narrated here from an original point of view, that of his young common-law wife, Jeanne Hébuterne.
It has an average vote of 7.4 on TMDB.
15. DJ Quik Visualism - The Art of Sound Into Vision
He may be the most underrated rap star and producer in the world. He is a pioneer of urban music, beginning his career in the streets of Compton and responsible for the sale of over 85 million records worldwide. Never before has DJ Quik allowed access into his personal and professional life... until now. Go behind the scenes with all access footage, including Quik's personal home videos, tour footage, studio and much more, along with such hits as "Born and Raised in Compton," "Tonight," "Trouble" and many more. Go step by step through his personal creative process, allowing fans access into his signature style, along with appearances by Suga Free, Hi-C, Nate Dogg, El Debarge, Butch Cassidy, Chuckey, and a moving tribute to Mausberg.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
16. Peter Monaghan: A Portrait
This documentary features a kinetic artist who creates vibrant mixed media works that push the boundary between 2D and 3D.
17. People on Paper
Americans are preoccupied with the news, but need an escape from many of the events reported in the news. These escapes in the past have included dime store novels. The most accessible of these escapes is what are known as the funny papers, the set of serialized comic strips that are included within many newspapers. They appeal to all socio-economic classes, and all ages. Some of the earliest known from the late 19th century include the Yellow Kid, Little Nemo, Happy Hooligan, the Katzenjammer Kids, Mutt & Jeff, and Bringing Up Father. Many cartoonists are seen in action. Some originated their characters, while others have taken over following the passing of the originator. The joy of many comic strips are the absurd and the fantastical, which are limited only by the imagination of the cartoonist. Others are grounded in reality, which add to their poignancy within the public mindset.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
18. Town Destroyer
Controversy erupts over a New-Deal-era mural of the namesake of San Francisco’s George Washington High School. The thirteen-panel artwork "The Life of Washington" by Victor Arnautoff offers a view of the Founding Father both celebratory and critical, referencing his involvements in slavery and Native American genocide.
19. The Crossover: 50 Years of Hip Hop and Sports
Fifty years ago in the Bronx, a new genre of music was born, the product of a people searching for their voice and the opportunity to be heard. For decades, the community was bound by the words of leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X before their assassinations attempted to thwart the messaging. While their lives ended, the impact of their words never would, instead paving the way for others. Soon, athletes and entertainers would step to the microphone and boldly become the sound of a new generation and an inspiration to their people. When the world looked to silence them, the culture found a way to speak louder than ever before. From Muhammad Ali to Public Enemy, Jay-Z to Lebron James and beyond, the impact on sports has been indelible.
20. Lifeline: Clyfford Still
Jackson Pollock said, “he makes the rest of us look academic,” Mark Rothko acknowledged him as a “myth-maker” and Clement Greenberg called him “a highly influential maverick and an independent genius.” Clyfford Still, one of the strongest, most original contributors to abstract expressionism, walked away from the commercial art world at the height of his career. Extremely disciplined, principled, and prolific, Still left behind a treasure trove of works like no other major artist in history. With a wonderful mosaic of archival material, found footage and audio recorded by the artist himself, Lifeline paints a picture of a modern icon, his uncompromising creative journey and the price of independence.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
