1. Wattstax
A documentary film about the Afro-American Woodstock concert held in Los Angeles seven years after the Watts riots. Director Mel Stuart mixes footage from the concert with footage of the living conditions in the current-day Watts neighborhood.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
2. Rize
A documentary film that highlights two street derived dance styles, Clowning and Krumping, that came out of the low income neighborhoods of L.A.. Director David LaChapelle interviews each dance crew about how their unique dances evolved. A new and positive activity away from the drugs, guns, and gangs that ruled their neighborhood. A raw film about a growing sub-culture movements in America.
It has an average vote of 6.6 on TMDB.
3. Detroit Pistons: 1988-1989 NBA Champions - Motor City Madness
The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89 National Basketball Association season, and the conclusion of the 1989 NBA Playoffs. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Eastern Conference playoff champion Detroit Pistons and the Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers.
4. L.A. Roll
As the pressures of daily life mount in a rapidly changing city, some residents turn to dance roller skating as an activity for release, creating a style unique to Los Angeles.
5. Dear Esther
In 1989, a woman writes a letter to her mentor. She reminisces about a life-changing campaign they spearheaded to save a historic home, Irving Gill's Walter Luther Dodge House in Los Angeles, twenty years prior.
6. Mon Clown (Mon Clown)
Documentary from France's TV channel Canal+ about the making of the 2007 film 'La Vie en Rose' and Marion Cotillard's road to the Oscar for her performance as French singer Édith Piaf.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
7. More Things That Aren't Here Anymore
Another nostalgic look at Southern California's past, particularly things and places in and around Los Angeles which no longer exist.
8. Sing!
Sing! is a 2001 American short documentary film about the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, directed by Freida Lee Mock. How do squeaky-voiced 8 year olds become amazing singers? Sing! tells the story of how a community group, amid severe cutbacks in the arts, is able to develop a children's chorus that is one of the best in the country. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
9. One Six Right
An exhilarating documentary film that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation - the local airport - by tracing the life, history, and struggles of an airport icon: Southern California's Van Nuys Airport. Featuring thrilling aerial photography and a sweeping original score, the film dispels common misconceptions and opposes criticism of General Aviation airports.
It has an average vote of 8.7 on TMDB.
10. The Decline of Western Civilization
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
It has an average vote of 7.144 on TMDB.
11. Twelve Years over Hollywood
"Twelve Years over Hollywood" comprises thousands of still photographs of the Hollywood sign taken from Golia's Los Angeles balcony over a twelve-year period. The resulting 35mm film captures the artist's personal documentation of his surroundings, condensing a vast temporal duration into a fleeting clip that serves as a metaphorical shorthand for broader experiences at the core of all art making.
12. L.A. Restaurants
"L.A. Restaurants" opens with a panned shot recorded while driving past Cole's P.E. Buffet in downtown Los Angeles, which was founded in 1908 and claims to be the oldest restaurant and bar in the city. In a manner reminiscent of the typological catalogues of gas stations and buildings on the Sunset Strip first explored in his seminal artist's books of the 1960s, Ruscha documents sixty-four restaurants emblematic of "Old Hollywood" across the LA region. This visual perambulation moves in a spiral formation, from the outer limits of the San Fernando Valley along Ventura Boulevard to the centrally located restaurants near Culver City.
13. Touched by Gold: '72 Lakers
Many consider the 1971-72 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers one of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA. But despite a remarkable run to the title that included a record 33-game winning streak, this group was the unlikeliest of champions.
14. Forgotten
From the glitzy sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard to the urban wasteland of Skid Row, "Forgotten" portrays the cruel reality of being homeless in Los Angeles and how these men and women cope with life on the streets of one of America's largest cities.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
15. Mur Murs (Mur murs)
Venturing from Venice Beach to Watts, Varda looks at the murals of LA as backdrop to and mirror of the city’s many cultures. She casts a curious eye on graffiti and photorealism, roller disco & gang violence, evangelical Christians, Hare Krishnas, artists, angels and ordinary Angelenos.
It has an average vote of 7.4 on TMDB.
16. Double Solitaire
The filmmaker's father and uncle, Norm and Stan, are third generation Japanese Americans. They are "all American" guys who love bowling, cards and pinball. Placed in the Amache internment camp as children during World War II, they don't think the experience affected them that much. But in the course of navigating the maze of her father's and uncle's pursuits while simultaneously trying to inquire about their past, the filmmaker is able to find connections between their lives now and the history that was left behind.
17. The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down
Tongue-in-cheek look at 20-something singles clubbing and partying in L.A. Voice-over narration, charts and graphs, and visits to a research laboratory punctuate the story of a single night when groups of friends go out, drink alcohol, take drugs, dance and talk, and look for someone to go home with.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
18. The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America
The film expresses the history of oppression, discrimination, violence and hate in America. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
19. The Man Who Looked Beyond the Horizon (De man die achter de horizon keek)
More than 40 years ago, Bas Jan Ader decided to go on an adventure. In a tiny sailing boat, the Dutchman set sail across the ocean. Nine months later the boat was found adrift at sea. There was no sign of Ader. It’s a story that has always fascinated filmmaker Martijn Blekendaal, not just because of the disappearance itself, but also because of the entire mystery that surrounds it. Blekendaal embarks on an investigation that follows his footsteps to Hollywood. It turns out that, in order to understand what drove this man to his fateful voyage, the filmmaker has to overcome his fear of looking beyond his own horizon. In a whirlwind montage of images jumping from one time, place and person to another, Blekendaal shows us that Bas Jan left behind something more special than just a mystery.
20. Sam
A 1971 film study of a Japanese American who lived in a detention camp during World War II.