1. Mike Nichols: An American Master
With charm and wit, Nichols discusses his life and 50-year career as a performer and director.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
2. The Liberators
Medieval art treasures seized by the Nazis go missing at the end of World War II. Were they destroyed in the chaos of the final battles? Or were these thousand-year-old masterpieces stolen by advancing American troops? For over forty years, the mystery remained unsolved. A true detective story, "The Liberators" follows a dogged German art detective through the New York art world and military archives to the unlikeliest of destinations: a small town on the Texas prairie. Featuring interviews with Willi Korte and Texas attorney Dick DeGuerin, the film raises intriguing questions as to the motivations of the art thief and the whereabouts of the items that, to this day,
It has an average vote of 5.6 on TMDB.
3. Ovarian Psycos
In East Los Angeles, three young misfit women find solace in an unapologetic, feminist bicycle crew. They call themselves the Ovarian Psycos Bicycle Brigade.
It has an average vote of 6.9 on TMDB.
4. Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry
A cinematic portrait of farmer and writer Wendell Berry. Through his eyes, we see both the changing landscapes of rural America in the era of industrial agriculture and the redemptive beauty in taking the unworn path.
It has an average vote of 6.7 on TMDB.
5. Seven Songs for a Long Life
The intimate story behind our changing relationship with death. A terminal diagnosis used to mean death within months. Modern medicine allows patients to live on for years. A passionate and touching film about uncertainty, about the future that faces all of us, following five patients who choose to sing their way through life, with a score by Mark Orton.
6. Silicon Cowboys
Launched in 1982 by three friends in a Houston diner, Compaq Computer set out to build a portable PC to take on IBM, the world’s most powerful tech company. Many had tried cloning the industry leader’s code, only to be trounced by IBM and its high-priced lawyers. Explore the remarkable David vs. Goliath story, and eventual demise, of Compaq, an unlikely upstart who altered the future of computing and helped shape the world as we know it today.
It has an average vote of 6.7 on TMDB.
7. Vital Signs
In “Vital Signs” , Barbara Hammer demonstratively transforms the horror of death into its opposite. She tenderly cares for a human skeleton, feeding it, dressing and caressing it, taking it for walks in the dark cabaret of an intimate relationship beyond death. She confronts pain and fear rather than repressing them.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
8. In the Darkness of the Theater I Take Off My Shoes (No Escuro do Cinema Descalço os Sapatos)
The National Ballet of Portugal is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Since its foundation, it has aimed to present the great classics, as well as to always welcome contemporary creations. Day-to-day life is demanding for dancers, choreographers, musicians, répétiteurs, seamstresses, light technicians, sound technicians, and other elements of a large staff that make it possible for dance to travel through the rehearsal rooms and linger in the hallways before making it onto the stage. This film follows not only the company’s creations and premieres, but mainly each dancer’s silent and structural work.
It has an average vote of 6.7 on TMDB.
9. Los Angeles Film Noir
A documentary about film noir films made in Los Angeles.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
10. Los gatos del callejón (Los gatos del callejón)
(Los gatos del callejón)
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
11. Abel Gance et son Napoléon (Abel Gance et son Napoléon)
This documentary focuses on the making of the 235-minute, silent epic Napoleon, the masterpiece of French director/writer/actor Abel Gance. Napoleon showcased Gance's talents with the camera, his use of multiple-images , and his handling of crowded action scenes -- all brought forward in this documentary by his later assistant, Nelly Kaplan. While Gance was shooting Napoleon in 1925-26, he and his crew were also being filmed for a documentary titled Autour de Napoleon. The only extant reels from that documentary are included in this film, as well as views of Gance's unique "triptychs" -- three different scenes lined up side-by-side across a super-wide screen to convey the effect of a panorama, or of three separate interludes. Nelly Kaplan put together this documentary using old footage, such as Gance filming the famous snowball fight at the Brienne military school and still photographs and excerpts from Gance's production diaries.
It has an average vote of 5.3 on TMDB.
12. The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam
Long Tack Sam was an internationally renowned Chinese acrobat and magician. He overcame isolation, poverty, cultural and linguistic barriers, extreme racism and world wars to become one of the most successful vaudeville acts of his time. His showmanship was unrivalled, yet he refused to appear in movies because of the way Chinese were portrayed at the time. A celebration of the spirit of Long Tack Sam's magic and art, this richly textured first person road movie is an exhilarating testament to his legacy and a prismatic tour through the 20th Century. It all begins in a small village in China...</p><p> https://www.nfb.ca/film/the_magical_life_of_long_tack_sam/
13. ¡Yo soy Boricua, pa' que tú lo sepas!
Actress Rosie Perez makes a stunning directorial debut in this heartfelt tribute to Puerto Rican pride. She takes an in-depth look at the complex and often controversial history of Puerto Rican-U.S. relations. By turns shocking and celebratory, this wide-ranging documentary examines such rich themes of the Puerto Rican experience as family, language, and racism, all with careful consideration of historical context.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
14. Look at Us Now, Mother!
LOOK AT US NOW, MOTHER! is about the transformation of a highly charged mother/daughter relationship from Mommie Dearest to Dear Mom, from hatred to love, as told through the filmmaker's story. The film is an unflinching look at the complex bond between mother and daughter. It reveals insights into family behaviors, patterns and generational, societal, cultural and individual histories. The film takes the audience on a journey spanning decades and continents, filled with conflict and emotional land mines. Told through biting humor and raw honesty, this is an intimate story about family dysfunctions and forgiveness.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
15. Kedi (Kedi)
A profile of Istanbul and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat.
It has an average vote of 7.565 on TMDB.
16. Now We Live on Clifton
Now We Live on Clifton follows 10 year old Pam Taylor and her 12 year old brother Scott around their multiracial West Lincoln Park neighborhood. The kids worry that they'll be forced out of the neighborhood they grew up in by the gentrification following the expansion of DePaul University.
17. Fighting the Silence
In front of the camera, a woman relates how soldiers raped her during the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Another victim is filmed while bathing in a lake: 'Every time I smell their odour, I take a bath.' By expressing themselves and participating in support group meetings, raped Congolese women fight for recognition. At one meeting, men first point at the women's provocative clothing. But a soldier extends his support to the activists, just like a reverend does with a scathing sermon to his parishioners. The documentary switches back and forth between hope and sorrow. Two men took their wives back, one of them even participates in the information meetings now. But a young woman who tells about her rape will probably never get married. 'She will become a prostitute', her father sighs. The filmmakers meet with a condemned offender in jail, but he does not show any remorse.
18. Ne me quitte pas (Ne me quitte pas)
The film tells the story of two friends who want to disappear from life. While their country Belgium is falling apart, two lost souls cling to each other.
It has an average vote of 5.7 on TMDB.
19. Emoticons
For a lot of young girls, the Internet is a safe haven where they can be themselves without fear. The computer is their ‘daily food’. They submerge themselves in a virtual world that became more important than the ordinary one. For most of them the virtual word ís their real world. Emoticons shows a group of ‘lost souls’ who are all in search for contact, consolation, help, friendship and love. Soulmates by the Internet.
20. Triangle: Remembering the Fire
On March 25, 1911, a catastrophic fire broke out at the Triangle Waist Company in New York City. Trapped inside the upper floors of a ten-story building, 146 workers - mostly young immigrant women and teenage girls - were burned alive or forced to jump to their deaths to escape an inferno that consumed the factory in just 18 minutes. It was the worst disaster at a workplace in New York State until 9/11. The tragedy changed the course of history, paving the way for government to represent working people, not just business, for the first time, and helped an emerging American middle class to live the American Dream.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.