1. The Marvellous Spiral (La espiral maravillosa)
Spain, early 20th century. As a child, Leocadia Cantalapiedra was dazzled by a new art: cinema; but she lives in a society where directing films is something only men can do.
It has an average vote of 5.3 on TMDB.
2. Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock
A reckless joyride into the darkest corners of popular music that delves deep into the mind of Mick Rock, the genius photographer who immortalized the seventies and the rise to rock stardom of many legendary musicians.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
3. Anne Braden: Southern Patriot
Anne Braden: Southern Patriot is a first person documentary about the extraordinary life of this American civil rights leader. Braden was hailed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail as a white southerner whose rejection of her segregationist upbringing was eloquent and prophetic. Ostracized as a red in the 1950s, she fought for an inclusive movement community and mentored three generations of social justice advocates. Braden’s story explores not only the dangers of racism and political repression but also the power of a woman’s life spent in commitment to social justice.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
4. Land Without Bread (Las Hurdes)
An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time.
It has an average vote of 7.1 on TMDB.
5. Reggie
One of sport’s first and most influential megastars, beloved baseball icon and 5-time World Series champion Reggie Jackson contemplates his legacy as a trailblazing Black athlete fighting for dignity, respect, and a seat at the table in this intimate and revealing documentary exploring his life and barrier-busting career.
It has an average vote of 5.15 on TMDB.
6. Back Towards Light (Takaisin valoon)
Marissa, a 25-year-old woman, goes through an unimaginable journey trying to maintain her sense of self after becoming a victim of human trafficking and sex slavery.
It has an average vote of 6.5 on TMDB.
7. After Porn Ends 3
After Porn Ends 3 continues to explore whether a career as an adult performer is inherently damaging to the balance of a perfomer's life once retired.
It has an average vote of 5.5 on TMDB.
8. What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?
Amanda is a divorced woman who makes a living as a photographer. During the Fall of the year Amanda begins to see the world in new and different ways when she begins to question her role in life, her relationships with her career and men and what it all means. As the layers to her everyday experiences fall away insertions in the story with scientists, and philosophers and religious leaders impart information directly to an off-screen interviewer about academic issues, and Amanda begins to understand the basis to the quantum world beneath. During her epiphany as she considers the Great Questions raised by the host of inserted thinkers, she slowly comprehends the various inspirations and begins to see the world in a new way.
It has an average vote of 4.977 on TMDB.
9. Anti-Blackness in Arab Media
A short documentary covering the racism towards black people in Arab societies. Covering race, blackface, colourism and censorship. Featuring Ismail Kushkush, a Sudanese-American journalist and Mariam, an Egyptian-American online blogger.
10. Great North: A Run. A River. A Region.
GREAT NORTH: A RUN. A RIVER. A REGION is a documentary film about the Great North Run, a half marathon from Newcastle to South Shields.
11. Auguste Escoffier: The Birth of Haute Cuisine (Auguste Escoffier ou la naissance de la gastronomie moderne)
A succulent account of the life of French chef Auguste Escoffier who made the simple act of cooking food a true art by creating the modern concept of haute cuisine, and who also became the main reference point for many generations of future chefs.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
12. The Angry Eye
This documentary shows Jane Elliott's blue-eyed/brown-eyed experiment set in a college environment with students from diverse racial and ethnic environments.
13. Bike Against The Wind
Mark Vashro travels by bicycle from Boston to San Diego through the southern regions of the United States. As he travels, he meets fascinating people and asks them how they ended up where they are. He meets Dave, an alcoholic from Virginia who is trying to reach his family in North Carolina. A woman in New Orleans who used to be an acclaimed designer in New York but realized it wasn't the right life for her. A fisherman living in a self built, single room house in the marshes of Louisiana, wondering how the oil spill will affect his life. These people along with amazing experiences and scenery tell a story of great adventure and human experience.
14. Conversations after Church
Six Christians face a dark night of the soul that leads them to question everything they believe.
15. Gandhada Gudi (ಗಂಧದ ಗುಡಿ)
A narrative by Puneeth Rajkumar aka Appu which explores state of Karnataka - the land, its culture and traditions, it's social issues and even it's forests, all through his curious eyes. The film is almost Appu's own journey of discovery as he understands the rich flora and fauna of the state.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
16. Gino: A Child of War
An account of a young Italian boy who was taken in by a Canadian military unit during World War II.
17. Miyama, Kyōto Prefecture (Miyama, Kyōto Prefecture)
The follow-up film to “Barstow, California” takes us to the mountains of Miyama, a remote forest and tourist area north of Kyoto. Uwe Walter, a shakuhachi player from Germany, lives there with his wife Mitsuyo for 30 years. Together with the villagers he prepares the annual Gion Festival. On the eve of the festival, the village representatives tell him that his self-built studio is to be demolished. This brings back memories for him of earlier times and his first steps as a Nō actor. In the manner of a fresco, the film interweaves rural depictions of everyday life with the story of its German protagonist. In the village community with its togetherness of generations, Uwe shares life with his neighbours, with farmers, hunters, woodsmen, poultry farmers and anglers, tills his kitchen garden, and like other tradition-conscious villagers, he also grows his rice. The film shows them in a harsh mountain landscape between the rainy season and the first snow.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
18. Punky Night at Hinton St. George (Punky Night at Hinton St. George)
Children parade through the streets of Hinton St George in Somerset on the last Thursday of October. Children have hollowed out pumpkins or mangelwurzels, a type of animal fodder turnip to make lanterns following a tradition in this part of West Somerset that coincides with Halloween. Punky or Punkie Night is thought to date from the turn of the 20th century or perhaps medieval times chanting rhymes and following a Punkie King and Queen.
19. Quem Precisa de Identidade? (Quem Precisa de Identidade?)
Every day they have to fight to exist. Immigrants and Afro-descendants in Brazil - one of the most racist countries in the world - move to overcome the struggle of existence and have a better place with respect and rights. But how to guarantee one's identity if racism is such a perfect crime that the culprit always ends up being the victim of a victim?
20. America 911: We Will Never Forget
Within minutes of the first explosion, CameraPlanet's video journalists hit the streets and began shooting videos of the tragedy as seen through the eyes of the people who were literally at "ground zero". America 911 is intended as a tribute and a memorial to the fallen and a permanent reminder so that we never forget.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
