1. Frankenstein: A Modern Myth
From Boris Karloff to Mel Brooks - Frankenstein has fired the imagination of generations of artists who have created their own interpretation of this Gothic masterpiece. Frankenstein: A Modern Myth looks at some of these depictions, including Danny Boyle's sell-out hit at the National Theatre. The film has exclusive access to rehearsals and interviews with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller - who alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature - and with Danny Boyle. It also features cult film director John Waters: "I'm sympathetic to monsters, and this was the first one I came across as a child".
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
2. The Diary of a Projectionist (Diari d'un operador cinematogràfic)
This is the story of my grandfather, Tiago Florit, who for 50 years was a film operator at the Teatre Principal de Maó, in Menorca. It is a review of his life, from his birth to his death, in a cinematographic key. A true love story to cinema.
3. Upstage
A documentary on Goshen High School, a school in Upstate New York, and its theater program which has a vast history spanning over 60 years. The film explores Paul Wright, the founder of Goshen's theater program, and the history of the program up until the cancellation of the 2020 musical of Beauty and the Beast. This film takes a deep dive into the process of how Goshen High School musicals are produced and what makes this theater program so special
4. On The Fringe
'On the Fringe' is a captivating documentary that takes viewers on a journey through Canada’s most vibrant and eclectic arts festival circuit. Chronicling the experiences of four groups of artists as they travel from coast to coast, the film provides a rare and compelling insight into the world of Fringe theatre, and the artists who rely on these festivals to make their dreams come true.
5. Theatre In Israel
An English-speaking film produced on behalf of the Israeli Center of the International Theater Institute, providing international audience with an overview of modern Israeli theater, including scenes of renowned Israeli theater productions from the theater season of 1967. The film opens with excerpts from “The Dybbuk” at Habima Theater, and includes scenes from the successful musicals of the Cameri Theater “Utz Li Gutz Li” and “King Solomon and Shalmai The Shoemaker”. Other excerpts include scenes from the plays “The American Princess” by Nissim Aloni at the Seasons Theater, “He Walked Through the Fields” by Moshe Shamir at the Haifa Theater, Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf”, and more.
6. Mulheres de Barba Rija (Mulheres de Barba Rija)
(Mulheres de Barba Rija)
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
7. La fuga (La fuga)
The internal journey of eight men, who, through a theater workshop, go through the different prisons they inhabit. Practicing the art of seeing themselves, in Boal's words, this group of men reflects on their masculinity as a representation to hide their true strength: their vulnerability.
8. Fanny, Alexander & Me (Fanny, Alexander & Jag)
A documentary about the rehearsal of a theater production of Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander" in 2012, in Stockholm, Sweden.
9. Who Said Macbeth
Although the past two years have been challenging for the Theatre industry, they also showed its incredible strength and resilience. Through interviews with West End performers and creatives, this documentary outlines the difficulties presented to our industry over the course of the pandemic, as well as highlighting changes - both positive and negative - that have come from it. An emotional reflection on a battle it was worth fighting for. All profits will be going to 'Acting for Others', an organisation that provides support to all theatre workers through 14 member charities. We hope these stories full of passion for Theatre inspire you just as much as they inspired us!
10. National Theatre Live: 50 Years on Stage
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the National Theatre of Great Britain presents National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage, bringing together the best British actors for a unique evening of unforgettable performances, broadcast live from London to cinemas around the world.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
11. Agatha Christie contre Hercule Poirot : Qui a tué Roger Ackroyd ? (Agatha Christie contre Hercule Poirot : Qui a tué Roger Ackroyd ?)
(Agatha Christie contre Hercule Poirot : Qui a tué Roger Ackroyd ?)
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
12. Call it the burning (On la nomme la Brûlure)
One night, nine children from the same Tunisian village attempt the deadly crossing. Like a poem or a prayer, this film welcomes the words of bereaved mothers and gives dignity to their grief.
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
13. Acting Blind
This touching documentary follows a cast of blind and visually impaired actors as they prepare Dancing to Beethoven, a play about blindness. The film takes us deep into the lives of the actors. We hear stories of their shock and disbelief at first losing sight and of their struggles coping with a life without it. We hear them talk about grieving and pining for the visual world. They tell the moving story of how this play is itself a victory, a type of salvation, for each of them. By opening night, at the renowned Place des Arts in Montreal, they are a close-knit cast, well-honed and ready to step out of the wings and into the light.
14. Lorraine Pintal - So The Light Never Dies (Lorraine Pintal - Pour que la lumière ne meure jamais)
Directed by Ariane Louis-Seize, this tribute film was created as a gift for Lorraine Pintal, director of Montreal’s Théâtre du Nouveau Monde. Featuring some of the most memorable characters and performers of Pintal’s career, the film’s succession of surreal scenes from different dramatic worlds introduces viewers to the exceptional woman of theatre, stage director, and friend whom they consider to be the “ghost light” of Quebec theatre.
15. The Hour
The hour before actors go on stage at the National Theatre in London is a performance in and of itself.
16. Aunt Iki (Tante Iki)
Sigrid Koetse, award-winning actor and grande dame of Dutch theater, lived most of her life in the public eye and was always surrounded by a crowd of admirers. With this short documentary, filmmaker Wytse Koetse shows how his aunt spends her days nowadays, lonely in her Amsterdam home.
17. Franco Zeffirelli: Directing from Life
Franco Zeffirelli passed away on 15th June 2019. Chris Hunt's biography explores how Zeffirelli's sense of drama was born out of his own experience and how his life inspired his productions. Chris Hunt interviewed him and other famous actors, friends and associates, had a camera at Zeffirelli's 94th birthday and during the opening of his foundation in Florence. This documentary, including clips from operas, films and plays aims to be the definitive portrait of a Renaissance man larger than life.
18. Sale race (Sale race)
(Sale race)
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
19. Barry & Joan
A joyful insight into the creative world of Barry and Joan Grantham, two British eccentrics who have kept the skills of vaudeville alive for over seventy years. Since becoming stage-struck lovers in 1948, Barry and Joan have taught, danced and acted alongside the greats of British film and theatre. They are the last of the golden generation of vaudeville, eager to pass their legacy on to future generations.
20. Me To Play
As their bodies give way to Parkinson's disease, two New York actors put their hearts into one final Off-Broadway production of Beckett's "Endgame," the play that posits, "there's nothing funnier than unhappiness."
