1. The Biggest Little Farm
The successes and failures of a couple determined to live in harmony with nature on a farm outside of Los Angeles are lovingly chronicled by filmmaking farmer John Chester, in this inspiring documentary.
It has an average vote of 7.5 on TMDB.
2. Riding Giants
Riding Giants is story about big wave surfers who have become heroes and legends in their sport. Directed by the skateboard guru Stacy Peralta.
It has an average vote of 7.6 on TMDB.
3. The Sacramento River of Life
The Sacramento is one of the greatest rivers in the world, A " River of Life" providing the majority of salmon to the Pacific Ocean, but also a great risk of flooding for its ever growing population living within its watershed. gathering water from an area approximately the size of the state Indiana. The Sacramento and its many tributaries nurture the vast agricultural corridor of the central valley of California, as well as providing water to cities as far south as Los Angeles
It has an average vote of 10 on TMDB.
4. Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause
(Hindenburg Disaster: Probable Cause)
5. The Beach Boys - California Surfin
(The Beach Boys - California Surfin)
6. Glimpses of California
This Traveltalk series short looks at California, beginning with the diverse types of flowers found in the state. After a look at some popular Hollywood landmarks, we visit Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park, a famous cemetery.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
7. The Mission Trail
This Traveltalk series short follows the route laid out by the famous chain of 21 Spanish missions, begun in 1769 and extending northward for over 500 miles, from San Diego to Sonoma, California. We stop briefly at San Luis Rey and San Juan Capistrano as well as San Juan Bautista and other missions.
8. The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane
For decades, Barbara Dane lent her stellar singing voice to social-justice movements in the Bay Area and beyond, garnering an impressive FBI file along the way. Deeply respected by fellow luminaries in folk, blues and jazz, Dane built a far-reaching legacy with music, activism, and love. As Maureen Gosling’s celebratory portrait reveals, early solidarity with those suffering racial and economic injustice sparked Dane’s passion to use her talent to sustain marginalized people. Rather than chase stardom, she followed her own maternal instincts to root herself and her family among generations of activist performers. Bonnie Raitt, Jane Fonda and other notables attest to Dane’s unique way of shaping and being shaped by tumultuous social revolutions from the 1950s on. Nearing 90, Dane triumphantly tours with piano virtuoso Tammy Hall to celebrate a life of staying awake and connected, true to her ideals. One star among many illuminates so much.
9. Around the World in California
This FitzPatrick's Traveltalks series short takes the viewer to various sites around California that resemble the geography, architecture, and culture of other places around the globe.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
10. Burning
Follows the deadly Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known as ‘Black Summer’. Burning is an exploration of what happened as told from the perspective of victims of the fires, activists and scientists.
It has an average vote of 6.917 on TMDB.
11. Searching
A haunting fire prevention film about keeping matches out of the hands of children.
It has an average vote of 7 on TMDB.
12. Alpine Zoos and You
This moving, family documentary goes behind the scenes at The Big Bear Alpine Zoo, which is only one of two high elevation, Alpine Zoos in the United States.
13. 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.
14. Koala Rescue
Koala Rescue profiles the courage and determination of everyday Aussies that went out of their way to rescue, treat and rehabilitate the koalas who survived the Australian Black Summer bushfires, 2019-20.
It has an average vote of 9 on TMDB.
15. Harmonium in California (Harmonium en Californie)
Through concerts and interviews, folk-progressive group Harmonium takes Quebec culture to California. This documentary full of colour and sound, filmed in California in 1978, recounts the ups and downs of the journey of the Quebec musical group Harmonium, who came to feel the pulse of Americans and see if culture, their culture, can succeed in crossing borders.
It has an average vote of 4 on TMDB.
16. Frenchy Dreams of Hashish
A feature-length documentary that captures the passion of famous hashishin, Frenchy Cannoli, and his pursuit of quality hashish within the context of a changing legal landscape in California's cannabis industry.
It has an average vote of 4 on TMDB.
17. Lara (Lara)
Lara, a German au pair, recently arrived in Marseille, where a new life is beginning for her. Being an introverted young girl, she nevertheless throws herself into the unknown, into the twists and turns of a city whose codes she still does not know.
18. California Light
One filmmaker's exploration of natural light in California and its influence on people's lives.
19. Desert Utopia: Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs
Southern California’s Coachella Valley, including the communities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, boasts hundreds of extraordinary midcentury modern homes, public buildings and commercial structures. Modern designers such as William F. Cody, Albert Frey, William Krisel, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, R.M. Schindler, Donald Wexler, E. Stewart Williams left their collective mark on this desert paradise. Desert Utopia: Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs traces the history of modern architecture in Palm Springs from the first bold forays into modernist design to the preservation challenges facing the region today. Director Jake Gorst’s film features rare archival images and footage as well as interviews with historians, homeowners and the architects who helped create this mecca of modernism.
20. When You're Strange
The creative chemistry of four brilliant artists —drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Kreiger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison— made The Doors one of America's most iconic and influential rock bands. Using footage shot between their formation in 1965 and Morrison's death in 1971, it follows the band from the corridors of UCLA's film school, where Manzarek and Morrison met, to the stages of sold-out arenas.
It has an average vote of 7.3 on TMDB.
