Art Documentaries
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- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsIan BurumaGuo-Qiang CaiWen-You CaiTrace the rise of contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang from childhood in Mao's China to global art world superstar, and join his quest to realize his lifelong obsession: Sky Ladder.
- DirectorAaron RoseJoshua LeonardStarsJulian Bennett HolmesThomas CampbellShepard FaireyThis documentary follows the lives and careers of a collective group of Do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world.
- StarsCalandra CaldecottCharles DarwentMartin BaileyThe history of various thefts of art and efforts to recover them.
- DirectorJohn MaloofCharlie SiskelStarsVivian MaierJohn MaloofDaniel ArnaudA documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.
- DirectorJames CrumpStarsVito AcconciCarl AndreGermano CelantSet in the desolate desert spaces of the American southwest, the film unearths the history of land art during the tumultuous late 1960s and early 1970s. Troublemakers is ultimately a story of renegades and firebrands all willing to risk their future careers on radical change and experimentation-a marked contrast to the hyper-speculative contemporary art world of today. Featuring rare interviews with a veritable who's who of American Art of the twentieth century.
- DirectorJon NixStarsGrainne BirdKevin CzapiewskiMatt FishA documentary about illustrator and comic book artist, John G. In Cleveland, his artwork is everywhere, but most don't know the face behind the gritty imagery of The Lake Erie Monster comic series and Melt Bar and Grilled.
- DirectorChris MarkerStarsShigehiko HasumiChris MarkerAkira KurosawaA documentary that shows the production of Ran and discusses the film techniques of Kurosawa himself.
- DirectorDaniel JewelStarsPeter BurgisSue HardingGlen Gathard'The Secret World of Foley', takes us on a journey into the little known world of Foley Artists, who bring films to life by adding sound effects in post-production. We follow a multi-award winning two person team of Foley Artists and watch as they work together to bring to life a film about one morning in the life of a fishing village on the English coast. With their perfectly timed and precisely judged sound effects they transform the film as they interpret every sound detail, using props from their vast props store. This film shines a light on a little know film art form and is a testament to magic and wonder of Cinema itself.
- DirectorÞórdur Bragi JónssonUna LorenzenHeather MillardStarsTilde BjörforsBarbara KingsolverToshiko Horiuchi MacAdamEvery stitch tells a tale. International artists and knitters take a simple skein of yarn to create their extraordinary ideas and stories.
- DirectorDave LaMattinaChad N. WalkerStarsCaroll SpinneyJim HensonFrank OzCaroll Spinney has been Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969; at 78-years-old, he has no intention of stopping.
- DirectorRandall WrightStarsDavid HockneyArthur LambertColin SelfThe film looks back at Hockney's formative years in the British pop art scene and his experiences as a gay man.
- DirectorAleksandr SokurovStarsLouis-Do de LencquesaingBenjamin UtzerathVincent NemethA history of the Louvre during the Nazi occupation and a meditation on the meaning and timelessness of art.
- DirectorAmir Bar-LevStarsMarla OlmsteadLaura OlmsteadMark OlmsteadA look at the work and surprising success of a four-year-old girl whose paintings have been compared to the likes of Picasso and has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- DirectorTony MontanaMark Brian SmithStarsTroy DuffyJeffrey BaxterChris BrinkerA documentary on the rise and stumble of Troy Duffy, the bartender-cum-filmmaker who was swept up by Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to turn his script for The Boondock Saints into a feature film.
- DirectorThomas RiedelsheimerStarsAndy GoldsworthyAnna GoldsworthyHolly GoldsworthyPortrait of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist whose specialty is ephemeral sculptures made from elements of nature.
- DirectorPeter FischliDavid WeissInside a warehouse, a precarious 70-100 feet long structure has been constructed using various items. When this is set in motion, a chain reaction ensues. Fire, water, law of gravity as well as chemistry determine the life-cycle of objects - of things. It brings about a story concerning cause and effect, mechanism and art, improbability and precision.
- DirectorDick CarruthersStarsPortisheadGeoff BarrowBeth GibbonsPortishead concert in the Roseland Ballroom, New York City, on the 24th July 1997 with tracks from the albums "Dummy" and "Portishead" played by the band and a 30 piece orchestra.
- 1985– 1h 23mPG-137.1 (1.6K)TV Episode71MetascoreDirectorSydney PollackStarsFrank GehrySydney PollackJulian SchnabelA look at the life and work of the renown architect.
- DirectorDenny TedescoStarsBrian WilsonDick ClarkCherA celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.
- DirectorQuincy Jones IIIStars2 ChainzAndré 3000Big BoiAs pioneers of the Dirty South music movement, Organized Noize is responsible for Outkast, CeeLo, the Goodie Mob and the Dungeon Family. Their production shaped the landscape of hip-hop with their own distinctive sound, created in the confines of a dungeon. Featuring interviews with Andre 3000, Big Boi, Puff Daddy, Future, Ludacris, L.A. Reid, 2 Chainz, CeeLo and more, this is the story of the rise and fall of music's most prolific unsung heroes. From Flavor Unit and the producers of Lil Wayne's "The Carter" documentary, this is the Art of Organized Noize.
- DirectorRobert FantinattoStarsPatti SchmidtJoel ChadabeJohn Mills-CockellThe history and resurgence of the electronic modular music synthesizer.
- DirectorMarcie BegleiterStarsSelma BlairBob BalabanPatrick KennedyDocumentary feature film focusing on the life and times of Eva Hesse, a ground-breaking artist who was active in New York and Germany in the 1960's.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesStarsIris ApfelHarold KodaDries Van NotenA documentary about fashion icon Iris Apfel, the 93-year-old style maven who has had an out-sized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades, from legendary late 88-year-old documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles.
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsMary WellsDan WiedenHal RineyART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time -- people who've profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. Exploding forth from advertising's "creative revolution" of the 1960s, these artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for "Just Do It," "I Love NY," "Where's the Beef?," "Got Milk," "Think Different," and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. They managed to grab the attention of millions and truly move them. Visually interwoven with their stories, TV satellites are launched, billboards are erected, and the social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockAcclaimed filmmaker Morgan Spurlock captures the struggles and triumphs of five modern artisans who vary by trade but share a passion to create. Discover their worlds and be inspired by this vibrant, honest documentary.
- DirectorGilles PensoStarsRay HarryhausenPeter JacksonTerry GilliamThe life and work of the renowned film visual effects artist and producer.
- DirectorIan RoumainMichael SchwartzStarsXander BerkeleyBruce DavisonCraig FairbrassFollows sixteen actors who detail their ups and downs as they struggle to forge careers in Hollywood.
- DirectorLawrence ShapiroStarsCharlie AdlerPamela AdlonCarlos AlazraquiSeveral voice actors discuss their art and their careers.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMark BorchardtMike SchankTom SchimmelsDocumentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
- DirectorArne BirkenstockStarsWolfgang BeltracchiHelene BeltracchiHenrik HansteinA mesmerizing, thought-provoking yet surprisingly amusing documentary on the life and times of Wolfgang Beltracchi, who tricked the international art world for nearly 40 years by forging and selling paintings of early 20th-century masters. A larger-than-life personality who was responsible for the biggest art forgery scandal of the postwar era.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsRoger EbertChaz EbertGene SiskelThe life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
- DirectorSam CullmanJennifer GrausmanMark BeckerStarsMark A. LandisLester SullivanIrwin LakovWhen one of the most prolific art forgers in US history is finally exposed, he must confront the legacy of his 30-year con.
- DirectorHannes RossacherSimon WitterStarsKraftwerkDerrick MayHolger CzukayA documentary on the German band Kraftwerk, pioneers in electronic pop.
- DirectorZach HeinzerlingStarsUshio ShinoharaNoriko ShinoharaAlex ShinoharaThis candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorTellerStarsTim JenisonPenn JilletteMartin MullInventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
- DirectorFrank PavichStarsAlejandro JodorowskyMichel SeydouxH.R. GigerThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
- DirectorRichard DeweyTimothy MarrinanStarsChris BurdenMarina AbramovicVito AcconciA probing portrait of Chris Burden, an artist who took creative expression to the limits and risked his life in the name of art.
- StarsPlatonTinker HatfieldIan SpalterA look beyond blueprints and computers into the art and science of design, showcasing great designers from every discipline whose work shapes our world.
- DirectorDon ArgottStarsJulian BondDavid D'ArcyRichard FeigenDocumentary that follows the struggle for control of Dr. Albert C. Barnes' 25 billion dollar collection of modern and post-impressionist art.
- DirectorRichard BergeBonni CohenNicole NewnhamStarsJoan AllenE. Randol SchoenbergMaria AltmannThe story of Nazi Germany's plundering of Europe's great works of art during World War II and Allied efforts to minimize the damage.
- DirectorJason CohnBill JerseyStarsCharles EamesRay EamesJames FrancoThe relationship between Charles Eames and his wife Ray ignited a burst of design ingenuity whose impact on the world can still be felt over half a century later.
- DirectorMegumi SasakiStarsPaula AntebiWill BarnetRobert BarryHerb and Dorothy Vogel redefine what it means to be an art collector.
- DirectorNeil BerkeleyStarsWayne WhiteMimi PondPaul ReubensA documentary on the life and current times of artist Wayne White.
- DirectorJessica YuStarsHenry DargerDakota FanningLarry PineA documentary on Henry Darger, visionary artist, janitor, and novelist.
- DirectorJeff FeuerzeigStarsDaniel JohnstonMabel JohnstonBill JohnstonDaniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsManfred SchulzMassimo VignelliRick PoynorA documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsAmanda M. BurdenRem KoolhaasNorman FosterA documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsPaola AntonelliChris BangleAndrew BlauveltA feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them.
- DirectorWendy KeysProfiles Milton Glaser (1929- ), America's foremost graphic designer: designer of the iconic "I [heart] N.Y." logo, teacher, and humanitarian. Interviews with Glaser are arranged to take him through a rough chronology of his life: study at New York High School of Music and Art and at Cooper Union, a seminal stay in Italy, his marriage, and his various partnerships - founding Push Pin Studios and "New York" magazine, designing Grand Union supermarkets, and working with "The Nation." Interspersed are examples of his work. Glaser is, throughout, charming in manner, memorable in his observations, and generous of spirit.
- DirectorMattias LöwStarsPeter AlwinTony CatignaniAnna CostamagnaWhat happens when traditionally generous and export-driven Sweden imposes steep tuition fees for non-Europeans students?
- DirectorJohn W. WalterStarsJoseph IalacciRichard FeigenFrances BeattyInterviews with Christo, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malina, James Rosenquist and others help illuminate the life and work of Warhol contemporary Ray Johnson.
- DirectorMarion CajoriAmei WallachStarsPandora Tabatabai AsbaghiJean-Louis BourgeoisLouise BourgeoisA journey inside the world of a legend of modern art and an icon of feminism. Onscreen, the nonagenarian Louise Bourgeois is magnetic, mercurial and emotionally raw-an uncompromising artist whose life and work are imbued with her ongoing obsession with the mysteries of childhood. Her process is on full display in this intimate documentary, which features the artist in her studio and with her installations, shedding light on her intentions and inspirations. Louise Bourgeois has for six decades been at the forefront of successive new developments, but always on her own powerfully inventive and disquieting terms. In 1982, at the age of 71, she became the first woman to be honored with a major retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art. In the decades since, she has created her most powerful and persuasive work, including her series of massive spider structures that have been installed around the world. Filmed with unparalleled access between 1993 and 2007, Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine is a comprehensive and dramatic documentary of creativity and revelation.
- DirectorMichelle BoyanerStarsJane AndersonTess AyersJames R. BakkerPACKED IN A TRUNK is the story of artist Edith Lake Wilkinson, committed to an asylum in 1924 and never heard from again. All her worldly possessions were packed into trunks and shipped to a relative in West Virginia where they sat in an attic for 40 years. Edith's great-niece, Emmy Award winning writer and director Jane Anderson, grew up surrounded by Edith's paintings, thanks to her mother who had gone poking through that dusty attic and rescued Edith's work. The film follows Jane in her decades-long journey to find the answers to the mystery of Edith's buried life, return the work to Provincetown and have Edith's contributions recognized by the larger art world.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsElsa DorfmanJorge Luis BorgesBob DylanA look at the life and work of photographer Elsa Dorfman.
- DirectorIreneusz DobrowolskiStarsStanislav SzukalskiGlenn BrayRobert WilliamsThis documentary chronicles the life of Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) from his early years in Chicago, to his time in Poland and Los Angeles, and his artistic and political contributions to the world.
- DirectorGriffin DunneStarsJoan DidionGriffin DunneAnna WintourLiterary icon Joan Didion reflects on her remarkable career and personal struggles in this intimate documentary directed by her nephew, Griffin Dunne.
- DirectorAndrew RossiStarsAnna WintourAndrew BoltonJohn GallianoFollows the creation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's most attended fashion exhibition in history, "China: Through The Looking Glass," an exploration of Chinese-inspired Western fashions by Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton.
- DirectorVanessa GouldStarsErik D. DemaineMartin L. DemaineVincent FlodererDepicts a cast of fine artists and eccentric scientists (from MIT and NASA) who have devoted their lives to the unlikely medium of modern origami. Through their determination to reinterpret the world in paper, they arouse a fascinating mix of sensibilities towards art, form, expressiveness, creativity and meaning.
- DirectorStefan HauptStarsJordi Bonet i ArmengolEtsuro SotooAnna HuberThe Sagrada Família in Barcelona is a unique and fascinating building project by a brilliant, formerly controversial genius, Antoni Gaudi, with an army of workers, a history with many highs and lows and a myriad of questions raised. The biography of the edifice, which has been under construction since 1882 and is about half completed today, is the starting point for Stefan Haupt's film SAGRADA, el misteri de la creacio.
- DirectorJonathan GruberMiriam Beerman is a survivor. In her more than 60 years as a groundbreaking artist, she has overcome personal tragedy to inspire friends, family, peers, patrons, and students about how to remain defiant, creative and strong. Miriam has struggled with her artistic demons to create haunting images that evoke the suffering of generations of victims. At 90 years old, Miriam now lives in a residence home near her family in Washington, D.C. Her memory is not what it once was, yet she is still generating compelling and forceful art. It's one of the only things she is sure of. The film is a memorable profile of an artist who has elevated her empathy for the plight of the world's castoffs into powerful portrayals of dignity.
- DirectorIan BonhôtePeter EttedguiStarsAlexander McQueenJoyce McQueenJohn HitchcockThe life and career of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen: from his start as a tailor, to launching and overseeing his eponymous line and his untimely death.
- DirectorPatrick MarkStarsOleg MirochnikovSamuel WestFabergГ©: A Life of Its Own tells the definitive story of the world's most famous artist jeweller.
- DirectorJamie KastnerStarsKevin HearnJonathan SommerJim WhiteA painting, apparently the work of an iconic Native artist, leads the rockstar who buys it into the tragic, brutal world of an art forgery ring in Canada's far north.
- DirectorNorman StoneStarsDaniel ArbonEvangelos AlexiouPenny FullerFrom PBS - Best known for the groundbreaking portrait of his mother, James McNeill Whistler was the original art star. But beneath the high gloss, the struggle of this genius to find his own voice resulted in a breakaway style that moved painting towards abstraction and would revolutionize the art world in his time-and beyond.
- DirectorNancy D. KatesStarsNoël BurchLucinda ChildsPatricia ClarksonREGARDING SUSAN SONTAG is an intimate and nuanced investigation into the life of one of the most influential and provocative thinkers of the 20th century. Passionate and gracefully outspoken throughout her career, Susan Sontag became one of the most important literary, political and feminist icons of her generation. The documentary explores Sontag's life through archival materials, accounts from friends, family, colleagues, and lovers, as well as her own words, as read by Patricia Clarkson. From her early infatuation with books to her first experience in a gay bar; from her early marriage to her last lover, REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG is a fascinating look at a towering cultural critic and writer whose works on photography, war, illness, and terrorism still resonate today.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJanine AntoniIda ApplebroogPenny ArcadeReclaiming the Body: Feminist Art in America features a collection of passionate, determined artists who have taken creation, performance and visual storytelling into their own hands. Loosely based on the two-part BAD GIRLS exhibition at The New Museum of Contemporary Art in Manhattan, Reclaiming the Body goes beyond the scope of the exhibition to include other significant contributors to feminist art. From sculpture to photography, the featured work challenges society's notion of the female form, femininity and gender identity. The film spans three generations of artists, from Louise Bourgeois to Janine Antoni, in order to give an overview of the history of this important movement from the 1960s to the present day.
- DirectorOrson WellesGary GraverOja KodarStarsOrson WellesOja KodarFrançois ReichenbachA documentary about fraud and fakery.
- DirectorBarry AvrichStarsAnn FreedmanM.H. MillerPerry AmsellemMade You Look is an American crime documentary about the largest art fraud in American history set in the super rich, super obsessed and super fast art world of New York.
- DirectorJohanna DemetrakasStarsJudy ChicagoFollows the creation of the Dinner party, a monumental artistic tribute to women of achievement throughout history. The exhibit consists chiefly of painted ceramics and needlework.
- StarsShelley MurphyAnne HawleyDick EllisMarch 18, 1990, 13 works of art were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Guards admitted two men posing as police officers responding to a disturbance call, and the thieves tied the guards up and looted the museum.
- DirectorMichael BlackwoodStarsJan ButterfieldPhilip GustonCharles ShereArt historians and critics talk with Philip Guston about his ideas and new work of the 1970's. Filmed during the making of "Philip Guston: A Life Lived".
- DirectorPhilip HaasStarsDavid HockneyThis famous Chinese scroll painting traces the Emperor Kangxi's second tour of his southern empire in 1689. Painted by Wang Hui (1632-1717) and assistants, it was executed before Western perspective was introduced into Chinese art. Hockney contrasts the more fluid spatial depictions of this scroll with a later scroll painted by Xu Yang and assistants, The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (1764-1770), scroll four. This scroll illustrates the same tour, but now taken by the Qianlong emperor, grandson of the Kangxi emperor. Influenced by Western perspective, the Qianlong scroll presents the emperor in a single tableau, whereas the Kangxi scroll depicts a continuous travel narrative filled with details of daily life in the towns and countryside along the route. Reference is also made to the use of perspective in Capriccio: Plaza San Marco Looking South and West (1763) by Italian painter Canaletto (1697-1768). Director Philip Haas (Angels and Insects and Up at the Villa), and artist David Hockney take you on a magical journey through China via a marvelous 72-foot long 17th-century Chinese scroll entitled The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour (1691-1698), scroll seven. As Hockney unrolls the beautiful and minutely detailed work of art, he traces the Emperor Kangxi's second tour of his southern empire in 1689. Hockney's charming and fascinating narration helps bring the bustling streets and waterfronts of three hundred years ago to life. Hockney spins a dazzling discourse on eastern and western perceptive and their relationship to his own artistic vision. His trip through one of China's most magnificent artworks is a joyous adventure for all!
- DirectorDaria PriceStarsAndy ChenGregory ClarickPatricia CohenDriven to Abstraction unravels a mutating tale of self-delusion, greed, and fraud-- the $80 million forgery scandal that rocked the art world and brought down Knoedler, New York City's oldest and most venerable gallery. Was the gallery's esteemed director the victim of a con artist who showed up with an endless treasure trove of previously unseen abstract expressionist masterpieces? Or did she eventually suspect they were fakes, yet continue to sell them for many millions of dollars for fifteen years? Whatever the truth, two women from very different worlds were, wittingly or not, caught up in the greatest hoax ever of Modern American Art.
- DirectorMelissa HaizlipSam PollardStarsBlair UnderwoodSidney PoitierMichael JacksonBefore Oprah, before Arsenio, there was Mr. SOUL. Ellis Haizlip ensures that the Revolution would be televised with "SOUL!," America's first "Black Tonight Show." From 1968 to 1973, the public-television variety show SOUL!, guided by enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music, and politics--voices that had few other options for national exposure, and, as a result, found the program an improbable place to call home. The series was among the first to provide expanded images of African Americans on television, shifting the gaze from inner-city poverty and violence to the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. With participants' recollections and illuminating archival clips, Mr. SOUL captures a critical moment in culture whose impact continues to resonate, and an unsung hero whose voice we need now more than ever, to restore the SOUL of a nation.
- DirectorFrederick WisemanStarsLeanne BenjaminKausikan RajeshkumarJo ShapcottA documentary that goes inside one of the great museums of the world: The National Gallery in London.
- StarsJohn BergerAnya BostockEva FigesJohn Berger presents his insights on how people see. Through examples of Art History Berger shows how our very sense of sight has been transformed. By discovering why this is so, according to Berger, "we shall discover something about ourselves."
- DirectorMatthew AkersJeff DupreStarsMarina AbramovicUlayKlaus BiesenbachA documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsRobert CrumbAline Kominsky-CrumbCharles CrumbAn intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
- DirectorFaythe LevineSam MaconAt a time when most American cityscapes are dominated by computer created signage, Sign Painters takes a close look at the past, present, and hopeful future of the hand paint sign industry in the USA.
- DirectorAlexander DunnStarsDamon AlbarnArthur BakerAfrika Bambaataa808 is a documentary film about the inspiring story of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. It's the tale of the birth of electronic music, and how one small machine changed the musical landscape forever... by accident. It's the story of a sound that has been embraced by the world's top producers and performers, and has been name-checked on a whole host of hit records. Associated with numerous musical styles crossing both time and genre, its defining sounds are as relevant now as they ever has been. It defined hip hop and modern dance culture and it's sound continues to deliver dancefloor smashing beats today.
- DirectorAlison KlaymanStarsAi WeiweiDan AiLao AiA documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government.
- DirectorDamian PettigrewStarsFederico FelliniRoberto BenigniLuigi 'Titta' BenziA look at Fellini's creative process. In extensive interviews, Fellini talks a bit about his background and then discusses how he works and how he creates. Several actors, a producer, a writer, and a production manager talk about working with Fellini. Archive footage of Fellini and others on the set plus clips from his films provide commentary and illustration for the points interviewees make. Fellini is fully in charge; actors call themselves puppets. He dismisses improvisation and calls for "availability." His sets and his films create images that look like reality but are not; we see the differences and the results.
- DirectorJoel Allen SchroederStarsBerkeley BreathedJef MallettStephan PastisA documentary about the impact of the newspaper comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," created by Bill Watterson.
- DirectorLisanne PajotJames SwirskyStarsJonathan BlowBrandon BoyerRenaud BédardA documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
- DirectorHans FjellestadStarsCharlie ClouserHerbert DeutschKeith EmersonBob Moog shaped musical culture with some of the most inspiring electronic instruments ever created. This "compelling documentary portrait of a provocative, thoughtful and deeply sympathetic figure" (New York Times) peeks into the inventor's mind and the worldwide phenomenon he fomented.
- DirectorAmélie RavalecStarsLaurent GarnierFrom secret Parisian parties to Berlin's infamous Berghain club, Paris/Berlin documents the underground movement of techno through the lens of two different cities. This 52 minute documentary traces the evolution of techno telling the stories of the DJ's, producers, label managers, promoters, record shops and distributors that have stayed true to its original spirit. Screened in countless clubs, cultural events, cinemas and festivals across Europe - UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Croatia, Austria, Netherlands as well as in the USA (NYC, San Francisco and Washington), Australia (Melbourne, Sydney and Perth) and Singapore -12 month's since its release and Paris/Berlin continues to attract sellout crowds worldwide.
- DirectorMaurice SteenbergenIt is the story of the techno-culture rebels responsible for the world domination of house music and rave culture in the 1990s.
- DirectorRalf SchmerbergStarsErykah BaduBrian EnoPhilip GlassA documentary that explores the challenges that a life in music can bring.
- DirectorJon ReissStarsMobyLord T. ByronMcGuinnesThis is a documentary film about the history of the U.S. rave scene which includes a fantastic soundtrack. Both the film and soundtrack capture the people and the music that shaped the underground subculture around electronic music in America. Featured soundtrack artists include: Moby, Keoki, The Crystal Method, DJ Spooky, Roni Size, Psychic TV, and a host of others.
- DirectorGary BredowStarsJuan AtkinsDerrick MayKevin SaundersonHIGH TECH SOUL is the first documentary to tackle the deep roots of techno music alongside the cultural history of Detroit, its birthplace. From the race riots of 1967 to the underground party scene of the late 1980s, Detroit's economic downturn didn't stop the invention of a new kind of music that brought international attention to its producers and their hometown. Featuring in-depth interviews with many of the world's best exponents of the artform, High Tech Soul focuses on the creators of the genre -- Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson -- and looks at the relationships and personal struggles behind the music. Artists like Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Eddie Fowlkes and a host of others explain why techno, with its abrasive tones and resonating basslines, could not have come from anywhere but Detroit.
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsThe AlliesA-TrakCrazeThe story of the hip-hop DJ from the birth of hip-hop to the invention of scratching and "beat-juggling" vinyl, to the more recent "turntablism" movement. Underdogs and virtuosos who have radically changed the way we hear and create music.
- DirectorAlexandra LipsitzStarsDan CraneDavid S. JungHadia AckermanThe guitars may be fake, but the talent is real at the U.S. Air Guitar Championships, where performers rock out on invisible guitars in hilarious ways.
- DirectorIara LeeStarsArthur BakerAfrika BambaataaCarl CoxThe evolution of electronic music and its many genres. How the wide range of styles and scenes formed through experimentations on sound formation.
- DirectorAlison ChernickStarsMatthew BarneyBjörkHow does artist Matthew Barney use 45,000 pounds of petroleum jelly, a factory whaling vessel and traditional Japanese rituals to create his latest art project? Barney plowed the waters off the coast of Nagasaki to film his massive endeavor, Drawing Restraint 9. The documentary Matthew Barney: No Restraint journeys to Japan with Barney and his collaborator Bjork, as the visual artist creates a "narrative sculpture" telling a fantastical love story of two characters that transform from land mammals into whales.
- DirectorStig BjörkmanStarsIngrid BergmanPia LindströmRoberto RosselliniA captivating look behind the scenes of the remarkable life of a young Swedish girl who became one of the most celebrated actresses of American and World cinema.
- DirectorRoss LipmanStarsRoss LipmanKevin BrownlowJudith DouwA documentary inquiry into the strange but true collaboration of Samuel Beckett and Buster Keaton.
- DirectorFreida Lee MockStarsMaya LinA film about the work of the artist most famous for her monuments such as the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Civil Rights Fountain Memorial.
- DirectorNicole BrossardLuce GuilbeaultMargaret WescottDans ce long métrage documentaire, Luce Guilbeault, qui coréalise le film aux côtés de Nicole Brossard et de Margaret Wescott, interviewe quelques féministes américaines : Rita Mae Brown, auteure et poète, Margo Jefferson, écrivaine et critique, Kate Millett, auteure et sculpteure, Lila Karp, écrivaine et professeure, Ti-Grace Atkinson, théoricienne et militante féministe, Betty Friedan, auteure. Elles nous racontent leurs expériences, leurs sentiments et leurs théories sur la question du féminisme.