Documentaries that Make you Think
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- DirectorAna Maria GarciaDocumentary on the mass sterilization of Puerto Rican women during the 50s and 60s.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsLily TomlinTony CurtisSusie BrightA documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film.
- DirectorSpike LeeStarsMaxine McNairWalter CronkiteChris McNairA documentary of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement.
- DirectorLaurie CollyerA gripping portrait of one Puerto Rican family living in NYC. Roberto, 29, the eldest son gay and living in Greenwich Village. Marta the family matriarch, living in Brooklyn and raising the grandchildren that have, for the most part been abandonded by their parents. Danny, 23, returning from Riker's Island after spending yet more time in jail. Beatriz, vanishing periodically to indulg her crack cocain habit. Hip-Hop and Latin music serve as the sound track to this honest but often painful portrait of an American family.
- DirectorEdet BelzbergStarsCristina IonescuMihai Alexandre TudoseVioleta 'Macarena' RosuA profile of homeless Romanian children who were born victims of the nation's reckless population growth policy during its communist era.
- DirectorJamie JohnsonStarsIvanka TrumpGeorgina BloombergSi Newhouse IVA documentary on children of the insanely rich. Directed by one of their own, Johnson & Johnson heir, Jamie Johnson.
- DirectorLiz GarbusDocumentary chronicling America's justice system. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center.
- DirectorZana BriskiRoss KauffmanStarsKochiAvijit HalderShanti DasTwo documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsMorgan SpurlockDaryl IsaacsChemeeka WalkerWhile examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsLee ScottDon HunterJon HunterA look at the impact of the retail giant on local communities.
- DirectorLiz GarbusRosie PerezStarsPedro Albizu CamposRicardo AlegríaRosie PerezA documentary on New York's annual Puerto Rican Day parade.
- DirectorMarco WilliamsA look at three U.S. cities, which were part of many communities that violently forced African American families to flee in post-reconstruction America.
- 2006–20075 epsTV-MA8.5 (4.8K)TV Mini Series89MetascoreStarsDarleen AsevedoJay AsevedoShelton Shakespear AlexanderAn examination of the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
- DirectorRaquel CepedaStarsIshmael BeahTego CalderonAdonis KapsalisBLING is a feature documentary that will take a satirical, hard-hitting look at how "blinging" in the flashy world of commercial hip-hop played a role in the 10-year civil war in Sierra Leone. Film takes U.S. hip-hop celebrities on a journey to Sierra Leone diamond mining communities, former child soldiers, refugees and local hip-hop artists.
- DirectorCurt JohnsonStarsGreg KellyPaul WatsonAnnemarie LucasAn in-depth look at the animal rights movement and the FBI's recent declaration calling them the number one domestic terrorist threat to the United States.
- DirectorAbby EpsteinStarsMary Helen AyresJulia BarnettSylvie BlausteinBirth: it's a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to explore the maternity care system in America.
- DirectorNeil DiamondCatherine BainbridgeJeremiah HayesStarsAdam BeachChris EyreRussell MeansThe history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorPaul SaltzmanStarsHighschool Seniors of CharlestonMorgan FreemanA high school in a small-town in Mississippi prepares for its first integrated senior prom.
- DirectorScott RobertsJeremy WagenerStarsPeter GallagherAnna EshooBrian PauwelsAbout the history of oil prices and the future of alternative fuels.
- DirectorAlexandra PelosiA documentary that explores the world of children who reside in discounted motels within walking distance of Disneyland, living in limbo as their families struggle to survive in one of the wealthiest regions of America. The parents of motel kids are often hard workers who don't earn enough to own or rent homes. As a result, they continue to live week-to-week in motels, hoping against hope for an opportunity that might allow them to move up in the O.C.
- DirectorVicki AbelesJessica CongdonA silent epidemic, cheating, has become commonplace in our schools; students have become disengaged; stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant; and young people arrive at college and workplaces unprepared and uninspired.
- DirectorJennifer Siebel NewsomStarsJennifer Siebel NewsomJean KilbourneJim SteyerExplores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
- DirectorFredrik GerttenStarsFredrik GerttenAlex RiveraAlfonso AllendeDole Food Company wages a campaign to prevent a pair of Swedish film-makers from showing their documentary about a lawsuit against the company.
- DirectorDavid WeissmanBill WeberStarsEd WolfDaniel GoldsteinGuy ClarkA deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.
- DirectorSusan SaladoffStarsChuck AllenJudy AllenJay AngoffHow the infamous McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit and similar cases were exploited as part of a right wing crusade to weaken civil justice.
- DirectorD. Channsin BerryBill DukeStarsSoren BakerRonald BoutelleJoni BovillDocumentary exploring the deep-seated biases and attitudes about skin color---particularly dark skinned women, outside of and within the Black American culture.
- DirectorPeter NicksStarsSean BennettGo behind the doors of an American public hospital struggling to care for a community of largely uninsured patients.
- DirectorKen BurnsSarah BurnsDavid McMahonStarsAntron McCrayKevin RichardsonKharey WiseA documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
- DirectorShaul SchwarzNarco Cultura (Spanish, English subtitles) takes viewers behind the scenes of narcocorridos, the most explosive and violent music subculture in America.
- DirectorScott ThurmanStarsDon McLeroyKathy MillerJonathan SaenzThe theory of evolution and a re-write of American history are caught in the crosshairs when an unabashed Creationist seeks re-election as chairman of America's most influential Board of Education.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
- DirectorMichael Matheson MillerStarsRobert SiricoFrom Toms Shoes to international adoptions, from solar panels to U.S. agricultural subsidies, drawing from over 200 interviews filmed in 20 countries, Poverty, Inc. unearths an uncomfortable side of charity we can no longer ignore.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsAndrea PinoAnnie ClarkClaire PotterAn exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families.
- DirectorAndrew MorganStarsLivia GiuggioliStella McCartneyRichard D. WolffThe True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet.
- DirectorRoberto MinerviniStarsMark KelleyLisa AllenJames Lee MillerIn an invisible territory at the margins of society lives a wounded community who face the threat of being forgotten by political institutions and having their rights as citizens trampled. Disarmed veterans, taciturn adolescents, drug addicts trying to escape addiction through love; ex-special forces soldiers still at war with the world; floundering young women and future mothers; and old people who have not lost their desire to live. Through this hidden pocket of humanity, renowned documentarian Roberto Minervini opens a window to the abyss of today's America.
- DirectorGeorge AmponsahStarsMarcus Knox HookeKurtis HenvilleThe police killing of Mark Duggan in London, 2011, ignited the worst civil unrest in recent British history and made headlines around the globe.
- DirectorMarc SilverStarsLucia McBathRon DavisMichael David DunnIn 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets, two lives intersected and were forever altered.
- DirectorPeter D. HutchisonKelly NyksJared P. ScottStarsNoam ChomskyAlan GreenspanMalcolm XRenowned academic and author Noam Chomsky elucidates 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to unprecedented inequality and the hollowing out of the American middle class.
- DirectorJuan Agustin MarquezStarsAngel Collado -SchwarzRafael Cancel MirandaAlfredo CarrasquilloA close look at Puerto Rico's unique relationship with the United States.
- DirectorKief DavidsonRichard LadkaniStarsAndrea CrostaIan StevensonPrince William of WalesWildlife activists in take on poachers in an effort to end illegal ivory trade in Africa.
- DirectorBen LearStarsAllegra AcostaJoel AndersonRichard BloomLegislators debate legislation that allows for adult charges for juvenile offenders.
- DirectorMarc LevinDocumentary about class division and gentrification in the West Chelsea neighborhood of New York City and its effects on public housing.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsMelina AbdullahMichelle AlexanderCory BookerAn in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
- DirectorAaron BiebertStarsDavid GoerlitzClive BatesAttila DankoThe story of the vaping revolution and tragic corruption leading to a billion deaths around the world.