Essential documentaries
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- DirectorIlinca CalugareanuStarsIrina Margareta NistorTeodor ZamfirMircea CojocaruIn the oppressive 1980s communist Romania, the smuggled VHS tapes of banned Hollywood films become an inspirational ray of hope. A hybrid feature about the magic of film and the power it has to change lives.
- DirectorDoug PrayStars7 Year BitchValerie M. AgnewCarrie AkreDocumentary covering the growth and subsequent overexposure of the Seattle "grunge" music scene in the early 90s
- DirectorDoug PrayStarsJuliette PaskowitzDavid PaskowitzJonathan PaskowitzDoug Pray explores the life of surfer Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz.
- 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.
- DirectorLes ClaypoolStarsJonathan KortyAdam GatesBryan KehoeA graduate filmmaker chronicles a jam band's journey to a famous music festival.
- DirectorTellerStarsTim JenisonPenn JilletteMartin MullInventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsBill BlakemoreGeoffrey CocksJuli KearnsAn exploration of various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (1980).
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsNick BostromJoshua CookeErik DavisDocumentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher tackles the question "are we living in a simulation?" with testimony, philosophical evidence and scientific explanation in his quest for the answer.
- DirectorMitch SchultzStarsJoe RoganRalph AbrahamJoel BakstAn investigation into the long-obscured mystery of dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a molecule found in nearly every living organism and considered the most potent psychedelic on Earth.
- DirectorChris AtkinsStarsJames BrownNick ColerCarl Cox"Who Killed the KLF?" explores the rise and fall of the KLF in the 1980s and 1990s, touching upon themes that perfectly capture the 21st century zeitgeist. A tale as intriguing as it is bonkers"
- DirectorMarshall CurrySam CullmanStarsDaniel McGowanLisa McGowanTim LewisA rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.'
- DirectorShaul SchwarzNarco Cultura (Spanish, English subtitles) takes viewers behind the scenes of narcocorridos, the most explosive and violent music subculture in America.
- DirectorArthur JonesStarsMatt FurieAiyana UdesenChris SullivanArtist Matt Furie, creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.
- 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.
- DirectorDouglas TirolaStarsDanny AbelsonJudd ApatowKevin BaconA look at the history of the American comedy publication and production company, National Lampoon, from its beginning in the 1970s to 2010, featuring rare and never-before-seen footage.
- 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.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogScott RowlandStefan PashovFilm-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
- DirectorNicolas PhilibertStarsGeorges LopezAlizéAxel ThouveninA documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsHunter S. ThompsonJohnny DeppJoe CairoA portrait of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- DirectorDan OllmanSarah PriceChris SmithStarsAndreas BichlbauerMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumAnti-corporate activists travel from conference to conference, impersonating member of the World Trade Organization.
- DirectorAndy BichlbaumMike BonannoKurt EngfehrStarsReggie WattsMike BonannoAndy BichlbaumTroublemaking duo Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, posing as their industrious alter-egos, expose the people profiting from Hurricane Katrina, the faces behind the environmental disaster in Bhopal, and other shocking events.
- DirectorThorsten SchütteStarsFrank ZappaSteve AllenAngelAn in-depth look at the life and work of avant-garde musician, Frank Zappa.
- DirectorSacha JenkinsStarsRick JamesOscar AlstonBig Daddy KaneA profile of legendary funk/R&B icon Rick James capturing the peaks and valleys of his storied career to reveal a complicated and rebellious soul, driven to share his talent with the world.