Documentary Movies

Heavy Metal Parking Lot documents heavy metal music fans tailgating in the parking lot outside the Capital Centre (since demolished) in Landover, Maryland, on May 31, 1986, before a Judas…

Jean-Pierre Gorin interacts with a club of model railroad train enthusiasts and his mentor, artist/writer Manny Farber.

Shirley Clarke’s frenetic documentary about multi-talented musician Ornette Coleman.

A street poll about contemporary youth. The answers are engineered to show the manipulation of propaganda and television.

Two rabbis show the ruins of an abandoned synagogue to a group of primary school-age Jewish children, and stand by as the children dip bread in honey, drink wine, pray,…

A picture of daily life punctuated by silence. In a village in the north, the daily routine of three families. Glimpses of Isabel, her eyes turned towards the future; for…

Bring on the Night is a 1985 documentary film, that focuses on the jazz-inspired project and band led by the British musician Sting during the early stages of his solo…

A documentary that follows people from communities in the Southern United States in their various processes of becoming involved in social change, with special emphasis on the work the

For more than 100 years, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope and refuge for generations of immigrants. In this lyrical, compelling and provocative portrait of the…

This in-depth examination of the life and career of clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw cuts between archival footage, location shots, and an interview with Shaw himself. Berman illustrates the tumultuous,…

The definitive photographic record of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, told “from the inside” through the lives of the participants, the words of David Perry, and the singing voice of…

Filmed and recorded towards the tail end of ‘The World Slavery Tour’ over a record breaking four sold out nights at Los Angeles’ 13,200 capacity Long Beach Arena. Featuring tracks…

“What Sex Am I?” follows a group of Transgender individuals struggling to make their way in every strata of 1980s America. From finding employment to finding acceptance, the first question…

Ken Burns’ portrait of Louisiana governor and U.S. senator Huey Long.

Jack Kerouac’s life is examined through interviews with his contemporaries and friends including Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and William S. Burroughs. The film also employs dramatic recreations of Kerouac’s life…

This documentary treats movie fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Superman III, a more comical take on the superhero story in which the Man of Steel takes…

The Dream Is Alive takes you into space alongside the astronauts on the space shuttle. Share with them the delights of zero gravity while working, eating and sleeping in orbit…

Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.

PUMPING IRON II: THE WOMEN, a film that is changing the way the world views the female physique-creating “a new definition of the female form.” Join four women as they…

German director Wim Wenders tries to explore the Tokyo that was depicted in the films of Yasujiro Ozu and finds a very different city.

Director Claude Lanzmann spent 11 years on this sprawling documentary about the Holocaust, conducting his own interviews and refusing to use a single frame of archival footage. Dividing Holocaust witnesses…

The third installment of the infamous “is it real or fake?” mondo series sets its sights primarily on serial killers, with lengthy reenactments of police investigations of bodies being found…

Biography of the legendary filmmaker directed by his son.

Documentary on horror/mystery filmmaker Dario Argento. Features an in-depth interview with Argento and covers his work from 1969 to 1985.

Finnish TV documentary featuring archival interview footage of Jarva and clips from his films

This documentary about teenagers living on the streets in Seattle began as a magazine article. The film follows nine teenagers who discuss how they live by panhandling, prostitution, and petty…

Eduardo Coutinho was filming a movie with the same name in the Northeast of Brazil, in 1964, when there came the military coup. He had to interrupt the project, and…

Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted’s documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they’ve found their place in the world.

A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album “Speaking in Tongues.” The band takes the stage one by one and…

A group of Miskito Indians use Nicaraguan child soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas.

They called themselves the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, but because of their ecstatic dancing, the world called them Shakers. Ken Burns creates a moving portrait of…

A non-stop roller coaster ride through the scariest moments of the greatest terror films of all time.

Harvey Milk was an outspoken human rights activist and one of the first openly gay U.S. politicians elected to public office; even after his assassination in 1978, he continues to…

The Making of Fanny and Alexander is a fascinating look at the creation of a masterpiece. Directed by Ingmar Bergman himself, this feature-length documentary chronicles the methods of one of…

Memoirs of the Italian Opera by the singers and musicians of the Casa Verdi, Milan, the world’s first nursing home for retired opera singers, founded by composer Giuseppe Verdi in…

Alchemy is a double live album originally released in 1984 with an accompanying VHS, now released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time. Recorded on 23rd July 1983 at…

Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí (1852-1926) designed some of the world’s most astonishing buildings, interiors, and parks; Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara constructed some of the most aesthetically audacious films ever made….

A Dutch documentary about legendary French filmmaker Robert Bresson.

From an early age Yossi Klein received a special education. He was prepared for another Holocaust. So were other children in Boro Park, the largest Orthodox survivor community in America,…

An exploration of Burroughs’ life story, as told by Burroughs himself along with many of his contemporaries, including Allen Ginsberg, Brion Gysin, Francis Bacon, Herbert Huncke, Patti Smith, Terry Southern,…