Documentary Movies
Browse popular Documentary movies
Klassenkampf
In hardly any other country are pupils sorted out as mercilessly as in Germany. The Hauptschule is seen as a reservoir of failures, of those who are stupid, lazy and prone to violence. Nobody goes to secondary school voluntarily. Uli Kick spent a year observing a year 9 class at a Munich secondary modern school during their final year. In his film, only the real experts on secondary modern schools have their say: a teacher who loves her pupils and fights for their presence and attention. And of course the pupils, who have to fight against hopelessness and puberty, but above all against the circumstances they come from. Half of them have only one parent, and many of them speak little or no German at home. Some of them would be completely on their own if it weren't for their teacher and the wonderful janitor who, on the one hand, ensures order via video surveillance and, on the other, takes a greater emotional interest in the pupils' worries than some of their parents.
Cinegael Paradiso
Cinegael is an independent cinema set up by filmmaker Bob Quinn in the 1970's, in which his son, the director Robert Quinn, lived as a child. The film focuses on the contribution the cinema made to the cultural life of the community, but also to the Irish film industry itself, acting as a home for, and catalyst to, radical ideas and attitudes within the film industry at the time.
5½ years
In October 2020, the biggest trial in modern Greece comes to an end. The court ruling is clear: The Parliament’s third-largest party over several years is a criminal organization. What is it like to cover such a trial for five and a half years? A conversation with the people who were there.
Vision
VISION is a film about inclusivity, standing alongside your heroes and redefining the status quo. VISION blends the creative worlds of Veronique Sandler in a coming together of art, design and sport. Veronique Sandler, a former World Cup racer, has paved her own way in the mountain bike industry away from competition. This is a film about her VISION for the future of a sport. Taking inspiration from the streets, dirt jumping and freeride, this action focused documentary follows Veronique’s journey alongside her heroes as she brings her VISION to life. Working in partnership with Revolution Bike Park in Wales, UK. Together they made a dream a reality. Starring Veronique Sandler and a collective of the best riders from around the world.
49 Up
49 Up is the seventh film in a series of landmark documentaries that began 42 years ago when UK-based Granada's World in Action team, inspired by the Jesuit maxim "Give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man," interviewed a diverse group of seven-year-old children from all over England, asking them about their lives and their dreams for the future. Michael Apted, a researcher for the original film, has returned to interview the "children" every seven years since, at ages 14, 21, 28, 35, 42 and now again at age 49.In this latest chapter, more life-changing decisions are revealed, more shocking announcements made and more of the original group take part than ever before, speaking out on a variety of subjects including love, marriage, career, class and prejudice.
Scootmobiel
Frans Bromet follows scoot drivers of different ages about their lives. He talks to them about what has changed since they got a mobility scooter, about how their living space has increased, about the limitations of the vehicle and about what is and is no longer possible in private.
Zlatá zem
The story of ordinary people who won their fight for a healthy environment in a battle with big oil. Nobody believed it, and yet it happened. Ordinary people from three small villages in the east of Slovakia banded together and managed to defy the interests of a wealthy multinational company.
Heavenly Rhymes
Every year, an arboreal wedding is held in the Basilicata region of Southern Italy to celebrate spring renewal. Here humans and nature perform an ambiguous dance in order to reach heaven.
Version. LNO
Ten years ago the Latvian National Opera was reopened after an immense reconstruction. Now this is the place where artists and the stage come together in an unusual atmosphere to create “the miracle” of music, action, text – elements of the opera phenomenon.
The Image Book
In Le Livre d’Image, Jean-Luc Godard recycles existing images (films, documentaries, paintings, television archives, etc.), quotes excerpts from books, uses fragments of music. The driving force is poetic rhyme, the association or opposition of ideas, the aesthetic spark through editing, the keystone. The author performs the work of a sculptor. The hand, for this, is essential. He praises it at the start. “There are the five fingers. The five senses. The five parts of the world (…). The true condition of man is to think with his hands. Jean-Luc Godard composes a dazzling syncopation of sequences, the surge of which evokes the violence of the flows of our contemporary screens, taken to a level of incandescence rarely achieved. Crowned at Cannes, the last Godard is a shock film, with twilight beauty.
Mutantes: Punk Porn Feminism
Mutantes sheds light on a feminism that was little talked about in France. This documentary comprises of a series of interviews conducted in the USA, Paris and Barcelona, and documents from the archives about the political action of sex workers, queer activists and post-pornographic performances.
No Attachment Territory
For many years Russia has set an example for such western countries as Canada and the USA in developing and running wildlife preserves. Today our scientists are working on contactless ways of studying and saving wild animals; visual contact with humans often causes animals to develop attachment issues. No Attachment Territory is an extensive research documentary asking relevant and complex questions: to save or not to save, to interfere or not. Should one be a victim, a savior, a pursuer, or just an observer?
La Raíz del Loto
Berta Ritvo is 105 years old and has lived through the decline of a flourishing country, such as Argentina in the early 20th century, to the destruction of its economy, society, and politics. Wisely recounting her experiences in Jewish movements and sociopolitical activities, Berta introduces us to a world filled with anecdotes and vitality.
Ser Tão Cinzento
Mikrophonie I
Studio recording of Mikrophonie I with the Stockhausen-Ensemble. Short introduction by Stockhausen in French and German.
Nelma Kodama: The Queen of Dirty Money
Out of prison, notorious black-market currency trader Nelma Kodama exposes her part in a major Brazilian corruption scandal.
Will Eisner: Profissão Cartunista
Documentary that explores the long and remarkable career of Will Eisner, a pioneering cartoonist whose work continues to have an impact on pop culture around the world. Includes interviews with Ann Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Bill Sienkiewicz, Denis Kitchen, Jerry Robinson, Angeli, Maurício de Souza, Ziraldo, Jano, François Schuiten and many other artists.