Documentaries That Have Made Me a Better Person
Documentaries that have expanded my worldview and in some cases, changed the way I live my life for the better.
Not listed on IMDB:
Amazing Marriage Customs (directed by Suen Wah and Guo Wu Ji) (1987)
Aquatic Ape (BBC)
Neal Barnard: Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar - Physically Addictive
John Bergman's lectures
Bringing Up Baby (BBC)
David Brownstein's lectures
T. Colin Campbell's lectures
David Cole in Auschwitz
Helen Fisher: Lust, Romance Attachment: The Science of Love and Whom We Choose
Forks Over Knives: The Extended Interviews
Marija Gimbutas: The World of the Goddess
Michael Greger: Pandemic Prevention
Holiday Entertaining with Martha Stewart (1986)
In the Land of Giants and Pygmies (1925) by Aurelio Rossi
Michael Klaper: The Best Health Arguments We Can Use to Encourage Others to Go Vegan
David Korten: From Serving Money to Serving Life: A Sacred Story for Our Time
The Land Where There Are No Husbands and Marriage Is Unknown (by Alan Macarlane and Xiaoxiao Yan) (2003)
Jean Liedloff: Touch the Future
Gabor Mate and John W. Travis On Attachment and Addiction
John McDougall's lectures
Milton Mills: Are Humans Designed to Eat Meat?
Stefan Molyneux: The Facts About Spanking
More Business of Being Born
Mosuo Women (A Chinese Tribe That Empowers Women) (journeyman.tv) (1995)
Pure Science Specials: Women Addicted to Sex
Marshall Rosenberg's talks
Roslyn Ross: Raising Children Is an Act of Philosophy
Tisese: A Documentary on Three Mosuo Women (三個摩梭女子的故事) (2001)
Genevieve Vaughan: A (M)otherworld Is Possible
The Vegan Corner
Margaret Wheatley: Whatever the Problem, Community is the Answer
Without Fathers or Husbands (1995)
World Defeated the Wrong Enemy
Gary Yourofsky: Best Speech You Will Ever Hear
Paul Zak: The Biology of Good and Evil
Ernst Zundel Interviewed by an Israeli Journalist
Not listed on IMDB:
Amazing Marriage Customs (directed by Suen Wah and Guo Wu Ji) (1987)
Aquatic Ape (BBC)
Neal Barnard: Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar - Physically Addictive
John Bergman's lectures
Bringing Up Baby (BBC)
David Brownstein's lectures
T. Colin Campbell's lectures
David Cole in Auschwitz
Helen Fisher: Lust, Romance Attachment: The Science of Love and Whom We Choose
Forks Over Knives: The Extended Interviews
Marija Gimbutas: The World of the Goddess
Michael Greger: Pandemic Prevention
Holiday Entertaining with Martha Stewart (1986)
In the Land of Giants and Pygmies (1925) by Aurelio Rossi
Michael Klaper: The Best Health Arguments We Can Use to Encourage Others to Go Vegan
David Korten: From Serving Money to Serving Life: A Sacred Story for Our Time
The Land Where There Are No Husbands and Marriage Is Unknown (by Alan Macarlane and Xiaoxiao Yan) (2003)
Jean Liedloff: Touch the Future
Gabor Mate and John W. Travis On Attachment and Addiction
John McDougall's lectures
Milton Mills: Are Humans Designed to Eat Meat?
Stefan Molyneux: The Facts About Spanking
More Business of Being Born
Mosuo Women (A Chinese Tribe That Empowers Women) (journeyman.tv) (1995)
Pure Science Specials: Women Addicted to Sex
Marshall Rosenberg's talks
Roslyn Ross: Raising Children Is an Act of Philosophy
Tisese: A Documentary on Three Mosuo Women (三個摩梭女子的故事) (2001)
Genevieve Vaughan: A (M)otherworld Is Possible
The Vegan Corner
Margaret Wheatley: Whatever the Problem, Community is the Answer
Without Fathers or Husbands (1995)
World Defeated the Wrong Enemy
Gary Yourofsky: Best Speech You Will Ever Hear
Paul Zak: The Biology of Good and Evil
Ernst Zundel Interviewed by an Israeli Journalist
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167 titles
- DirectorDarryl RobertsStarsTed CasablancaEve EnslerParis HiltonIn a society where "celebutantes" like Paris Hilton dominate newsstands and models who weigh less than 90 pounds die from malnutrition, female body image is one of the more dire problems facing today's society. "America the Beautiful" illuminates the issue by covering every base. Child models, plastic surgery, celebrity worship, airbrushed advertising, dangerous cosmetics - no rock is left unturned.
- DirectorThomas BalmèsStarsBayarHattieMariA look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.
- 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.
- DirectorMelissa Tapper GoldmanFilmmaker Melissa Tapper Goldman traveled around the US looking for real answers to the question "Why do women have sex?" Through nine in-depth personal interviews with young women, she followed her curiosity into the homes of religious and non-religious women, young moms, gay and straight women, friends and strangers. Goldman conducted the conversations alone, with no camera crew. In turn, the subjects opened up about their most personal experiences, tapping into stories that are too complex and too real to fit into a TV plot line, sometimes heartwarming and sometimes disturbing. From outrageous to awkward to uncontrollably funny, the interviews peer into the minds of young women in America trying their best to make sense of a complicated subject.
- DirectorNicolas PhilibertStarsJudit KeleNénetteA documentary on a 40-year-old orangutan that is locked behind bars.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsRobert RedfordNorman ZigrossiRobert SikmaThis film describes the events surrounding a 1975 shootout at the Pine Ridge reservation in S. Dakota where two FBI agents were killed.
- StarsStephen NoonanPeter GinnRuth GoodmanIn this unique project, historian Ruth Goodman as well as archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn immerse themselves in the life of the Victorian farmer as he would have lived on the Acton Scott Estate.
- StarsGeraldine JamesRuth GoodmanPeter GinnHistorian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold turn the clock back 500 years to the early Tudor period to become tenant farmers on monastery land.
- StarsOwen TealeRuth GoodmanPeter GinnThe series follows historians and archaeologists as they recreate the everyday farm life from the age of the Stuarts; they wear the clothes, eat the food and use the tools, skills and technology of the 1620s.
- StarsDerek JacobiCharlie ClayHugh Edgar21 people from the 21st century are being brought together in an Edwardian Country House. 6 of them are the Upstairs family and the 15 others are the servants. For three months, these people have only the rulebook and each other...
- DirectorMarc FafardStarsCharles BryanJon DevoreCameron MonaghanAdrenaline Rush: the Science of Risk takes a look at the world of skydiving and base jumping - parachuting from a building, a bridge or a cliff. While providing breathtaking views of skydiving over the Florida Keys, the Mojave Desert and in the magnificent Fjords of Norway, this giant-screen experience explores the psychological and physiological forces behind risk-taking, and the physics involved in these activities. In doing so, it also shows us how risk-taking is part of everyday life. The storyline focuses on two risk-takers, Adrian Nicholas and Katarina Ollikainen. Nicholas, a veteran skydiver who has performed thousands of jumps, is the record holder for the longest unassisted human flight, a 4-minute 55-second flight at speeds of up to 200 kilometers/hour that took place in 1999. Adrenaline Rush even allows spectators to directly experience a base jump thanks to a camera strapped to one of the professional jumpers who took part in the film. You can live through a 1300-meter (4150 feet) jump from a legendary cliff in Norway, the Katthammaren Wall.
- StarsJoe DominguezJennifer GailusKalle LasnA look at the rampant materialism consuming America.
- DirectorSasha KnezevStarsSasha KnezevGregory Alan SmithRiveting look at the politics, big business and the medical industry that has made America the most prescription-addicted society in the world. America is less than 5% of the World's population but consumes 80% of the World's prescription narcotics. We have gone from being the land of the free to the land of the addicted.
- DirectorGualtiero JacopettiFranco ProsperiStarsSergio RossiGualtiero JacopettiJomo KenyattaThe cruel acts of animal poaching and violence, executions, and tribal slaughtering, all taking place on the African continent.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- DirectorSteven FischlerJoel SucherStarsPaul AvrichJello BiafraMurray BookchinA colorful and provocative survey of anarchism in America, the film attempts to dispel popular misconceptions and trace the historical development of the movement. The film explores the movement both as a native American philosophy stemming from 19th century American traditions of individualism, and as a foreign ideology brought to America by immigrants. The film features rare archival footage and interviews with significant personalities in anarchist history including Murray Boochkin and Karl Hess, and also live performance footage of the Dead Kennedys.
- DirectorMichael DrummStarsBill Maher"I don't hate America," comedian Bill Maher declares during I'm Swiss, his seventh HBO stand-up special that was recorded in March 2005 in Portland, OR. "I love America. (But) I'm embarrassed." And there we have not only the source of the title (his discomfiture, he jokes, has led him to pretend he's from another country) but also the crux of Maher's overall presentation on this, his third DVD taken from a program that was first shown on HBO.
- DirectorBertram VerhaagStarsJane ElliottMartin Luther KingIn only 15 minutes with some 30 people Jane Elliott manages to build up a realistic microcosmos of society today with all its phenomena and feelings. As already known from the ill reputed Milgram experiment, even participants who knew the "rules" are unable to remain uninvolved. What starts as a game turns into cruel reality which causes some participants' emotions to erupt with unforeseen intensity ...
- DirectorSamuel VartekStarsJim OlsonTony ClarkeMaude BarlowWars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private investors, and corrupt governments vie for control of our dwindling supply, prompting protests, lawsuits, and revolutions from citizens fighting for the right to survive. Past civilizations have collapsed from poor water management.
- DirectorLaurel Spellman SmithFrancine StrickwerdaStarsTom LeykisBUSTING OUT will challenge how you think about breasts. Filmmaker Francine Strickwerda lost her mother to breast cancer as a child, and then was the first in her class to 'develop.' She's been haunted by 'the boobs of doom' ever since. Francine takes us on a journey to explore how attitudes about breasts affect Americans -- diving into the history and politics surrounding this American icon.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreWilliam BlackJimmy CarterAn examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.
- StarsHarry SmithForrest ChurchA.W. PurdueThe history of Christmas and the traditions that make the holidays the most wonderful time of the year.
- DirectorTim PhillipsStarsPaul McCartneyDevour the Earth is a 1995 British short documentary film about the global consequences of meat consumption. The film was produced by the Vegetarian Society, written by Tony Wardle and narrated by Paul McCartney.
- DirectorMichael MathesonStarsDylan MoranAcerbic, eternally world-weary comic in stand up routine. Dylan Moran holds forth on matters important to him such as smoking (pro rather than anti), drink, drugs, music, women and children.
- DirectorLawrence JordanStarsEddie IzzardExecutive transvestite Eddie Izzard takes his show to San Francisco to give a brief history of pagan and Christian religions, the building of Stonehenge, the birth of the Church of England and of Western empires, and the need for a European dream. Along the way, he dramatizes Dr. Heimlich's search for a maneuver, the naming of Engelbert Humperdinck, Scooby and Shaggy as archetypes, Neil Armstrong on the moon, society's tolerance of mass murderers, how we sing anthems and carols, Hollywood adapting British films, JFK's trip to Berlin, thoughts on puberty, and how to work schoolbook-French phrases into Parisian conversation. Closeups catch the glint in his eye and his carefully-applied make-up.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- DirectorJoe CrossKurt EngfehrStarsJoe CrossAmy BadbergMerv CrossFat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is an American documentary that chronicles Australian Joe Cross's 60-day journey across the United States, where he embarks on a juice-only fast in a quest to reclaim his health.
- DirectorKurt EngfehrStarsJoe CrossBjarke de KoningCarrie DiulusJoe Cross examines how to make healthy habits last. Joe meets with experts who present realistic solutions to make long-term sustainable improvements to eating behaviors and overall health.
- DirectorHeber CannonMarston SawyersIan WittenberStarsDan BaileySamantha BriggsDave CastroThe fittest athletes on earth take on the CrossFit Games, the ultimate test of fitness to prove that they are the fittest on earth.
- DirectorStephanie SoechtigStarsMichele SimonKatie CouricBill ClintonAn examination of America's obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.
- DirectorRalph ArlyckStarsRalph ArlyckSean FarrellThirty years, three generations, and a lifetime later, award-winning filmmaker Ralph Arlyck returns to San Francisco in search of Sean, the boy who was the subject of his controversy-sparking 1969 documentary.
- DirectorSanjay RawalStarsEve EnslerBarry EstabrookDolores HuertaThere is so much interest in food these days yet there is almost no interest in the hands that pick that food. In the US, farm labor has always been one of the most difficult and poorly paid jobs and has relied on some of the nation's most vulnerable people. While the legal restrictions which kept people bound to farms, like slavery, have been abolished, exploitation still exists, ranging from wage theft to modern-day slavery. These days, this exploitation is perpetuated by the corporations at the top of the food chain: supermarkets. Their buying power has kept wages pitifully low and has created a scenario where desperately poor people are willing to put up with anything to keep their jobs.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorLynne FernieAerlyn WeissmanStarsKeely MollStephanie OzardAnn BannonTen women, most of them in Vancouver or Toronto, talk about being lesbian in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s: discovering the pulp fiction of the day about women in love, their own first affairs, the pain of breaking up, frequenting gay bars, facing police raids, men's responses, and the etiquette of butch and femme roles. Interspersed among the interviews and archival footage are four dramatized chapters from a pulp novel, "Forbidden Love": Laura leaves her hick town and heads for the city, where she meets Mitch in a bar. Sparks fly, and so do laughter and joy. Ann Bannon, one of the writers of those paperback novels about forbidden love, talks about the genre.
- DirectorLee FulkersonStarsLee FulkersonMatthew LedermanAlona PuldeExamines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
- DirectorDonna ReadStarsDonna ReadStarhawkDiscusses environmental issues in relation to women's spirituality.
- DirectorRocco UrbisciStarsGeorge CarlinWhen George Carlin is asked which HBO concert is his favorite, his answer is always, "Jammin' In New York." The reasons are several: It was his first HBO show done live; it was the first he had done in his hometown, New York City; and it was the largest audience he had ever worked before: 6,500.But Carlin says it also represented a newfound sophistication in his writing. "It was the first time I had done truly extended pieces consisting of separate sections all flowing together. It was a big leap for me."The show, taped at the Paramount Theater in Madison Square Garden and winner of the 1992 CableACE Award, is a perfect blend of biting social commentary and more gently-observed observational pieces.
- DirectorDonna ReadStarsMartha HenryStarhawkThis documentary is a salute to 35,000 years of the goddess-worshipping religions of the ancient past. The film features Merlin Stone, Carol Christ, Luisah Teish and Jean Bolen, all of whom link the loss of goddess-centric societies with today's environmental crisis. This is the first part of a 3-part series that includes The Burning Times and Full Circle.
- DirectorWerner HerzogDmitry VasyukovStarsWerner HerzogGennady SolovievAnatoly BlumeiA documentary depicting the life and work of the trappers of Bakhtia, a village in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, where daily life has changed little in over a century.
- DirectorChanoch Ze'eviStarsBettina GöringKatrin HimmlerMonika HertwigA look into the lives of the descendants of the top Nazi officials who worked under Hitler's command.
- DirectorMark WexlerStarsSuzanne SomersPhyllis DillerRay BradburyBaby boomer Mark Wexler travels the world searching for the secrets of long life.
- DirectorNisha InalsinghBeneath the quiet veneer of Iceland lies an invisible nation of Hidden People. This fascinating phenomenon, rarely discussed with outsiders, not only pervades Icelandic culture, but also impacts its infrastructure (e.g., road construction and buildings). This enlightening journey, through Iceland's celestial and mysterious environment, suspends one's state of reality-forcing you to question your own perceptual limitations and the mysteries of the natural world. Delving further into the stories of the hidden people, it is impossible not to consider the impact of the geographic position and isolation of this mysterious, celestial island of Iceland. Winter's darkness allows the dazzling and supernatural Northern Lights to pervade the country with its amorphous shapes; casting brilliant colors of yellow, pink, and green downward to the land below. Black lava rocks, green mossy rocks, geysers, volcanoes, and glaciers all play their role in this mystical landscape, where the wind, snow and light show the power of nature. These spectacular displays reveal the paradoxes that man must contend with-the simplicity of things that we see on a daily basis versus the complexity of things we are unable to see within the world.
- DirectorJames ColquhounLaurentine Ten BoschCarlo LedesmaStarsMike AdamsNick BoltonJames CaitlinExposes shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food industries don't want you to know about deceptive strategies designed to keep you coming back for more. Find out what's keeping you from having the body and health you deserve.
- DirectorDavid SingtonStarsBuzz AldrinAlan BeanEugene CernanThe crew members of NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
- DirectorGrant LahoodStarsMani MitchellWhen a baby is born, the first question we ask. Is it a boy or a girl? What if it's neither?
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorStephen JudsonStarsLiam NeesonSteve AtteberryNancy Holler AulenbachMeet Dr. Hazel Barton and Nancy Aulenbach. These women are compelled to push their limits in hostile environments. They are cavers who risk fatal danger for the thrill of discovery. Barton and Aulenbach are extreme athletes and extreme scientists - scientists who gather their data in treacherous places where few dare to follow. In Journey Into Amazing Caves they travel to caves in Arizona, Greenland and Mexico searching for discoveries that may lead to cures for human disease.
- DirectorGreg ChaneyStarsErin McKittrickBretwood HigmanBob Christensen IIIA married couple attempt to walk, paddle and ski under their own power from Seattle to the Aleutians along the wild and remote northwest coast of North America. This documentary was filmed with a tiny hand held video camera by the adventures as they traveled through northern Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. Experience this modern adventure through their eyes as they encounter breathtaking scenery, harsh weather, amazing wildlife, starvation and danger. This modern adventure demonstrates that the most significant aspect of a journey is not reaching the final destination but how the journey changes the trajectory of the rest of a person's life.
- StarsTom SelleckScott BakerJohn CalambokidisSupported by the National Geographic Society, the world's eminent blue whale scientists embark on a revolutionary mission: to follow migrating blue whales all the way to the long-sought, unknown location where they give birth.
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsJacquy PfeifferRegis LazardPhilippe RigollotThe collar awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) is more than the ultimate recognition for every pastry chef - it is a dream and an obsession. The 3-day competition includes everything from delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures and requires that the chefs have extraordinary skill, nerves of steel and luck. The film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to France to compete against 15 of France's leading pastry chefs. The filmmakers were given first time/exclusive access to this high-stakes drama of passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy in the quest to have President Sarkozy declare them one of the best in France.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- StarsAlain PassardAlexandre CouillonChef's Table, French edition, goes inside the lives and kitchens of some of the world's most renowned French chefs. Each episode focuses on a single chef and their unique look at their lives, talents and passion from their piece of culinary heaven.
- DirectorDimo PetkovThe story follow the best Bulgarian mountain runner Kiril Nikolov, known as Disl, who attempted to set a new record - to run through the longest Bulgarian mountain route, Kom-Emine (600 km), for less than 5 days.
- DirectorJulia SweeneyLetting Go of God is a humorous monologue by Julia Sweeney chronicling her search for God. She begins in the Catholic church, the religion her family raised her in, and takes a Bible study class. What she learns there leads her to new questions, and in search for answers she explores meditation, Buddhism and New Age gurus, then describes what she learned from the sciences and from sharpening her critical thinking skills. She discovers that to accept the truth leads to surprising revelations. She concludes by sharing how this effects her family.
- DirectorBrian FlemmingStarsSam HarrisRobert M. PriceRichard CarrierDid Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.
- DirectorPaul MillerStarsLewis BlackLewis Black goes on tirade after tirade about stupidity in America. He covers everything from corporate greed and Martha Stewart to WMDs and homeland security
- StarsLiev SchreiberJamie DutcherJim DutcherDuring centuries wolves were characterized as blood-thirsty beasts, enemies of owners of ranch and killer of helpless live-stock. Adjusted to overcome this misunderstanding, the cameramen-naturalists of Jamie and Jim Dutcher lived six years in a tent camp, in the wilderness of Idaho, living with the covey of wolves, listening to them and earning their trust.
- DirectorLouis C.K.StarsLouis C.K.In February, 2013, Louis brings his impish nihilism to Phoenix, Arizona. He talks about an old lady and her pet, living in Manhattan, experiencing his body's aging (he's 45), men's fascination with women's breasts, the beauty of living outside the food chain, his quickness to anger while driving, and murder. It's theater in the round, so he's in constant motion, a grin nearly always on his face.
- DirectorKen BurnsStarsHal HolbrookAdam ArkinJohn Logan AllenThe story of the most important American exploration expedition in American history and the participants in it.
- StarsRichard EastonDylan BakerColm FeoreThe story of the renowned American polymath.
- DirectorDavid MalletStarsMichael FlatleyBernadette FlynnDaire NolanSince its premiere, Lord of the Dance has been captivating audiences and critics around the globe and has grossed over one billion dollars worldwide. Now fans will have a once in a lifetime opportunity, when the world famous Lord of the Dance and star Michael Flatley brings his vision to home audiences giving the viewer an unparalleled sense of the scale of the show as never seen before.
- StarsManchán MaganThe title 'No Béarla' means 'No English' in this adventure style documentary Manchán Magan travels around Ireland trying to see if he can live speaking only in Irish and buying only Irish made goods.
- DirectorDanny HoranStarsLouis TherouxLouis meets parents who have turned to medication to keep their children under control.
- DirectorAlfredo CastiglioniAngelo CastiglioniGuido GuerrasioStarsRiccardo CucciollaMac Mauro SmithThis film is about tribes in Africa and South America who turn toward magic as a means of survival and way of life. The Mundari tribe in Africa herd cattle but do not slaughter them for meat. They make use of the cattle urine as an insect repellent and shower underneath their cows. They also use the dung as a body covering to further thwart insects and pest. The cattle are so prized to the Mundari that they are treated as a member of the family and a number of Mundari are shown puffing into the cattle's vagina to encourage an early birth. A hunt is then shown where the Mundari are able to bring down mighty Elephants and Giraffes with ease. Yet unlike sport hunters they hunt merely for survival and pay respect to the beast before eating them. The Dinka tribe is another group who praise their cattle but they bleed the cows and mix it in their milk to help sustain tribes during periods of hunger. They also migrate to different areas along the Nile as to not over consume their pastures. The camera then moves to the South American continent where The Yanawana people are shown in their full glory. They sleep in simple hammocks and allow their dogs every freedom. One woman is even shown suckling a puppy along with her own child. Hunters prepare to catch their meal and a feast of spiders, crab and tapir is enjoyed by all. The Yanawana hold a gathering each year where the shamans drink a mixture of the crushed skulls of their dead shamans to transfer the soul and release it to the heavens. Psychic healers in the Philippines are shown next, they appear to do surgery without leaving scars and impress those around them. Christians are then shown self inflicting wounds as a form of penance to their saints. The cameras move back to Africa where children in Ethiopia have their Uvula removed for no real reason known to us. An Arab woman takes her daughter to a woman called a Marabou and has her checked to insure she is still pure, others use her services to heal themselves with holy messages from the Koran. The final scene has a tribe which takes woman and uses them as fertility gods, they help insure fertility and a big family.
- DirectorMark Davis
- DirectorMarc H. SimonMatthew MakarStarsEileen Zyko WolterDocumentary about disparate NYC parents' efforts to get their children into "feeder preschools," private institutions that claim to set youngsters on the track to admission into Ivy league colleges.
- DirectorJohn MurrayAn exploration of Ireland's longest river, the Shannon, in all four seasons.
- DirectorRon DavisStewart Halpern-FingerhutStarsCarl GloriosoVictoria ParkerRobert MartinA portrait of five men competing in the Miss Gay America pageant.
- DirectorJenny SteinStarsGene BaurLorri BaustonHarold BrownPeaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home explores the powerful struggle of conscience experienced by several people from traditional farming backgrounds who come to question the basic assumptions of their way of life. A riveting story of transformation and healing, the documentary portrays the farmers' sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also providing insight into the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led to their inner conflict. Interwoven with the farmers' stories is the dramatic animal rescue work of a newly-trained humane police officer whose sense of justice puts her at odds with the law she is charged to uphold. With strikingly honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, this groundbreaking documentary shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves.
- DirectorBruce HeptonAlexander MarengoStarsMartin DaubneyAndrew WoodsJoel GilgallonFormer Loaded magazine editor Martin Daubney looks at how pornography has changed in recent decades and considers whether today's pornography may be having a detrimental effect on the brains of its young users.
- DirectorSteve BuonaugurioStarsAngela BuonaugurioMandy BuonaugurioSteve BuonaugurioPregnant In America is the true story of Steve and Mandy Buonaugurio, a young, adventurous, expectant couple, who decide to take a daring and potentially dangerous approach to having their first child--outside the modern American medical system. What they learn about hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, midwives, and home birth as they travel across the United States and Europe interviewing experts and confronting birthing situations, exposes them to some shocking and disturbing realities about America¹s maternity care system and what is happening to women and babies. Ultimately, what they learn impacts on and alters the outcome of their own pregnancy.
- DirectorKathy CloseStarsMichael BeckwithFred BisciBrendan Brazier
- DirectorThomas RiedelsheimerStarsAndy GoldsworthyAnna GoldsworthyHolly GoldsworthyPortrait of Andy Goldsworthy, an artist whose specialty is ephemeral sculptures made from elements of nature.
- DirectorBruce GowersStarsRobin WilliamsIn this hilarious stand up comedy, Robin Williams is energetic, witty and again hilarious. It's the number one stand up comedy of all time.
- DirectorWilliam K.L. DicksonStarsEugen SandowEugen Sandow, who claims to be the strongest man in the world, appears in the Edison Company's film studio.
- DirectorJill BauerRonna GradusStarsWinnifred Bonjean AlpartNikita CashLaura CastleAn ex adult film star, a 12 year old girl and a 22 year old who yearns for "normal" private parts are chronicled in this thought provoking doc about how porn, social media and pop culture affect women and girls. A FilmBuff Presentation.
- DirectorRolf OlsenStarsIngeborg SteinbachA documentary about Asia's shocking cultures.Most of it is not good at all, but they film MTF gender reassignment surgery, which is a mixture of amazing, upsetting, and disturbing to watch.
- DirectorDonna ReadStarsOlympia DukakisRiane EislerElinor W. GadonWeaving together interviews, archival footage, photographs, animation, and narration, "Signs Out Of Time" is an incredible journey that delves into the life and work of UCLA Archaeologist Dr. Marija Gimbutas. Gimbutas' work focused on revealing the linguistic and mythological origins of European cultures in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, and how they were matriarchal in nature, including Earth-based spirituality and Goddess worship. The film explores how her notions of European prehistory challenged many traditional assumptions about the beginnings of European civilization. The film features interviews with both her supporters and critics, and explores her studies, excavations and publications, her extensive scholarship, and the controversy surrounding her theories.
- DirectorStephanie SoechtigJason LindseyStarsSally BetheaEarl BlumenauerAmanda BrownExamines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil.
- DirectorAuguste LumièreLouis LumièreStarsMadeleine KoehlerMarcel KoehlerMrs. Auguste LumiereA train arrives at La Ciotat station.
- DirectorPeter MillerStarsAnton CoppolaHenry FondaArlo GuthrieThe story of two Italian immigrant radicals who were executed in 1927 offers insights into present-day issues of civil liberties and the rights of immigrants.
- DirectorDonna ReadStarsMartha HenryBarbara PecarichStarhawkThe Burning Times is a Canadian documentary about the witchcraft trials & persecutions that swept through Europe in the 15th-17th centuries. This was a period when those accused of being heretics or witches were tortured & executed, often by fire.
- 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.
- DirectorManette LoudonGary NullStarsNeil BushMichael MooreGary NullExcessive talking, fidgeting, or squirming. Often loses things. Difficulty remaining seated, playing quietly, or sustaining attention. Sound like your child? The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) lists these as the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Once diagnosed, these behaviors would make your child a candidate for Ritalin, Prozac, or both. In this investigative documentary, acclaimed public health advocate and filmmaker Gary Null examines the increasingly common practice of prescribing psychotropic drugs for children, including preschoolers as young as age 2 to 4, who have been diagnosed with ADD, or ADHD. Psychiatrists may write these prescriptions without first exploring other causes or aggravating factors, like diet, or environment, and without making it clear to parents that these medications can have severe side-effects, including insomnia, loss of appetite, facial tics, headaches, psychotic symptoms and even potentially fatal adverse reactions, such as cardiac arrhythmia. Many schools work with family court systems to force parents to drug their children, threatening those who refuse to cooperate with the prospect of having them taken from the home and placed in foster care. To some, this looks like institutionalized child abuse in the name of mental health, whereby active, naturally inquisitive children are drugged into submission while the pharmaceutical industry prospers.
- DirectorElizabeth Bonner AllenA UK documentary that explores one of the least known (predominantly) non-sexual fetishes - Paraphilic Infantilism a.k.a. Adult Baby Syndrome. Several male and female "adult babies" show and explain their lifestyle in this program.I watched this because I thought it was about childhood obesity, but wow were my eyes opened and my heart softened to a subject I never knew about!
- StarsChristopher Bryson
- DirectorJake ClennellOsaka's top host club owner trains boys to excel in the underground love scene. They learn to fake relationships with girls, their income source.
- StarsLesley BannatyneCandice BergenJamie Lee CurtisThe origins of Halloween are explored in this engrossing program on the subject. A ghoulish array of costumes, make up, and decoration descend on communities every year on October 31st, but few people are aware of how the celebration came to exist. Harry Smith attempts to get to the bottom of the mystery in THE HAUNTED HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN, which delves into the 3,000 years of hoopla that traditionally unfolds when October comes around. As the history is explained, so are various failed attempts to co-opt the festival by various religious groups; but the most compelling revelation is how little the festival has changed over the centuries. A marvelous way to gain a historical perspective on this entertaining holiday, Smith's program is almost as fun as carving a pumpkin, donning a spooky costume, and undertaking a little trick or treating! (Sourced from Metadata)
- DirectorKurt EngfehrStarsTim BairdJennifer BondJoe CrossTHE KIDS MENU is a feature documentary from the team that brought you "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." As filmmaker Joe Cross spent time traveling the world with his previous two films, he met thousands of people and one issue that came up again and again was what to do about the growing childhood obesity problem. In THE KIDS MENU, Joe meets with experts, parents, teachers and kids, coming to the realization that childhood obesity isn't the real issue, but rather a symptom of a bigger problem. The lack of knowledge of what healthy foods are. Lack of access to healthy and affordable options. And the influence of negative role models, whether a parent, teacher or even a celebrity. All of this together seems to be a lot to overcome, but when empowered, kids often make the surprising choice of the healthier path. In this inspiring and hopeful documentary, we see amazing programs in action, inspiring individuals paving the way for change, but most of all - Kids, taking the lead in getting healthier options on their own menu.
- DirectorJon FitzgeraldStarsMichael Abou-DaknJennifer DavidsonMinnie DriverThe Milky Way is a documentary exposé about breastfeeding in the United States. It will make every viewer rethink how we treat mothers. The film will empower women to trust their body, their baby, and themselves in their unique journey.
- DirectorGaby HornsbyStarsKirsty WarkMary BeardGodfrey Bloom
- DirectorJohn LambStarsCharlotteCathy CrowfootKellie EvertsA profile of the nudist lifestyle.
- DirectorMark RappaportStarsDan ButlerDon AmecheJohnny ArthurA film scrapbook, images, phrases from our past, hiding their meanings behind veils. Let's lift those veils, one by one, to find how images, at one time seeming innocent, have revealed, after decades, to have homosexual overtones.
- DirectorXiaoli ZhouLa Mu lives beyond the strictures of mainstream Chinese society. She is part of the Mosuo, an ethnic minority that has a matriarchal society, one of the last in the world.
- DirectorLauren GreenfieldStarsShelly GuilloryBrittany RobinsonAlisa WilliamsThe story of four women suffering from anorexia and bulimia in South Florida.