Documentary

  • Spike Lee – Kobe Doin’ Work (2009)

    2001-2010DocumentarySpike LeeUSA

    A documentary following Kobe Bryant during one day during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.Read More »

  • Arthur Davis – Brutes and Savages (1978)

    1971-1980Arthur DavisCultDocumentaryUSA

    Quote:
    Brutes and Savages is a typical entry in the bizarre subgenre of mondo films. In it, narrator and explorer Arthur Davis visits Africa and South America in search of weird ceremonies and cultures. The film is basically trying to educate the viewer with a “partial” look at the locals’ everyday activities and beliefs and it tries to make everything look authentic and real. It clearly isn’t. Numerous camera angles and ridiculously staged events kill the illusion early on.Read More »

  • Frederick Wiseman – Deaf (1986)

    1981-1990DocumentaryFrederick WisemanUSA

    Quote:
    The School for the Deaf at the Alabama Institute is organized around a theory of total communication i.e. the use of signs and finger spelling in conjunction with speech, hearing aids, lip reading, gestures and the written word. The film shows sequences dealing with various aspects of this comprehensive training such as teaching students and parents to sign; speech therapy; psychological counseling; regular academic courses; vocational training; disciplinary problems; parents visits; sports and recreational activity; training in living and working independently; and developing skills in home and money management.Read More »

  • Frederick Wiseman – La danse – Le ballet de l’Opéra de Paris (2009)

    2001-2010DocumentaryFranceFrederick WisemanMusical

    Documentary master Frederick Wiseman’s 38th film in a career that has spanned more than that number of years, turns his attention to one of the world’s greatest ballet companies, the Paris Opera Ballet. John Davey’s camera roams the vast Palais Garnier, an opulent 19th century pile of a building: from its crystal chandelier-laden corridors to its labyrinthine underground chambers, from its light-filled rehearsal studios to its luxurious theater replete with 2,200 scarlet velvet seats and Marc Chagall ceiling. LA DANSE devotes most of its time to watching impossibly beautiful young men and women — among them Nicolas Le Riche, Marie-Agnès Gillot, and Agnès Letestu — rehearsing the choreography of Mats Ek, Wayne McGregor, Rudolf Nureyev and Pina Bausch. For balletomanes and the curious alike, LA DANSE serves up a scrumptious meal of delectable moments, one more glorious than the next, made even more precious by their ephemeral nature.Read More »

  • Jonas Mekas – Lost, Lost, Lost (1976)

    1971-1980DocumentaryExperimentalJonas MekasUSA

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    Quote:
    These six reels of my film diaries come from the years 1949-1963. They begin with my arrival in New York in November 1949. The first and second reels deal with my life as a Young Poet and a Displaced Person in Brooklyn. It shows the Lithuanian immigrant community, their attempts to adapt themselves to a new land and their tragic efforts to regain independance for their native country. It shows my own frustrations and anxieties and the decision to leave Brooklyn and move to Manhattan. Reel three and reel four deal with my life in Manhattan on Orchard Street and East 13th St. First contacts with New York poetry and filmmaking communities. Robert Frank shooting The Sin of Jesus. LeRoy Jones, Ginsberg, Frank O’Hara reading at The Living Theatre.Read More »

  • Diego López and David Pizarro – Herederos de la bestia AKA Heirs of the Beast (2016)

    2011-2020David PizarroDiego LópezDocumentaryHorrorSpain

    About the cult of “The Day of the Beast”. Two decades after its premiere, Álex de la Iglesia’s movie continues to be the great go-to example if you want to mix the most brutal fantastic with the Spanish tradition of the grotesque.Read More »

  • Frederick Wiseman – Racetrack (1986)

    1981-1990DocumentaryFrederick WisemanUSA

    Synopsis:
    RACETRACK is about the Belmont Race Track, one of the world’s leading race tracks for thoroughbred racing. The film highlights the training, maintaining and racing of thoroughbred horses. Everyday occurrences are shown: in the backstretch — the grooming, feeding, shoeing, and caring for horses and the preparation for races; at the practice track the various aspects of training, exercising, and timing the horses; at the paddock — the pre-race presentation of the horses; and in the grandstand — betting and watching the races. The film also has sequences showing the variety of work done by trainers, jockeys, jockey agents, grooms, hot walkers, stable hands, and veterinarians.Read More »

  • Yan Vizinberg – The Unfinished Time: Russia in the 90s (2024)

    Documentary2021-2030PoliticsRussiaYan Vizinberg

    From the collapse of the Soviet Union to Putin’s rule: how Russia became free and what it did with this freedom. The story of Boris Yeltsin and his times, told by his comrades, family, friends, and foes.

    S1.E1 ∙ The Awakening

    The young General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev is trying to reform the decrepit regime, inadvertently launching a chain reaction of events that the Soviet government quickly becomes unable to control. A new leader is born from the turmoil of perestroika: Boris Yeltsin becomes the spearhead of democratic forces, and Gorbachev soon begins perceiving him as a threat.Read More »

  • Alex Gibney – Finding Fela! (2014)

    Documentary2021-2030Alex GibneyUSA

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    Finding Fela tells the story of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s life, his music, his social and political importance. He created a new musical movement, Afrobeat, using that forum to express his revolutionary political opinions against the dictatorial Nigerian government of the 1970s and 1980s. His influence helped bring a change towards democracy in Nigeria and promoted Pan Africanist politics to the world.Read More »

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