Browse Movies : 2017 : Documentary

The Heart of Man is a cinematic retelling of the parable of the Prodigal Son, interwoven with true testimonials of personal and sexual brokenness. Narrative storytelling and documentary filmmaking are combined like never before to reveal the compassionate heart of God the Father for His sons and daughters, illuminating an age-old truth: shame is not a barrier to God’s love, but a bridge to absolute transformation, victory, freedom, and hope.

A feature-length documentary on the agony and the ecstasy of making people laugh. A stand-up comedian must be the writer, the director and the star performer—and in stand-up there is no rehearsal, no practice, no safety net, as it only works in front of a live audience, with feedback being instantaneous and often brutal.

From the director of Generation Iron comes the anticipated sequel that will depict five of the top bodybuilding and fitness megastars on a quest to achieve the ultimate physique and take it to the next extreme level. In the world of social media and the internet, the rules have changed as to what makes an iconic bodybuilding mass-monster.

Inspired by the Church’s use of filming techniques, and aided by ex-members of the organization, Louis Theroux uses actors to replay some incidents people claim they experienced as members in an attempt to better understand the way it operates. In a bizarre twist, it becomes clear that the Church is also making a film about Louis Theroux. Suffused with a good dose of humor and moments worthy of a Hollywood script, My Scientology Movie is stranger than fiction.

Follows the efforts of the internationally recognized White Helmets, an organization comprised of ordinary citizens who are the first to rush towards explosions in the hope of saving lives. Incorporating moments of both heart-pounding suspense and improbable beauty, the documentary draws us into the lives of three of its founders – Khaled, Subhi, and Mahmoud – as they grapple with the chaos around them and struggle with an ever-present dilemma: do they flee with their families or stay and fight for their country.

Izak Szewelwicz was born in the Bergen-Belsen displaced persons camp in 1945 and sent for adoption in Israel. Many years ago, Izak found and formed a relationship with his birth mother, but was always told that his father had died in the war. In 2013, everything he knew about his personal history changed when he tracked down his adoption files and uncovered that his father had been alive after the war and had reportedly divorced his mother. Seeking more answers, Izak located his birth certificate in Germany. He was shocked to discover another birth certificate—one of a brother he never knew existed.

Filmmakers and brothers Alon and Shaul Schwarz set out to find answers for their Uncle Izak, uncovering timely questions of identity, resilience, compassion, and the plight of displaced persons as Izak and his brother Shep—both almost 70-years-old—emotionally reunite in Canada before traveling to a nursing home in Montreal to introduce Shep to his elderly mother, Aida, for the first time.

Music meets the Mob in this biographical documentary, narrated by Stevie Van Zandt, about the life and career of Bert Berns, the most important songwriter and record producer from the sixties that you never heard of. His hits include “Twist and Shout”, “Hang On Sloopy”, “Here Comes The Night” and “Piece Of My Heart.” He helped launch the careers of Van Morrison and Neil Diamond and produced some of the greatest soul music ever made.

Citizen Jane: Battle for the City is a story about our global urban future, in which nearly three-fourths of the world’s population will live in cities by the end of this century. It’s also a story about America’s recent urban past, in which bureaucratic, “top down” approaches to building cities have dramatically clashed with grassroots, “bottom up” approaches. The film brings us back mid-century, on the eve of the battles for the heart and soul of American cities, about to be routed by cataclysmically destructive Urban Renewal and highway projects.

The film details the revolutionary thinking of Jane Jacobs, and the origins of her magisterial 1961 treatise The Death and Life of Great American Cities, in which she singlehandedly undercuts her era’s orthodox model of city planning, exemplified by the massive Urban Renewal projects of New York’s “Master Builder,” Robert Moses. Jacobs and Moses figure centrally in our story as archetypes of the “bottom up” and the “top down” vision for cities.

They also figure as two larger-than-life personalities: Jacobs—a journalist with provincial origins, no formal training in city planning, and scarce institutional authority—seems at first glance to share little in common with Robert Moses, the upper class, high prince of government and urban theory fully ensconced in New York’s halls of power and privilege. Yet both reveal themselves to be master tacticians who, in the middle of the 20th century, became locked in an epic struggle over the fate of the city.

Follows female war reporter Alex Quade’s daring missions to tell soldiers' stories during a series of unprecedented embeds with Conventional Forces and US Special Ops Forces at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the 1960s and 70s, the Space Race inspired a generation to pursue careers in science and technology, and then it all ended. Fight for Space looks at why this happened and re-awakens our sense of wonder and discovery.

In the 1980s a bunch of underground cartoonists parodied a popular doll (whose name can’t be spoken). The resulting commercial trading cards/stickers tapped into an international zeitgeist that was brewing in a young generation who felt that this product spoke to the revulsion they had for the corporate pop culture that was being fed to them. Learn the truth behind the myth of The Garbage Pail Kids.

Centers on the activists in Ferguson, Mo., who continues to fight for racial equality in the wake of Mike Brown's killing.

A decade after An Inconvenient Truth brought the climate crisis into the heart of popular culture, comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Former Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight, traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy. Cameras follow him behind the scenes – in moments both private and public, funny and poignant -- as he pursues the inspirational idea that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion.

A feature-length documentary that puts the viewer inside the cockpit of an elite U.S. Army Aviation Helicopter Squadron as they launch a Deep Attack during the initial surge into Iraq in March, 2003.

American dancer Bobbi Jene, who after a decade of stardom in Israel decides to leave behind her prominent position at the renowned Batsheva Dance Company, as well as the love of her life, to return to the U.S.

Earth: One Amazing Day follows the journey of the sun for twenty four hours as it’s awesome power shapes the lives of all the animals on the amazing planet we call home. Even the most familiar species – ourselves. A breathtaking voyage across the continents and through the oceans and skies; Earth: One Amazing Day is an enchanting, big screen family friendly adventure that proves every day on Earth is heartwarming and inspiring.

Every 53 hours in the United States, a police officer is killed in the line of duty. However these losses go mostly unnoticed, overshadowed by sensational, politically charged headlines of the day. Fallen takes a deeply personal look at the stories behind these statistics. More than five years in the making, the film follows the stories of eight fallen officers from across the country. Told through the eyes of those closest to them, as well as the communities they served, these stories offer a sobering glimpse into a routinely overlooked and misunderstood reality