Browse Movies : NR : Documentary

In the US less than 50% of students who start college ever finish, making America’s college completion rates among the worst in the world. Now there are more than 35 million Americans who started college but never finished, leaving them saddled with debt, and behind their peers in earning power. Featuring interviews with LeBron James, Howard Schultz, and our nation's leading voices in education, this penetrating and personal new film investigates America’s college dropout crisis through the lives of five diverse students as they fight for a second chance at opportunity and highlights the innovators reimagining higher education for the 21st century.

T.M. Landry, an unconventional prep school in Louisiana, receives national attention for sending its graduates to elite universities. When an explosive New York Times exposé rocks the school, students face uncertain futures and must decide for themselves what they are willing to do to be accepted.

Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story is the definitive, never-before-told story of perhaps the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Phil Heath. Plagued by injuries that come with 18 years of physical and mental sacrifice, Heath stands on the edge of altering the face of bodybuilding history. Featuring contributions from Dwayne Johnson, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Kai Greene, Brandon Curry, Dexter Jackson, and many more, Breaking Olympia unveils the extraordinary life story of the 7-time Mr. Olympia champion, as he rises through the ranks and battles both the top bodybuilders and the scrutiny of the media, in his attempt to cement his legacy and become the greatest Mr. Olympia champion to ever walk the earth.

Never Forget Tibet explores, with His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama, the details of his incredible escape into exile for the first time on film in his own words with the Indian political officer who led him to safety. Featuring the Tibetan community in exile and those with historic ties to Tibet, the film explores the Dalai Lama’s compassion for a world seemingly in crisis today and seeks to find what can be learnt from his inspirational life story, Tibetan culture and its ancient spirituality.

The ubiquitous pink ribbons of breast cancer philanthropy--and the hand-in-hand marketing of brands and products associated with that philanthropy--permeates our culture, providing assurance that we are engaged in a successful battle against this insidious disease. But the campaign obscures the reality and facts of breast cancer: more and more women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and they face the same treatment options they did 40 years ago. Yet women also are the most influential market group, buying 80 percent of consumer products and making most major household purchasing decisions. So then who really benefits from the pink ribbon campaigns - the cause or the company? And what if the very companies and products that profit from their association have actually contributed to the problem?

"A trio of whistleblowers share their motivations, experiences, and fallout of their own cases. British intelligence employee Katharine Gun, Oxfam aid worker Helen Evans and Hollywood actress Rose McGowen open the lid on what happens to women when speaking out against wrongdoing in When We Speak. When We Speak was filmed over two years, following three incredible stories of women who risked everything, to tell the truth. Whistleblowers rarely understand the impact that telling the truth will have on their own lives. This documentary tells the story of women at the center of high-profile exposés, revealing what drove them to speak. Their stories became worldwide scandals that took a personal toll on each of them."

Explores Nepal’s deep connection to high-altitude mountaineering through the eyes of Nirmal “Nimsdai” Purja, a fearless, fun-loving Nepali climber on a quest he dubs “Project Possible”—to summit all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter mountains in just seven months, breaking the previous record of seven years. With a team of skilled Sherpas, he traverses Mount Everest, K2, and other iconic peaks through extreme weather, life-or-death decisions, and the emotional weight of his mother’s illness back home.

A documentary about pop music, spirituality and celebrity, Ben Lee: Catch my Disease is an acerbic, playful yet profoundly intimate portrait of a unique child pop star who stepped through the looking glass of fame.

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.

American Bolshevik tells the story of the coyote's expansion into New England long after the slaughter of the native wolf species, and the attempts of modern day New Englanders to adjust to their new neighbors. The film follows a century of abuse, attempts to malign the coyote as a useless vermin and dangerous predator, and decade after decade of escalating attempts to eradicate the species.

Somm takes the viewer on a humorous, emotional and illuminating look into a mysterious world—the Court of Master Sommeliers and the massively intimidating Master Sommelier Exam. The Court of Master Sommeliers is one of the world's most prestigious, secretive, and exclusive organizations. Since its inception almost 40 years ago, less than 200 candidates have reached the exalted Master level. The exam covers literally every nuance of the world of wine, spirits and cigars. Those who have passed have put at risk their personal lives, their well-being, and often their sanity to pull it off. Shrouded in secrecy, access to the Court Of Master Sommeliers has always been strictly regulated, and cameras have never been allowed anywhere near the exam, until now. How much do you think you know about wine?

In 1989, five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem were arrested and later convicted of brutally beating and raping a white woman in New York City’s Central Park. New York Mayor Ed Koch called it the “crime of the century” and it remains to date one of the biggest media stories of our time. The five eachspent between 6 and 13 years in prison before a shocking confession from a serial rapist and DNA evidence proved their innocence. Set against a backdrop of a decaying city beset by violence and racial tension, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE tells the story of how five lives were upended by the rush to judgment by police, a sensationalist media and a devastating miscarriage of justice.

Filmmaker Roger Nygard wrote the toughest 85 questions he could think of -- about the purpose of life and the nature of existence -- then asked hundreds of people all over the globe.

American Promise spans 13 years as Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, middle-class African-American parents in Brooklyn, N.Y., turn their cameras on their son, Idris, and his best friend, Seun, who make their way through one of the most prestigious private schools in the country. Chronicling the boys' divergent paths from kindergarten through high school graduation at Manhattan's Dalton School, this provocative, intimate documentary presents complicated truths about America's struggle to come of age on issues of race, class and opportunity.

After his Sundance award-winning documentary Return to Homs, Talal Derki returned to his homeland where he gained the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. His camera focuses primarily on the children, providing an extremely rare insight into what it means to grow up with a father whose only dream is to establish an Islamic caliphate.

An aspiring rap artist and her streetwise husband, armed with a video camera, show what survival is all about when they are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters, and seize a chance for a new beginning.

Starting from its roots in 1960s antiwar and civil rights protests, the film details major developments in women's art through the 1970s and explores how these pioneering artists resulted in what is now widely regarded as the most significant art movement of the late 20th century.

After her boyfriend mysteriously leaves her with little explanation, grad student Sara Quinn is left looking for answers as to what went wrong. Directing all her energies into her anthropological dissertation, Sara conducts a series of interviews with men in an effort to uncover the secret thoughts that drive their behavior. As she records the astonishing and disquieting experiences of various subjects, Sara discovers much more about men and herself than she bargained for.

In 1992 Professor Richard Davidson, one of the world’s leading neuroscientists, met the Dalai Lama, who encouraged him to apply the same rigorous methods he used to study depression and anxiety to the study of compassion and kindness, those qualities cultivated by Tibetan meditation practice. The results of Davidson’s studies at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, are portrayed in Free the Mind as they are applied to treating PTSD in returning Iraqi vets and children with ADHD. The film poses two fundamental questions: What really is consciousness, and how does it manifest in the brain and body? And is it possible to physically change the brain solely through mental practices?