Browse Movies : 2017 : Documentary

John G. Avildsen’s films have inspired millions of underdogs and shaped popular culture for decades, yet most people don’t even know his name. Discover the unknown legend behind Rocky and The Karate Kid in his official biography about a prolific filmmaker who directed seven actors to Academy Award nominations and earned his own Oscar for Best Director.

This HBO Documentary Film follows the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal as they recount their experiences before, during and after the tragic terrorist attack at their concert in Paris on November 13, 2015 – a heinous act of violence that claimed 89. The film spotlights the deep bond of friendship between band co-founders Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme as well as the intensely personal connection that the Eagles of Death Metal has always had with their devoted fans. That relationship, coupled with a profound sense of responsibility to help the Bataclan survivors cope with their physical and emotional wounds, inspired the band to return to Paris: first to perform with U2 at a rescheduled concert three weeks after the attacks, and later to finish the Paris show at the Olympia concert hall in front of their fans, many of whom were survivors of the earlier show.

This observational documentary follows a year in the lives of two inspirational teachers at Headfort, the only primary-age boarding school in Ireland. Housed in an 18th century estate, school life embraces tradition and modernity. For John, rock music is just another subject alongside Maths, Scripture and Latin, taught in a collaborative and often hilarious fashion. For his wife Amanda, the key to connecting with children is the book, and she uses all means to snare the young minds. For nearly half a century these two have shaped thousands of minds, but now the unthinkable looms: what would retirement mean? What will keep them young if they leave?

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.

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 portrait of French glaciologist, Claude Lorius, whose groundbreaking research in Antarctica gave us the first clear evidence of man-made global climate change.

Lorius discovered his destiny as a college student when he joined an expedition to Antarctica in 1955; land essentially untouched by scientific experiment. He would go on to participate in twenty-two expeditions during his long career, facing unforgiving conditions and brutal personal challenges that were rewarded with an amazing discovery: using ice cores thousands of meters deep, tiny air bubbles suspended in the ice reveal the composition of the planet’s atmosphere over nearly a million years.

Profiles portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman through her work with the Polaroid Land 20x24 camera and her Cambridge, Mass., studio, where she captured families, Beat poets, rock stars and Harvard standouts.

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.

Rooted in memories of her childhood, Okwui – who’s worked with conceptual artists like Ralph Lemon and Julie Taymor – fuses dance, song, drama and comedy to create a mesmerizing space in which audiences can engage with a story about two 12-year-old black girls coming of age in the 1980s. With intimate vérité access to Okwui and her audiences off the stage, Bronx Gothic allows for unparalleled insight into her creative process as well as the complex social issues embodied in it.

The musicians of the Buena Vista Social Club exposed the world to Cuba's vibrant culture with their landmark 1997 album. Now, against the backdrop of Cuba's captivating musical history, hear the band's story as they reflect on their remarkable careers and the extraordinary circumstances that brought them together.

An unprecedented look into the life of conceptual artist and sculptor Chris Burden. He had himself shot, confined to a locker for five days, and was crucified on the back of a VW bug, only to reinvent himself as the creator of truly mesmerizing installations and sculptures, all in the name of art.

A documentary chronicling the barrier-breaking Mexican ranchera singer Chavela Vargas whose international fame peaked after a triumphant return to the stage at the age of 71.

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.

In the summer of 2015, legendary musician David Byrne staged an event at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate the art of Color Guard: synchronized dance routines involving flags, rifles, and sabers.

Prepare to be inspired and amazed by Richard Turner, one of the world's most renowned card magicians, who met adversity head-on and refused to let his disability define him.

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.

Based on a true marriage journey, the film tells the story of ultra-marathon runner and college professor David Horton, his wife, Nancy, and their attempt to finish their marriage race well.

Introduces the world to the young musician & composter Rachel Flowers. Born premature, she soon lost her eyesight but had perfect pitch. The film illuminates the bonds of family and the divine mysteries of creativity.