Documentary DVD & Blu-rays 2011 List

The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames are widely regarded as America's most important designers. Perhaps best remembered for their mid-century plywood and fiberglass furniture, the Eames Office also created a mind-bending variety of other products, from splints for wounded military during World War II, to photography, interiors, multi-media exhibits, graphics, games, films and toys. But their personal lives and influence on significant events in American life - from the development of modernism, to the rise of the computer age - has been less widely understood.

Senna's remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection, and the mythical status he has since attained, is the subject of SENNA, a documentary feature that spans the racing legend's years as an F1 driver, from his opening season in 1984 to his untimely death a decade later. Far more than a film for F1 fans, Senna unfolds a remarkable story in a remarkable manner, eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favor of a more cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, much of which is drawn from F1 archives and previously unseen.

The story follows film footage purported to have been shot by the crew of Apollo 18. This moon mission from the early 1970s was officially canceled by NASA, but according to urban legend, it actually happened. Footage shows signs of alien life, and the events of the mission are built into a thriller storyline.

A living legend in the horse world, Buck Brannaman was the inspiration for The Horse Whisperer. For this true cowboy, horses are a mirror of the human soul. Reared by an abusive father, Buck eschews violence. By teaching people to communicate with horses through instinct, not punishment, he frees the spirit of the horse and its human comrade. Crisscrossing the world with Zenlike wisdom, Buck promulgates grace in the bond between man and horse.

The film travels with animal research and wildlife conservatist Jane Goodall across several continents from her childhood home in England, to the Gombe National Park in Tanzania.

Pearl Jam Twenty chronicles the years leading up to the band's formation, the chaos that ensued soon-after their rise to megastardom, their step back from center stage, and the creation of a trusted circle that would surround them-giving way to a work culture that would sustain them.

The salacious adventures of a beauty queen with an IQ of 168, whose single-minded devotion to the man of her dreams leads her on a labyrinthine crusade for love. Down a surreal rabbit hole of kidnapping, masochistic Mormons, risque photography, magic underwear, celestial sex, jail time and a cloning laboratory in South Korea, Joyce's fantastic exploits were constant headlines.

Focuses on ways corporations have used memories of seemingly outlandish legal verdicts, such as a million dollar judgment for a woman who spilled McDonald's hot coffee on herself, to promote tort reforms and to avoid jury trials through arbitration on cases that have merit.

A documentary that traces the evolution of Gospel through its many musical styles – the spirituals and early hymns, the four-part harmony-based quartets, the integration of blues and swing into Gospel, the emergence of Soul, and the blending of Rap and Hip Hop elements.

A documentary about the world’s only comedic, singing, yodelling lesbian twin sisters, Lynda and Jools Topp, whose political activism and unique brand of entertainment has helped change New Zealand’s social landscape.

Shot by filmmakers all around the world, the documentary aims to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the July 24, 2010.

Documentary with nine of the world's greatest living directors: Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Liliana Cavani, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles.

Turtle: The Incredible Journey is an award-winning film that follows the life and migration of a loggerhead turtle from hatching to maturity and a return to its original Florida nesting grounds. The loggerhead turtle, a threatened species, has one of the longest and most difficult migratory patterns of any marine animal: Sea turtles newly hatched on the East Coast of the United States (usually in Florida) make their way from the sand into the ocean, and then begin a voyage that can span the entire Atlantic Ocean, only to return decades later to that same beach.

Documents story of Miami musician Clarence Reid and his alter ego Blowfly, the original dirty rapper. A major force in the Miami soul scene of the 60s and 70s, Reid wrote Top-10 songs for some of the greatest R&B acts of the era, while at the same time, his X-rated recordings and stage antics as Blowfly made him a star of the "party record" scene.

An attempt to discover the truth about the Killing Fields and the Khmer Rouge responsible for Cambodia’s genocide.

In the tradition of fly-on-the-wall documentaries, the film gains unprecedented access to the New York Times newsroom and the inner workings of the Media Desk. With the Internet surpassing print as the public's main news source and newspapers all over the country going bankrupt, Page One chronicles the transformation of the media industry at its time of greatest turmoil.

Two cat families in East Africa teach survive on their power and their cunning, while they protect and teach their cubs the ways of the wild.

A living legend in the horse world, Buck Brannaman was the inspiration for The Horse Whisperer. For this true cowboy, horses are a mirror of the human soul. Reared by an abusive father, Buck eschews violence. By teaching people to communicate with horses through instinct, not punishment, he frees the spirit of the horse and its human comrade. Crisscrossing the world with Zenlike wisdom, Buck promulgates grace in the bond between man and horse.

Director Ngawang Choephel, traveled to Tibet in 1995 to make a documentary about Tibetan folk music threatened by the Chinese occupation. While there, he was accused of being a spy by the Chinese and imprisoned for an 18-year sentence, of which he served seven years before he was released under international pressure.

The mining and burning of coal is at the epicenter of America's struggle to balance its energy needs and environmental concerns, so the daring solution proposed by this small Appalachian community takes on national significance when Bobby Kennedy, Jr. joins the Appalachian families to fight the extraordinary and insidious power of Big Coal.

Documents the inner workings and behind-the-scenes drama that follow the band, A Tribe Called Quest, even today and explores what’s next for a group many claim are the pioneers of alternative rap. Having helped to pave the way for innovative hip hop artists, A Tribe Called Quest has kept a generation hungry for more of its groundbreaking music since the group’s much-publicized breakup in 1998

Pearl Jam Twenty chronicles the years leading up to the band's formation, the chaos that ensued soon-after their rise to megastardom, their step back from center stage, and the creation of a trusted circle that would surround them-giving way to a work culture that would sustain them.

Based on the memoir of First Lieutenant Mike Scotti as well as video footage shot by him and other members of 1st Battalion, 4th Marines on the outset of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The documentary traces the life of a self-made man whose passion and perseverance took him from a Jewish orphanage in London to the absolute pinnacle of hairdressing.

The true story of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar (The Arbor, Rita, Sue and Bob Too) and her daughter Lorraine.

Children who work as many as 12 hours a day, six months a year in the scorching hot sun, without the protection of child labor laws. These children are not toiling in the fields in some far away land. They are working here, in our back yard, in America.

For decades, the Schwinn-riding Bill Cunningham, cultural anthropologist, has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirées for the New York Times Style section.

Set within a century-old traveling circus, a Mexican family struggles to stay together despite mounting debt, dwindling audiences, and a simmering family conflict that threatens this once-vibrant family tradition.

The public life of Yves Saint Laurent was an extravagant spectacle, as a design prodigy and then the grand coutourier of a fashion empire, he influenced fifty years of style and was an icon to millions -- but few are familiar with the private life of the legend. In Pierre Thoretton's L'Amour Fou, Pierre Berge, the man with which YSL shared four decades of his life, reflects on the equally extravagant history of their personal relationship.

Follows Phil Rosenthal as he travels to Russia to meet about doing a local version of "Everybody Loves Raymond."

An optimistic, solutions-based, non-preachy, non-partisan, big tent film that shows tackling climate change boosts the economy, increases national and energy security and promotes health and a clean environment.

Jack Cardiff's career spanned an incredible nine of moving picture's first ten decades and his work behind the camera altered the look of films forever through his use of Technicolor photography. Craig McCall's film about the legendary cinematographer reveals a unique figure in British and international cinema.

Focuses on a group of students who discover what they believe is a government conspiracy to keep the existence of trolls in the north of Norway hidden from the general public.

Examines 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.

Follows Earth Liberation Front group member Daniel McGowan, who in December 2005, was arrested by Federal agents and faced life in prison.

Mary Murphy, who wrote the book, "Scout, Atticus and Boo: A Celebration of 50 Years of To Kill A Mockingbird"—reflects upon the impact of Harper Lee’s classic masterpiece with such personalities as Tom Brokaw, Mary Badham, Oprah Winfrey and James Patterson.

Justin Bieber will play himself in his life story. The pic will be sprinkled with performances from his current concert tour.

A political documentary that examines two philosophies for the roles of the federal government as examplified by Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama.

Features Fran Lebowitz expressing insights on social issues in an onstage discussion with longtime friend Toni Morrison, and on the streets of New York.

Based on the book, "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology," the documentary explores the potential of rapidly accelerating technological growth.

Reveals the far-flung reaches of our plastic problem with interviews with the world’s foremost experts in biology, pharmacology, and genetics shed light on the perils of plastic to our environment and expose the truth of how plastic affects our bodies and the health of future generations.

A documentary about Miami's pot smuggling culture in the 1970s and 1980s through three colorful stories of marijuana smugglers.

Kenny Chesney, the biggest ticket-seller of this century in any musical genre, has wrapped his latest concert tour, the Sun City Carnival. This coming spring, Sony Pictures Releasing's special programming division, The Hot Ticket, will take audiences for another ride. For a limited engagement beginning in April 2010 in movie theatres nationwide, "Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D", will give fans the chance to live the fun, the friends, the songs and the moments that make Kenny Chesney the must-see concert experience to kickoff the summer season.

Directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Anthony Geffen and featuring the vocal talents of narrators Liam Neeson, Hugh Dancy, the late Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman, "The Wildest Dream" is a breathtaking mountaineering adventure that seeks to provide answers to the enduring mystery of the death of George Mallory on Mount Everest. Foremost among them: Did Mallory succeed in reaching the summit before he and fellow climber Sandy Irvine died that fateful day in 1924?

In 1999, renowned American mountaineer Conrad Anker made a discovery that reverberated around the globe. High in Mount Everest's "death zone," he found the remarkably preserved body of George Mallory—75 years after the British explorer mysteriously vanished during his attempt to become the first man to summit the world's tallest peak.

In the quest for answers, Anker returns to Everest in 2007 with British climbing prodigy Leo Houlding, replicating as closely as possible Mallory's fateful expedition. The men retrace the North East Ridge Route, even removing the 90-foot ladder from the infamous Second Step to "free climb" this terrifying section of the mountain, just as Mallory and Irvine would have done 83 years earlier.

Far more than a documentary about mountain climbing, "The Wildest Dream" tells the passionate story of a man torn between two overwhelming and competing loves: his wife and the mountain that ultimately took his life. Told through revealing letters between Mallory and his beloved Ruth, the film combines previously unseen archival photos and film footage with the present-day story of Anker's expedition.

The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over $20 trillion, resulted in millions of people losing their homes and jobs. Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, "Inside Job" traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia.

Directed by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Anthony Geffen and featuring the vocal talents of narrators Liam Neeson, Hugh Dancy, the late Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman, "The Wildest Dream" is a breathtaking mountaineering adventure that seeks to provide answers to the enduring mystery of the death of George Mallory on Mount Everest. Foremost among them: Did Mallory succeed in reaching the summit before he and fellow climber Sandy Irvine died that fateful day in 1924?

In 1999, renowned American mountaineer Conrad Anker made a discovery that reverberated around the globe. High in Mount Everest's "death zone," he found the remarkably preserved body of George Mallory—75 years after the British explorer mysteriously vanished during his attempt to become the first man to summit the world's tallest peak.

In the quest for answers, Anker returns to Everest in 2007 with British climbing prodigy Leo Houlding, replicating as closely as possible Mallory's fateful expedition. The men retrace the North East Ridge Route, even removing the 90-foot ladder from the infamous Second Step to "free climb" this terrifying section of the mountain, just as Mallory and Irvine would have done 83 years earlier.

Far more than a documentary about mountain climbing, "The Wildest Dream" tells the passionate story of a man torn between two overwhelming and competing loves: his wife and the mountain that ultimately took his life. Told through revealing letters between Mallory and his beloved Ruth, the film combines previously unseen archival photos and film footage with the present-day story of Anker's expedition.

Follows artist Vik Muniz to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of "catadores" - or self-designated pickers of recyclable materials.

The true story of Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar (The Arbor, Rita, Sue and Bob Too) and her daughter Lorraine.

Through the power of IMAX® 3D, Hubble 3D will enable moviegoers to journey through distant galaxies to explore the grandeur and mysteries of our celestial surroundings, and accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult and important tasks in NASA's history. The seventh film from the award-winning IMAX® Space Team, Hubble 3D will offer an inspiring and unique look into the Hubble Space Telescope's legacy and highlight its profound impact on the way we view the universe and ourselves.

A documentary about the coverup of the friendly-fire death of Pat Tilman, the NFL player who joined the Army Ranger after the 9/11 attacks.

Focused on Billy Joel's final concert at Shea Stadium before it was demolished, with the ballpark and the New York Mets' history intertwined into the storyline.

"Waiting for Superman" examines the crisis of public education in the United States through multiple interlocking stories—from a handful of students and their families whose futures hang in the balance, to the educators and reformers trying to find real and lasting solutions within a dysfunctional system.

Kenny Chesney, the biggest ticket-seller of this century in any musical genre, has wrapped his latest concert tour, the Sun City Carnival. This coming spring, Sony Pictures Releasing's special programming division, The Hot Ticket, will take audiences for another ride. For a limited engagement beginning in April 2010 in movie theatres nationwide, "Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D", will give fans the chance to live the fun, the friends, the songs and the moments that make Kenny Chesney the must-see concert experience to kickoff the summer season.

A family embarks on an annual journey, along with 200 other million peasant workers, to reunite with their distant family.

Sixteen French pastry chefs gathered in Lyon for three intense days of mixing, piping and sculpting everything from delicate chocolates to six-foot sugar sculptures in hopes of being declared by President Nicolas Sarkozy one of the best.

Tilda Swinton narrates this documentary focusing on the efforts of everyday people all over the world who are making a difference in the fight against global warming.

A personal video diary charting model Sara Ziff’s rise from fresh face to one that adorns billboards. The film considers the demand for adolescent models, the pressure to stay thin, the abuse of drugs and the persistence of sexual harassment.

Based on the bestseller Freakonomics, where economist Steven D. Levitt uses statistics and theory to analyze pop culture.

A Mississippi town still divided about the meaning of justice, 40 years after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner.

The rise and fall of New York Attorney Governor Elliot Spitzer, who rose to power as NY Attorney General prosecuting Wall Street corruption. His political downfall came when the public discovered his involvement in prostitution.

A comprehensive documentary looking at energy in America, reliance on oil and the potential of alternative energy sources.