Documentary Movies 2017 List

With Ronda Rousey • Gary Stretch

Follows the life and early career of UFC fighter Ronda Rousey from her humble beginnings living in a car to a UFC trailblazer demanding equal pay in a male-dominated industry.

With Sylvester Stallone • Martin Scorsese • Derek Wayne Johnson • Burt Young • Ralph Macchio • Kevin Connolly • Talia Shire • Burt Reynolds • Jerry Weintraub • John G. Avildsen • Leonard Maltin

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.

With Feras Fayyad • Søren Steen Jespersen • Kareem Abeed

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.

With Richard Dewey • Timothy Marrinan

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.

With Rich Piana • Flex Wheeler • Kai Greene • Iris Kyle • Ahmad Ashkanani • Vlad Yudin • Calum Von Moger • Mamdouh Elssbiay

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.

With Daniel Raim

Movie fans know the work of Harold and Lillian Michelson, even if they don’t recognize the names. Working largely uncredited in the Hollywood system, storyboard artist Harold and film researcher Lillian left an indelible mark on classics by Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski and many more.

With Andrew Rossi

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.

With John Logsdon • Neil DeGrasse Tyson • Jim Lovell • Story Musgrave • Rick Tumlinson • James Muncy • Marcia B. Smith • Bill Nye • Gene Kranz • Jeff Greason • Paul Hildebrandt

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.

With Steve James

Tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.

With Amir Bar-Lev • Eric Eisner • Nick Koskoff • Justin Kreutzmann • Ken Dornstein • Alex Blavatnik

The first full-length documentary to explore Grateful Dead's fiercely independent vision, perpetual innovation, and uncompromising commitment to their audience that made the Bay Area band one of the most influential musical groups of their generation.

With Jim Brown • Peter Baxter • Peter Spirer • Al Gore • Oren Lyons • Bill Belichick

The documentary follows The Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse Team on the road as they compete in the 2015 World Box Lacrosse Championships. For the first time ever, the Championship Games were held on an Indian Reservation, in Onondaga in upstate New York, the Capitol of the Iroquois Confederacy.

With Lucy Walker

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.

With T. C. Christensen

The inspiring true story of the miraculous life of Kennedy Hansen.

With Zeva Oelbaum • Sabine Krayenbühl

The story of Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day. Bell shaped the destiny of Iraq after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague T.E. Lawrence (a.k.a. Lawrence of Arabia), why has she been written out of the history?

With Errol Morris

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.

With Chris Brown • Andrew Sandler • Andrew Listermann

Features new interviews with singer-songwriter Chris Brown and reveals long-awaited answers about his passion for making music, his tumultuous and much publicized relationships, and the pitfalls of coming of age in the public eye. It also includes brand-new concert footage, behind-the-scenes access and special interviews from Usher, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, Mary J Blige, Mike Tyson, Rita Ora, Jamie Foxx, Terrence Jenkins and more.

With Andrew Cohn

Indianapolis has one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country. For adult learners Greg, Melissa and Shynika, finally earning their high school diplomas could be a life-changing achievement. Andrew Cohn’s documentary observes their individual pursuits, fraught with the challenges of daily life and the broader systemic roadblocks faced by many low income Americans.

With Lorenzo DeStefano

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.

With James Cameron • Danny Elfman • Hans Zimmer • Quincy Jones • Matt Schrader • Rachel Portman • Trent Reznor

What makes a film score unforgettable? Score: A Film Music Documentary brings Hollywood's elite composers together to give viewers a privileged look inside the musical challenges and creative secrecy of the world's most international music genre: the film score. A film composer is a musical scientist of sorts, and the influence they have to complement a film and garner powerful reactions from global audiences can be a daunting task to take on. The documentary contains interviews with dozens of film composers who discuss their craft and the magic of film music while exploring the making of the most iconic and beloved scores in history: James Bond, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Titanic, The Social Network, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Psycho.

With Sierra Pettengill • Pacho Velez

The Reagan Show is constructed entirely through 1980s network news and videotapes created by the Reagan administration itself to track former President Ronald Reagan's Hollywood-powered and public-savvy image.

With Daniel Mehrer • Andrew Becker

Martin and Margo's arrival in the village of Santoalla challenges the traditions of the town's sole remaining family, igniting a decade-long conflict that culminates in Martin's mysterious disappearance.

With David Stubbs • Kura Forrester

Based on the true story of the Wainuiomata exorcism.

With Joedan Okun • Matthew Heineman • Juan Camilo Cruz • Matthew Hamachek • Maya Seidler

The documentary takes viewers into the warzone of ISIS-occupied Syria, where a band of anonymous activists known as Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently wage a counteroffensive against the terrorist group’s campaign of propaganda and misinformation. Armed with video cameras, these intrepid citizen journalists risk their lives to spread the truth about life under ISIS.

With Lars Ulrich • John Lydon • Eric Bogosian • Rob Zombie • Dito Montiel • Cyndi Lauper • Michael Alago • Jerry Brandt • Drew Stone

Discover the incredible life of Michael Alago, a gay Puerto Rican kid from Brooklyn who went on to shape and reinvent the world’s musical landscape -- first as a 19-year-old talent booker at the legendary Ritz nightclub in New York City and then as a 24-year-old A&R exec who signed Metallica, White Zombie and worked with other notable artists including Nina Simone, John Lydon and Cyndi Lauper. The film tells the tender, loving and sometimes self-destructive story of a man who “just loved music.” He had the passion to bring it to the world on his terms and lived to talk about it. Barely.

With Lawrence Bender • Scott Z. Burns • Bonni Cohen • Richard Berge • Davis Guggenheim • Laurie David • Jeff Skoll • Diane Weyermann • Lesley Chilcott • Jon Shenk • Al Gore

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.

With Blessin Giraldo • Cori Grainger • Tayla Solomon • Gari McIntyre • Paula Dofat • Amanda Lipitz

Step documents the senior year of a girls’ high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. As each one tries to become the first in their families to attend college, the girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in the troubled city.

With Lawrence Bender • Scott Z. Burns • Bonni Cohen • Richard Berge • Davis Guggenheim • Laurie David • Jeff Skoll • Diane Weyermann • Lesley Chilcott • Jon Shenk • Al Gore

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.

With Tom Hanks • Doug Nichol

Explores the history and fondness people still carry for the typewriter...

With Flannery Miller • Sabaah Folayan • Damon Davis • Jennifer MacArthur

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