2013 Movies : Documentary

With Deborah Anderson

Get up close and personal with 16 of the most successful women in the adult film industry as they shed their clothes for an intimate photo shoot with director Deborah Anderson. As questions are asked, personal stories about their lives are revealed, from why they chose the business of sex to how they got into it in the first place. These porn stars have always been discreet about their private lives in the past, yet Anderson has a way of opening up a dialog allowing them to share more than just their naked skin on screen.

With William Fichtner • Matthew Miele

Celebrating the iconic store’s 111th anniversary, Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s shares the compelling story of the legendary Fifth Avenue landmark which has launched the careers of many of the world renowned designers, and continues to be the aspiration of every designer around the globe. The story is told by fashion icons such as Karl Lagerfeld, Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Georgina Chapman, Christian Louboutin and Michael Kors, among others, as well as celebrity and socialite clientele, longstanding employees, and members of the Goodman family.

With Phie Ambo

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?

With Drew DeNicola • Oliva Mori • Mori McCarthy • Danielle McCarthy

Follows the influential 1970s band Big Star. The band was formed in 1971 in Memphis by former Box Tops lead singer Alex Chilton and Chris Bell. Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel filled out the original lineup. While the band never achieved mainstream success, it became a big influence on the likes of REM, the Flaming Lips and more.

With Jeremy Frindel

In 1970, Jeffrey Kagel walked away from the American dream of rock 'n' roll stardom, turning down the chance to record as lead singer for the band soon-to-be the Blue Oyster Cult. Instead, he sold all his possessions and moved from the suburbs of Long Island to the foothills of the Himalayas in search of happiness and a little-known saint named Neem Karoli Baba. One Track Heart: The Story of Krishna Das follows his journey to India and back, witnessing his struggles with depression and drug abuse, to his eventual emergence as Grammy-Nominated Krishna Das, world-renowned spiritual teacher and chant master.

With Maiken Baird • Michelle Major

The film takes an unfiltered look into the lives of the greatest sister-act professional tennis has ever seen. In a sport where they were not welcomed, the indomitable Williams sisters faced the opposition with grace and courage not only breaking new ground for female and African American athletes everywhere, but dominating the women's game for over a decade. The film tells the inspiring story of how these two women, against all odds, but the help of visionary parents, made it to the top.

Also explores the struggle of these two aging superstars during the 2011 tennis season as they battle life and career-threatening health problems.

With Eliav Lilti

Starting in the early 1930s, home movies were made by private individuals documenting their personal and family lives alongside historic events in Palestine/Israel. Each amateur cinematographer had a camera of his own, but each saw something different.

With Philippe Beziat

Following world famous French soprano Natalie Dessay from the first repetitions until the premiere under the direction of Jean-Francois Sivadier, we meet a very special woman, a piece of art, a myth: La Traviata.

With Sarah Polley

Written and directed by Sarah Polley, the documentary weaves together home movies, interviews and narration to examine the repercussions of her family's long-held secrets that finally are coming to light.

With Dan Setton

In 2009, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad launched a plan to demonstrate that his people were deserving of statehood, inspiring them to change their destiny and seek UN membership. Since then, they’ve made remarkable progress, but the political quagmire threatens to destroy the most promising opportunity for peace in years.

With Tom Bean • Luke Poling

A documentary film about writer, editor and lion tamer, George Plimpton.

With Ridley Scott • Baillie Walsh

With songs that say more in a few verses than most artists say in an entire career, Bruce Springsteen has been able to embody the highs and lows of the American Dream. Moreover, his music has created a deeply personal bond between fan and the artist. Springsteen & I was a call out to the fans worldwide to make a documentary about what Bruce means to them and celebrate the impact of his music. Produced by Ridley Scott Associates/Scott Free/Black Dog Films and Mr Wolf, Springsteen & I incorporates video submissions from over 2,000 fans from across the world in the ultimate collective filmmaking experience --made by the fans for the fans-- and includes Springsteen performing some of his greatest hits, along with exclusive never-before-seen archival concert footage.

With David Attenborough

The film depicts the fortunes of a young male King Penguin, who returns to the place where he was born and raised. Known as Penguin City, this sub-Antarctic island is home to albatrosses, leopard seals and elephant seals—and six million penguins! Somehow our hero must earn his place among the inhabitants and fulfill his destiny by finding a mate and raising a family.

With Alex Gibney • Marc Shmuger • Julian Assange

A multi-layered tale about transparency in the information age and our ever-elusive search for the truth. Detailing the creation of Julian Assange’s controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history, the film charts the enigmatic Assange’s rise and fall in parallel with that of Pfc. Bradley Manning, the brilliant, troubled young soldier who downloaded hundreds of thousands of documents from classified U.S. military and diplomatic servers.

With Till Schauder • Kevin Sheppard

When American basketball player Kevin Sheppard accepts a job to play in one of the world’s most feared countries – Iran – he expects the worst. But what he finds is a country brimming with generosity, acceptance, and sensuality. With a charismatic personality that charms everyone he meets, Kevin forms an unlikely friendship with three outspoken Iranian women who share with him their strong opinions on everything from politics to religion to gender roles. Kevin’s season in Iran eventually culminates in something much bigger than basketball: the uprising and subsequent suppression of Iran’s reformist Green Movement – a powerful prelude to the sweeping changes currently unfolding across the Middle East in the wake of the Arab Spring.

With Daniel A. Miller • Seth Kramer • Jeremy Newberger

A documentary about the seminal talk show host Morton Downey, Jr. The chain smoking Downey exploded onto the scene in the late ‘80s, tearing apart the traditional talk show format by turning debate of current issues into a gladiator pit, earning the title “Father of Trash Television.”

With David Riker • Rick Rowley • Jeremy Scahill

Investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill traces the rise of the Joint Special Operations Command, the most secret fighting force in U.S. history, exposing operations carried out by men who do not exist on paper and will never appear before Congress. No target is off-limits for the JSOC “kill list,” even a U.S. citizen.

With Douglas Tirola

Two bartenders try to achieve their dreams through bartending. An injured Marine turns his goals to becoming a principal bartender at the best cocktail bar in the world. A young man leaves his white-collar job to buy the corner bar in his hometown years later he struggles to keep afloat. The bar is three deep, and the bartenders are in the weeds at the greatest cocktail party since before Prohibition. Hey Bartender is the story of the rebirth of the bartender and the comeback of the cocktail.

With Markus Imhoof

Oscar-nominated director Markus Imhoof tackles the vexing issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction. With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, he investigates this global phenomenon from California to Switzerland, China and Australia.

With Robert Stone

The atomic bomb and meltdowns like Fukushima have made nuclear power synonymous with global disaster. But what if we’ve got nuclear power wrong? The documentary explores whether the one technology we fear most could save our planet from a climate catastrophe, while providing the energy needed to lift billions of people in the developing world out of poverty.

With Markus Imhoof

Markus Imhoof tackles the issue of why bees, worldwide, are facing extinction. With the tenacity of a man out to solve a world-class mystery, he investigates this global phenomenon, from California to Switzerland, China and Australia.

With Cullen Hoback

Admit it: you don’t really read the endless terms and conditions connected to every website you visit, phone call you make or app you download. But every day, billion-dollar corporations are learning more about your interests, your friends and family, your finances, and your secrets, and they’re not only selling the information to the highest bidder, but also sharing it with the government. And you agreed to all of it. This disquieting exposé demonstrates how every one of us is incrementally opting-in to a real-time surveillance state, click by click- and what, if anything, you can do about it.

With Morgan Neville • Gil Friesen • Cait Rogers

Morgan Neville follows half a dozen diverse and gifted back up singers from throughout music history, each of whom has a story to tell of life in the shadows of superstardom (Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Joe Cocker, Bette Midler to name just a few). These talented artists represent a range of styles that come from all eras of popular music, but each singer belongs to the first family of American voice. Now is their turn for the spotlight.

With Brad Bernstein

Combines traditional documentary storytelling with original animation culled from seven decades worth of art from the renegade children’s book author and illustrator Tomi Ungerer.

With Katherine Fairfax Wright • Malika Zouhali-Worrall

The film documents the daily lives of David Kato - the first openly gay Ugandan man - and three fellow "kuchus", culminating in a murder.

With Tom Putnam • Denis Leary • Brenna Sanchez

The documentary takes audiences to the frontlines of Detroit, a city where some residents seem to think of arson as a sport. Detroit has more fires than any city in the United States: A population drop from 1.85 million in 1950 to near 700,000 today has left 80,000 abandoned structures as kindling. The result is a city with 30,000 fire calls a year — the highest fire-load in America. On average, Detroit sees 30 structure fires daily (firefighters estimate that more than 90% are set intentionally), while Los Angeles, with a population of 4 million, sees only 11 structure fires per day.

With Henry Rollins • Alex Winter • Noel Gallagher • Sean Parker • Shawn Fanning • Chris Blackwell • Hilary Rosen • Mike D

Focuses on the advent of digital media sharing, including the rise of game-changing company Napster and its controversial online pioneers Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker. The digital revolution ultimately created a technology paradigm shift and upended both the music industry and music artists, and changed the world.

With Fred Dame • Jason Wise • Bo Barrett • Shayn Bjornholm • Dave Cauble • Andrea Cecci

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?

With Toni Collette • Justin McMillan • Christopher Nelius

As we meet best friends and professional surfing legends Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones, middle age is upon them and their children are getting older - but they can't stop exploring the globe for that elusive rush of adrenaline and thrill of danger, in search of the ultimate wave.

With Woody Harrelson • Eminem • 50 Cent • Matthew Cooke • Susan Sarandon • Bert Marcus • David Simon

A shockingly candid examination of how a street dealer can rise to cartel lord with relative ease, How to Make Money Selling Drugs is an insider's guide to the violent but extremely lucrative drug industry. Told from the perspective of former drug dealers, and featuring interviews with rights advocates Russell Simmons, Susan Sarandon, and David Simon (creator of The Wire), the film gives you the lessons you need to start your own drug empire while exposing the corruption behind the "war on drugs."

With Gabriela Cowperthwaite • Manuel Oteyza

Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the mulit-billion dollar sea-park industry.

With Jamie Kastner • Vince Aletti • Eric Anzalone • Robert Kool Bell • Henri Belolo • Mark Benecke • Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor, Village People, Kool and the Gang, KC and the Sunshine Band and more appear in the documentary about the birth of disco in the ’70s and the part the music movement played in the liberation of gays, blacks and women.

With Henry Rollins • Jeff Howlett • Mark Covino • Alice Cooper • Bobby Hackney • Dannis Hackney

Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was a band called Death. Punk before punk existed, three teenage brothers in the early '70s formed a band in their spare bedroom, began playing a few local gigs and even pressed a single in the hopes of getting signed. But this was the era of Motown and emerging disco. Record companies found Death's music—and band name—too intimidating, and the group were never given a fair shot, disbanding before they even completed one album. Equal parts electrifying rockumentary and epic family love story, A Band Called Death chronicles the incredible fairy-tale journey of what happened almost three decades later, when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of the attic and found an audience several generations younger.

With Werner Herzog • Errol Morris • Joshua Oppenheimer

This chilling and inventive documentary examines a country where death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass-killings in the style of the American movies they love.

When the Indonesian government was overthrown in 1965, small-time gangster Anwar Congo and his friends went from selling movie tickets on the black market to leading anti-communist death squads in the mass murder of over a million people. Anwar boasts of killing hundreds with his own hands, but he's lived in his country with impunity ever since. When approached to make a film about their role in the genocide, Anwar and his friends eagerly comply-but their idea of being in a movie is not to provide reflective testimony, but to dance their way through musical numbers, twist arms in film noir gangster scenes, and gallop across the prairies as yodeling cowboys.

With Jorge Hinojosa

The film examines the life of the notorious pimp and author of seven ground-breaking books. It includes insightful interviews with well-known artists, scholars, friends and family members that create a riveting tapestry as colorful as the subject himself. The autobiographical work of Iceberg Slim is considered to be the genesis of blaxploitation films and gangster rap and it continues to influence artists today.

With Daniel Vivian • Mike Lerner • Havana Marking

This film tells the story of the Pink Panthers, the world's most successful diamond thieves. With exclusive access to gang members as well as those tasked with catching them, the film combines animation and archive to explain their background in the history of Balkans and bring to life their gripping exploits.

With Jesse James Miller

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini wasn’t merely the lightweight champ. He fought for his father and for those in small towns across America. The Good Son is an intimate history, a saga of fathers and fighters, loss and redemption and finally, forgiveness.

With Patrick Burns • Lydia Dean Pilcher • Zachary Heinzerling

As a rowdy young Neo-Dadaist artist in Tokyo, Ushio yearned for international recognition, so in 1969 he set sail for New York City. Nineteen-year-old Noriko came to New York to study art, where she met and fell in love with Ushio, 21 years her senior. Putting her own artistic ambitions on hold, Noriko dedicated herself to supporting her husband's career. Over the course of their marriage, the roles of assistant and artist have slowly begun to transform. Now 80, Ushio, widely known for his boxing painting, is obsessed with establishing his artistic legacy, while Noriko is at last finding her voice as an artist with a series of drawings entitled “Cutie and Bullie,” depicting her own chaotic relationship with Ushio.

With Steve Brown • Jessie Deeter

Each year, 60,000 people from around the globe gather in a dusty windswept Nevada desert to build a temporary city, collaborating on large-scale art and partying for a week before burning a giant effigy in a ritual frenzy. Rooted in principles of self-expression, self-reliance and community effort, Burning Man has grown famous for stirring ordinary people to shed their nine-to-five existence and act on their dreams. Spark takes us behind the curtain with Burning Man organizers and participants, revealing a year of unprecedented challenges and growth. When ideals of a new world based on freedom and inclusion collide with realities of the "default world," we wonder which dreams can survive.

With Harry Styles • Morgan Spurlock • Simon Cowell • Adam Milano • Ben Winston • Niall Horan • Zayn Malik • Liam Payne • Louis Tomlinson

A 3D behind-the-scenes film showcasing London-based global music sensation One Direction.

With Penny Lane

Throughout Richard Nixon’s presidency, three of his top White House aides obsessively documented their experiences with Super 8 home movie cameras. Young, idealistic and dedicated, they had no idea that a few years later they’d all be in prison. This unique and personal visual record, created by H.R. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman and Dwight Chapin, was seized by the FBI during the Watergate investigation, then filed away and forgotten for almost 40 years. OUR NIXON is an all-archival documentary presenting those home movies for the first time, along with other rare footage, creating an intimate and complex portrait of the Nixon presidency as never seen before.