Documentary Filmmaker Amy Ziering's Politics of Empowerment and Change
We spoke to Amy Ziering about what she recommends reading, watching, and listening to.
Documentary
A New Netflix Documentary Addresses Police Brutality With Personal and Political Force
Pacific Standard recommends Strong Island, more cinematic memoir than true-crime investigation.
A Cinematic Homage to the Civilians Saving Lives in Syria
A new documentary profiles the ordinary people who sprang into action as soon bombs began to fall on their beloved homeland.
The Filmmaker Taking on Prescription Drugs
The director of a new documentary about America's prescription drug epidemic talks Big Pharma and opens up about personal struggles with pill addiction.
'It's a Very Exciting Time to Be Making Documentaries'
The director of He Named Me Malala explains the difference between factual and emotional truth in filmmaking, and why he believes buying a ticket is a form of activism.
A New Film Challenges Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Courts Controversy
Meryl and Susan Goldsmith’s documentary, The Syndrome, has been boycotted and protested against for its portrayal of SBS as outdated science.
Seduced by Gore Vidal
The complicated pleasures of Nicholas Wrathall's hagiographic new documentary.
'Blackfish' and the Weird Path to Popularity
The documentary debuted a year ago, but no one started talking about it until late October. Except, how many people are actually talking about it?
A Classic ‘Feel Bad’ Movie About Progress
The new documentary “Surviving Progress” takes a cautionary view of modern advancement and sees major problems at every juncture.
Documentary Frames Graphic Art’s Political Ferment
A stirring compilation of instances where the pen, or brush, was equivalent to the sword raises the question of whether it can compete with the keyboard.
Does Black History Need More Than a Month?
The documentary "More Than a Month" asks: Does Black History Month still inspire reflection, or just Nike sales?
PBS to Show 'Where Soldiers Come From'
A PBS documentary follows a group of friends before, during, and after their time in Afghanistan.
'If a Tree Falls' Revisits the Earth Liberation Front
PBS looks at the radical environmentalists whose turn to terrorism discredited their quixotic campaign in "If a Tree Falls."
Documentary Chronicles Art Saved from Dictator's Reach
The documentary 'The Desert of Forbidden Art' tells the story of the Igor Savitsky Museum, a remote refuge for Soviet-era art that ran afoul of Stalin's diktat.
"Making the Boys" Documentary Examines Controversial Gay Play
Documentary film "Making the Boys" recounts the rise, fall and redemption of the groundbreaking and controversial play, "The Boys in the Band."
Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story — Review of PBS Documentary
The PBS documentary "Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story" asks the question: Who is responsible when family and society so fail a promising child that she turns to prostitution and murder in her teens?
Into Eternity — Documentary Looks at Hiding Place for Nuclear Waste
A new film documenting Finland’s effort to seal away nuclear waste for the next 100 millennia asks how one predicts 100,000 years into the future.
'Bhutto' Looks at Life of Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto
The murders, intrigues and expanses of Pakistan's first female prime minister seem made for the big screen, and a new documentary is a game first step in that direction.
'Bag It' DVD Packaged With Message in Mind
Because of its message, the documentary "Bag It" required filmmakers to say both "Do what I do" and "Do what I show." A shrink-wrapped DVD was out of the question.
Mountaintop-Removal Coal Mining Blasted in 'Deep Down'
PBS documentary "Deep Down" looks at a cordial, intense dispute over mountaintop-removal coal mining in Appalachia.
'A Film Unfinished' Focuses on Nazi Documentary
"A Film Unfinished" shows the pains that Nazi documentarians took to ensure that their take on the "Jewish problem" came through.
It’s the End of the World As We Blow It
‘Countdown to Zero,’ a documentary history of nuclear weapons and possibility of radioactive terrorism, offers a cautionary tale for atomic powers.