Recommended Documentaries

LIFE AND DEBT is great if you want to see how the world really works for most of it's inhabitants

In reply to Thomas Papapetros's post on Thu 17 Mar 2011 :

Never heard of this till now. Sounds like a controversial choice many different versions too.

'Grown in Detroit', check out the trailer and witness that good things can come out of bad things...

www.grownindetroitmoviecom

Mascha, as mentioned above, please do not use this topic to promote your own work.

For my money, it is hard to beat 2008 Oscar winner MAN ON WIRE.

In reply to Mascha Poppenk-Bouwens's post on Fri 18 Mar 2011 :

Folks, from here on we'll simply delete any post with a self-promotional angle to it. So don't even bother.

Mon tout petit/Mein Kleines Kind, Katja Baumgarten. The midwife carries her child to term knowing well ahead s/he will not survive long. She made her own film about this.

download – www.viktoria11.de

One of my faves is Heddy Honigmann's THE UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA. Unfortunately no online trailer or way to get the film other than at the institutional rate on Icarus. which is not very realistic for a filmmaker who just wants to check out the work of another filmmaker. But if you want to see it and other films of hers on DVD, there is a Facebook movement

Thanks for starting this thread, Doug.
The film that's impressed me lately is Gasland- I sort of avoided it for awhile, but after a few minutes of screening it, I was hooked. Another story of lighting your water on fire from local natural gas mining. A must see for those interested in the feasibility of this "clean and terrorist free" energy. And there's banjo!
But an all time favorite –that sadly I can't find on DVD (anyone know how I can get a copy?) is Two Towns of Jaspar-innovative in approach (one black crew/one white crew) and deep in exploring race in contemporary America.
So many others to save for another time...

My Favourite is Last Train. Wish I could be rapped on the knuckles for self promotion on that one. Would die a happy man.

Assume you mean Last Train Home, sir. I agree, it's a great doc.

In this context, Why documentaries matter by Nick Fraser in today's Observer.
Includes his all-time favourite docs, and many people posted theirs in response. Well, we did it first... Which are YOURS?

Up the Yangtze. Lin was Yung's DP on Yangtze film prior to making Last Train Home. Stunning cinematography in both. The stories: very well told. Considering the circumstances under which they filmed, both are one of many that are top on my list.

Also loved the incredible archival in John Walter's Theater of War.

Doug, famous docs are allowed shortcut names. I often talk about that famous doc I saw in New York – The Kids.

The Kid Stays In the Picture? The Kids Are Alright? My Kid Could Paint That? The Kids Grow Up?

Just saying this is a topic open to the general public, so we shouldn't assume anyone is familiar with our recommended films, much less their shortcut names.

Humbly stand corrected.

Ben & Doug,

Don't know how to delete the post... sorry!

Mascha!

We'll let it slide this one time, Mascha. Mostly to serve as an example to others ;-) Don't let this keep you from participating, though. What other doc do you recommend, particularly one from the Netherlands?

A Blooming Business (http://www.newtonfilm.nl/blooming_business) and California Dreaming (http://tegenlicht.vpro.nl/afleveringen/2010-2011/california-dreaming.html) come to mind but how does that differ from telling people about your own independent documentary?

Floored (http://flooredthemovie.com), My name is Smith (http://mynameissmith.com/) by James Smith and all the films by Ashley Sabin and David Redmond at (http://www.carnivalesquefilms.com/) so...?!

It's a far different thing recommending someone else's doc that you admired than to recommend your own. Whether yours is a good film or not, it then becomes an act of self-promotion.

Guys, we'll soon open a public topic dedicated to self-promotion.

For now, let's remember Richard Leacock who died in Paris today, aged 89. And let's recommend his films as well as the campaign to have his memoir published.

Leacock's lessons...

Jazz Dance. Just pure perfection.

In reply to Erica Ginsberg's post on Sun 20 Mar 2011 :

Heddy Honigman website:
http://www.heddy-honigmann.nl/hhonigmann/index.php

Maybe not her newer films but at least 3 other Heddy Honigmann films now available on Netflix: Dutch Junkies (2007), Forever (2006) and O Amor Natural (1996)
http://www.netflix.com/RoleDisplay/Heddy_Honigmann/20007137
and as a DVD boxed set also: http://www.fnac.pt/Antologia-de-Heddy-Honigrann-sem-especificar/a30230?PID=7&Mn=-1&Ra=-3&To=0&Nu=1&Fr=0

Her facebook page: facebook.com/heddy.honigmann .

Meanwhile Icarus Films has 2 competing facebook pages for her, from their own angle.