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Documentaries
From actuality to direct cinema and the film essay, the documentary form is one of cinema’s pre-eminent mediums.
Places and people are the focus of this subscription collection, and filmmakers themselves come under the spotlight in our series of films about cinema.
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100 Years of Japanese Cinema100 Years of Japanese Cinema
Documentary 1996 52 minsDirector: Nagisa Oshima
Archive propels argument in this fascinating exploration of the social and cultural importance of Japan's film heritage.
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A Century of French CinemaA Century of French Cinema
Documentary 1995 50 minsDirector: Anne-Marie Miéville and Jean-Luc Godard
Six regions, six films appraised for cultural and historical meaning. Produced by Jean-Luc Godard.
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Anger MeAnger Me
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2006 71 minsDirector: Elio Gelmini
Like all good magicians, the life and work of Kenneth Anger, the Magus of underground film, is crowded with mystery and myth.
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Lotte Reiniger's ArtLotte Reiniger's Art
Documentary 1970 17 minsDirector: John Isaacs
The short documentary gives us a wonderful insight into the enchanting animated film world of Lotte Reiniger.
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Before StonewallBefore Stonewall
Documentary 1984 84 minsDirector: Greta Schiller
Documenting the testimonies from those who dared to challenge the world and helped create the modern gay community.
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FinisterreFinisterre
Documentary 2003 59 minsDirector: Kieran Evans and Paul Kelly
A journey from London’s suburbs to its heart, charting the influence of the city on indie pop band Saint Etienne.
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From the Sea to the Land BeyondFrom the Sea to the Land Beyond
Documentary 2012 73 minsDirector: Penny Woolcock
This fascinating and moving film by award-winning director Penny Woolcock is a lyrical portrait of Britain's coastline which features a score by British Sea Power.
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Heart of the AngelHeart of the Angel
Documentary 1989 40 minsDirector: Molly Dineen
Molly Dineen’s wry, humorous and sometimes touching look at the trials faced by the staff and passengers of London’s dishearteningly dilapidated Angel tube station, before its modernisation.
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Hit So HardHit So Hard
Documentary 2011 103 minsDirector: P. David Ebersole
Patty Schemel, one-time drummer of grunge band Hole, recounts her turbulent years on tour with the band, piecing together a compelling tale of rock and roll excess, and the personal story of one woman’s survival.
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I Am DivineI Am Divine
Documentary 2013 90 minsDirector: Jeffrey Schwarz
A unique documentary about a unique person – follow Divine’s life from humble Baltimore beginnings to superstar status as the Queen of Cult.
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Les InvisiblesLes Invisibles
Documentary 2012 112 minsDirector: Sébastien Lifshitz
French gay men and women in their 60s and 70s talk about their lives in Sébastien Lifshitz’s documentary.
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LondonLondon
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1994 85 minsDirector: Patrick Keiller
The first in Patrick Keiller’s highly imaginative trilogy of films is a photographic trip through London, recounted by our unseen narrator.
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London the Modern BabylonLondon the Modern Babylon
Documentary 2012 128 minsDirector: Julien Temple
The story of London told through a century of popular music and film archive treasures.
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Memories of JohnMemories of John
Documentary 2012 29 minsDirector: Doug Headline
A short documentary featuring some of John Cassavetes' key collaborators, actor Peter Falk and producer Al Ruban.
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My Voyage to Italy (part one)My Voyage to Italy (part one)
Documentary 2001 120 minsDirector: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s two-part love letter to Italian cinema is epic and sprawling in scope but also a deeply personal and moving testament to his passion for film.
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The Nine MusesThe Nine Muses
Documentary 2012 92 minsDirector: John Akomfrah
John Akomfrah mixes archive material, literary and musical quotations and newly shot silent footage in a wry, rapt meditation on memory and migration.
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Of Time and the CityOf Time and the City
Documentary 2008 74 minsDirector: Terence Davies
Brilliantly mixing archive film and music, Liverpool-born director Terence Davies reflects with wit and wisdom on a times of change, for good or ill
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A Personal Journey... Part 1A Personal Journey... Part 1
Documentary 1995 72 minsDirector: Martin Scorsese and Michael Henry Wilson
The first part of Martin Scorsese's 'personal journey' through American Cinema.
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A Personal Journey… Part 2A Personal Journey… Part 2
Documentary 1995 79 minsDirector: Martin Scorsese and Michael Henry Wilson
The second part of Martin Scorsese's 'personal journey' through American Cinema.
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A Personal Journey… Part 3A Personal Journey… Part 3
Documentary 1995 74 minsDirector: Martin Scorsese and Michael Henry Wilson
The third part of Martin Scorsese's 'personal journey' through American Cinema
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Speaking of BuñuelSpeaking of Buñuel
Documentary 2000 99 minsDirector: José Luis López Linares and Javier Rioyo
José Luis López-Linares and Javier Rioyo’s incisive documentary about Luis Buñuel.
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Sleep FuriouslySleep Furiously
Documentary 2007 90 minsDirector: Gideon Koppel
Gideon Koppel’s charming documentary about a small farming community in mid-Wales, observing the unalterable rhythms of country life and the monthly visits of a mobile library.
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This Is TomorrowThis Is Tomorrow
2007 54 minsDirector: Paul Kelly
The final part of Saint Etienne and Paul Kelly’s London trilogy follows the renovation and reopening of the Royal Festival Hall through 2005-7.
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Two in the WaveTwo in the Wave
Documentary 2009 92 minsDirector: Emmanuel Laurent
Jean Luc-Godard and Francois Truffaut: the story of a friendship, a break-up and the birth of a new cinematic movement that would sweep the world.
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A Summer + 50A Summer + 50
Documentary 2011 75 minsDirector: Florence Dauman
Key participants discuss the making of influential cinéma vérite documentary Chronicle of a Summer. Includes unused footage from the film.
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VitoVito
2011 93 minsDirector: Jeffrey Schwarz
A profile of LGBT activist, academic and author Vito Russo, the man who changed the face of queer film theory and brought us all out of the ‘Celluloid Closet’.
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We Were HereWe Were Here
Documentary 2011 90 minsDirector: David Weissman
We Were Here is the first documentary to take a deep and reflective look back at the arrival and impact of AIDS in 1980s San Francisco.
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Welcome to BritainWelcome to Britain
Documentary 1976 73 minsDirector: Ben Lewin
Ben Lewin’s 1976 film captures a moment in Britain's evergreen immigration debate, focusing on new arrivals at Heathrow as they wrestle with immigration law.
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What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?
Documentary 2005 45 minsDirector: Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly’s second collaboration with pop band Saint Etienne traces the hidden history of East London’s Lower Lea Valley before its Olympic makeover.