True Films
The list from Kevin Kelly's site true films.com
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231 titles
- DirectorConstance MarksPhilip ShaneStarsKevin ClashWhoopi GoldbergFrank OzThe Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet - the heart and soul of Elmo - Kevin Clash.
- DirectorRichard PressStarsBill CunninghamAnna WintourMichael KorsA profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorAmir Bar-LevStarsMarla OlmsteadLaura OlmsteadMark OlmsteadA look at the work and surprising success of a four-year-old girl whose paintings have been compared to the likes of Picasso and has raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- DirectorGreg WhiteleyStarsArthur KaneDavid JohansenSylvain SylvainA recovering alcoholic and recently converted Mormon, Arthur "Killer" Kane, of the rock band The New York Dolls, is given a chance at reuniting with his band after 30 years.
- DirectorThomas RiedelsheimerStarsEvelyn GlennieFred FrithRoxane ButterflyA documentary which explores the connections among sound, rhythm, time, and the body by following percussionist Evelyn Glennie, who is nearly deaf.
- DirectorHenri-Georges ClouzotStarsPablo PicassoHenri-Georges ClouzotClaude RenoirA filmed record of Pablo Picasso painting numerous canvases for the camera, allowing us to see his creative process at work.
- DirectorWeijun ChenStarsCheng ChengLuo LeiXu XiaofeiDemocracy in China exists, that is, in a primary school in Wuhan where a grade 3 class can vote who they want as class monitor.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- DirectorHunter WeeksStarsJosh CaldwellJohnathan F. KeoughAlon WaismanTwo guys quit stodgy corporate jobs, scrounged up all the savings they could, collected credit cards, and stepped - or better yet - scooted forward to follow their biggest dream: to become filmmakers. Josh Caldwell rode a Segway from Seattle to Boston, while his buddy Hunter Weeks directed a film they both shot about the experience and about the moments leading up to this crazy twist on the American road trip. From cubicle farms to the open road, the film will chronicle how these guys ultimately changed their lives forever. They did what so many of us have always wanted to do - gave it all up for the passion inside.
- DirectorDavid SladeStarsJosh HartnettMelissa GeorgeDanny HustonAfter an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires.
- DirectorMichael AptedPaul AlmondStarsBruce BaldenJacqueline BassettSymon BasterfieldDirector Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a seven-year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsDelbert WardRoscoe WardLyman WardThis compelling documentary details the strange-but-true murder trial of Delbert Ward, accused of the mercy killing of his brother in rural upstate NY. This real-life murder mystery won the Audience Award at Sundance.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsWim WendersRy CooderJuan de Marcos GonzálezRevisit with the remaining original members of the Buena Vista Social Club and explore their contribution to the unknown history of Cuba.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsCompay SegundoIbrahim FerrerRubén GonzálezAging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaFelipe LacerdaStarsSandro do NascimentoRodrigo PimentelLuiz Eduardo SoaresOn June 12, 2000, a young man with a gun took the passengers aboard Bus 174 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hostage. This documentary examines the event itself, the resulting media frenzy, the police response, and the perpetrator's background.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsTip ByrneH.W. KerrGlen IngramA documentary detailing the spread of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads through Australia in a botched effort to introduce them as counter pests.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
- StarsAdam CurtisRobert ReichAnn BernaysA documentary about the rise of psychoanalysis as a powerful means of persuasion for both governments and corporations.
- DirectorPhil AglandStarsLisa LuFollowing the lives of ordinary Chinese residents of the old quarter of a city. A kindly doctor, a disabled child 'little sparrow' gossiping elderly ladies and middle makers. A fascinating and gentle series from film maker Phil Angland.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsChristoJeanne-ClaudeAn engrossing document of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's efforts to build a 24 1/2-mile-long, 18-foot-high fence of white fabric across the hills of northern California. The artists' struggle with local ranchers, environmentalists and state bureaucrats ends when the fence is unfurled, reuniting the community in a celebration of beauty. Nominated at the 1978 Academy Awards®.
- 1971– 1h 30mTV-G7.7 (295)TV EpisodeDirectorMargaret SelbyTex AveryChuck JonesStarsKen BurnsLinda Jones CloughJoe DanteThe life and works of a legendary animator.
- DirectorMarina BrunoStarsCarlo BrunoThe short 'Civil War' is the story of a man living alone in a cabin in woodland, when after he decides to blow a little blue bird to pieces, he suddenly gets fired at by an unknown enemy. He is then engaged in a civil war, but with whom?
- DirectorJonathan VanBallenbergheStarsHunter RobertsonCivil War era photographs, 1950s Defense Department propaganda films, time-lapse cinematography, and a traditional Appalachian banjo tune come together to illustrate that war is anything but civil.
- DirectorReginald BarkerThomas H. InceRaymond B. WestStarsHoward HickmanEnid MarkeyLola MayChrist takes on the form of a pacifist count to end a senseless war.
- StarsKathryn WalkerDon WoodBethany WyersA group of ordinary people arrive on a boat to 1628 and have to build a functioning colony, using only time appropriate resources. Their goal: survive for 4 months and pass the final evaluation.
- DirectorChristian CharlesStarsJerry SeinfeldChris RockGarry ShandlingA look at the work of two stand-up comics, Jerry Seinfeld and a lesser-known newcomer, detailing the effort and frustration behind putting together a successful act and career while living a life on the road.
- DirectorKnut Erik JensenStarsOdd Marino FrantzenEinar F.L. StrandArne WenselMuch as Buena Vista Social Club revealed a rich and unexplored world of music and culture, Cool and Crazy introduces us to a group of men who find purpose, companionship and even fame, as members of a male choir in Berlevåg.
- CreatorAnn DruyanCarl SaganSteven SoterStarsCarl SaganJaromír HanzlíkJonathan FahnAstronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.
- DirectorDan KloresFisher StevensStarsBurt PugachLinda PugachBob JanoffThe bizarre true story of Linda Riss and Burt Pugach.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsRobert CrumbAline Kominsky-CrumbCharles CrumbAn intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
- DirectorMarc SingerStarsMarc SingerA cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
- DirectorLuke MeyerAndrew NeelStarsSkip LipmanKenyon WellsDaniel McArthurSkip Lipman, a suburban stay at home dad, embarks on an epic quest to topple a mighty empire in a full-contact Live Action Role Playing Game known as Darkon.
- DirectorAlex TurnerStarsHenry ThomasPatrick FugitNicki AycoxA group of Confederate soldiers hole up in an abandoned plantation after robbing a bank and find themselves at the mercy of supernatural forces.
- DirectorRobert GardnerStarsRobert GardnerAn ethnographic documentary with allegorical undertones about the Dani people of Papua Barat and their social values based on an elaborate system of tribal warfare and revenge.
- DirectorLouise OsmondJerry RothwellStarsTilda SwintonDonald CrowhurstTed HyndsA documentary about the disastrous 1968 round-the-world yacht race.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsVelda BontragerMark BontragerDewayne ChuppAmish teenagers experience and embrace the modern world as a rite-of-passage before deciding which life they will choose.
- StarsPeter Schmeichel
- DirectorMaya DerenCherel ItoTeiji ItoStarsJohn GenkeJoan PapeA documentary film about Haitian vodou.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsSean PennJay AdamsTony AlvaDocumentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.
- DirectorNancy Kelly"Downside UP" is about America's largest museum of contemporary art, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), which opened in 1999 in an enormous abandoned factory in the filmmaker's hometown, North Adams, Massachusetts. This first person documentary captures the struggle of the people of North Adams in their redefinition of their community and puzzling with their role in an alien form of expression: contemporary art. Told primarily through the eyes of the filmmaker and her family, most of whom worked in the factory before it closed, "Downside UP" renders the subtle changes in the spirit of a region from the intimate view of the kitchen table. The film does not cheer-lead. It is about hope, however - the tentative, dangerous notion of hope in a town that was widely viewed as hopeless.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogScott RowlandStefan PashovFilm-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorLisa Quijano Wolfinger2 hour special based on John Maclean's account of the Storm King Mountain
- DirectorBeth GageGeorge GageStarsJerry ArchboldFritz BenedictBill BowermanA documentary film about the exploits of the Tenth Mountain Division, an elite group of mountain soldiers who fought decisive battles against the Germans in the Italian Alps during the final days of World War II. The film also attempts to keep up with alumni from the Tenth who have made a name for themselves, and meets with partial success (they note the founder of Nike, the president of the Sierra Club, and the first owners of Vail Ski Resort, but seem to have left out one Robert Dole, presidential candidate, who lost the use of his right hand serving in the Tenth).
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRobert McNamaraJohn F. KennedyFidel CastroThe story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorAl ReinertStarsJim LovellKen MattinglyRussell SchweickartAn in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.
- DirectorRoko BelicStarsRichard FeynmanB.B. KingKongar-ol OndarSan Francisco bluesman and composer, Paul Peña makes a musical pilgrimage to the land of Tuva.
- DirectorAlbert MayslesDavid MayslesCharlotte ZwerinStarsMick JaggerKeith RichardsMick TaylorWhen three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.
- DirectorLiz GarbusDocumentary chronicling America's justice system. Follows two female inmates - victims of horrific violence and tragedy - who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center.
- DirectorHoward SmithStarsMilt MossCompilation of man inventing strange contraptions in the 30's through 50's.
- DirectorChristopher Dillon QuinnTommy WalkerStarsPanther BiorJohn Bul DauNicole KidmanThree young men from Sudan embark on a journey to America after years of wandering Sub-Saharan Africa in search of safety.
- DirectorJeff StilsonStarsChris RockMaya AngelouAl SharptonChris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles.
- DirectorMatthew NieStarsRay BethellJason CrootOptimism, humour, and a whole lotta kites provide Ray Bethell with the ability to face life's challenges. At 79 years old he is a world record holder many times over in multiple kite flying and continues to break records and offer an escape to both young and old. Despite the unfairness of life, the human spirit endures "and that's good stuff."
- DirectorRobert MaassStarsAdam Brown
- DirectorMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackStarsMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackMarguerite HarrisonThe struggles of a hardscrabble Iranian nomadic tribe as they journey through bleak country to reach the grasslands that will save their livestock.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- StarsPeter CoyoteJared DiamondA PBS documentary concerning Jared Diamond's theory on why there is such disparity between those who have advanced technology and those who still live primitively. He argues it is due to the acquisition of guns and steel and the changes brought about by germs.
- DirectorFabrice FlorinStarsBill AtkinsonBruce BaumgartStewart BrandAll interviews in this documentary were shot over a long weekend at a 1984 hacker conference by the Whole Earth Catalog editors Stewart Brand and Kevin Kelley in Sausalito, California. The event itself (the hacker conference) was inspired by Steven Levy's classic book "Hackers - Heroes of the Computer Revolution".
- DirectorS.R. BindlerStarsSid AllenBrent BaskinGreg CoxTwenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The last person to remain standing with his or her hand on the truck wins. An absurd marketing gimmick at first glance, the contest proves to be much more...
- DirectorBarbara KoppleStarsJohn L. LewisCarl HornNorman YarboroughA heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
- DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
- DirectorHunter WeeksStarsJosh CaldwellJohnathan F. KeoughAlon WaismanTwo guys quit stodgy corporate jobs, scrounged up all the savings they could, collected credit cards, and stepped - or better yet - scooted forward to follow their biggest dream: to become filmmakers. Josh Caldwell rode a Segway from Seattle to Boston, while his buddy Hunter Weeks directed a film they both shot about the experience and about the moments leading up to this crazy twist on the American road trip. From cubicle farms to the open road, the film will chronicle how these guys ultimately changed their lives forever. They did what so many of us have always wanted to do - gave it all up for the passion inside.
- StarsKathryn WalkerAdrienne CluneJustin CluneModern families time-travel to 1883 Montana for homesteading, learning hard work, community, and sacrifices. Back in 21st century, they reflect on past and present values.
- DirectorMildred OkwoStarsIyabo AmokeChet AnekweSegun ArinzeThere is uneasy tension in the land. Someone is killing off corrupt government officials. The press and the police scramble to uncover the truth behind the mysterious deaths. Meanwhile, Kene has just arrived from New York for a 30 DAY vacation in his home country. He meets and falls for pretty Chinora. Soon his 30 DAY vacation turns into a hellish ride on the train of political intrigues./h3
- DirectorMichael AptedPaul AlmondStarsBruce BaldenJacqueline BassettSymon BasterfieldDirector Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a seven-year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
- DirectorJames HanlonGédéon NaudetJules NaudetStarsTony BenatatosYusuf Baran BilgicJamal BraithwaiteA real life documentary following the events of September 11 from an insider's view, through the lens of James Hanlon and two French filmmakers who were in Manhattan that one day.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsStephen HawkingIsobel HawkingJanet HumphreyA film about the life and work of the cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who despite his near total paralysis, was one of the great minds of all time.
- DirectorBrook Silva-BragaStarsScott EriksonRebecca FilmerSabrina HezingerOn a trip around the world, every day feels like Saturday. A MAP FOR SATURDAY reveals a world of long-term, solo travel through the stories of trekkers on four continents. The documentary finds backpackers helping neglected Thai tsunami victims. It explains why Nepal's guesthouses are empty and Brazil's stoplights are ignored. But at its core, SATURDAY tracks the emotional arc of extreme long-term travelers; teenagers and senior citizens who wondered, "What would it be like to travel the world?" Then did it.
- DirectorGerald FeilWilliam PetersStarsLeon GluckmanMiriam MakebaGregory PeckDocumentary looking at the new independent African states.
- DirectorAlexandra LipsitzStarsDan CraneDavid S. JungHadia AckermanThe guitars may be fake, but the talent is real at the U.S. Air Guitar Championships, where performers rock out on invisible guitars in hilarious ways.
- DirectorJames CameronSteven QualeStarsJames CameronAnatoly M. SagalevitchGenya ChernaievJames Cameron teams up with NASA scientists to explore the Mid-Ocean Ridge, a submerged chain of mountains that band the Earth and are home to some of the planet's most unique life forms.
- DirectorLes BlankGina LeibrechtStarsDavid Lee HoffmanSong DiefengWerner HerzogDuring the 1990s, David Lee Hoffman searched throughout China for the finest teas. He's a California importer who, as a youth, lived in Asia for years and took tea with the Dali Lama. Hoffman's mission is to find and bring to the U.S. the best hand picked and hand processed tea. This search takes him directly to farms and engages him with Chinese scientists, business people, and government officials: Hoffman wants tea grown organically without a factory, high-yield mentality. By 2004, Hoffman has seen success: there are farmers' collectives selling tea, ways to export "boutique tea" from China, and a growing Chinese appreciation for organic farming's best friend, the earthworm.
- DirectorRowan PybusLloyd has had a tenuous relationship with forests. He lives in Zambia, where most people rely on charcoal for fuel. In order to survive he has been a charcoal burner for many years, cutting down thousands of trees. We follow him on his personal journey as he addresses the destruction he has caused, as he opts to stop burning charcoal for a living, and sets up a micro-nursery selling trees to his neighboring community instead. This short film offers a brief window into his journey and his deep seated love for the forests around Livingstone that are rapidly decreasing.
- DirectorMichael AptedStarsIoan GruffuddAlbert FinneyMichael GambonThe idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliament, endeavoring to end the British transatlantic slave trade.
- DirectorBarbara KoppleCathy CaplanThomas HanekeStarsLewie AndersonR.J. BergstromRon BergstromRecounts the 1985-86 strike against the Hormel Foods Corporation in Minnesota after its employees' wages and benefits were cut.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMark BorchardtMike SchankTom SchimmelsDocumentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
- DirectorShari Springer BermanRobert PulciniStarsPaul GiamattiShari Springer BermanHarvey PekarAn original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- DirectorJayne LoaderKevin RaffertyPierce RaffertyStarsPaul TibbetsHarry S. TrumanW.H.P. BlandyDisturbing collection of 1940s and 1950s United States government-issued propaganda films designed to reassure Americans that the atomic bomb was not a threat to their safety.
- DirectorThomas BalmèsStarsBayarHattieMariA look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorLluis Panades JuliaAiko DayapPablo Segovia RoyoStarsNic SanchezBaseball is a meditation on how the humans perceive things and what they mean to us. Of course, in this physical dimension that our surface selves inhabit, things are a necessary and inescapable part of our lives. We need housing, clothes, furniture, tools, transportation. There may also be things in our lives that we value because of their beauty or inherent quality. We need to honor the world of things, not despise it.
- DirectorVanessa GouldStarsErik D. DemaineMartin L. DemaineVincent FlodererDepicts a cast of fine artists and eccentric scientists (from MIT and NASA) who have devoted their lives to the unlikely medium of modern origami. Through their determination to reinterpret the world in paper, they arouse a fascinating mix of sensibilities towards art, form, expressiveness, creativity and meaning.
- DirectorPhilip BostonStarsKen BradshawKen CollinsBrian L. KeaulanaAction sports documentary that follows the industry's best big wave surfers as they travel the world searching for the largest waves that nature has to offer. The journey spanned 18 months, 6 continents and produced up to 70 foot waves.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsLaird HamiltonDarrick DoernerDave KalamaDocumentary detailing the origins and history of surf culture.
- DirectorDana BrownStarsLaird HamiltonLayne BeachleyDan MalloySurfers and secret spots from around the world are profiled in this documentary.
- DirectorAnne BohlenKevin RaffertyJames RidgewayStarsRobert E. MilesGeorge Lincoln RockwellDon BlackUsing a blend of interviews and archive footage, this documentary offers an eye-opening look at neo-Nazism and its proponents in the United States.
- DirectorD.A. PennebakerStarsBob DylanAlbert GrossmanBob NeuwirthDocumentary covering Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England, which includes appearances by Joan Baez and Donovan.
- DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
- DirectorGeorge RatliffStarsAria AdlooAshley AdlooAmy AllredEach Halloween, youth members of Trinity Church, Texas construct a 'Hell House'; a modern-day fire-and-brimstone sermon, presented in the form of a haunted house, seen by over 10,000 visitors each year.
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsManfred SchulzMassimo VignelliRick PoynorA documentary about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsWilliam GatesArthur AgeeEmma GatesA film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
- StarsNigel SpiveyVilayanur RamachandranStefano MariottiniDocumentary series looking at the influence of art on the current day situation of our society.
- DirectorJohn W. WalterStarsJoseph IalacciRichard FeigenFrances BeattyInterviews with Christo, Chuck Close, Roy Lichtenstein, Judith Malina, James Rosenquist and others help illuminate the life and work of Warhol contemporary Ray Johnson.
- StarsMichael WoodDocumentary series retracing the journey of Alexander the Great across sixteen countries.