Documentary

Documentary
$10 / $8 Members

Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly

Following Ai Weiwei’s detention by Chinese authorities, the outspoken artist and activist transformed the former penitentiary of Alcatraz into an artistic platform. The exhibition launched a companion piece in which visitors sent over 90,000 postcards to prisoners of conscience around the world. In deeply moving interviews, AI WEIWEI: YOURS TRULY follows these postcards across the globe.

3 day rental • NR • 76 min.


$6 / $8 Members

The Automat

Before fast food we had something better. Our grandparents told us stories of gathering around communal tables, sharing their lives, their struggles, and their dreams with strangers at The Automat. In the long awaited Horn & Hardart documentary, we relive the phenomena of America's original and most beloved restaurant chain. The one hundred year Automat saga serves up never before-seen archival footage and photographs and a cast including celebrity customers, historians, and members of the Horn & Hardart families.

3 day rental • NR • 79 min.


$12 / $8 Members

Beyond the Visible - Hilma af Klint

Hilma af Klint was an abstract artist before the term existed, a visionary, trailblazing figure who, inspired by spiritualism, modern science, and the riches of the natural world around her, began in 1906 to reel out a series of huge, colorful, sensual, strange works without precedent in painting. The subject of a recent smash retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, af Klint was for years an all-but-forgotten figure in art historical discourse, before her long-delayed rediscovery.

3 day rental • NR • 94 min. • German & Swedish with subtitles


$10 / $6 Members

Bill Cunningham New York

Bill Cunningham, one of the mainstays of the New York Times, was a contributor to the renowned newspaper for decades. H was also an incurable and eccentric chronicler of fashion, tirelessly snapping photos of and writing about interestingly attired celebrities and ordinary New Yorkers he spots on the street. This tremendous profile of Cunningham and his work includes interviews with friends -- and often subjects, but what makes this documentary such a pleasure is Bill's joyous persona.

3 day rental • NR • 84 min.


$6.99 / $4.99 Members

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

When Nazi U-Boats torpedo a ship carrying 83 school children during World War II, Hollywood movie star, Hedy Lamarr, decides to exact revenge. At night, after shooting her scenes on set, she works on a secret radio system that will allow the Allies to torpedo Nazi U-Boats with deadly accuracy. Her sketches remain ideas until a chance encounter with an eccentric composer enables her to transform them into useful technology. The secret communication system she creates is groundbreaking and eventually changes the course of history.

3 day rental • NR • 90 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat

BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT follows Basquiat's life pre-fame and how New York City, the times, the people and the movements surrounding him formed the artist he became. Using never-before-seen works, writings and photographs, director Sara Driver, who was part of the New York arts scene herself, worked closely and collaboratively with friends and other artists who emerged from that period.

3 day rental • NR • 78 min.


$12 / $8 Members

The Bowmakers

The bow is the Cinderella of the orchestra—the overworked and overshadowed ally to its more glamorous partners. Few people, even among lovers of classical music, think of the bow as an instrument in its own right, but players of stringed instruments see them differently. To musicians, the bow is as essential to expressing the soul of the music as the violin or cello. THE BOWMAKERS follows the journey of the “silent servant” of the music world - from workshops of the virtuosos of the trade, to the birthplace of the bow in France, and to Brazil, home to the imperiled tree from which the world’s finest bows are made.

3 day rental • NR • 106 min.


$9 / $6 Members

Cunningham

This beautiful documentary traces Merce Cunningham's artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery, from his early years as a struggling dancer in New York to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers. The film weaves Merce's philosophies and stories, creating a visceral journey into his innovative work. A breathtaking explosion of dance, music, and never-before-seen archival material.

3 day rental • PG • 93 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Dark Horse

Set in Wales, DARK HORSE is the inspirational true story of a group of friends who decide to take on the elite ‘sport of kings’ and breed themselves a racehorse. Raised on a slagheap allotment, their foal grows into an unlikely champion, beating the finest thoroughbreds in the land, before suffering a near fatal accident. Nursed back to health by the love of his owners, he makes a remarkable recovery, returning to the track for a heart-stopping comeback.

3 day rental • PG • 96 min.


$10 / $6 Members

David Crosby: Remember My Name

A revealing and deeply personal documentary exploring the life and creative renaissance of music icon David Crosby. A cultural force for over fifty years, Crosby faced uncertain future after the 2015 dissolution of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Racked with health issues and personal obstacles, Crosby forged a new path at the age of 77. Seeking out younger musicians and recording a pair of critically-praised new albums, Crosby now sets out to make a mark in a world now so different from the generation he came to define in the 60’s.

3 day rental • R • 95 min.


$10 / $8 Members

Dogtown And Z-Boys

Meet the Z-Boys - a group of brash street kids from Venice, California's tough Dogtown neighborhood who revolutionized skateboarding with an aggressive in-your-face style that shredded the competition and totally influenced today's extreme sports. Narrated by SEAN PENN and featuring old-school skating footage, a blistering soundtrack and riveting interviews with skateboarding icons TONY ALVA, JAY ADAMS and TONY HAWK, this award-winning documentary is a historic, no-holds-barred, behind-the-scenes look at the birth of a cultural phenomenon, and the inspiration for the thrilling feature film LORDS OF DOGTOWN.

3 day rental • PG-13 • 89 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Don’t Look Back

In 1965, the iconic troubadour Bob Dylan toured the United Kingdom at the age of 23, and director D.A. Pennebaker was allowed behind the scenes to provide one of the most intimate glimpses of the private and frequently cantankerous songwriter. The film chronicles Dylan's concert appearances, hotel room conversations, and transportation downtime, pulling back the curtain on the folk messiah at the end of his relationship with Joan Baez and on the cusp of his creative shift toward rock music.

3 day rental • NR • 96 min.


$10 / $6 Members

The Eagle Huntress

A stunning documentary about a 13-year-old Kazakh girl who outshines over 70 grown men in an annual traditional eagle competition. She is not only the youngest contestant, but the first-ever female one in her 1,000-year-old tribe. Her success is grumbled over, until she proves her true mettle in the task of wintertime hunting, and again blows away the competition.

3 day rental • G • 87 min. • English and Kazakh with subtitles


$6.99 / $4.99 Members

Eva Hesse

Eva Hesse (1936-1970) is one of America's foremost postwar artists. Her pioneering sculptures helped establish the post-minimalist movement. This film captures the psychic struggles of an artist who, in the downtown New York art scene of the '60s, was one of the few women to make work that was taken seriously.

3 day rental • NR • 108 min.


$10 / $8 Members

Every Little Step

For over three decades, there's been one singular sensation: A Chorus Line, the groundbreaking hit musical inspired by the emotional lives of dancers during the audition process. Now the story comes full circle as a new documentary offers a revealing, unprecedented look at the auditions for the Broadway revival of the perennial classic, including interview footage with Bob Avian, Michael Bennett, Charlotte d'Amboise, Marvin Hamlisch and Donna McKechnie to name a few. The music, the moves and the real-life drama - they're all here in a documentary that brings you closer to the footlights than you ever thought possible.

3 day rental • PG-13 • 96 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Examined Life

Filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas. Offering privileged moments with great thinkers from fields ranging from moral philosophy to cultural theory, EXAMINED LIFE reveals philosophy’s power to transform the way we see the world around us and imagine our place in it.

3 day rental • NR • 88 min.


$12 / $8 Members

Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman

The rise, fall and resurrection of the father of the American Arts and Crafts movement is chronicled in the new documentary Gustav Stickley: American Craftsman. This film offers an unprecedented look at the life and works of Gustav Stickley as told through interviews, archival materials, and a close examination of his most iconic works. It traces the development and evolution of Stickley's unique style, as well as the creation of his diverse businesses including the Craftsman Magazine, Craftsman Farms and his ground-breaking Manhattan store. It also details the eventual loss of his businesses - and, after several decades, the rebirth and recognition of the movement he inspired. **50% of the Rose’s proceeds will be donated to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking.**

3 day rental • NR • 68 min.


$12 / $8 Members

In Balanchine’s Classroom

IN BALANCHINE’S CLASSROOM takes us back to the glory years of Balanchine’s New York City Ballet through the remembrances of his former dancers and their quest to fulfill the vision of a genius. Filled with never before seen archival footage of Balanchine at work during rehearsals, classes, and in preparation for his most seminal works, along with interviews with many of his adored and adoring dancers and those who try to carry on his legacy today, this is Balanchine as you have never seen him, and a film for anyone who loves ballet and the creative process.

3 day rental • NR • 89 min. • Closed Captioning Available


$9 / $6 Members

Iris

From legendary documentarian Albert Maysles (GREY GARDENS, GIMME SHELTER), IRIS pairs the late 88-year-old filmmaker with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how a soaring free spirit continues to inspire.

3 day rental • PG13 • 83 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Journal de France

Travelling alone, internationally acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and filmmaker Raymond Depardon spent six years capturing France with a large format camera. This long, solitary road trip provided fertile ground for the creation of an extraordinary travel journal. Depardon revisited important places from his past as a reporter: Chad, Venice and Cannes. Previously unseen footage from his archive has also been added to create an intimate, compelling and revelatory 'Journal de France' - a unique portrait of a country and its landscapes.

3 day rental • NR • 100 min. • French with subtitles


$9 / $6 Members

Leaning into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy

LEANING INTO THE WIND: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY follows Andy on his exploration of the layers of his world and the impact of the years on himself and his art. From urban Edinburgh and Glasgow to the South of France and New England, each environment he encounters becomes a fresh kaleidoscopic canvas. "A work of art in itself." - Seattle Times.

3 day rental • NR • 93 min.


$6.99 / $4.99 Members

Levitated Mass

When pioneering and artist Michael Heizer finds the giant boulder he’s been searching for since 1968, it sets off an epic struggle to realize one of America’s newest and largest public artworks, ‘Levitated Mass.’ The 340-ton rock’s journey from a desert quarry to a perch atop Heizer’s gigantic, walled slot in the earth at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art attracted international media and challenged the imagination of thousands. "Wonderfully entertaining." - LA Weekly

3 day rental • NR • 88 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Life Itself

Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and executive producers Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) present LIFE ITSELF, a documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert – a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent.

3 day rental • R • 120 min.


$12 / $8 Members

Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress and The Tangerine

A journey inside the world of a legend of modern art and an icon of feminism. Onscreen, the nonagenarian Louise Bourgeois is magnetic, mercurial and emotionally raw-an uncompromising artist whose life and work are imbued with her ongoing obsession with the mysteries of childhood. Her process is on full display in this intimate documentary, which features the artist in her studio and with her installations, shedding light on her intentions and inspirations.

3 day rental • NR • 99 min.


$12 / $8 Members

Lourdes

LOURDES: A stunningly beautiful mountainous village in the Southwest foothills of the Pyrenees went from a sleepy scenic town to a sacred wonder after 1858, when a 14-year-old peasant girl claimed to have seen the Virgin Mary in a remote grotto. Today, the town is second only to Paris in the number of annual visitors (6 million), part venerated shrine, part Disneyland (shops selling bottled holy water and Virgin Mary-related tchotchkes). These pilgrims are a surprising cross-section of humanity: accident victims, the terminally ill, an overweight and bullied teenager, a contingent of aging Paris prostitutes, et alia. LOURDES is an insightful meditation on the human capacity for empathy and hope, and the mystery of religious faith in the face of profound tribulation.

3 day rental • NR • 92 min. • French with subtitles


$10 / $6 Members

Maiden

In 1989, the Whitbread Around the World Race was considered to be the most dangerous sailing competition on earth. When 26-year-old Tracy Edwards wanted to participate, she was met with resistance and sexism - no team would take her. Left with no other choice, she started an all-female crew, one who would not only take on the vast and foreboding ocean, but also the doubts and attacks from her male competitors and press. In this incredible true story, watch Edwards and her crew attempt to turn the impossible into reality as they take on fifty-foot waves, icebergs and all of the dangers of the great and powerful sea.

3 day rental • PG • 97 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Maidentrip

14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out - camera in hand - on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to be the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone. In the wake of a year-long battle with Dutch authorities that sparked a global storm of media scrutiny, Laura now finds herself far from land, family and unwanted attention, exploring the world in search of freedom, adventure, and distant dreams of her early youth at sea.

3 day rental • NR • 82 min.


$12 / $8 Members

M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity

M.C. ESCHER: JOURNEY TO INFINITY is the story of world famous Dutch graphic artist M.C Escher (1898-1972). Equal parts history, psychology, and psychedelia, Robin Lutz’s entertaining, eye-opening portrait gives us the man through his own words and images. The film looks at Escher’s legacy: one can see tributes to his work in movies, in fiction, on posters, on tattoos, and elsewhere throughout our culture; indeed, few fine artists of the 20th century can lay claim to such popular appeal..

5 day rental • NR • 81 min. • Dutch, Italian, German with subtitles


$9 / $6 Members

Muscle Shoals

Located on the banks of the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of the most creative and defiant music in American history. This juicy musical documentary features Aretha Franklin, Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Jimmy Cliff, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Wilson Pickett, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Steve Winwood and others.

3 day rental • NR • 111 min.


$12 / $8 Members

My Darling Supermarket

Grocery store employees, today’s essential workers, get star treatment in MY DARLING SUPERMARKET (made prior to the pandemic). Set within a bright, colorful supermercado in São Paulo, Brazil, this charming, funny documentary glides through a seemingly endless array of vibrantly designed shelves and displays, but it’s the store’s employees who take center stage. A panoply of individuals with fears, hopes, and questions about their place in the universe are celebrated in a quirky portrait that juxtaposes their idiosyncrasies with the assumed mundanity of bringing food to our table. (Written by Film Forum)

3 day rental • NR • 80 min. • Portuguese with subtitles


$10 / $6 Members

Neil Young Journeys

In May of 2011, Neil Young drove a 1956 Crown Victoria from his idyllic hometown of Omemee, Ontario to downtown Toronto's iconic Massey Hall where he intimately performed the last two nights of his solo world tour. Along the drive, Young recounted insightful and introspective stories from his youth to filmmaker Jonathan Demme.

3 day rental • PG • 87 min.


$12 / $8 Members

Not Going Quietly

A rising star in progressive politics and a new father, 32-year-old Ady Barkan’s life is upended when he is diagnosed with ALS. But after a confrontation with powerful Senator Jeff Flake on an airplane goes viral, catapulting him to national fame, Ady and a motley crew of activists ignite a once-in-a-generation political movement called “Be a Hero.” Continuing today to motivate others to use the time they are given and speak truth to power, Barkan continues to fight for a more just world for his son to inherit. Barkan is referred to as “The Most Powerful Activist in America” because when he speaks, people listen.

3 day rental • NR • 96 min.


$12 / $8 Members

Platform

PLATFORM is the story of three sisters coming from a poor, traditional family in Muslim Iran that manage to become world champions in Wushu, a Chinese martial art. The sisters thrilling underdog story explores not only their dedicated training, but also their surprising place in society as they challenge traditional gender roles on the path to success.

3 day rental • NR • 87 min. • Persian with subtitles


$10 / $6 Members

Play Serious

This behind-the-scenes documentary follows the production of choreographer Alexander Ekman’s work “Play,” staged at the Paris Opera in 2017. Ekman gives himself the job of creating—and transmitting to the public—a sense of real, unbridled play, and soon finds that it’s no small task. A film about meeting artistic crises on the world’s most famous and intimidating dance stage, filled with wild joy, magical choreography and stunning visuals.

3 day • NR • 58 min.


$10 / $8 Members

Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack

A new documentary about the life and art of Audrey Flack. Octogenarian artist Audrey Flack has always been a trailblazer. In this intimate portrait of her life and work, she returns to her canvas for the first time in decades, revealing her longtime struggles as an artist and mother to find her rightful place in the art world.

3 day rental • NR • 75 min.


$9 / $6 Members

Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins

The story of media firebrand Molly Ivins, six feet of Texas trouble who took on the Good Old Boy corruption wherever she found it. Her razor sharp wit left both sides of the aisle laughing, and craving ink in her columns. She knew the Bill of Rights was in peril, and said "Polarizing people is a good way to win an election and a good way to wreck a country." Molly's words have proved prescient. Now it's up to us to raise hell!

3 day rental • NR • 93 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Rare Birds

RARE BIRDS tracks every phase of production during the creation of Alexander Ekman’s groundbreaking A Swan Lake, providing an intimate view into the process of choreography and the ingenuity at work in a world-class theater. Screening with Exquisite Corps, in which forty-two American contemporary choreographers link together in a chain love letter to dance.

3 day • NR • 59 min.


$10 / $8 Members

Riding Giants

Part sports history, part thrill ride, skateboarder Stacy Peralta's documentary pays homage to the brave, foolish surfers who dare ride the world's biggest waves. Peralta lays out the evolution of big-wave surfing from the '50s to today, touching upon changing trends and the constant search for ever larger waves. Then he shifts his focus to a handful of contemporary surfing superstars, among them Jeff Clark, pioneer of San Francisco's remote waves, and Laird Hamilton, known for tow-in riding.

3 day rental • PG-13 • 102 min.


$10 / $6 Members

Searching for Sugar Man

This cult classic documentary captivated audiences when it was released in 2012. It follows the increasingly bizarre search for legendary musician Sixto Rodriguez, whose folk music brought him stardom halfway across the world, and who seemingly vanished without a trace...or did he? Roger Ebert says it best in his review of the film: "I hope you're able to see this film. You deserve to...It exists because we need for it to."

3 day rental • PG-13 • 86 min.


$7.99 / $4.99 Members

Spawning Grounds

In one of America's first urban wildlife refuges, the plight of a little-known land locked salmon called the Lake Sammamish kokanee, or ‘Little Red Fish,’ is bringing together a unique and unlikely partnership between Tribal leaders, local and state agencies, private landowners and conservation groups. With their numbers dwindling, renewed scientific and cultural efforts attempt to ensure their survival as the region experiences unprecedented levels of new growth.

3 day rental • NR • 60 min.


$12 / $8 Members

What Is Democracy?

WHAT IS DEMOCRACY? reflects on a word we too often take for granted. Director Astra Taylor’s idiosyncratic, philosophical journey spans millennia and continents: from ancient Athens’ groundbreaking experiment in self-government to capitalism’s roots in medieval Italy; from modern-day Greece grappling with financial collapse and a mounting refugee crisis to the United States reckoning with its racist past and the growing gap between rich and poor.

3 day rental • NR • 107 min.


$8 / $4 Members

When We Were Kings

In 1974, Leon Gast filmed an unprecedented sports spectacle: the Rumble in the Jungle, in which late-career underdog Muhammad Ali would contend with the younger powerhouse George Foreman for the boxing heavyweight championship title in Zaire. Gast wound up amassing a treasure trove of footage, observing the wildly charismatic athlete training for one of the toughest bouts of his career.

3 day rental • PG • 89 min.


$12 / $8 Members

White Riot

Britain, late-1970s. Punk is exploding. The country is deeply divided over immigration. The National Front, a far-right and fascist political party, is gaining strength as politicians like Enoch Powell push a xenophobic agenda. Countering this was Rock Against Racism, a movement that swept across the UK and Europe and culminated in a 100,000+ person march and a legendary concert event. WHITE RIOT is a moment in time when music changed the world. When a generation challenged the status quo. It’s Woodstock meets the March on Washington, punk-style.

3 day rental • NR • 84 min.