Documentary Collection

A CNN Documentary covering the history and impact of Christmas movies and TV.

Kelly Clarkson celebrates the holidays with musical performances and special guests, including Brett Eldredge, Ariana Grande, Jay Leno, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Odom Jr., Amy Poehler and Santa Claus, while giving back to those in need.

After seven years of living and studying in Poland, Mo returns to her parents in China. She quickly finds herself back in the family's perpetual patterns, but she feels out of place. Her parents' usual care, though well-intentioned, often triggers conflicts with her, while relatives chime in with questions about when she'll take the next step in life. Meanwhile, her relationship with her boyfriend is far from smooth, and then there's the matter of the mole below her eye. According to traditional Chinese face reading, its tear-like appearance will bring misfortune. What will happen if she simply leaves it as it is?

Commemorating the centennial of Mercer's birth, this documentary is part biography, part archive, and part recontextualization, taking Mercer's tunes and putting them in the hands of modern singers like Jamie Cullum and Dr. John to show they are still relevant today. Host Clint Eastwood also interviews artists who collaborated with Mercer or performed his songs, including composer John Williams, Blake Edwards, Andre Previn, Tony Bennett, and Julie Andrews.

A feature documentary about Jackie "Moms" Mabley, an African-American stand-up comic and show-biz pioneer who emerged from the Chitlin' Circuit of African-American Vaudeville to become a mainstream star. Once billed as "The Funniest Woman in the World," Mabley pushed the boundaries of comedy by tackling topics such as gender, sex, and racism and performed up until her death in 1975. A true passion project for first-time director Whoopi Goldberg, the documentary shows Mabley's historical significance and profound influence as a performer vastly ahead of her time.

In M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever cast and crew reveal their battles with network executives to keep the show alive, their first days on set, favorite episodes, what they think made the show a mega hit and why it endures today.

Kids being raised by same-sex couples are growing in numbers worldwide. We are in a Gayby-Boom. But who are these kids? What do they think about having same-sex parents? And do they face different issues to other kids? At a time when the world is debating marriage equality, these questions are more pertinent than ever. Told from the perspective of the kids, Gayby Baby is intimate and sometimes humorous account of four children and their families.

This film was shot entirely at the Gettysburg National Military Park, where the decisive battle of the American Civil War was fought. Leslie Nielsen narrates the story while contemporary songs and the sounds of battle are heard in the background. The sites of the various engagements, the statues of the leaders of the Northern and Southern troops, and the battlefield cemetery are featured. President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is read at the end.

Province of Burgos, northern Spain, October 2015. A group of fans undertake the titanic task of restoring the location of the last scene of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the mythical spaghetti western directed by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone in 1966.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are stopped by narrator Pete Smith for the purpose of showing the audience how much wood and wood by-products the average person carries.

Friends, contemporaries and even enemies of Alexander the Great gather in a tent to tell his tale through their eyes.

This production consists an abbreviated script and highlights most musical numbers from the 1939 film.

This 150-minute documentary, directed by Nobuhiko Ôbayashi on the set of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, features behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with cast and crew.

Since 1987, and for almost three decades, New York cinephiles had access to a vast treasure trove of rare films thanks to Kim's Video, a small empire run by Yongman Kim, an enigmatic character who amassed more than fifty thousand VHS tapes.

As the muse of Hal Hartley’s indie classics and as writer/director of the critically acclaimed Waitress, Adrienne Shelly was a shining star in the indie film firmament. A devoted young mother, her life was right on track until her husband found her dead. Filmmaker Andy Ostroy has been fighting to discover the truth about his wife’s death ever since.

A historical perspective to understand Neoliberalism and to understand why this ideology today so profoundly influences the choices of our governments and our lives.

Paris to Pittsburgh brings to life the impassioned efforts of individuals who are battling the most severe threats of climate change in their own backyards. Set against the national debate over the United States' energy future - and the Trump administration's explosive decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement - the film captures what's at stake for communities around the country and the inspiring ways Americans are responding.

Reliving all of John Cena's classic feuds, from his early confrontations with Eddie Guerrero and Chris Jericho to career-defining battles with Shawn Michaels, JBL, Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton, CM Punk and The Rock.

Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "Ikiru" (1952).

A behind the scenes snapshot of the making of one of the greatest films ever made. Filled with trivia, interviews from cast and crew, and more.

Chris Marker’s portrait of Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky documents the director at work on his final film, The Sacrifice, during the last year of his life. Interweaving behind-the-scenes footage with excerpts from Tarkovsky’s earlier works, Marker crafts a moving reflection on the artist’s vision, methods, and enduring legacy.

The film has been ten years in the making, and over time it has grown to become what the director himself has called an artistic testament. It is simultaneously his most personal and most provocative film. A film about growing older, about losing, about the special moments one remembers, and about the director's own circling around the essence of eroticism.

Via reminiscences from writer/actor Gene Wilder and others, this documentary recalls the making of the 1974 film Young Frankenstein.

A day in the city of Berlin, which experienced an industrial boom in the 1920s, and still provides an insight into the living and working conditions at that time. Germany had just recovered a little from the worst consequences of the First World War, the great economic crisis was still a few years away and Hitler was not yet an issue at the time.

1950s. An escape. A new family. Through VHS footage and rescued letters, a grandmother's past is revealed.

Documentary on the making of "Ford v Ferrari" (2019).

A documentary about the life and career of the first Black animator at Disney, Ron Husband.

A study in the world of hip-hop, done mostly with interviews, in order to see why it is as popular as it is today and what the future holds.

This documentary showcases basketball player Michael Jordan's awe-inspiring moves, providing behind-the-scenes and on-the-court action, including footage of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls going head-to-head against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals. Phil Jackson and Bob Costas are interviewed (among others), and the awesome soundtrack includes songs by Earth, Wind and Fire, Fatboy Slim and Freddie King.

Jay Leno hosts "Jay Leno's Family Comedy Hour," a one hour special featuring a humorous look at the American family.

Friends, enemies, acquaintances, and family of porn star John Holmes recall their experiences with him, from his childhood to his eventual death from AIDS in 1988.

Behind the scenes documentary for Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Features interviews and on-set footage.

The Story Room: The Making of Lilo & Stitch is a 2005 documentary that provides an in-depth exploration of the creative process and production behind Disney's 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch. The documentary offers insights into the film's development, featuring interviews with the creators and showcasing concept art and storyboards.

Latcho Drom is a vista of the music, culture, and journey of the Romani people—from their homeland of India, to Europe and Southwest Asia.

A collection of bloopers and outtakes from an enormous selection of Hollywood classic productions spanning from the 1930s through the 1980s.

This film memorializes the leader of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, on the occasion of his death. It narrates the story of a life which is also the story of a nation-recounting his important accomplishments in the struggle against colonialism and imperialism.

The story of a painfully shy woman's accidental rise to power and how it changed history. After a family tragedy, Kay evolved from a "doormat wife" into a legendary newspaper publisher. Nixon's nemesis during Watergate, she fought for truth, broke barriers in a sexist world, and won a Pulitzer Prize, inspiring generations with her courage and resilience.

Brand-new interviews with director Iain Softley, cast members Fisher Stevens, Matthew Lillard and Penn Jillette, costume designer Roger Burton, visual effects artist Peter Chiang, and more!

While Northern India’s 100-year-old film industry is best known for flamboyant dance sequences and romantic plot lines, its directors have begun to step outside established formulas and explore grittier subject matter. This program surveys the world of Bollywood filmmaking, examining the personalities as well as the commercial and thematic concerns that drive central Asia’s answer to Tinseltown. Interviews with directors Karan Johar, Ashutosh Gowariker, and Yash Chopra are included, along with commentary from choreographers, musical directors, and Cinemaya Magazine editor Aruna Vasudev. The industry’s newfound attention to poverty, homelessness, and other social concerns is examined. Several film excerpts are included.

As Cirque du Soleil reboots its flagship production, O, more than a year after an abrupt shutdown, performers and crew members face uncertainty as they work to return to their world-class standards in time for the (re)opening night in Las Vegas. With unfettered access, filmmaker Dawn Porter captures the dramatic journey of the world's most famous circus act on its way back from the brink.

A story that embodies the tenacity and passion of the American Dream, this documentary is a portrait of the pioneering activist Luis A. Miranda Jr. Luis is a decades-long fighter for Latino communities, a key player in the New York and national political arena, and a loving father of three – including the award-winning composer, lyricist and actor, Lin-Manuel Miranda.

2012: Time For Change is a documentary feature that presents ways to transform our unsustainable society into a regenerative planetary culture. This can be achieved through a personal and global change of consciousness and the systemic implementation of ecological design.

The documentary team follows two happiness agents in their forties who spend a month and a half on the road twice a year, going door-to-door with their questionnaires in isolated villages in the Himalayas. The filmmakers undertake to provide an intimate insight into the daily lives and desires of Bhutanese people, and also seek the answer to the universal question of whether happiness can really be measured. Gross National Happiness promises a heart-warming journey into a mysterious, fairytale-like world, which is the exact opposite of the social order dominated by consumption and desires.

"Trouble the Water" takes you inside Hurricane Katrina in a way never before seen on screen. The film opens the day before the storm makes landfall--just blocks away from the French Quarter but far from the New Orleans that most tourists knew. Kimberly Rivers Roberts, an aspiring rap artist, is turning her new video camera on herself and her Ninth Ward neighbors trapped in the city. Weaving an insider's view of Katrina with a mix of verité and in-your-face filmmaking, it is a redemptive tale of self-described street hustlers who become heroes--two unforgettable people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.

Focuses on memorable homes from movies and TV series, and includes interviews with residents of such properties to share the unique experience of living there while dealing with fan attention.

Ready to risk it all for love, three women travel to Rome to become leading ladies in their very own reality rom-com. Daily script deliveries guide them to handsome suitors and magical destinations, where swoon-worthy dates and steamy romance await. But when challenged to push their fears aside, will our leading ladies find the love they are looking for, or will they leave as single as they came?

The definitive photographic record of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, told "from the inside" through the lives of the participants, the words of David Perry, and the singing voice of Placido Domingo. From the opening to closing ceremonies, this unique style of storytelling shows a side of the Olympic Games not seen by television audiences.

Creedence Clearwater Revival (often abbreviated CCR) was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums. Incredibly there has never been a DVD release featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival... until now. This is the definitive review of the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Featuring an in-depth retrospective with bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford who revisit every Clearwater album to reassess the music and its impact. This powerful film draws extensively on rare concert footage and television performances from the archives, with archive interviews with John Fogerty and rest of the band, making this the most comprehensive ever review of the work of an American legend. Featuring tracks "Proud Mary", "Down on the Corner", "Bad Moon Rising", "Fortunate Son", "Suzie Q", "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", "The Midnight Special" and many more.

Inspired by an exclusive interview and performance footage of Chavela Vargas shot in 1991 and guided by her unique voice, the film weaves an arresting portrait of a woman who dared to dress, speak, sing, and dream her unique life into being.

An unusual rivalry sits at the epicenter of the 1990s ecstasy drug trade in Arizona. A British stockbroker faces off against the son of a notorious New York mobster. Underground raves set the stage for a deadly battle over control of an ecstasy empire.

Iconic artist and theater director Robert Wilson has created a series of video portraits of celebrities, ordinary people and animals called "VOOM Portraits." Known for his glacier-paced theatrical productions with Tom Waits and Lou Reed, Wilson's now bringing his aesthetic to a video format. The recent developments in HD technology have allowed Wilson to create something like a precise hybrid of still photography and motion pictures. Actors such as Brad Pitt (as a crazy person on the streets in the rain), Isabelle Huppert (as Greta Garbo), Steve Buscemi (as a mad butcher chewing gum on a variety show), Robert Downey Jr. (as a dreaming corpse in a Rembrandt painting), and Winona Ryder (as Winnie, the main female character in Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, buried up to her neck in sand) were asked to “think of nothing" and move slowly and steadily to collaborate in Wilson's vision of who they might be.

Hollywood Chinese is a captivating look at cinema history through the lens of the Chinese American experience. Directed by triple Sundance award-winning filmmaker, Arthur Dong, this documentary is a voyage through a century of cinematic delights, intrigues, and treasures. It weaves together a wondrous portrait of actors, directors, writers, and movie icons who have defined American feature films, from the silent era to the current new wave of Asian American cinema. At once entertaining and enlightening, Hollywood Chinese reveals long-untold stories behind the Asian faces that have graced the silver screen, and weaves a rich and complicated tapestry, one marked by unforgettable performances and groundbreaking films, but also by a tangled history of race and representation.

Growing up in Masbate Province in the Philippines, Jary is neglected and shunned since the moment of his birth for one reason-- his appearance. His older sister, Jessa protects Jary through his early years, then takes him in as a young teen, to raise him alongside her own two children in a fragile house on a hill. Jessa seeks out the medical care Jary has been denied since birth. And more, the support to begin his physical and emotional recovery. Every Day After is a 35-minute documentary film that provides a more nuanced look at the complexities of the healing process we don’t often see. And honors the invisible labor of a sister whose love and action make it possible for Jary to experience the everyday joys and struggles of growing up.

Martin Scali, who was Wes Anderson's assistant on "Fantastic Mr. Fox", shot this short documentary in Newport, Rhode Island, during the filming of "Moonrise Kingdom".

A filmmaker sets out to discover the life of Joyce Vincent, who died in her bedsit in North London in 2003. Her body wasn't discovered for three years, and newspaper reports offered few details of her life - not even a photograph.

Behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of ‘Sneakers’ (1992).

Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creative challenges Lars von Trier presents his cast and crew to bring his vision to life from script to shoot and to the screen at home.

A behind-the-scenes documentary of the making of 1983's Yellowbeard

This hour-long 1999 documentary by Laurent Bouzereau features interviews with director Peter Bogdanovich, actors Cybil Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Cloris Leachman, and Frank Marshall, and author Larry McMurty