Documentary of the Week

In 1972, the pioneering filmmaker William Greaves captured the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana for his documentary “Nationtime - Gary.” The work has gone unseen for decades, but has now been restored by IndieCollect. It will have a rare screening online at the Blackstar Film Festival.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “Boys State” follows more than a thousand teenage boys in Texas as they participate in a weeklong program of mock elections sponsored by the American Legion. Filmmakers Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine capture political impulses from a wide spectrum. Like many elections, the suspense builds to the very end.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers 

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “A Thousand Cuts” profiles the courageous journalist Maria Ressa, who leads The Rappler news website in the Philippines. Filmmaker Ramona Diaz follows Ressa and her team as they investigate the regime of autocratic President Rodrigo Duterte in the face of intimidation, death threats and legal harassment.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the official film web site.

“The Fight” covers the American Civil Liberties Union lawyers as they battle the Trump administration all the way to the Supreme Court. The filmmaking trio behind Weiner - Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg - put us on the front lines of legal battles over immigration, abortion, LGBTQ equality and voting rights.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The started out in the L.A. punk scene and catapulted into pop stardom. The documentary “The Go-Gos” examines the brief and brilliant history of the band behind MTV hits like “We Got the Beat” and “Vacation.” Director Alison Ellwood shows how each band member made a unique contribution to make them the most successful all-female rock band, although they continue to be neglected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “Disclosure” examines how transgender people have been portrayed in film and television from harmful stereotypes to more positive representations. Mixing film clips with commentary, director Sam Feder and executive producer Laverne Cox illustrate recent progress in shows like "Orange is the New Black" and “Pose.”

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “And She Could Be Next” is a two-part PBS documentary covering women of color across the U.S. who ran for political office in 2018. The filmmakers cover Rashida Tlaib, Lucy McBath, Stacey Abrams and others who fight hard battles against staggering odds.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers 

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “John Lewis: Good Trouble” examines the career of the civil rights crusader over six decades, from his non-violent protests in the 1960s to his career as Congressman from Georgia. Filmmaker Dawn Porter shows how Lewis continues to inspire a younger generation of crusaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

The documentary “Welcome to Chechnya” follows the suspenseful rescue missions of activists helping members of the LGBTQ community escape from persecution in the Russian territory. Oscar-nominated director David France works with Russian film crews to capture the dangerous work up close, inspired by the reporting of The New Yorker’s Masha Gessen.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.

In “Dads,” filmmaker Bryce Dallas Howard pays loving tribute to a wide range of fathers including her own, Ron Howard. She gains candid and humorous insights from an array of comedians such as Jimmy Fallon, Will Smith, and Hasan Minhaj.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here to visit the film web site.