Documentary of the Week

“Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project” tells the story of a Philadelphia woman who recorded television non-stop accumulating 70,000 VHS tapes. Director Matt Wolf explores Stokes’ complex life. She had communist sympathies, but came into immense wealth that supported her quixotic archival mission.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers 

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

"Narrowsburg" is a whimsical tale about a small town in the Catskills where an independent film stirred up Hollywood dreams and disappointments. The film plays like "The Music Man" with a dark side. It's one of more than 100 documentaries premiering at the DOC NYC festival running in Greenwich Village and Chelsea until November 15th.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers 

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

In the documentary "American Dharma," the Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris interviews political operative Steve Bannon about his journey from Harvard to Hollywood to Trump's White House. Morris weaves in clips from classic films with Gregory Peck, John Wayne and Orson Welles that speak to different aspects of Bannon's career.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers 

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

The documentary "Ask Dr. Ruth" profiles the sex therapist now in her 90s, from her life as German Jewish refugee to becoming a talk show celebrity. Filmmaker Ryan White examines how she turned many tragic events into motivators for demystifying taboo topics.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers 

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

The documentary “The Cave,” from the Oscar-nominated Syrian director Feras Fayyad (“Last Men in Aleppo”), looks at an underground hospital outside Damascus. At the center is the young female pediatrician Dr. Amani, who has to fend off male chauvinism even while she’s saving lives.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

The documentary "The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash" traces the musician's career in his own words and through interviewers with his admirers from Emmylou Harris to Bruce Springsteen. Director Thom Zimny explores the artistry of Cash and also his struggles with adversity.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

For more information, click here.

Oscar-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia ("Amy) tells the larger-than-life story of World Cup football star "Diego Maradona." The film focuses on his tumultuous years in the 1980s, when his loyalty was divided between his home country of Argentina and his adopted country of Italy, culminating in an epic match at the 1990 World Cup.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

The documentary "The Great Hack" investigates how our personal data is collected, monetized and weaponized to sway elections. Filmmakers Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim frame the story around the case of Cambridge Analytica, interviewing the company's insiders, whistleblowers and critics.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

The documentary "Buzz" profiles the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger ("Friday Night Lights") as he explores his own gender and sexuality while writing about Caitlyn Jenner. Filmmaker Andrew Shea creates an intimate portrait of Bissinger experimenting with cross-dressing and fetishes as he seeks to find his own authentic self.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

"This Changes Everything" profiles Geena Davis and other Hollywood women trying to fix gender discrimination on screen and behind the scenes. Filmmaker Tom Donahue and a majority female film crew including Davis as Executive Producer interview an all-star roster of talent from Shonda Rhimes to Meryl Streep.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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