Documentary of the Week

"Say Amen, Somebody" captures the early pioneers of gospel music, Willie Mae Smith and Thomas Dorsey, in a celebratory documentary that will move even non-believers. Director George Nierenberg made the film in the early 1980s and it's now been lovingly restored for re-release.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

The documentary "Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool" profiles the trumpet player who left an indelible mark on 20th century music. Director Stanley Nelson celebrates Davis' soaring artistic achievement, but doesn't shy away from the more troubling sides of his personality in this complex portrait.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

The documentary "American Factory" covers the Chinese company Fuyao Glass that retools an abandoned GM Factory in Dayton, Ohio, raising hopes for local workers. Oscar-nominated filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert get deep access to both management in China and American workers on the factory floor. The film is the first acquisition by Barack and Michelle Obama's film company in partnership with Netflix.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

In "One Child Nation," filmmakers Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang investigate the history of China's policy of restricting families to one child and its untold consequences. They interview people whose lives were affected by forced abortions, sterilizations, human trafficking and families separated by international adoption.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

D.A. Pennebaker died this month at the age of 94. He was a pioneer of the modern documentary with films like "Crisis," "Dont Look Back" and "Monterey Pop." The last four decades of his career were spent in collaboration with his wife Chris Hegedus on films such as "Town Bloody Hall," "The War Room" and "Unlocking the Cage."

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

Click here to listen to the full interview with Pennebaker on the Pure Non-Fiction podcast. 

The documentary "Jay Myself" profiles acclaimed photographer Jay Maisel, who bought a six-story building in Manhattan, filled it with found objects for five decades and now has to move. Filmmaker Stephen Wilkes documents the wondrous 72-room former bank building that Maisel assembled like an art installation curated by a hoarder.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

"Mike Wallace is Here" profiles the "60 Minutes" star in an uniquely constructed film that relies on archives drawn from thousands of hours of his television interviews. Filmmaker Avi Belkin simultaneously explores how news coverage evolved and shaped the world during Wallace's career.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

"The Edge of Democracy" explores recent political upheavals in Brazil that resulted in the popular former President Lula going to prison, his successor being impeached and the rise of a new President who's been compared to Donald Trump. Filmmaker Petra Costa tells the story from a personal perspective of growing up with leftist parents who were persecuted under the country's previous military dictatorship.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

The documentary "Sea of Shadows" follows activists trying to save the rare totoaba fish from extinction, going up against poachers, smugglers and the mafia from Mexico to China. Filmmaker Richard Ladkani covers action by land and sea with the pacing a thriller.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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

In "Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love," filmmaker Nick Broomfield profiles Marianne Ihlen, who was Leonard Cohen's lover and the subject of his songs "So Long, Marianne" and "Bird on a Wire." The film captures an era of artistic expression, drugs and free love. Broomfield also had a relationship with Marianne, who inspired him to make his first film fifty years ago.

— Raphaela Neihausen and Thom Powers

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