Documentary of the Week

The HBO documentary “I Am Evidence” investigates the crisis of hundreds of thousands of rape kits that went untested across the United States. Actress and advocate Mariska Hargitay teams with directors Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir to focus on the crusade of Detroit prosecutor Kym Worthy and others who campaigned to rescue kits from storage. Their work led to identifying hundreds of perpetrators.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

In the documentary “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami,” filmmaker Sophie Fiennes combines performance and intimate observation to profile the singer, model and icon. “Bloodlight” is the red light outside a recording studio and “Bami” is a Jamaican flatbread. The words refer to Jones’ art and life. She constantly blurs the lines between the two and is never less than riveting.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The documentary “ACORN and the Firestorm” traces the 40 year history of community organizers brought down by a right wing attack. Filmmakers Rueben Atlas and Sam Pollard show how a simple lie travels faster than a complicated truth.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The documentary “The China Hustle” tells a story of global financial corruption that could be a ticking time bomb for Wall Street. Director Jed Rothstein teams with executive producer Alex Gibney for a film that’s alternately funny, infuriating and terrifying, in the tradition of “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.”

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The documentary “Seeing Allred” profiles the attorney Gloria Allred and her legal crusades on behalf of women and minorities. Filmmakers Sophie Sartain and Roberta Grossman follow Allred as represents accusers of Bill Cosby, Donald Trump and others.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The Netflix series “Wild Wild Country” looks back on the controversial religious leader Bhagwan Rajneesh who was accused of leading a sex cult in rural Oregon. Sibling filmmakers Chapman and Maclain Way team with executive producers Jay and Mark Duplass to examine how a clash of cultures turned into a massive case of poisoning, wire-tapping and immigration fraud.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

War photographer Chris Hondros took iconic images in Liberia, Iraq, Egypt and elsewhere before he was killed in Libya in 2011. Now his longtime friend Greg Campbell pays tribute to his career in the documentary “Hondros.” This is the 150th edition of Documentary of the Week. Hosts Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen discuss why they chose this film for that milestone.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The eight-part Netflix series “Flint Town” spends a year inside the police department in the Michigan city reeling from a water crisis. The filmmaking trio of Zackary Canepari, Drea Cooper and Jessica Dimmock cut through the sensationalism to highlight the city’s humanity.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The new documentary “Tell Them We Are Rising” tells an expansive story of historically black colleges and universities - known as HBCUs. Filmmakers Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams cover multiple eras from Reconstruction to Civil Rights to the present day. The film is streaming on PBS Independent Lens and is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. — Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

St. Clair Bourne was a pivotal figure in putting black lives on film, from the 1970s to his death in 2007. As founder of the Black Documentary collective, he also mentored generations of black filmmakers. Now a retrospective at the Metrograph provides a rare opportunity to see his documentaries on Paul Robeson, Amiri Baraka, Spike Lee and more, plus films by those who came up after him. Our segment highlights his film “Langston Hughes: The Dream Keeper."

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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