Documentary of the Week

In "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise," the author, who died in 2014, remains vibrant and alive. Filmmakers Bob Hercules and Ruth Coburn Whack draw upon extensive interviews with Angelou that are frank, funny and inspiring — especially on the topic of overcoming hardships.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

For most New Yorkers, Jamaica Bay is just some place out by JFK airport. But the new documentary "Saving Jamaica Bay," directed by David Sigal, calls attention to the natural wonders that lie below the air traffic. The film honors the local residents who never wavered in their commitment to the bay, even after Hurricane Sandy wiped out their homes.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

In the new Netflix series “Abstract: The Art of Design” we meet eight designers from the fields of graphics, architecture, clothing and more.

You may not know their names, but you’d recognize their work. In one episode, the artist Christoph Niemann walks us through the process of creating a cover for The New Yorker magazine. Series producer Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”) oversees a team of directors who use inventive camerawork to bring these visions to screen.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information click here to visit the series home page.

James Baldwin died in 1987, but his quiet rage speaks eloquently to our times. In the Oscar-nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro," director Raoul Peck creates a film essay from Baldwin’s words, using footage from past and present with narration by the actor Samuel Jackson. A key part of the film is the author's unfinished manuscript about three martyrs of the civil rights movement — Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

In the documentary “Don’t Blink: Robert Frank,” we spend quality time with the New York photographer and filmmaker, now in his 90s. While Frank has been a reluctant interview subject in the past, director Laura Israel gets him to open up about his influential works including “The Americans,” his famous book of candid portraits; his film “Pull My Daisy,” featuring the Beat writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg; and his relationship with the Rolling Stones at their peak in the '70s. His photo-taking advice: "Keep your eyes open. Don’t shake. Don’t blink."

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Twenty-five years ago, Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour and documentary "Truth or Dare" signaled a new era of sexual expression. Now, in the new documentary "Strike a Pose," directed by Ester Gould and Reijer Zwaan, her seven male dancers reflect on that tour and its aftermath.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Sidney Lumet started his career as a child actor in New York’s Yiddish theater and became one of the most prolific filmmakers of his generation, with classics such as “12 Angry Men,” “Serpico” and “Network.” In 2008, he sat for an expansive and probing interview with filmmaker Daniel Anker. After both men passed away, director Nancy Buirski took over the project to interweave Lumet’s reflections with iconic scenes from his films for the documentary “By Sidney Lumet.” It's streaming free this month as part of PBS’s American Masters series.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The documentary "Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds" captures the unbreakable bond of the mother-daughter Hollywood duo. Directors Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens get candid access as Reynolds faces retirement from show business in her 80s. Filmed two years ago, this emotional portrait is extra poignant so soon after their deaths.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen 

For more information, click here to visit the film page at HBO. 

Frederick Wiseman’s 1967 directorial debut “Titicut Follies” was a searing expose of Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane. The film proved so controversial that the Massachusetts government sought to have it banned and tied it up in court for 26 years before it was finally made available for general release. This year, Wiseman received an honorary Oscar — click the link below to watch his acceptance speech. The film celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, and it's been adapted into a ballet coming to New York City in April.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

In the documentary “Presenting Princess Shaw,” director Ido Haar follows the aspiring singer Samantha Montgomery as she pours out her original songs onto YouTube for a few dozen followers. Unbeknownst to her, the composer Kutiman watches her videos from an Israeli kibbutz and crafts music that will turn her into a viral sensation. Their collaboration “Stay Here” is one of 91 tracks eligible for this year’s Oscar for Best Song.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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