Documentary of the Week

From her home in Montreal, Sandra Bagaria fell in cyber-love with a blogger named Amina who called herself “Gay Girl in Damascus.” They carried on a torrid correspondence for months, until the relationship took a strange turn that made headlines as the Syrian civil war escalated in 2011. Director Sophia Deraspe follows Sandra on an international quest to solve the mystery of Amina.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen 

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

Set in contemporary Indonesia, The Look of Silence explores the legacy of violence from the country’s genocide in the 1960s. Academy Award-nominated director Joshua Oppenheimer follows a village optometrist who sets out to confront the men who killed his brother.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Director David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” What starts out as a personal journey becomes a chance to unpack layers of cultural baggage concerning sexuality, identity and self-esteem.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Director David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” What starts out as a personal journey becomes a chance to unpack layers of cultural baggage concerning sexuality, identity and self-esteem.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Winner of the Sundance Directing Prize, this documentary about vigilantes fighting drug cartels on both sides of the US/Mexico border plays out like a real-life thriller. Director Matthew Heineman captures vivid characters and harrowing confrontations.—Thom Powers and Raphaela NeihausenFor more information, click here to visit the official film website.

Singer Nina Simone applied her unforgettable voice to both love songs and activism. Now, using rare footage and candid interviews, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus creates a nuanced portrait of a legend.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

Click here for more information.

Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus injects hope and humor into a presidential campaign in Colombia that wins a groundswell of support. Danish director Andreas Dalsgaard presents his documentary La Vida Es Sagrada (Life is Sacred) at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival this week.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Life Is Sacred - Trailer from Elk Film on Vimeo.

Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus injects hope and humor into a presidential campaign in Colombia that wins a groundswell of support. Danish director Andreas Dalsgaard presents his documentary La Vida Es Sagrada (Life is Sacred) at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival this week.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Life Is Sacred - Trailer from Elk Film on Vimeo.

For five years, the filmmaker gained access to the insular world of the Angulo family, whose patriarch kept his daughter and six sons locked inside an apartment in Manhattan's public housing. As the boys reach their late teens, they yearn to escape.

-- Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Red Army chronicles the lives of the Soviet hockey players who dominated the sport during the 1980s. When the Cold War ended, they had to reinvent their careers in North America’s National Hockey League . Whether or not you like hockey, the film is a lively account of the cultural divide between East and West.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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