Documentary of the Week

Thanks to the Internet, thousands of young American women are entering the "professional-amateur" porn world, fulfilling a growing demand for girl-next-door starlets. Hot Girls Wanted follows one such girl from Texas, eager to leave small-town life in search of freedom and fame.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

Sunshine Superman is a heart-racing documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular — and dangerous — feats of foot-launched human flight. Told through a stunning mix of Carl's 16mm archive footage, well-crafted re-enactments and state-of-the-art aerial photography, Sunshine Superman will leave you breathless and inspired.

— Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

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

The documentary 9-MAN uncovers a gritty, chaotic urban tournament played by Chinese-Americans in the heart of Chinatowns across the USA and Canada. Largely undiscovered by the mainstream, the game is a community treasure traditionally played in parking lots and back alleys by men looking for an escape from social segregation and discrimination.

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

For 45 years, Caroll Spinney has been beloved by generations of children as the man behind Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch — and at 80 years old, he has no intention of stopping. I Am Big Bird features extraordinary footage of Spinney's earliest collaborations with Jim Henson as it traces his journey from bullied child to childhood icon.

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

Iris pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with 93-year-old Iris Apfel, the flamboyant, quick-witted style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. The film portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment.

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