Documentary

Lucid, poetic, and chilling, Oscar nominee Petra Costa’s latest exposé investigates the increasing power of evangelicals in Brazilian politics.

A beautifully conceived and profoundly multilayered portrait of a Korean-born Dutch adoptee who reconnects with her birth parents after years of separation.

A group of Egyptian girls form a street theater troupe as both a creative outlet and an act of defiance. But dreams eventually collide with reality.

An imaginative, surreal chronicle of the return of 26 stolen artifacts from Paris to their rightful home in Benin. How should they be received?

In this hybrid documentary, a trans man becomes immersed in an LGBTQ archive, and its oral histories push against stigmas and binaries to illuminate his desires.

Using diverse methods of observation, animation, and essay, the filmmakers in this program showcase the flexibility of documentary form. Each zeroes in on a unique point of view, eliciting intimate first-person portraits about the broad spectrum of human experience and emotion.

A powerful reclamation of pioneering South African photographer Ernest Cole, whose astute, vivid portraits of racial injustice have been largely forgotten – until now.

This humorous and harrowing documentary follows Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger through one of the most difficult years of his life.

The killing of a giraffe in a Copenhagen Zoo is the launching pad for this wry, provocative essay film about life, death, biology, and human and animal consciousness.

Following artist Richard Hunt as he sculpts a monument to civil rights icon Ida B. Wells, this inspiring film weaves the stories of these two Black pioneers.

In this real-life docudrama, a woman in China desperate to save her marriage hires a professional “mistress dispeller” to break up her husband’s affair.

Director Sharifi shares her own story alongside images of Iranian women, past and present, to form a vivid and collective act of resistance.

Palestinian activist Adra and idealistic Israeli journalist Yuval join together to chronicle the assaults on Adra’s community in this compelling portrait of resilience.

Young climate activists fight to save the Finnish forest in this beautifully photographed, bittersweet ode to youthful dreams and our natural world.

Iconic, ironic ‘90s slacker-rock band Pavement gets an appropriately wry and subversive doc, both heartfelt tribute and absurdist deconstruction.

A filmmaker pieces together a picture of her mother, a renowned Chicago-born photojournalist, attempting to close the gap between herself and the woman she never knew.

In rural Azerbaijan, an aging projectionist teams up with an aspiring young filmmaker to bring movies back to their small town.

Virtually unseen for 50 years, this jubilant documentary features a soul-stirring display of contemporary Black musicians at Chicago’s 1972 Black Expo.

An eye-opening investigation of the Trump-era policy of separating immigrant families—and the brave people from both parties trying to stop it.

Small business owners who have transformed old Pizza Hut franchises present a rich tapestry of the American experience in this delectable documentary.

In a moving, playful testament to the bond between mother and son, a filmmaker journeys into his past during an especially challenging year.

This documentary explores the incredible life of “Godmother of Fitness” Deborah Szekely, and the trials and triumphs of being a woman entrepreneur.

In this surprising, poignant documentary, an Italian astrologer promises her clients happiness if they follow the stars on a special birthday trip.

Part courtroom thriller and part chronicle of families in crisis, this riveting doc follows three women fighting the battle for reproductive rights.