Whats the deal with documentaries made up only of found footage? Apollo 11 and Amazing Grace have been on a great many lists of the best docs this year, and while their footage holds immense value, I like a little more craftsmanship and context in my nonfiction films. (It looks like the Oscar voters do, too.) I also like a sense of humor, as you can see from the list below.
1. Hail Satan? Evangelical Christians loyalty to Donald Trump in the face of everything has made Satanism look appealing like never before. This often hilarious film by Penny Lane (and, yes, thats her real name) profiles the Satanic Temple and their masterful acts of trolling by insisting that their religion be represented when state governments put up monuments to Christianity. The Satanists demonstrate how many Christians think religious freedom is only for them. Id join the Temple, but I think Id be out of place, because the Satanists seem much nicer people than me.
2. One Child Nation. No one in Wang Nanfu and Lynn Zhangs film will say that Chinas decades-long one-child policy was anything other than a shining success for the country. They do this even while they lay out plenty of evidence that it was a disaster that resulted in broken families and parents murdering their baby girls. Stories of women being dragged kicking and screaming to abortion clinics are told by the people who did the dragging. Its all framed through Wangs stories of raising her own children in America, a country she notes is trying to outlaw abortion entirely and take control of womens bodies just like the Chinese government.
3. Honeyland. This multiple Oscar nominee was supposed to be an informational video about beekeeping put out by the government of North Macedonia. However, Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanovs project grew into something much greater, starting with Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljumas breathtaking photography of the countrys mountainous rural areas. Turkish-descended beekeeper Hatidze Muratova initially welcomes the large Turkish family who moves into the trailer next door, but then they move into the honey business, too, and their bees kill all of hers. Hatidze is a compelling and funny character in this story of nature and bad neighbors.
4. Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blach. Gotta give props to a movie that informed me so much about a subject that I am supposed to be well-informed about. Pamela B. Greens film measures the life and times of one of the very first film directors of either gender and how the mostly male community of French film critics and historians tried to erase her from the record after her death. A host of movie celebrities make the case that she deserves to be recognized alongside her colleagues Georges Melis and the Lumire Brothers in the pantheon of film pioneers. Thats mixed with Guy-Blachs colorful life. She taught Lois Weber, the first American woman director, who promptly repaid her mentor by stealing away her husband.
5. Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened. Two documentaries about the ill-fated music festival came out last January, but Chris Smiths is the only one eligible for this list and has footage from every stage of the planning, such as it was. Watching this film is like having the fiasco unfold before your eyes, as Billy McFarland and Ja Rule think that if they just will their logistically complicated rich-people party to happen, it will materialize amid a cloud of likes on Instagram. If youre big on schadenfreude like me, this is vastly entertaining.
6. American Factory. This Oscar nominee starts with a Chinese auto glass manufacturer taking over a shuttered GM plant in Dayton, Ohio, and declaring theyll rejuvenate the area. Oh, but if you know the differences between Chinese and American capitalism, you know how this will end. Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert chronicle how it all comes apart, as American managers are replaced and workers chafe against new bosses who care nothing for workers safety or time spent with families. The CEO comes away embittered, saying Americans are lazy, incompetent, and mentally slow for wanting these things. Hes wrong theyre just not used to being treated like their Chinese counterparts.
7. For Sama. Waad al-Kateab begins her documentary by filming her baby girl doing baby things, as many mothers have done. Then a tank shell hits the building that shes in, and her husband asks on his daughters behalf, Mama, why did you give birth to me? Its a fair question as al-Kateab and co-director Edward Watts document raising a child in Aleppo, Syria, while its being bombed daily by Bashar al-Assads Russian allies. This Oscar nominee tells the story of this stupidly courageous couple whose love of their hometown makes them film its destruction for baby Sama, who grows up not even reacting to the sound of explosions nearby.
8. At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal. Before gymnastics takes center stage at the Summer Olympics, lets remember that while Larry Nassar molested hundreds of little girls, the sports governing body did everything to protect this monster and nothing to protect the elite athletes whom he did his best to ruin. Erin Lee Carr finds plenty of blame to spread to the U.S. Olympic Committee, law enforcement, and Michigan State University. Her interviews with the victims so many victims remind us what it took to get the truth out.
9. Cunningham. Oh, look! This movie is playing this week at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (see: Night & Day). Alla Kovgans biography of the choreographer Merce Cunningham relies heavily on extensive footage from the mans interviews about his work. What really earns this film its spot on the list is its beautifully filmed performances of Cunninghams dances, restaged in forest clearings, highway tunnels, and other unlikely locales. Try to see this in 3-D.
10. Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am. You can pay tribute to the late American novelist by watching Timothy Sanders-Greenfields documentary that includes extensive interviews with the personable Nobel laureate before her death. Theres plenty of stuff about how this black woman forced her way into the white male literary canon by writing African-American stories, but youll also learn about her work as a book editor at Random House, where her work (with sometimes unlikely collaborators such as Muhammad Ali) was scarcely less groundbreaking.
Honorable mention: Alex Holmes Maiden A.J. Eatons David Crosby: Remember My Name Joshua Riehls The Russian Five Ed Perkins Tell Me Who I Am Midge Costins Making Waves: The Art of Sound in Cinema John Chesters The Biggest Little Farm Viktor Kossakovskys Aquarela Martin Scorseses Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story Jill Magids The Proposal Lauren Greenfields The Kingmaker Max Lewkowicz Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles Rob Garvers What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael Matt Wolfs Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project Andrew Slaters Echo in the Canyon Sydney Pollack and Alan Elliotts Amazing Grace.
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Best Documentaries of '19 - Fort Worth Weekly
- The terrible evil of the witch and the satanist - American Thinker - November 15th, 2023 [November 15th, 2023]
- The Blood on Satan's Claw: unearthing the locations for the witchy ... - British Film Institute - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Here's how many modern day witches and Satanists are living in Southend - Yahoo News UK - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- When the Satanists Moved In - The Smart Set - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Letters: Boris Johnson and co must not be allowed to get off scot-free - HeraldScotland - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- Toil and Trouble Misunderstood: Rise in witchcraft forces a rethink of ... - Frederick News Post - November 6th, 2023 [November 6th, 2023]
- The Religion of Sexual Humanism - Answers In Genesis - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- The rise of the French Intifada - The Spectator - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Who/what is Baphomet? - GBTIMES - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- What is a heathen? - GBTIMES - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- Why Israel Treats Its Prisoners Of War With Dignity -By Joe Dauda - Opinion Nigeria - May 22nd, 2023 [May 22nd, 2023]
- Sunday School Scapegoats: How D&D And Heavy Metal Became ... - FANGORIA - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Age of Democracy Ushered in the Age of Degeneracy - The New American - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Yule - Wikipedia - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- The Satanic Bible - Wikipedia - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Pentagram - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Wicca - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Early Norwegian black metal scene - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Satanic panic - Wikipedia - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Black Sun (symbol) - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- The Occult and Satanism in America - The American TFP - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Satan - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Witch trials in the early modern period - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Left-hand path and right-hand path - Wikipedia - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Putin Accuses West of Satanism and Announces Annexations in ... - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Putin Annexation Speech: The Russian Leader's Denunciations of Western Imperialism Are Hypocritical - Foreign Policy - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Earth religion - Wikipedia - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- F.A.Q. Fundamental Beliefs - Church of Satan - August 15th, 2022 [August 15th, 2022]
- Lucis (Lucifer) Trust Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Modern Witchcraft: It May Not Be What You Think - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Celebrities involved in Satanism, who are they? - Legit.ng - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Satanism | occult practice | Britannica - December 19th, 2021 [December 19th, 2021]
- Albert Pike Exposing Satanism and Witchcraft - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- Demon Names and how to Identify them Exposing Satanism ... - December 5th, 2021 [December 5th, 2021]
- The Anatomy of Satanism in Hollywood - James True - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- The All Seeing Eye and the Occult Meaning - Exposing Satanism - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- 10 Forms Of Satanism That Exist Around The World - Listverse - October 7th, 2021 [October 7th, 2021]
- Frank Zappas favourite books about the occult - Far Out Magazine - July 16th, 2021 [July 16th, 2021]
- Is False Positive a True Story? Is the Hulu Movie Based on Real Life? - The Cinemaholic - June 28th, 2021 [June 28th, 2021]
- Satanism - Founders, Philosophies & Branches - HISTORY - June 15th, 2021 [June 15th, 2021]
- Music Styles Live and Die, But Rock is Forever Heres Why - Music Mayhem Magazine - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- The Deification of Donald J. Trump: The Prince of Pieces - The Good Men Project - March 31st, 2021 [March 31st, 2021]
- Church of Satan and Satanism in Australia explained: from rituals to religion with the controversial group - 7NEWS.com.au - March 3rd, 2021 [March 3rd, 2021]
- Every Johnny Depp Movie Ranked From Worst to Best | Screen Rant - Screen Rant - February 14th, 2021 [February 14th, 2021]
- Far-right conspiracy QAnon surging in Europe as fanatics plot return of Nazi Reich and link Satanists to - The Sun - February 2nd, 2021 [February 2nd, 2021]
- Satanic Temple Abortion Ritual Advertised on Miami Billboard - Miami New Times - January 1st, 2021 [January 1st, 2021]
- The Boomer Rock Renaissance 2020 Never Saw Coming - Vulture - December 26th, 2020 [December 26th, 2020]
- Modern Satanism | Spiral Nature Magazine - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- The Evolution of Modern Satanism in the United States - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- The Story Of Black Metal In 14 Songs Kerrang! - Kerrang! - December 6th, 2020 [December 6th, 2020]
- Fact check: There is no evidence to support claims that Lady Gaga is a witch - USA TODAY - November 7th, 2020 [November 7th, 2020]
- BERNSTEIN: We live in two different Americas - RU Daily Targum - November 7th, 2020 [November 7th, 2020]
- The History Behind the Ouija Board is Both Pure and Evil - Nerdist - October 27th, 2020 [October 27th, 2020]
- What It Really Means To Be A Satanist - Kerrang! - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- Pittchcraft: The true history of Wicca and Witchcraft - University of Pittsburgh The Pitt News - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- 10 Bands Who Have Been Banned By The Church - Kerrang! - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- CHLOE WYMA ON THE ART OF AGNES PELTON - Artforum - March 5th, 2020 [March 5th, 2020]
- A Modern Witch's Guide to Paris: Where to Find the Occult and Esoteric - Frenchly - February 4th, 2020 [February 4th, 2020]
- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Conjures Up a Strong Season 3 - The Spool - January 27th, 2020 [January 27th, 2020]
- Sam Dunn: The Journey of the World's Most Famous Headbanger - Daily Hawker - January 17th, 2020 [January 17th, 2020]
- Fears Hampshire Horse Ripper has returned after 26 years and psycho culprit could be next Ian Brady - The Sun - January 14th, 2020 [January 14th, 2020]
- Occult symbols found on New Forest animals killed, and in church vandalism - The Wild Hunt - December 6th, 2019 [December 6th, 2019]
- Concert Review: Spinal Taps Derek Smalls Revives Mock-Rock at the Wiltern - Variety - November 11th, 2019 [November 11th, 2019]
- Curro pupil speaks: 'Stop the satanic panic, art is meant to provoke thought' - News24 - October 27th, 2019 [October 27th, 2019]
- Creepy countdown the 20 scariest horror movies of all time - NNY360 - October 27th, 2019 [October 27th, 2019]
- What does it mean to be a modern witch? 3 real-life witches share their experiences - Vogue India - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- Judas Priests Rob Halford: The metal community has always been inclusive, yet weve been kicked around like a football over the years - NME.com - October 23rd, 2019 [October 23rd, 2019]
- The 20 scariest horror movies of all time - The Columbus Dispatch - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- What are the 20 scariest horror movies of all time? - Peoria Journal Star - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- I'm a founder of the Satanic Temple. Don't blame Satan for white supremacy. - Washington Post - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Wash Post column cheers Satan, jeers Christians - WND.com - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- The Devil's Cradle: The Story of Finnish Black Metal - The Gauntlet - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Court orders new trial in satanic sacrificial murder case - RT - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- We Asked Diehard Swedish Metalheads What They Consider to be 'Metal' - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- A Brief But Very Informative History of How Fascists Infiltrated Punk and Metal - Noisey - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Why Some Christians Are Calling White Supremacy 'Satanic' - HuffPost - August 20th, 2017 [August 20th, 2017]
- Satanic Leader Calls Upon Christian America to Face Their Contribution to Racist Right - Patheos (blog) - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- The Wild Hunt | Tag Archive | paranormal investigation - The Wild Hunt - August 16th, 2017 [August 16th, 2017]
- Nottinghamshire sees increase in Witchcraft complaints - The Wild Hunt - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]
- Secular doctors are realizing that demonic possession is real, and needs special attention - Catholic Online - August 8th, 2017 [August 8th, 2017]