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Documentary

From the year’s most topical stories—from Ukraine to Elon Musk—to intimate portraits of everyday people, these engrossing films bring you close to the drama of real life.


Two women in a government office, one standing above the desk, another seated behind it, having a passionate conversation. An American flag featured behind them.

14th

Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay investigates the 14th Amendment, exploring its many facets, from who gets to belong in America to the rights they’re entitled to.

Bob Odenkirk and David Cross stand in front of a vast mountain range at sunset, smiling and wearing hiking gear and knit hats.

Bob and David Climb Machu Picchu

Michael LaHaie

Comedians Bob Odenkirk and David Cross trek the Inca Trail in this hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt portrait of male friendship and mid-to-late-life crisis.

An older man with gray hair and glasses lounges by a pool in a white robe with a book and a glass of wine, the bottle is set on a tray next to him.

Burgundy

Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw

This playful, crisp, and charming documentary captures the haute société of a French vineyard at a moment of generational change.

Carl Sagan, a man with short dark hair in black-and-white smiling as he leans over a laboratory desk in a knit sweater.

Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff

Nanette Burstein

This intimate film explores the life of the visionary astronomer, author, and television star who transformed our understanding of the cosmos.

A person in head to toe camouflage stands in a forest, sunglasses placed over their face covering.

A City in the Forest

Lev Omelchenko, Nolan Huber

After Atlanta officials move to destroy an urban forest to make way for a massive police training facility—aka “Cop City”—the people fight back.

Documentary Shorts: Fault Lines

Various

Questions of personhood, loss, and global belonging propel these moving documentary portraits of people and the places they call home. Through formally distinct methods ranging from fly-on-the-wall observation to personal filmmaking and archival montage, these films all grapple with the same question: “Where am I in all of this?”

Edward Said, an older man with dark hair, dressed in a dark plaid jacket and patterned tie, poses, resting his chin on his hand amid leaves and film strips.

Edward Said: Between Worlds

Maiken Baird

This fascinating portrait traces the life of charismatic Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, celebrated as a prophet and vilified as a terrorist.

A man wears a chef coat and sharpens a knife while lit from the back in a dark moody setting.

Ever After

Frankie Nasso

Michelin-star chef Curtis Duffy launches a new world-class restaurant during a pandemic in the relentless pursuit of culinary perfection and a personal reckoning.

A woman in a ruffled white blouse and braids with hair jewelry performs into a microphone on stage, she stands before a brick wall and a poster that says Riddles Comedy Club.

Finding Your Laughter

Arlieta Hall, Brittany Alsot

In this joyful, moving documentary, Chicago comedian Arlieta uses improv comedy techniques to care for her father as he battles Alzheimer’s.

Going for Home

Eric Simonson

After the devastating L.A. fires leave families displaced, a Little League team carries the Altadena community through loss, recovery, and an improbable season.

Elon Musk wearing a black jacket and pants with a large belt buckle stands with his arms raised in front of an American flag lifted by construction cranes, a light blue sky in the background and a saluting crowd with flags and signs.

Musk

Alex Gibney

Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney delivers the definitive portrait of one of the most controversial and unchecked figures of our time: Elon Musk.

A vintage red Schwinn Fastback bicycle with high handlebars and a striped seat stands under a dramatic spotlight against a dark background.

No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company

Daniel Clarke

This lively cultural history charts the rise and fall of the Schwinn bicycle, from its Chicago roots to the fads and forces leading to its collapse.

Artists and luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance gather in a warmly-lit house with walls full of awards lively conversing. An older man in a red long-sleeved shirt gestures as he speaks, a drink in his other hand, other party goers stand or sit on a couch dressed for a dinner party in the '70s.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

William Greaves, David Greaves

This sublime snapshot of a 1972 cocktail party filled with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance reveals the complexities of the world-renowned artistic movement.

A multigenerational family sit together on the floor indoors to pose for a picture, the seven people include three children of various ages, an older woman and man, and an adult man and woman. They smile softly in simple dress clothes, bright light comes in from windows behind them.

Rehearsals for a Revolution

Pegah Ahangarani

Iranian filmmaker Pegah Ahangarani traces over 40 years of her country’s tumultuous history through five personal portraits of resistance.

A woman in close up with long dark hair and bangs, she stands before a blue and gray dappled background, a contemplative expresson in soft lighting.

While We Are Here

Reveca Torres

Beautifully expanding notions of disability, filmmaker Reveca Torres engages with iconic disabled artists Frida Kahlo, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri Matisse.

Program Partner

Logo: WTTW (2019)

Program Patron

Cynthia Stone Raskin

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