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Female-focused documentaries: The ultimate double-feature guide

Wmc features Dr Amani Ballour in thecave Photo courtesy of National Georgraphic 043020
Dr. Amani Ballour in “The Cave” (Photo courtesy of National Geographic)

It could be said that we are in a golden age of female-focused documentaries, as more documentary films by and about women are getting awards recognition and finding sizeable audiences. At the 2020 Academy Awards, four out of the five nominations for Best Documentary Feature were movies directed or co-directed by women.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2020, among the highly anticipated female-centric documentaries is Netflix’s Becoming (premiering May 6), director Nadia Hallgren’s chronicle of Michelle Obama’s Becoming memoir tour. Also on the horizon is HBO Max’s On the Record, due out May 27. Directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, the movie focuses on #MeToo accusers of disgraced entertainment mogul Russell Simmons. Greenwich Entertainment is releasing director Elizabeth Carroll’s foodie biography Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy through participating virtual cinemas on May 22 and on VOD on June 19. HBO’s Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (directed by Laurent Bouzereau) arrives on May 5.

On July 20, the PBS series POV is premiering director Linda Goldstein Knowlton’s We Are the Radical Monarchs (about girls of color in Oakland, California, who are progressive social activists), while on August 3, POV will debut director Rosine Mbakam’s Chez Jolie Coiffure, an up-close look at a hair salon catering to Black women in Brussels, Belgium. And on April 29, Netflix premiered director Chris Bolan’s A Secret Love (about lesbian couple Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel) and director Daniel H. Birman’s criminal-justice documentary Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story.

The more support that audiences give to female-focused movies, the more likely that the industry will open doors for these movies to be made. With that in mind, we have compiled this handy double-feature guide for female-focused documentary films released from 2019 to April 2020, if you’re in the mood to binge-watch.

NOTE: In this article, “home video” means available for rent or purchase on digital platforms, DVD and Blu-ray, unless otherwise noted. Some of the movies might not be available in some areas outside of the United States.

#METOO JUSTICE

At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal

Directed by Erin Lee Carr

Several women who survived the abuse of convicted sex offender Larry Nassar tell their stories about how this disgraced former doctor manipulated them and their family members for years. Before he was sent to prison for life, Nassar was a longtime physician for female athletes on the USA Gymnastics team and at Michigan State University. (The Netflix documentary Athlete A — directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, and due out June 24 — shows how the Indianapolis Star broke the news story about Nassar’s sex crimes and cover-ups.) At the Heart of Gold doesn’t reveal new information about the scandal, but the survivors, journalists, and legal experts who are interviewed reiterate that the culture of enabling sexual predators can be just as toxic as the abuse.

Where to watch: HBO and HBO-affiliated streaming services

Roll Red Roll

Directed by Nancy Schwartzman

Roll Red Roll examines the 2012 rape of a teenage girl in Steubenville, Ohio, and contrasting attitudes that people in the community had about the case. After her sexual assault was recorded and shared on social media by several of the male students at Steubenville High School, some people supported the girl’s efforts to get justice, while others publicly shamed her and defended the accused rapists, who were stars on the school’s football team.

Where to watch: Netflix

CHINESE FAMILY ISSUES

Leftover Women

Directed by Shosh Shlam and Hilla Medalia

Unmarried, childless women who are near or over the age of 30 in China are given the unflattering nickname “sheng nu,” which translates into “leftover women.” This documentary follows three women in China — Qui Hua Mei, a 34-year-old attorney; Xu Min, a 28-year-old radio employee; and Gai Qui, a 36-year-old assistant professor — as they navigate the dating scene and family pressures to get married and have children.

Where to watch: PBS.org (Passport subscription required)

One Child Nation

Directed by Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang

One Child Nation co-director Nanfu Wang narrates this heartbreaking film that investigates the devastating effects of China’s strict government policy that limited a family to one child per couple. The policy, which began in the late 1970s and ended in 2016, resulted in forced abortions, rampant child abandonment, and underground networks selling Chinese babies to adoption agencies.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, PBS.org (Passport subscription required)

CONTROVERSIAL WOMEN

Advocate

Directed by Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche

Advocate follows defense attorney Lea Tsemel, a self-described Jewish left-wing activist, who is controversial in her native Israel because her clients are often Palestinian Muslims who are accused of being anti-Semitic terrorists. The movie (which includes interviews with Tsemel, her family, and colleagues) shows her handling a case of a teenage Palestinian boy on trial for a stabbing incident in Jerusalem.

Where to watch: Film Movement Plus, PBS.org (as of July 27, 2020)

The Kingmaker

Directed by Lauren Greenfield

Most people know Imelda Marcos for being the former first lady of the Philippines and for her notorious collection of thousands of shoes. However, The Kingmaker also dives deep into her family history; how she and husband Ferdinand accumulated a fortune worth billions; and her efforts to continue the family dynasty by getting her son Bongbong elected president of the Philippines.

Where to watch: Showtime and Showtime-affiliated streaming services

ICONIC NOVELISTS

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Before her passing in 2019, celebrated author Toni Morrison participated in this candid documentary about her life. She talks about her experiences as a university professor, book editor, wife, mother, and author who won a Pulitzer Prize for Belovedand a Nobel Prize in literature. Morrison also gives her views on the racism that impacted her life and her work.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu

Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word Is Power

Directed by Nancy Lang and Peter Raymont

This doc is an up-close look at The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood’s busy life, as she travels around the world for several personal appearances and a visit to The Handmaid’s Tale TV series set. Her long career and personal history are also covered, though not comprehensively.

Where to watch: Hulu

FILM PIONEERS

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché

Directed by Pamela Green

The American movie industry in its earliest years had an unsung hero: French immigrant Alice Guy-Blaché, who was a pioneer by being the first female owner of a movie studio and the first woman to direct, write, and produce her own films. Those are among the fascinating facts in this investigative documentary (narrated by Jodie Foster), which covers Guy-Blaché’s underappreciated accomplishments and the tragedy of her being forced out of the business by power-hungry men.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu, Kanopy (free with participating library card), Sling TV

Varda by Agnès

Directed by Agnès Varda

This autobiographical documentary from celebrated French-Belgian filmmaker Agnès Varda is her final movie. (She passed away in 2019, at the age of 90.) She takes a look back at her life and legacy in this compelling retrospective.

Where to watch: Home video

ITALIAN FEMINISTS

The Disappearance of My Mother

Directed by Beniamino Barrese

In the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, Italian native Benedetta Barzini was a glamorous fashion model whose social circle included Andy Warhol, Salvador Dalí, and famed photographer Richard Avedon. But in the 1970s, she became disillusioned with modeling and evolved into an outspoken feminist devoted to progressive issues. Barzini’s son Beniamino Barrese directed this film to show what her semi-reclusive life is like today.

Where to watch: Home video, Kino Now

Shooting the Mafia

Directed by Kim Longinotto

In the male-dominated world of photojournalism, feminist Letizia Battaglia had the riskiest of crime beats in Italy: taking photos of Mafia crime scenes and Mafia-related activities, beginning in the mid-1970s. She withstood death threats, abuse, rampant sexism, and damage to her personal life in her long career, which she talks about in this film.

Where to watch: Home video, Kanopy (free with participating library card)

LGBTQ COMMUNITY

Southern Pride

Directed by Malcolm Ingram

Set in Mississippi, Southern Pride takes a notable look at how race relations impact Pride events. Two lesbian owners of gay bars — Lynn Koval, the white owner of Just Us Lounge in Biloxi, and Shawn Perryon, the black owner of Club Xclusive in Hattiesburg — each decide to organize the first Pride event in their respective cities. There’s a lot of drama, but the bar owners’ opposite personalities (Koval is high-strung, Perryon is laid-back) sometimes result in hilarious moments.

Where to watch: Home video, Tubi (free), Sling TV

XY Chelsea

Directed by Tim Travers Hawkins

XY Chelsea focuses on U.S. military whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s life as a transgender woman since she was released from prison in 2017, after being convicted of espionage. The movie includes her adjusting to her public notoriety; her paranoia about being under government surveillance; her LGBTQ activism; and her campaign to become a U.S. senator for her native Maryland.

Where to watch: Showtime and Showtime-affiliated streaming services

MEDIA PERSONALITIES

Ask Dr. Ruth

Directed by Ryan White

This intimate film about one of the world’s most famous sex experts goes beyond the fame of Dr. Ruth Westheimer and examines how she was affected by her traumatic childhood as a Holocaust survivor. Westheimer participated in the documentary, which includes an up-close look at her present-day life, with commentaries from family members, friends, and colleagues.

Where to watch: Hulu

Kathy Griffin: A Hell of a Story

Directed by Troy Miller

In 2017, comedian/TV personality Kathy Griffin was blackballed from much of the U.S. entertainment industry and put on a government watch list, after she posed for a photo holding up a fake bloodied head of Donald Trump. Griffin produced and wrote this documentary, which chronicles the backlash she received, and has concert footage of the final leg of her 2017 U.S. tour.

Where to watch: Home video

MOTHERHOOD ISSUES

The Great Mother

Directed by Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker

Miami-based immigration activist Nora Sandigo has become a legal guardian for more than 1,200 children who have been separated from their undocumented immigrant parents. The movie gives insight into Sandigo’s challenging work and the uphill battles faced by her and the people she helps.

Where to watch: Starz and Starz-affiliated streaming services

To Kid or Not to Kid

Directed by Maxine Trump

New York City-based British filmmaker Maxine Trump (no relation to Donald Trump) narrates this film that explores women’s choices to become mothers or not. Trump, who is married and childless by choice, interviews a variety of women (mostly in the U.S.) on the topic of parenthood, although the documentary leaves out discussions about adoption.

Where to watch: Home video (digital only)

Beyoncé:
"Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” (Photo courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment and Netflix)

MUSIC DIVAS

Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé

Directed by Beyoncé and Ed Burke

If you’re wondering why the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California got the pop-culture nickname “Beychella,” then look no further than this Emmy-nominated film, which chronicles Beyoncé becoming the first Black woman to headline the festival. Beyoncé’s intense preparations and her much-lauded performance are lessons in superstar excellence.

Where to watch: Netflix

Miss Americana

Directed by Lana Wilson

Much of this documentary is about Taylor Swift coming out as a progressive liberal and her political awakening, which she says was largely prompted by her #MeToo sexual-assault trial. She also opens up about her career, her love life, her ongoing struggle with an eating disorder, and her constant need for acceptance by her fans. Noticeably absent from the documentary (which was filmed in 2018 and most of 2019) is her very public feud with music moguls Scott Borchetta and Scooter Braun over the sale of the majority of her song catalogue, which Braun now owns.

Where to watch: Netflix

MUSIC LEGENDS

Amazing Grace

Directed by Sydney Pollack

The late, great Aretha Franklin didn’t want this long-lost movie to be released when she was alive. But this raw and moving documentary that shows the church recording of her classic 1972 live album Amazing Grace shows why she was called the Queen of Soul. Carefully restored by producer Alan Elliott and approved by the Franklin estate, Amazing Gracewas filmed at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, with a packed audience that included Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice

Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

Told in chronological order, this biography of Linda Ronstadt features her participation mostly in voiceover, as she tells the story of her life, including her experiences with sexism and how she feels about living with progressive supranuclear palsy, which was diagnosed in 2013. Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, and J.D. Souther are among the colleagues who are also interviewed. The end of the film has a rare treat — Ronstadt singing in a living room — her first on-camera performance since she retired in 2011.

Where to watch: Home video

NAVIGATING PATRIARCHY

Honeyland

Directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov

In the Oscar-nominated Honeyland, Hatidže Muratova is a middle-aged beekeeper of Turkish descent living a quiet, single life with her blind, ailing mother in rural Macedonia. Muratova’s livelihood is put at risk when the patriarch of a neighboring family starts a rival beekeeping business and ignores her advice on preventing a bee-related environmental hazard.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu

Saudi Women's Driving School

Directed by Erica Gornall

Women in Saudi Arabia were not legally allowed to drive until 2018. This informative documentary shows how this emancipation law has affected Saudi society’s patriarchal families, the economy, and the perception of women.

Where to watch: HBO and HBO-affiliated streaming services

OBSESSIVE HOARDERS

For the Birds

Directed by Richard Miron

Kathy Murphy is an upstate New York woman who owns more than 200 types of birds on her property. Insisting that she can take care of this vast number of animals, she ends up battling with animal-rights activists, and it takes a toll on her marriage.

Where to watch: Home video (digital only), Netflix

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project

Directed by Matt Wolf

Before her death in 2012 at the age of 83, eccentric and wealthy Marion Stokes was a news junkie who obsessively recorded TV news, 24 hours a day, beginning in the late 1970s. Philadelphia native Stokes had more than 70,000 videotapes and thousands of books, magazines, and newspapers in her various homes. The documentary includes a look at Stokes’ younger years as a politically radical Communist who had a stint hosting a local public-affairs TV show.

Where to watch: Home video, PBS.org (as of June 15, 2020), Kino Now

OUTSPOKEN JOURNALISTS

Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins

Directed by Janice Engel

The late Molly Ivins (who died in 2007, at the age of 62) is profiled in this engaging documentary, which features mostly archival clips and new interviews with her friends and former colleagues. It chronicles her tumultuous journey as a progressive liberal growing up in a conservative Texas household — in addition to her battles with sexism, alcoholism, and cancer, as she became a celebrated journalist, political commentator, and author.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael

Directed by Rob Garver

Best known for her work in The New Yorker, film critic Pauline Kael (who passed away at the age of 82, in 2001) had a reputation for being fiercely opinionated that made her beloved by some and loathed by others. Sarah Jessica Parker narrates some of Kael’s writing in the documentary, which includes interviews with Kael’s daughter, Gina Broughton; Kael’s colleagues; and some of her famous admirers, such as feminist Camille Paglia and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.

Where to watch: Home video

PIONEERING PRIMATOLOGISTS

Jane Goodall: The Hope

Directed by Elizabeth Leiter and Kim Woodard

This follow-up to the award-winning 2017 documentary Jane takes a close look at Dr. Jane Goodall’s longtime activism for animal rights and environmental protection. She is interviewed in Jane Goodall: The Hope, which shows her international travels, including her return to the Tanzanian chimpanzee location where her life changed in 1960.

Where to watch: National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, Disney+, Hulu

She Walks With Apes

Directed by Caitlin Starowicz and Mark Starowicz

Narrated by Sandra Oh, this film examines the groundbreaking work of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas — the three primate experts known as the Trimates — and the influence they’ve had on generations of people. The documentary includes interviews with Goodall, Galdikas, and three young female primatologists who are inspired by the Trimates.

Where to watch: BBC America, Sling TV

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in “Knock Down the House” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in “Knock Down the House” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)

POLITICAL ACTIVISTS

Knock Down the House

Directed by Rachel Lears

This riveting film follows four women running for political office for the first time, as Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 elections — and they were all running against powerful male candidates who were political insiders. The four women are Cori Bush of Missouri, Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia, Amy Vilela of Nevada, and someone whose election outcome is widely known: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York.

Where to watch: Netflix

This Is Personal

Directed by Amy Berg

This behind-the-scenes look at the Women’s March movement that began in 2017 focuses mostly on Tamika Mallory and Carmen Perez, two of the four original Women’s March leaders. The film shows Perez using her clout to prevent her mother from being deported, while an embattled Mallory responds to accusations that she and other Women’s March leaders are anti-Semitic. The documentary was filmed before the Women’s March split into various factions in 2019.

Where to watch: Starz and Starz-affiliated streaming services

SEXISM ISSUES

#Female Pleasure

Directed by Barbara Miller

Five women from around the world tell their stories about how they fought back against public shaming for their gender and sexuality.

Where to watch: Home video, Kanopy (free with participating library card)

This Changes Everything

Directed by Tom Donahue

This star-studded film examines the ingrained sexism in the film and TV industries that causes gender inequality in salaries, opportunities, and treatment on the job. Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rimes, Geena Davis (one of the film’s executive producers), and Sandra Oh are among those who are interviewed.

Where to watch: Home video, Kanopy (free with participating library card), Starz and Starz-affiliated streaming services

SPORTS INSPIRATIONS: INDIVIDUALS

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

Directed by Aaron Lieber

Professional surfer Bethany Hamilton tells her story, including how she survived a 2003 shark attack that resulted in her left arm being amputated at the age of 13, and why the amputation did not prevent her from accomplishing her goals.

Where to watch: Home video, Netflix

Qualified

Directed by Jenna Ricker

In 1977, Janet Guthrie became the first woman to qualify and compete in the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500. This documentary, which includes interviews with Guthrie and her former associates, shows her rapid rise and fall in the male-dominated world of auto racing.

Where to watch: ESPN+

SPORTS INSPIRATIONS: TEAMS

Maiden

Directed by Alex Holmes

This against-all-odds story shows what happened when the first all-female crew, led by a feisty high school dropout named Tracy Edwards, competed in the Whitbread Round the World Race in a boat called Maiden. In the 1989-1990 race, the Maiden women faced major obstacles, such as problems finding sponsors, sexist bullying, illness, in-fighting, and life-or-death dangers at sea.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu, Sling TV

Women of Troy

Directed by Alison Ellwood

Women’s basketball at the University of Southern California gets a spotlight in Women of Troy, which focuses on the Cheryl Miller-led USC Trojans team that won NCAA championship titles in 1983 and 1984. Many of the USC records that Miller set during her Trojan days have not been broken.

Where to watch: HBO and HBO-affiliated streaming services

SYRIAN WAR SURVIVORS

For Sama

Directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts

For Sama co-director Waad Al-Kateab, who helped her physician husband Hamza Al-Kateab operate a makeshift hospital during the Syrian War, didn’t know if they would survive, so she began documenting their lives on camera for their newborn daughter Sama. This harrowing, Oscar-nominated movie is the result.

Where to watch: Home video, Frontline PBS YouTube channel (free), PBS.org

The Cave

Directed by Feras Fayyad

Like For Sama, the Oscar-nominated The Cave is another 2019 documentary that’s set in a makeshift hospital during the Syrian War. The Cave focuses on pediatrician Amani Ballour, who helps lead a medical team in a secretive hospital located inside a cave.

Where to watch: Home video, Hulu



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