A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors.
Darkon is a 2006 American documentary film that follows the real-life adventures of the Darkon Wargaming Club in Baltimore, Maryland, a group of fantasy live-action role-playing (LARP) gamers. The film was directed by Andrew Neel and Luke Meyer.
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. There was no in-person event in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austin; in both years there was a smaller online event instead.
Into the Abyss is a 2011 documentary film written and directed by Werner Herzog. It is about capital punishment, and focuses on a triple homicide that occurred in Montgomery County, Texas, in 2001. In the film, Herzog interviews the two young men convicted of the crime, Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, as well as family members and acquaintances of the victims and criminals, and individuals who have taken part in executions in Texas. The primary focus of the film is not the details of the case or the question of Michael and Jason's guilt or innocence, and, although Herzog's voice can be heard as he conducts the interviews, there is a minimal amount of narration, and he never appears onscreen, unlike in many of his films.
Sasha Waters also known as Sasha Waters Freyer, is an American documentary and experimental filmmaker, feminist and educator. She has produced and directed twenty films, most of which originate in 16mm and except for her first documentary has edited all of her films. Her films have screened at the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of the Moving Image, Union Docs and the Gene Siskel Film Center. Selected festivals include IMAGES in Toronto and the Telluride Film Festival. She is also a professor of Photography and Film at VCU School of the Arts in Richmond, Virginia.
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds is a 2016 documentary about the relationship between entertainer Debbie Reynolds and her daughter, actress and writer Carrie Fisher. It premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and on January 7, 2017, on HBO.
Landfill Harmonic is a 2015 documentary film directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley. It stars and tells the story of Paraguayan music teacher Favio Chavez and his Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a children's orchestra in Paraguay which performs with materials recycled from a trash landfill near Asunción. According to The Huffington Post, "[t]he film is both an exposé on the harsh conditions of slum life and a commentary on the global threats of consumption and waste".
They'll Love Me When I'm Dead is a 2018 American documentary film, directed by Morgan Neville. It documents the ill-fated production of The Other Side of the Wind, directed by Orson Welles. The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2018. It was released on November 2, 2018, by Netflix.
Hot Sugar's Cold World is a 2015 American documentary film about musician Hot Sugar, directed by Adam Bhala Lough. It is executive produced by David Gordon Green, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride. It features appearances from Neil deGrasse Tyson, Martin Starr, Jim Jarmusch, and former members of Das Racist.
Beastie Boys Story is a 2020 American live documentary film, directed, produced, and written by Spike Jonze, alongside Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz. It was filmed at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York and adapted from Beastie Boys Book, a memoir of the Beastie Boys. Jonze reunited with Diamond and Horovitz for the project after directing several music videos including "Sabotage" in 1994.
Jennifer Kroot is an American filmmaker whose films include the documentaries It Came From Kuchar (2009) and To Be Takei (2014).
My Darling Vivian is a 2020 American documentary film about Vivian Liberto, the first wife of Johnny Cash, directed by Matt Riddlehoover.
Dear Mr. Brody is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Keith Maitland. The film centers on letters written to Michael James Brody Jr. from the general public in response to Brody Jr.'s announcement that he would give away his inherited fortune to those in need.
"Hysterical" is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins. It follows multiple comedians throughout their lives on stage and off. Judy Gold, Carmen Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Nikki Glaser, Jessica Kirson, Marina Franklin, Bonnie McFarlane, Rachel Feinstein, Lisa Lampanelli, Kelly Bachman, Iliza Shlesinger, Fortune Feimster, Sherri Shepherd and Margaret Cho appear in the film.
Becoming Cousteau is a 2021 American documentary film directed and produced by Liz Garbus. It follows the life and career of Jacques Cousteau.
Procession is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and edited by Robert Greene. It follows six men, who suffered abuse by priests, looking for peace.
The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile is a 2022 American documentary film, directed and co-produced by Kathlyn Horan. It follows Tanya Tucker returning to the studio to record her first album in 10 years, While I'm Livin', collaborating with Brandi Carlile.
Another Body is a 2023 British-American documentary film, directed, written, and produced by Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn. It follows a college student who seeks justice after finding deepfake pornography of herself online.
Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story is a 2024 Canadian documentary film, directed by Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee. The film is a portrait of Jackie Shane, the pioneering transgender singer who was a prominent figure in the Toronto music scene in the 1960s before virtually disappearing from public life after 1971.
Adrianne and the Castle is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Shannon Walsh and released in 2024.
