Social & Political Documentary movies

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Immersive Realistic Tense Intimate Deliberate

Documentary depicting the lives of child prostitutes in the red light district of Songachi, Calcutta. Director Zana Briski went to photograph the prostitutes when she met and became friends with their children. Briski began giving photography lessons to the children and became aware that their photography might be a way for them to lead better lives.

Themes

Economic precarity, Child exploitation, Education as opportunity, Outsider mentorship, Marginalization of youth, Art as empowerment

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Vibe

Tense Claustrophobic Bleak Dry Fast-paced

Michael Moore's view on how the Bush administration allegedly used the tragic events on 9/11 to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Themes

Media manipulation, Unjust wars, Constitutional shift, Donor influence, Populist appeal, Political intrigue

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Vibe

Tense Steady Dry Clinical Fast-paced

Morgan Spurlock subjects himself to a diet based only on McDonald's fast food three times a day for thirty days without exercising to try to prove why so many Americans are fat or obese. He submits himself to a complete check-up by three doctors, comparing his weight along the way, resulting in a scary conclusion.

Themes

Dietary self-experimentation, Health deterioration risk, Food industry critique, Addiction and craving, Weight fluctuation consequences, Habits and energy decline

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Vibe

Bleak Deliberate Clinical Relentless Minimalist

Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.

Themes

Corporate personhood debate, Corporate social responsibility, Economic externalities, Democracy vs markets, Limited liability concept, Private power public welfare

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Immersive Bleak Relentless Stylish Minimalist

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

Themes

Competition elevates money, Tempo of technology breeds war, Language yields to code, Globalized imagery replaces place, Spectacle over consequence, Fame as prime value

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Realistic Claustrophobic Bleak Intense Measured

An on-the-scene documentary following the events of September 11, 2001 from an insider's view, through the lens of two French filmmakers who simply set out to make a movie about a rookie NYC fireman and ended up filming the tragic event that changed our lives forever.

Themes

Frontline resilience under crisis, Memory and memorialization, Media witnessing during disaster, Improvisation under emergency response, Insider perspective in documentary storytelling, Uncertainty in rapid-response operations

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Realistic Tense Intimate Deliberate Measured

Varda focuses her eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism.

Themes

Economic necessity, Reuse from waste, Urban rural exchange, Legal boundaries of gleaning, Peripheral gleaning communities, Activism through salvage

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