Documentary Archives - Page 6 of 22

Coma

Four young Americans who've each suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury emerge from their comas at a New Jersey medical facility. Their eyes may be open, but now the real challenge for each of the patients, their families, their doctors and their therapists begins. Brain healing isn't predictable, we're told, and certainly is not guaranteed. So with each 'major' step forward that is observed (opening one's eyes, bending a thumb upon command, vocalizing a word, answering a question correctly) comes a sense of jubilant relief and hope from the families of these patients, but as we soon see, the more a patient progresses, the more difficult things can be for all involved. Moments of faith & hope contrast with disappointments & frustrations, moments of confidence with moments of doubt. It's difficult to watch, and unimaginable to have to ever live through.

Run time: 120m Release: 2007-07-04

Director: Liz Garbus

Stars: Al'Khan Edwards Lynda Delorenzo

Religulous

Commentator-comic Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about their faith. Traveling around the world, Maher examines the tenets of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and raises questions about homosexuality, proof of Christ's existence, Jewish Sabbath laws, violent Muslim extremists.

Run time: 101m Tagline: Heaven help us. Release: 2008-10-01

Director: Larry Charles

Stars: Andrew Newberg Benjamin Creme Bill Maher Francis Collins George Coyne Jeremiah Cummings Jonathan Boulden Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda Steve Burg Tal Bachman

When I Knew

Alternately candid, funny, poignant and heartbreaking, this documentary focuses on a cross-section of men and women of all ages who invoke the exact moment in their lives--whether as toddlers, grade-schoolers, teens or young adults--when they knew, once and for all, that they were gay. Inspired by the work of writer Robert Trachtenberg, award-winning filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato set out across the country to interview these men and woman of all ages and walks of life and ask them a single, simple question: When did you know?

Run time: 36m Release: 2009-03-24

Director: Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey

Stars: Ashley Arnold Charlene Geisler James Evans Jeffrey Patrick Olson Melissa Marie Gibson

Boy Interrupted

On the night of Oct. 2, 2005, Hart and Dana Perry's 15-year-old son Evan jumped to his death from his New York City bedroom window. This moving film is the story, told by his filmmaker parents and others who knew him, of Evan’s life and death, and his life-long struggle with bipolar disorder. It delves into the complexity of Evan's disease, sharing his family's journey through the maze of mental illness. In showing how one family deals with generations of loss and grief, the film defies the stigma related to mental illness and suicide and tells a human story that touches everyone.

Run time: 92m Tagline: Once there was a little boy who wanted to die… Release: 2009-10-03

Director: Dana Heinz Perry

Stars: Evan Scott Perry

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals is a 2010 television documentary film broadcast on HBO. The film chronicles the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird that begin with the 1979 NCAA Basketball Championship Game and lasted throughout their lengthy, Hall of Fame careers in the NBA. The film makes an argument that without the massive media attention that was placed on the rivalry that Magic and Bird had, the NBA might not have made through the 1980s following the merger with the ABA, among other things.

Run time: 88m Release: 2010-03-10

Director: Ezra Edelman

Stars: Arsenio Hall Bryant Gumbel Larry Bird Liev Schreiber Magic Johnson

For Neda

On June 20, 2009, Neda Agha-Soltan was shot and killed on the streets of Tehran during the turmoil that followed the Iranian presidential contest. Within hours, images of her dying moments, captured on cell phones, appeared on computer screens across the world, focusing the world's attention on mass protests against the rigged elections in Iran. Featuring previously unseen footage of Neda with friend and family, as well as exclusive video of her recorded the day she died, "For Neda" debuts just before the anniversary of her death.

Run time: 67m Release: 2010-06-14

Director: Antony Thomas

Stars: Shohreh Aghdashloo

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