Documentaries
Truth is definitely stranger than fiction in the Documentaries strand, which presents – and probes – the many facets of real life. From famous and not-so-famous faces to spectacular and far-flung places, these films are inspiring, blood-boiling, entertaining, educational, emotional and true.
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Aquarius
The age of Aquarius floods into Nimbin in this radical, love-fuelled documentary exploring the lasting impact of a 1970s counterculture crucible.
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Black Box Diaries
This daring work of first-person journalism charts the case that not only launched #MeToo in Japan but changed the country’s legal system for good.
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Dahomey
As the restitution conversation gains global momentum, this striking Berlinale Golden Bear–winning documentary follows a stolen statue home.
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Dale Frank – Nobody's Sweetie
The greatest look yet at a well-known artist very few have seen up close, as the titular visionary recluse invites us into his home.
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Daughters
From EPs Kerry Washington and Joel Edgerton, this film joins four girls as they reunite with their incarcerated fathers for the Daddy Daughter Dance.
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Direct Action
Winner of the Berlinale’s Encounters Award for Best Film, this bold and vital documentary explores the militant activist community in France.
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Ernest Cole: Lost and Found
Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) profiles the man who exposed apartheid in South Africa in this winner of the Cannes L’Œil d’Or for Best Documentary.
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Every Little Thing
In this big-hearted documentary, a Los Angeles teacher takes time off to nurture injured hummingbirds and finds herself on an uplifting journey.
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Fungi: Web of Life
Lose yourself in this immersive trip into the fascinating world of fungi, as narrated by Björk.
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Future Council
Damon Gameau (That Sugar Film) takes eight kids on the ultimate school excursion: a road trip across Europe to seek solutions to the climate crisis.
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Gaucho Gaucho
A Sundance-awarded film about an Argentine cowboy community, elevated by sublime monochrome cinematography and sweeping western-inspired imagery.
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Grand Theft Hamlet
The show really must go on as two locked-down actors take Shakespeare to the least likely stage imaginable: the streets of Grand Theft Auto.
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I Shall Not Hate
This doc from the streets of Israel and Palestine charts a five-time Nobel-nominated doctor’s mission to turn personal tragedy into worldwide hope.
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Immortals
Two activist-survivors navigate the aftermath of Iraq’s October 2019 protests in this extraordinary collaborative portrait of contemporary Iraq.
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Intercepted
A haunting psychological portrait of invasion, this Berlinale-awarded documentary covertly listens in as Russian troops call home.
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Left Write Hook
For eight survivors of childhood sexual abuse, a program that combines boxing and writing turns into a journey of recovery and friendship.
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Like My Brother
From the Tiwi Islands to Melbourne and back again, four young women who seek to make it in elite sport must face uncertain futures.
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Look Into My Eyes
Supporter and sceptic alike will be touched as seven psychics connect clients with the supernatural – or simply with what’s buried in their psyches.
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Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Hear Martin Scorsese wax lyrical about how the mesmerising films of two of Britain’s finest inspired his own adventures in cinema.
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Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros
Frederick Wiseman’s 44th feature documentary turns the lens on the kitchens of a Michelin three-star French restaurant and the family that runs it.
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A New Kind of Wilderness
Winner of a Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentary, this film follows a family living off-grid and facing change in the wake of the unexpected.
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No Other Land
An impassioned and eye-opening piece of documentary activism by an Israeli–Palestinian film collective, awarded Best Documentary at the Berlinale.
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Occupied City
This immersive, epic work of memorialisation from Oscar winner Steve McQueen uncovers WWII histories hidden in plain sight.
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Queens of Concrete
Three Australian girls seek the ultimate success in the world of competitive skateboarding while sliding into an adolescence without handrails.
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The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Winner of two Sundance awards, this moving documentary traces a young man’s exploits in a virtual world amid the restrictions of his physical life.
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Rewards for the Tribe
An intimate and uplifting dance documentary that ponders human connection and perfection, featuring Chunky Move and Restless Dance Theatre.
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The Ride Ahead
Samuel Habib expands on his Emmy-nominated short My Disability Roadmap with this filmed road trip seeking guidance on how to live a “bad-ass” life.
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Scala!!!
Delirious, debaucherous and downright dangerous – the Scala played home to sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll (and John Waters) in Thatcher-era London.
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Secret Mall Apartment
Exec-produced by Jesse Eisenberg, this stranger-than-fiction doc recounts how a 2000s artist collective spent four years living in a shopping mall.
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The Stimming Pool
Immerse yourself in a wildly imaginative, proudly neurodivergent world informed by autistic perspectives and perception.
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Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
A nuanced and inspirational account of the life-changing legacy of leading man turned disability activist Christopher Reeve.
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Twilight Time
A profile of Australian academic, agitator and surveillance expert Des Ball – the man who counselled the US against nuclear escalation in the 1970s.
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Two Strangers Trying Not to Kill Each Other
The complex relationship between two married artists is laid bare in this searing and joyful portrait of love and creativity in autumn.
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Voice
An inspirational insider’s look at a youth-led cross-country road trip to gather grassroots support for the Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.
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Welcome Space Brothers
Hop aboard as this engrossing film takes you to the world of the Unarians: cosmic visionaries who believe in higher planes, therapy and movie-making.
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You Should Have Been Here Yesterday
Be swept up in this homage to the birth of Aussie surf culture compiled from 200 hours of home movies, iconic documentaries and restored 16mm footage.