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Cowboy Del Amor
USA, 2005, 88 min.
This exquisite documentary follows self-proclaimed "cowboy cupid" Ivan Thompson as he plays matchmaker to American bachelors looking for Mexican brides. Academy Award nominated director Michèle Ohayon (Colors Straight Up) deftly turns what could have been a kitschy portrayal into a complex, m... more
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The Devil and Daniel Johnston
USA, 2005, 110 min.
Winner of the Best Director of a Documentary award at Sundance, this remarkable film looks at the life of indie music icon Daniel Johnston, an exquisite talent who continues to struggle with mental illness. Compelling, sad and uplifting at the same time, this is a serious look at one of America's mu... more
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El Perro Negro
Netherlands, 2005, 86 min.
Fusing images, fragments, and voices with the beautiful music of Tibor Szemzõ, Péter Forgács delivers a remarkable essay about the personal drama and historical turbulence of life in Spain, before and during the Spanish Civil War. ... more
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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
USA, 2005, 111 min.
Alex Gibney's soberly entertaining documentary is an excellent example of how reality so often trumps fiction. The film exposes the voracious culture of greed, the web of corporate collusion, and the blatant loopholes of government's corporate policy that enabled the America's largest bankruptcy.... more
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Estamira
Brazil, 2005, 116 min.
Estamira, a 63-year-old schizophrenic, has toiled for over two decades at the waste disposal site in Rio de Janeiro. This sensitive documentary deals with the global problem of human waste and the subterfuges that the mind creates in order to overcome a reality sometimes too arduous to endure. Best ... more
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Favela Rising
USA, 2005, 79 min.
This lively musical documentary charts the transformational effects of AfroReggae music in one favela shantytown in Rio de Janeiro, offering a portrait of the power of music to remake a troubled community into a place of celebration and hope.... more
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Five Days in September
Canada, 2005, 73 min.
Winner - Audience Awards, Best Documentary
An intimate and exciting look at the inner workings of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as it launches a new season with charismatic maestro Peter Oundjiian. Director Barbara Willis Sweete captures soloists Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Emanuel Ax, and t... more
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George Michael - A Different Story
United Kingdom, 2005, 101 min.
The extremely private George Michael candidly shares his life and career in this riveting documentary. Michael leads us through his professional and private highs and lows, from pop fame with Wham! to solo superstardom. Featuring performance footage and interviews including Elton John, Mariah Carey,... more
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Gold
United Kingdom, 2005, 10 min.
Gold interprets the adrenaline-fuelled world of the teenage girl, full of promise, magic and attitude, through the skills and competition of two young girls in their local gym.... more
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Inlaws & Outlaws
USA, 2005, 106 min.
Unconventional couples, both gay and straight, from the Pacific Northwest share their views on marriage and the possibility for long-term relationships. The result is a revelatory illustration of how individuality and independence can be the most important ingredients in any romantic match.... more
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L’Enfant
Belgium, 2005, 101 min.
Bruno is 20 and a thief. His girlfriend Sonia is 18, and has just given birth to Jimmy, their child. Ill equipped to handle this new responsibility, Bruno undertakes a horrific act, which itself begets other drastic, life-changing crises. Winner Palme d’Or (Best Film), Cannes Film Festival.... more
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Mad Hot Ballroom
USA, 2005, 111 min.
Follow New York City's 5th graders as they learn to rumba, tango, foxtrot and swing dance. Emphasizing that special age between childhood and adolescence, and the cultural diversity of NYC, this documentary grips us with tension, triumph and heartbreak as the kids compete in a citywide competition.... more
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Mahaleo
Madagascar, 2005, 103 min.
Mahaleo is the name of Madagascar's most popular musical group. Their music provides an entry point for depicting the almost mythic island of Madagascar and its rich oral tradition. The sublime soundtrack, combines anthem-like calls to action, rocking rants of anger and despair, and beautiful ballad... more
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The March of the Penguins
France, 2005, 85 min.
Capturing the magnificent environment of a penguin's life, this has all the classic elements of an epic: insurmountable odds, conquering heroes, loving couples, and radiant beauty. Enduring the Antarctic winter for 13 months, with never-before shot underwater footage, Luc Jacquet triumphantly convey... more
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The Master
Poland, 2005, 110 min.
Lyrically moving back and forth between fantasy and reality, Piotr Trzaskalski's road movie follows a Russian knife-thrower with supernatural powers known as "The Master" as he travels the Polish countryside putting on a one-man show and collecting affectionately rendered passengers. An entertaining... more
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Melting Siberia
Israel, 2005, 76 min.
A poignant documentary in the mold of last year's audience favorite Watermarks, this explores familial wounds that may fade but never die. Director Ido Haar instigates a search for his mother's father, a Red Army hero who abandoned his grandmother when she was pregnant, never to be heard from... more
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Murderball
USA, 2005, 86 min.
Quad rugby, aka "murderball," is played by quadriplegics in customized wheelchairs that resemble something out of Mad Max. It's a full-contact sport, played with manic intensity by super-competitive jocks. Murderball looks on-court and off at the indomitable spirit of true athletes. ... more
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Occupation: Dreamland
USA, 2005, 79 min.
This melancholy portrait of a squad of American soldiers deployed in the doomed Iraqi city of Falluja during the winter of 2004 offers a revealing look at Army life, operations and the complexity of American war in the 21st century.... more
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Plagues & Pleasures on the Salton Sea - Revisited
USA, 2005, 72 min.
Squatters, nudists, retirees, and barflies all speak their piece about the resort/mistake/ecological nightmare that is the man-made lake in the Southern California desert that they call home.... more
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Pursuit of Equality
USA, 2005, 82 min.
Geoff Callan and Mike Shaw's documentary looks behind the scenes at San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom's 2004 decision to allow gay couples to marry. The elation, the controversy, the court's decision to shut things down, Bush, Schwarzenegger, Rosie O'Donnell -- they're all here in this thoroughly eng... more
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Salvador Allende
Chile, 2005, 101 min.
Patricio Guzmán (The Battle of Chile) offers this personal reflection on General Pinochet's violent coup d'etat that overthrew President Allende on September 11, 1973. Guzmán conveys the significance of Allende's thwarted socialist vision for himself and many Chileans.... more
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Shakespeare Behind Bars
USA, 2005, 93 min.
Take Shakespeare's final play, The Tempest, cast it with a group of inmates who are part of an innovative rehabilitation program at Kentucky's Luther Lucket prison, and watch the sparks fly. This revelatory film about a group of hard-timers coming to grips with their past actions in the course of pr... more
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Sisters In Law
United Kingdom, 2005, 105 min.
The only documentary selected for the 2005 Directors' Fortnight in Cannes, this is a totally fascinating, often hilarious look at the work of one small courthouse in Cameroon where the tough-minded state prosecutor and court president help women in their Muslim village find the courage to fight abus... more
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The Sky Turns
Spain, 2005, 116 min.
Winner of the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam Film festival, this is a lyrical meditation on the passage of time in a dying community, where the last birth took place some 30 years ago. A poignant documentation of the life of 14 remaining villagers and the landscape they inhabit.... more
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Street Fight
USA, 2005, 84 min.
A political documentary of the first order, Marshall Curry's feature debut chronicles the down-and-dirty 2002 race for mayor of Newark, New Jersey, fought between incumbent Sharpe James and rising-star city councilman Cory Booker. Audience members will shake their heads in disbelief at the tactics o... more
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That Man: Peter Berlin
USA, 2005, 81 min.
An engrossing look at photographer/exhibitionist/Tom of Finland subject/San Francisco fixture Peter Berlin, who is described as a living cartoon and "The Garbo of male porn stars." Interviews with Armistead Maupin and a flabbergasted John Waters round out this tragicomic glimpse of a true original.... more
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This is Bossa Nova-The Histories and Stories
Brazil, 2005, 130 min.
This documentary focuses on the Brazilian musical form born in the early 1950s and uses the anecdotes and musings of two of the greatest living composers from this unforgettable era: Roberto Menescal (composer of the classical "O Barquinho") and Carlos Lyra (of the timeless "Lobo Bobo, Coisa Mais Li... more
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Unknown White Male
United Kingdom, 2005, 89 min.
A young man with a British accent turns up one rainy day in Coney Island, frightened and alone, with no clue to his identity. The process of re-establishing his family ties and life story forms a fascinating portrait of a man who, as far as he knows, doesn't have a past.... more
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Zizek!
USA, 2005, 82 min.
This exuberant documentary features the “wild man of theory,” eminent Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, whose critique of pop culture has gained him rock-star status. The film trails this brilliant eccentric as he traverses the globe, expounding on ideology, belief, revolution, and love, filling a... more
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