ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

11 years ago - Tony Oldham

No problem. Enjoy . They're a different mix of stories and styles for sure. p.s. watched some of your DOP work. Very Impressive.

11 years ago - Joe Conneely

Two of the best political documentaries I have seen in the last 12 months are sadly about Israel and its recent history but made by Israeli filmmakers. They are "The Gatekeepers" (interviews with the prior six heads of and documentary history of Shin Bet, the Israel equivalent of MI5) and "The law in these parts" about Israeli military courts and occupation of land issues. Sadly I think both are still awaiting a UK (Region 2 release).

I would also agree with the earlier nomination of "Restrepo" (UK made!) and another UK made documentary "McCullin" (2012) about the celebrated photographer Don McCullin and his experiences of being a war photographer.

11 years ago - Michael Lebor

Sorry Pritesh, missed these two;

A year in the Taiga
Let the fire burn

11 years ago - Tony Oldham

The Queen of Versailles, Searching For Sugarman, Town of Runners, Cutie and the Boxer. Most were picked up for BBC 4's storyville.

11 years ago - Samantha Lasbury

In the last 2 years...? That's a tricky one, I absolutely love documentaries! Marley and Searching for Sugar Man are the most memorable ones for me. Also The Four Horsemen, The Big Fix and Blackfish from a films for action perspective. The Imposter was also well told.

Have you seen Restrepo? Epic event and great cinematogrpahy. 2010 so you've probably seen it.

I'll come back if I think of any more!

11 years ago - Roger Stotesbury

I would watch Lucy Walker's The Crash Reel. Another amazing doc from probably Britain's finest documentary maker.

11 years ago - Pritesh Patel

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga was one of the better documentaries I've seen recently, although it came out back in 2010. 'Let the Fire Burn', which came out last year, was also a very interesting watch.

11 years ago - Michael Lebor

Cheers Tony. Some great additions there, the trailers look amazing.

I saw Sugarman on a plane a while ago and it still made me well up, despite the viewing conditions.

The other three look incredible. Thanks!

11 years ago - Michael Lebor

Thanks everyone. Here's a list of all of the films mentioned;

The big fix
The four horsemen
The Gatekeepers
The law in these parts
Restrepo
McCullin
Marley
The Crash Reel
Burn
Virunga
Who Is Dayani Cristal
Narco Cultura
Nostalgia For the Light
We Went To War
Two Years At Sea
This Is Not A Film
Vivan las antipodas
Marina Marina Marina
Only The Young
Going Up The Stairs
Beware of Ginger Baker
You've Been Trumped
Sound it Out
Call Me Kuchu
From the Sea To The Land Beyond
The Bastard Sings The Sweetest Song
Planet of Snail
Under African Skies

Just in case you have time to watch them all...

Kuljit, I wouldn't want to get too heavily into a debate about The Act of Killing but for me it was about humans and their capacity for evil (albeit under a fascist leadership), not specifically about Indonesia.

Dayo, I would like to see Virunga, having worked there and seen the tragic beauty of the country. And I'm very much looking forward to working with you in Lagos!

11 years ago - kuljit chuhan

A slight tangent - "The Act Of Killing" may have been 'innovative' but for me in a very sickly way, in fact blinding us from deeper and more critical issues, contexts and sensitivities and therefore actively colluding with a global avoidance of seeing the forces behind this brutality. Without going into detail (and distracting from your question), there is an article "What Indonesians really think about The Act of Killing" at http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/mar/05/act-of-killing-screening-in-indonesia and also another by John Pilger "Our model dictator" about US, UK and Australia's support for Suharto (which effectively created those killers) at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jan/28/indonesia.world . I would question what we mean by 'best' or 'good' when referring to documentaries such as this. (BTW, I too thought Kevin McDonald's "Marley" was excellent).

11 years ago - Dayo Bash BALOGUN

I saw 'BURN' early last year whilst in America, it's a thrilling documentary about the neglect of firefighters in Detroit, never thought a documentary about firefighting will be so moving...all the big studios turned it down because they felt it was too ambitious so the producer ended self distributing it...and what a success story that became https://www.youtube.com/user/detroitfirefilm

'VIRUNGA'is the incredible gripping story of a group of brave people risking their lives to build a better future in Congo central Africa. It's an expose of the realities of life in one of the most bio-diverse places in the world. it opened at Tribeca earlier this year
http://virungamovie.com/#trailer

I also loved 'Who Is Dayani Cristal' a chilling sad story about immigrant border crossing in America-The body of an unidentified immigrant is found in the Arizona Desert. In an attempt to retrace his path and discover his story, director Marc Silver and Gael Garcia Bernal embed themselves among migrant travelers on their own mission to cross the border, providing rare insight into the human stories which are so often ignored in the immigration debate

Also check out Narco Cultura, a 2013 documentary film about the South American film Mexican Drug War in Ciudad Juárez, directed by Shaul Schwarz.

11 years ago - Tony Oldham

Add 'Splinters' to that. A slow starting doc. but quite moving and a really great piece of work from a first time filmmaker.

11 years ago - Michael Lebor

Not even one recommendation for a documentary made in the last couple of years... or any old hidden gems?

Am I asking this to the wrong crowd?

I feel like I've walked into a bar full of Fosters drinkers and asked for a "snowball".

11 years ago - Sarah Chorley

The Missing Picture is worth checking out too, and though I think it was slightly before Act of Killing, 5 Broken Cameras is another top recent doc for me.