Photography

From acclaimed director Wang Xiaoshuai (Beijing Bicycle; So Long, My Son) comes a personal snapshot of contemporary China in all its diversity. Shot over the course of ten years on both film and video, the film consists of a series of carefully composed tableaus of people and environments, each one more extraordinary than the last. 

Humorous and candid, Kartemquin Films' documentary Almost There is a fascinating portrait of eccentric "outsider" artist Peter Anton. Living in a home that has been consumed by mold and filth, the octogenarian has produced a startling collection of unseen paintings, drawings, and notebooks. The film’s remarkable journey follows this witty and gifted artist through startling twists and turns.

A fascinating investigation into the work of photographer and cinema pioneer Eadweard Muybridge, Thom Andersen’s (Los Angeles Plays Itself, Red Hollywood, Reconversao) much-lauded documentary incorporates a biographical overview of its subject with a re-animation of his historic sequential photographs as well as concise and innovative analysis.

Filmed in an unofficial Palestinian Bedouin camp that was established in 1948 on a stretch of beach in South Lebanon, Terrace of the Sea uses a collection of family photographs taken over three generations as a prism through which to reflect on memory, loss and history.

"The Arab governments pushed us out of our homes… I was twelve years old… I’ve been here for 60 years." A beautiful, poignant, documentary, Still Life examines the effect a collection of personal photos showing life in Palestine before the 1948 displacement have on an elderly Palestinian fisherman living in exile in Lebanon.

An in-depth chronicle of the birth, death and resurrection of Polaroid instant film, Time Zero is an illuminating documentary that looks at the impact this iconic American product has had photographers, families and popular culture over the decades - as well as the recent efforts to save it from obsolescence.

In this brilliant, lucid short documentary - winner of the Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival - acclaimed filmmaker Michael Almereyda visits renowned photographer Chris Killip and allows him to reflect on photographs he took of an isolated fishing village nearly thirty years ago.

When FSA photographer Arthur Rothstein came to Virginia in 1935, his assignment was to photograph local residents displaced by Shenandoah National Park. But as this documentary uncovers, Rothstein would play a role in the forced institutionalization and sterilization of many of the area's residents, establishing a disturbing connection between the American eugenics movement and Depression-era documentary work.

Centered around the development and staging of a complex work of modern puppet theater, this illuminating documentary offers a look at the fascinating history of American puppetry - its cultural roots and influence - as well as its current renaissance.

An intimate appreciation of two iconic American artists, photographer Dorothea Lange and painter Maynard Dixon, this engrossing documentary recounts their story from the unique perspective of their eldest son, featuring plentiful examples of their work alongside rare and never-before-seen photographs.

Three films from the legendary French filmmaker that celebrate life, art and cinema, this set includes her wondrous self-portrait The Beaches of Agnes, her exploration of the photographic medium in Cinevardaphoto, and the newly available Daguerreotypes.

A classic documentary from Agnès Varda available for the first time in the US, Daguerréotypes is a wonderfully intimate portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers on a short stretch of the Rue Daguerre, a picturesque street that has been the filmmaker's home for more than 50 years. Varda has described it as an archeological study for future sociologists.

In the past twenty years, some of the most provocative, controversial and sought-after art has been made in China. This documentary profiles the booming art scene, from new art schools inundated with applications to leading Chinese artists whose work is selling for record breaking prices on the global art market.

Winner of multiple awards, Marwencol explores the real and imaginary worlds of Mark Hogancamp, who, as therapy for a vicious attack, built a 1/6th scale WWII-era town in his backyard populated with dolls that enact epic stories of violence, longing and revenge.

A triptych of film essays exploring the photographic medium, Cinevardaphoto is a wonderfully potent and incisive work from Agnes Varda, director of The Beaches of Agnes and The Gleaners and I, who began her career as a photographer before turning to film.

A reflection on art, life and the movies, The Beaches of Agnès is a magnificent film from the great Agnès Varda (The Gleaners and I), a richly cinematic self portrait that touches on everything from the feminist movement and the Black Panthers to the films of husband Jacques Demy and the birth of the French New Wave.

An illuminating and entertaining history of the magazine - from Edward Cave's 1731 publication The Gentleman's Magazine to Oprah and beyond - exploring how this powerful medium has influenced our social and political landscape. A three-part documentary series.

The founding of Israel – specifically the 1948 war for Jerusalem - is seen through the work of two photographers, British and Palestinian, in this compelling documentary that examines how pictures shape the way history is remembered and taught. Includes remarkable photographs that have never been seen before.

An award-winning film from Russian documentary filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa, Portrait is an evocative snapshot of a disappearing way of life, a meditation on old and new Russia.

Why would anyone buy someone else's family photographs? In this surprising look at the world of vintage snapshot collecting, nine obsessive collectors hunt for images/ that feed their fantasies and quiet the voices in their heads.