Directed by Women

Every year, mothers from all over America leave their families and homes behind (albeit briefly) to compete in the "Mother of the Year" pageant - in the hope of becoming the reigning representative of American motherhood. A surprising documentary that both explodes and reinforces feminist ideals.

For generations, Cairo has relied on the Zabelleen or "garbage people" to collect the city's trash - resulting in the world's most efficient recycling program. A multiple award-winning documentary, Garbage Dreams considers the environmental and social repercussions when the city suddenly decides to outsource their trade to multinational waste disposal companies.

Weaving together sequences of hair-braiding salons in Ghana, voice-over of Oprah rhapsodizing brown-skinned dolls and animated clips of signature hairstyles, Me Broni Ba (My White Baby) is an artfully composed, thought-provoking work that investigates the fraught relationship between images of beauty and power.

Taking its title from the last line in the first stanza of the National Anthem, O'er The Land is a haunting meditation on the connection between patriotism and violence in American culture. It raises timely questions about the hallowed concept of freedom, including how its evolved since 1776 and what it means to Americans today.

Through a passionate mixture of private videos, uncensored interviews and school-day adventures, the young children of Singleton Charter Middle School, the first school to open in New Orleans after Katrina, have created a revealing portrait of urban youth at the heart of an ongoing American crisis.

Part city symphony, part visual poem, The Solitary Life of Cranes explores the invisible life of a city, its patterns and hidden secrets, seen through the eyes of crane drivers working high above its streets. Referencing both Ruttmann and Vertov as well as Jane Jacobs' "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," it's a beautiful meditation on how our existence is shaped by the spaces we inhabit.

In the background of the war in Iraq is an invisible army made up of more than 30,000 low-wage workers from South and Southeast Asia. Someone Else's War is the first documentary to investigate this new underclass created by American warfare and examine what it means to globalize the business of war.

An intimate and beautiful documentary that looks at what it's like to be gay in modern China, from the filmmakers of the Academy Award-winning documentary The Blood of Yingzhou District.

When a filmmaker accompanies a celebrated, openly gay poet on one of his many trips to Nepal - where he is revered for his philanthropy and generosity towards young men - she discovers all is not what it seems. A thought-provoking documentary about exploitation, sexual tourism and the developing world.

Odd Ones Out documents four years in the courageous lives of three transgender teens, Naomi, David and Tot, as they transition into adulthood and face life-altering events.

What does it mean to be gay and old in America? A Place to Live: The Story of Triangle Square addresses this issue by following the construction and development of the country's first affordable housing facility for LGBT seniors.

Don Quixote, Les Misérables, One Hundred Years of Solitude. The practice of reading classic works of literature to workers at cigar factories dates back to the mid-1800s. With a Stroke of the Chaveta explores this rich tradition that continues to flourish in Cuba.

2008 Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary Short Subject, La Corona (The Crown) explores the lives of female contestants in an unusual beauty pageant at a high security prison in Bogotá, Colombia. The film addresses issues of female identity, sexuality, crime and equality.

A landmark collection of ten documentary films by ten renowned filmmakers, Why Democracy? explores questions of modern democracy in the 21st century. The set includes the educational version of Taxi to the Dark Side, 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature.

On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated President of Liberia, the first elected female head of state in Africa. With unprecedented access, Iron Ladies of Liberia follows her historic first year in office.

What are the implications for democracy in Pakistan? Before his sudden resignation, President Musharraf agreed to discuss these issues over dinner at his official residence, the Army House. Supplemented by a diverse range of interviews, this documentary provides an important study of today's Pakistan.

From the director of the acclaimed Al-Jazeera documentary Control Room, this extremely prescient and insightful film shows how three women activists used digital cameras and a website to expose widespread fraud and violence in the country's last presidential elections - in which Mubarak won with 88.6% of the vote.

Is the small village of Durakovo - where residents unquestioningly obey a self-appointed leader - a microcosm of Russia today? For God, Tsar and the Fatherland deftly explores what drives the current strain of Russian patriotism, and why many of the country's citizens oppose Western-style democracy.

Filmed inside a unique hospital for rape survivors in eastern Congo, Lumo follows a young woman after a brutal attack on her uncertain path to recovery. It is an intimate look at the widespread use of rape as a tool of political terror across central Africa.

What does it mean to be exiled in your own country? In the aftermath of Katrina, two filmmakers embark on a road trip to meet displaced evacuees. An important American documentary, The Axe in the Attic tackles questions of race, class, and the breakdown of trust between a government and its citizens.