Best Documentary Films of 2015: A Culture Whisper Guide
Fact is stranger than fiction...from Asif Kapadia's tragic AMY to a tribe of teenagers raised by Tarantino, we round up the best documentary films of 2015 so far.
Still from Amy Winehouse documentary 2015: AMY, from Senna director Asif Kapadia
It's been quite a year for documentary. From Asif Kapadia's Amy Winehouse documentary, a favourite at Cannes, to a host of other unbelievable true stories, from harrowing to comic to utterly heartbreaking, this year's selection proves that true life really is stranger than fiction.
AMY
SENNA director Asif Kapadia’s AMY remembers the remarkable life and art of Amy Winehouse: a document of a ferociously talented singer, tragic circumstance, and the pressures of modern musicianship, the AMY documentary 2015 attracted considerable praise at this year’s Cannes. We loved it.
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The Look of Silence
Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to the Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence, is an equally outstanding and harrowing look at the 1960s Indonesian communist genocides, this time told from the perspective of one of its victims. Oppenheimer's incredible ability to draw out dark truths from his interviewees makes the film equally fascinating from both sides of the camera, and is an insight into the human capability for empathy in extreme circumstances.
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Salt of the Earth
In this new Sebastião Salgado documentary, photography meets politics in this stunning and thought provoking film by director Wim Wenders. Emotional capacities stretched to breaking point as image after image of the most unspeakable wanton cruelty, poverty and hunger – the kind that only humans would inflict upon one another – are shown throughout with moving narration by Sebastião Salgado, his son and his father. A voyage into the dark heart of human cruelty and seen the brutally we can inflict upon one another. Bring tissues.
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Cartel Land
From director Matthew Hineman and Executive Producer Katherine Bigelow comes the incredible Cartel Land, a documentary that gives us an unprecedented insight into the drug wars in Mexico and America currently elapsing.
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We Are Many
This powerful documentary about the mass anti-war protests of 2003, We Are Many is an important film that gives new perspective on history, striking a fine balance between hope and anger and a powerful portrait of the potential for mobilisation.
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Sherpa
New documentary Sherpa puts a face to the men behind Mount Everest's heroes. Soaringly beautiful and utterly absorbing, Sherpa is a politically charged lament against an awe-inspiring mountain backdrop.
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The Wolfpack
Raised not by wolves, but by Hollywood...The Wolfpack, 2015 winner of best documentary film at Sundance, charts the unconventional upbringing of six brothers who grew up totally isolated from American society but were free to watch whatever movies they wanted.
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A Syrian Love Story
Filmmaker Sean McAllister brings a poignant new documentary to London screens. A 'Bergmanesque portrait of a relationship and love', A Syrian Love Story is a complex depiction of family dynamics against a backdrop of relentless conflict.
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He Named Me Malala
One of the most famous teenagers in the world, 17 year old Malala has already been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in women's rights. Shot in the head by speaking out against the Taliban in her home in Northern Pakistan, Malala was transported to Birmingham from where she awoke from a coma immediately to relaunch her global peace campaign – all guns blazing.
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AMY
SENNA director Asif Kapadia’s AMY remembers the remarkable life and art of Amy Winehouse: a document of a ferociously talented singer, tragic circumstance, and the pressures of modern musicianship, the AMY documentary 2015 attracted considerable praise at this year’s Cannes. We loved it.
FIND OUT MORE
The Look of Silence
Joshua Oppenheimer's follow-up to the Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence, is an equally outstanding and harrowing look at the 1960s Indonesian communist genocides, this time told from the perspective of one of its victims. Oppenheimer's incredible ability to draw out dark truths from his interviewees makes the film equally fascinating from both sides of the camera, and is an insight into the human capability for empathy in extreme circumstances.
FIND OUT MORE
Salt of the Earth
In this new Sebastião Salgado documentary, photography meets politics in this stunning and thought provoking film by director Wim Wenders. Emotional capacities stretched to breaking point as image after image of the most unspeakable wanton cruelty, poverty and hunger – the kind that only humans would inflict upon one another – are shown throughout with moving narration by Sebastião Salgado, his son and his father. A voyage into the dark heart of human cruelty and seen the brutally we can inflict upon one another. Bring tissues.
FIND OUT MORE
Cartel Land
From director Matthew Hineman and Executive Producer Katherine Bigelow comes the incredible Cartel Land, a documentary that gives us an unprecedented insight into the drug wars in Mexico and America currently elapsing.
FIND OUT MORE
We Are Many
This powerful documentary about the mass anti-war protests of 2003, We Are Many is an important film that gives new perspective on history, striking a fine balance between hope and anger and a powerful portrait of the potential for mobilisation.
FIND OUT MORE
Sherpa
New documentary Sherpa puts a face to the men behind Mount Everest's heroes. Soaringly beautiful and utterly absorbing, Sherpa is a politically charged lament against an awe-inspiring mountain backdrop.
FIND OUT MORE
The Wolfpack
Raised not by wolves, but by Hollywood...The Wolfpack, 2015 winner of best documentary film at Sundance, charts the unconventional upbringing of six brothers who grew up totally isolated from American society but were free to watch whatever movies they wanted.
FIND OUT MORE
A Syrian Love Story
Filmmaker Sean McAllister brings a poignant new documentary to London screens. A 'Bergmanesque portrait of a relationship and love', A Syrian Love Story is a complex depiction of family dynamics against a backdrop of relentless conflict.
FIND OUT MORE
He Named Me Malala
One of the most famous teenagers in the world, 17 year old Malala has already been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in women's rights. Shot in the head by speaking out against the Taliban in her home in Northern Pakistan, Malala was transported to Birmingham from where she awoke from a coma immediately to relaunch her global peace campaign – all guns blazing.
FIND OUT MORE
