Dataset: Documentary Film
The form of the documentary brings together interpretations and meanings from field research, archives, observations, and real subjects. While John McPhee once described documentary writing as “the literature of fact”, the entries gathered here demonstrate the varied techniques and subjective re-articulations of complex processes of migration as conveyed through documentary. The dataset consists of documentary titles, film reviews, and analyses.
Entries
A Road to Oxford (2020)
November 15, 2021After escaping from Syria in 2018, the English literature teacher Rawan has found his new home in Oxford, UK. In this short movie, he takes… Read more
For Sama (2019)
November 15, 2021A self-shot, intimate and visceral documentary, BAFTA-award-winning For Sama is a journey through motherhood during the bombings of the Syrian Civil War. Waad al-Kateab’s first… Read more
Manus (2019)
November 15, 2021This very poetic film offers an unedited insight into the hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers captivated offshore by the Australian Federal Government on Manus… Read more
The Chinese Exclusion Act – PBS (2018)
November 15, 2021Directed by Ric Burns, The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first legislation that prevented an entire ethnic group from migrating to the U.S. Steeplechase’s documentary… Read more
Walking Dream Series (2018)
November 15, 2021Directed by Theo Rigby, Waking Dream weaves together the stories of six undocumented young people as they sit in limbo between deportation and a path… Read more
Sky and Ground (2018)
November 15, 2021Following the arduous journey of the Syrian-Kurdish Nabi family from Aleppo to Germany, this movie manages to vividly depict the struggles of one three-generation family… Read more
Myanmar’s Killing Fields (2018)
November 15, 2021At the end of 2018, the report said, 1.1 million of the world’s refugees were from Myanmar, which saw a violent government crackdown on the… Read more
City of Ghosts (2017)
November 15, 2021Directed by Matthew Heineman, this film tells a story of brave citizen journalists who face the realities of life undercover, in exile and on the… Read more
Human Flow (2017)
November 15, 2021Directed by Ai Weiwei, Human Flow takes the viewer across the globe through 23 countries. It highlights urgent stories of victims of the various refugee… Read more
Exodus (2016) & Exodus: The Journey Continues (2017)
November 15, 2021In Exodus, FRONTLINE told the epic, first-hand stories of refugees and migrants fleeing countries including Syria, Afghanistan and The Gambia, who made dangerous journeys across… Read more
On the Brink of Famine (2016)
November 15, 2021Another 2.3 million refugees, according to the report, are from South Sudan — where a brutal civil war has sparked a man-made hunger crisis and… Read more
Children of Syria (2016)
November 15, 2021Some 6.7 million people — more than a quarter of the global refugee population — have fled brutal violence in Syria, the report said. This… Read more
The Good Postman (2016)
November 15, 2021Directed by Tonislav Hristov, this film follows Ivan, the local postman in a quiet Bulgarian community on the Turkish border, as he decides to run… Read more
Stranger in paradise (2016)
November 15, 2021Directed by Guido Hendrikx, Stranger in Paradise is a mixture of fiction and documentary that depicts an actor in a classroom of a detention center… Read more
4.1 Miles (2016)
November 15, 2021Directed by Daphne Matziaraki, 4.1 Miles is a story about a Hellenic coast guard captain on a small Greek island who suddenly becomes in… Read more
Article: Emilie Cheyroux, Immigrant consumption and cultural visibility in documentary films by and about Latinos (2018)
November 11, 2019Abstract: “This article analyzes two short documentaries showed at Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (Austin, Texas) and the way they discuss the symbolic meaning as well… Read more
Documentary: Midnight Traveler
September 27, 2019Directed by Hassan Fazili, ‘Midnight Traveler’ documents his family’s journey as they’re forced to leave Afghanistan after the Taliban put a bounty on his head.… Read more
‘Great Migration’ films highlight transformative power of African-American communities
September 11, 2016“Yes, individuals make up communities, and individuals may lead organizations, but it’s really rooted in communities,” said Massiah. “In some ways, institutions are official ways… Read more
Chantal Akerman’s ‘From the Other Side’: Invisible Migrants
August 16, 2016Director: Chantal Akerman 2002 “Sometimes the absence is stronger than the presence” One of the striking features of Chantal Akerman’s documentary, ‘From the… Read more
Hamsa (2016)
May 9, 2016“Hamsa is a documentary and educational platform with an audacious goal: motivate viewers to alleviate the Syrian refugee crisis. The short documentary highlights one family’s… Read more
A New Documentary Takes us Inside Australia’s Refugee Detainment Camps
May 9, 2016“Over the last few years, the Australian government has been leaning hard into an anti-refugee plan known as “the Pacific Solution.” Created to stop the… Read more
The Lotus Flower (2016)
March 1, 2016From the Director, Jamie Noel: “With special thanks to Maya Konforti and all of our other friends who contributed to this film. This week, a huge… Read more
Fire at Sea (2015)
February 29, 2016“Fire at Sea, a harrowing documentary about Europe’s refugee crisis, has clinched the Golden Bear top prize from a jury led by Meryl Streep at… Read more
Street Stories: Saravuth Inn (2012)
November 23, 2015Saravuth Inn was born in Cambodia and now plays chess for a living in Union Square. This short documentary is about how he got there… Read more
The Overnighters (2014)
October 20, 2015A modern-day Grapes of Wrath, award-winning documentary The Overnighters is an intimate portrait of job-seekers desperately chasing the broken American Dream to the tiny oil… Read more
The New Americans (2004)
October 20, 2015The New Americans is a seven-hour American documentary that was originally broadcast on American television over three nights on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in late… Read more
Doc Review: Shenandoah (2012)
October 20, 2015A Review by Sumita Chakravarty: David Turnley’s powerful and moving documentary, Shenandoah, tells the story of a small, coal mining Pennsylvania town of that name… Read more
Interactive learning resource: Language of Belonging (2010)
October 20, 2015Language of Belonging is a multi-platform education resource based on the ground breaking Indigenous animation Wadu Matyidi. Designed specifically for Primary-aged students, this diverse learning program explores… Read more
Gael García Bernal on the Human Drama Behind Anonymous Migrant Dead
October 19, 2015“During this scene, you hear me say in the voice-over a line that came to me that day: “This is the oldest story, the very… Read more
Rising Up: The Alams (2005)
October 18, 2015Producer/DP: Konrad Aderer; Editor: Helen Yum In this documentary we meet the Alams, a Bangladeshi family living in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Mohammed Alam, father to two… Read more
The State of Arizona (2014)
March 17, 2015Through powerful footage and intimate access, THE STATE OF ARIZONA focuses on the controversial “papers please” law, SB1070. The feature-length, verité documentary interweaves the volatile… Read more
Reminiscences of a journey to Lithuania (1972)
March 17, 2015Reminiscences of a journey to Lithuania (1972) After a twenty-seven year absence, Adolfas and his brother Jonas returned to their birthplace in Lithuania. They had… Read more
My American Dream, How Democracy Works Now (2010)
February 13, 2015How Democracy Works Now: Twelve Stories (2010) The documentary contains multiple, in-depth portraits that are weaved together to illustrate the full-blown social movement. It offers… Read more
Lost Boys of Sudan (2003)
February 13, 2015Lost Boys of Sudan (2003) Lost Boys of Sudan follows two teenage Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America offering a gripping… Read more
Well Founded Fear (2000)
February 13, 2015Well Founded Fear (2000) This 2000 documentary is an unprecedented inside look at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), award-winning filmmakers Shari Robertson and Michael… Read more
The Other Side of Immigration
November 10, 2013About the film. Based on a National Science Foundation-funded study of over 700 Mexican households, The Other Side of Immigration asks why so many Mexicans… Read more