Portrait Videos - The Documentary Network

Kish – How to see using sound

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 18 May 2017 13:27:42 +0000

Daniel Kish lost his eyesight at the age of 1, but taught himself how to see using sound. "Somehow, I've earned the moniker, "the remarkable Batman." Now, Batman I will accept. Bats are cool. Batman is cool. But I was not raised to think of myself as in any way remarkable. I have always regarded myself much like anyone else who navigates the dark unknowns of their own challenges. Is that so remarkable? I do not use my eyes, I use my brain." - Daniel Kish

The Fastest Man On Earth

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 11:35:06 +0000

Dr. John Paul Stapp earned the title "The Fastest Man Alive" when he rode the Sonic Wind I rocket-propelled sled on December 10, 1954 to a land record speed of 632 mph in five seconds. He sustained the greatest G-forces endured by man in recorded deceleration tests up to that time, 46.2 Gs, when the sled stopped in 1.4 seconds.

Charlie Hebdo – Before the Massacre

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 13 Jan 2015 06:50:48 +0000

In this short documentary filmed at Charlie Hebdo in 2006, cartoonists and editors design a satirical front page image of Muhammad. In February 2006 the editors of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo met to discuss a matter of what turned out to be deadly consequence: Would they publish a satirical image of Muhammad on their cover? We were making a documentary about Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, one of the most famous cartoonists in France. So we were there, filming his conversation with his colleagues as they chose the cover. The issue that came out of this meeting — with a Cabu cartoon on the cover and the images they discussed here — turned out to be one of the most popular in the magazine’s history. Almost nine years later, gunmen stormed this very meeting and killed 10 editors and cartoonists, including three of the people in this film: Cabu, Bernard Verlhac (known as Tignous) and Georges Wolinski. Video by Jérôme Lambert and Philippe Picard

Colin Furze – Inside The Mind Of An Inventor

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 18:51:52 +0000

Colin Furze is a plumber by day - but in his spare time he retreats to his garage and invents all manner of weird and wonderful contraptions, like the Jet Bike and World's Fastest Mobility Scooter. He also holds the Guinness World Record for the World's Fastest Pram, Longest Motorbike and biggest Bonfire! Made for the BBC Directed by David Beazley Cameraman Max Brill Sound Design Axle Cheeng

Mark Cuban: How I Became a Billionaire

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 16:53:06 +0000

Bloomberg Game Changers profiles Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban. See how Cuban spun his love of basketball into a multi-billion dollar enterprise.

Mr. Gold

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 18:50:13 +0000

Mr. Gold is the story of Jose Melendez, a 21-time felon who spent 11 years incarcerated and appeared on the Maury show twice for paternity tests. A street corner promotions man for a jewelry store, he uses his job to bring joy to those passing by while also yearning to help people like him.

The Valley of Dolls

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 25 May 2014 14:43:04 +0000

Ayano Tsukimi (64) is living in Nagoro, a village in eastern Iya on Shikoku, one of the four main islands of Japan. Not many people are still living there. For those who die or move away, Ayano Tsukimi is making lifesized dolls in their liking and puts them in places that were important to them. The dolls are scattered around the whole valley. She is married, but her husband and daughter are living away from her in Osaka. She's living alone with her 83 year old father in the house of her family.

The Courtroom Sketch Artist

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 22 May 2014 11:25:08 +0000

Gary Myrick was once the go-to artist for television news station — millions regularly viewed his work on the networks. Starting with the Dallas school desegregation trial in 1976, he sketched courtrooms that featured famous politicians, serial killers, professional athletes, international arms merchants, housewives-turned-killers, victims’ families, rapt juries and napping judges — all rendered with an empathetic gaze and understated wit. His work conveyed the tragedy and folly of the courtroom experience, while avoiding sentimentality and snap judgments about his subjects. His human touch captured what cameras never could.

Narcosis – Explore freediving symptoms with Guillaume Néry

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 20 May 2014 06:10:53 +0000

Deep water freediving exposes its practitioners to a form of narcosis, which induces several symptoms, among which a feeling of euphoria and levity that earned this phenomenon its nickname of “raptures of the deep”. The short film relates the interior journey of Guillaume Néry, the apnea world champion, during one of his deep water dives. It draws its inspiration from his physical experience and the narrative of his hallucinations.

Oasis – Definitely Maybe

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 19 May 2014 18:21:07 +0000

A documentary about the making of "Definitely Maybe" features commentary from the band and others involved in its production. The album was released 20 years ago from now. Oasis formed in 1991 in Manchester. The band released 27 singles and 7 studio albums between 1994 and 2009. Their number 1 singles include 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 'Go Let It Out', 'The Importance Of Being Idle' and 'The Shock Of The Lightning'. All 27 singles were collected together recently on their release 'Time Flies...1994-2009'. All 7 of their studio albums reached 1. The band have toured throughout the globe selling out such world famous venues as Wembley Stadium, Knebworth, Madison Square Garden, the Hollywood Bowl, River Plate Stadium and the Budokan in Tokyo.

The Unusual Private Life Of H. R. Giger

Documentary.net staff — Thu, 15 May 2014 17:10:02 +0000

"The horror of his paintings is so beautifully presented, that it even loses its fright". Whether it's Ridley Scott's award-winning Alien; the artwork for Debbie Harry's solo album; or the obscenity lawsuit that was the cover for the Dead Kennedys' Frankenchrist, we have all at one time or another been exposed to the dark and wonderfully twisted world of Swiss artist, Hans Ruedi Giger. His paintings reveal a bio-mechanical universe, in which machine and man, sex and the devil are interconnected everywhere. Amongst his fans he counts a great many Satanists. But as this visual feast of a documentary reveals, he's also earned a place amongst the most prominent of modern artists.

“The Hitch” – Author Christopher Hitchens

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 13 May 2014 16:07:29 +0000

Kristoffer Hellesmark did not find any documentary about the author and polemicist Christopher Hitchens, so he sat down and created this fine 82min video. "Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American[2][3] author, polemicist, debater, and journalist.[4] Hitchens contributed to New Statesman, The Nation, The Atlantic, The London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement and Vanity Fair. He was the author, co-author, editor and co-editor of over thirty books, including five collections of essays, and concentrated on a range of subjects, including politics, literature and religion. A staple of talk shows and lecture circuits, his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded and controversial figure." Source: Wikipedia

Slomo: The Man Who Skated Right Off the Grid

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 05 May 2014 18:08:55 +0000

Dr. John Kitchin quit a medical career to pursue his passion: skating along the boardwalk of San Diego's Pacific Beach. He calls himself "Slomo." Disillusioned with a life that had become increasingly materialistic, he had abruptly abandoned his career as a neurologist and moved to a studio by the beach. The locals called him Slomo, knowing little about his past life, but cheering and high-fiving him as he skated by in slow motion. He had become a Pacific Beach institution. Josh Izenberg is a filmmaker based in San Francisco. “Slomo,” which is his first documentary, has received more than a dozen awards including Best Documentary Short by the International Documentary Association and the jury award for best short documentary at SXSW.

Flo – Photographer continues to work despite blindness, multiple sclerosis, and lung cancer

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:16:48 +0000

Despite blindness, multiple sclerosis, and lung cancer, photographer Flo Fox continues to shoot the streets of New York City. No longer able to hold a camera, she instructs her aides to take photos for her. She’s an incredible woman with a feisty spirit, sharp wit, and dirty sense of humor. Festivals & Awards: Grand Jury Prize, Shorts Program, DOC NYC 2012 Best Documentary Short, LES Film Festival 2012 Best Documentary Short, Ashland Independent Film Festival 2013 Official Selection, Hot Docs 2013 Official Selection, Rooftop Films 2013 Official Selection, Palm Springs International ShortFest 2013 Official Selection, DC Shorts Festival 2013 Official Selection, Camden International Film Festival 2013 Official Selection, Hamptons International Film Festival 2013 Official Selection, Starz Denver Film Festival 2013 Official Selection, SF DocFest 2013 Official Selection, Documentamadrid 2013 Official Selection, Northside DIY Film Competition 2013 Official Selection, DocuWest Festival 2013 Official Selection, Tacoma Film Festival 2013 Official Selection, Dam Short Film Festival 2014 Official Selection, Annapolis Film Festival 2014 Official Selection, Bradford International Film Festival 2014 Runner-up, Hammer to Nail Contest Summer 2013

Photographing Secret Sites and Satellites – Meet Trevor Paglen

Documentary.net staff — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 07:50:34 +0000

Using telescopic photography and other methods, artist Trevor Paglen explores the boundaries between visible and invisible, including CIA black sites, secret satellites and the details of Bradley Manning trial drawings.