Documentary
The obscure artist behind TV’s strangest cult character
Being Frank — Frank Sidebottom was a comedian, musician, writer, artist – and one of television’s most beloved eccentrics. A new documentary shines a light on creator Chris Sievey, the man underneath the papier-mâché head.
Written by: Thomas Curry
An intimate look at the life of a gay porn star
Being Jonathan Agassi — International porn icon Jonathan Agassi had a meteoric rise to fame – but at what personal cost? A new film by Tomer Heymann reveals what happens when the camera stops rolling.
Written by: Thomas Curry
Flat Earth: inside the world’s biggest conspiracy theory
Behind the Curve — In new documentary Behind The Curve, filmmaker Daniel J Clark gets to know the people who believe the earth is flat. ‘There are continents outside of our Antarctica that are full of the elites and the rich and the powerful, and the government wants to keep that a secret.’
Written by: Ralph Jones
What it’s like to grow up under FBI surveillance
Feel like you’re being watched? — After investigating rumours of surveillance in her Arab-American neighbourhood, journalist Assia Boundaoui uncovered one of America’s largest pre-9/11 FBI terrorism probes.
Written by: Hannah Clugston
Journalism’s future: finding truth in a post-truth world
The man behind Bellingcat — With his open-source website Bellingcat, journalist Eliot Higgins has uncovered the story behind the Skripal poisonings, flight MH17, and the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Now, he’s taking his investigations to the next level.
Written by: Hannah Clugston
How Jamaican women are reclaiming the waves
Surf’s up — In Eight Mile Bull Bay, a small fishing community just outside of Kingston, a collective of young women are taking to the waves – creating a DIY community for themselves in the process.
Written by: Huck
Searching Eva: Identity and sex work in the online age
How to live digitally — Eva Collé is a writer, blogger, model, Instagrammer, sex worker – and now the subject of a documentary. We speak with the film’s director Pia Hellenthal and Eva herself about what it’s like to perpetually chronicle your life online.
Written by: Katie Goh
What Netflix did next: fuzzy love & half-baked conspiracies
Are you still watching? — Writer Megan Nolan bravely ventures into the latest Netflix Original releases, in an attempt to figure out if anything is worth our time anymore. This week, it’s whip-smart New Zealand comedy The Breaker Upperers, and tone-deaf music doc The Two Killings of Sam Cooke.
Written by: Megan Nolan
Politics, Palestine & PJ Harvey: the best docs to see in 2019
Catch them when you can — Luke Moody, Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Director Of Film Programming, pulls together a list of sharp, smart and touching docs to look out for in the coming months.
Written by: Thomas Curry
Why the war on drugs is killing Filipino music
To live and die in Manila — A new documentary from Boiler Room shines a light on the defiant underground music scene of the Philippines – a country that’s being torn apart by political warfare and a violent drug war.
Written by: Sai Villafuerte