Documentary

Filmmaker Errol Morris (Gates of Heaven, The Thin Blue Line) takes an unflinching look at the Abu Ghraib prison scandal while meditating on the frightening side effects of the War on Terror in a thought-provoking documentary from Participant Productions (An Inconvenient Truth). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Born Into Brothels is a documentary about the inspiring non-profit foundation Kids With Cameras, which teaches photography skills to children in marginalized communities. In 1998, New York-based photographer Zana Briski started photographing prostitutes in the red-light district of Calcutta. She eventually developed a relationship with their children, who were fascinated by her equipment. After several years of learning in workshops with Briski, the kids created their own photographs with point-and-shoot 35 mm cameras. Their images capture the intimacy and color of everyday life in the overpopulated sections of Calcutta. Proceeds from the sale of the children's photographs go to fund their future education. Directed by Briski and filmmaker Ross Kauffman, Born Into Brothels was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the documentary competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

"A family walks into a talent agent's office..." So begins "The Aristocrats," a joke kept mostly secret by stand-up comedians for decades. An intentionally "bad" joke, the laughs in The Aristocrats aren't in the punch-line (one of the only elements that's the same every time), but in the set-up, made unique by each comedian who tells it in an attempt to fashion the world's dirtiest joke. The cat was finally let out of the bag by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the seasoned funnymen who gathered together a hundred people to tell a hundred different renditions of the bit. Among those presenting their personal take on The Aristocrats in this film of the same name are Jason Alexander, Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried, Jon Stewart, Emo Philips, and Chris Rock. The Aristocrats premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Fischl Leibowitz was born in Romania in 1932, and at the age of 14, as the Soviet Union was poised to take over his homeland, Leibowitz and his older brother fled the country, eventually settling in New York City. Leibowitz Americanized his name to Fred Lebow and took up a career in the garment trade. Lebow was also an avid jogger, if not especially speedy or skilled, and he began making himself known among New York's runners. Determined to give the Big Apple's runners a higher profile and greater respect among their peers, Lebow helped organize the first New York City Marathon in 1970, bankrolling the project himself with an investment of 300 dollars. While only 55 contestants finished the first marathon, Lebow tirelessly continued to promote organized running in New York, and made big news in 1976, when, in celebration of the nation's bicentennial, Lebow helped organize an ambitious marathon course that wound through all five boroughs of the city, with star athletes Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers taking part in the event. Filmmaker Judd Ehrlich profiles Fred Lebow and his life and times as New York City's greatest champion of distance running in the documentary Run for Your Life, which examines his career, his accomplishments, his eccentricities, and his legacy. Run For Your Life received its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In August of 1972, John Wojtowicz entered a Chase bank in Brooklyn with another, younger man, a near stranger he'd met in a bar, Sal Naturile. The two tried to rob the bank, but things went awry, and a 14-hour standoff with the police ensued. Over the course of this ordeal, Wojtowicz made it known that he was robbing the bank to get money for his male lover's sex change operation. The story caught the attention of screenwriter Frank Pierson, who pitched it to director Sidney Lumet with Al Pacino playing the lead. The Hollywood version, of course, turned out to be Dog Day Afternoon, the classic 1970s crime film. But what happened to the real Wojtowicz? Dutch filmmaker Walter Stokman explores the events depicted in the film, and their long-term effects on the people involved, in his documentary, Based on a True Story. Stokman visits the crime scene. The bank is no longer there, but Wojtowicz lives nearby. Stokman interviews former bank employees (one of whom wrote and recorded a song about her experience), cops, and FBI agents, along with Wojtowicz's ex-wife, Carmen Bifulco, Pierson, and Lumet. He pieces together a portrait of Wojtowicz and his sad love affair with transsexual Liz Eden. But he has trouble getting Wojtowicz himself on film. In phone recordings, the ex-con makes escalating demands for money and control of the documentary, and threatens Stokman with both withdrawal of his participation and physical harm. At one point, Wojtowicz tells the filmmaker, "The documentary is not yours. The documentary is mine." Based on a True Story was shown at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide