Biography

Displaying 61–96 of 96 items
Monsieur Vincent

Monsieur Vincent

Historic Drama · Biography · Drama

Monsieur Vincent is a compassionate and beautiful film about the remarkably selfless life of Saint Vincent de Paul, who devoted his life to caring for the poor and the sick, through poverty and plague.

Moving from Emptiness: The Life and Art of a Zen Dude

Moving from Emptiness: The Life and Art of a Zen Dude

American Independent · Spirituality · Documentary

With brush, ink, and rice paper, Zen painter Alok Hsu Kwang-han uses the play of light and dark to explore energy, creativity, and the art of life. On the verge of his 75th birthday, with a new love in his life, Alok employs his teachings to confront his personal history.

The Mystery of Picasso

The Mystery of Picasso

Art · Documentary · Biography

Filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot and painter Pablo Picasso used experimental and innovative techniques to create an entirely new kind of art documentary — one that is both joyous and suspenseful.

NOTFILM

NOTFILM

Documentary · Biography

After restoring the short Film, Ross Lipman wanted to explore its surprising history. He ended up making a mesmerizing feature-length essay about Samuel Beckett, Buster Keaton and other luminaries! 

The Olive Thomas Collection

The Olive Thomas Collection

Documentary · Comedy · Biography

Beautiful, talented and charismatic, Olive Thomas reigned as a Hollywood star briefly but magically… and her untimely death was mourned worldwide. Also features her charming comedy, The Flapper

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

History · LGBTQ · Documentary

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life explores the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller, as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that accepted his work only decades after the fact.

On Meditation

On Meditation

American Independent · Spirituality · Buddhism

ON MEDITATION explores the deeply personal practice of meditation through an exploration of extraordinary people and their practices including David Lynch, Giancarlo Esposito, Russell Simmons, Congressman Tim Ryan, Peter Matthiessen, Mark Epstein and others.

Oranges and Sunshine

Oranges and Sunshine

History · Drama · Biography

Oranges and Sunshine tells the story of Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham who uncovered one of the most significant social scandals of recent times: the deportation of thousands of children from the United Kingdom to Australia. 

Ornette: Made in America

Ornette: Made in America

Jazz · Documentary · Music

Ground-breaking filmmaker Shirley Clarke combined forces with Ornette Coleman to create this dazzling window into the life of the great jazz artist and innovator. 

Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking

Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking

Documentary · History · Film Documentaries

A look at the life and work of Oscar Micheaux, a pioneer of the African-American film industry.

Paracelsus

Paracelsus

Biography · Drama · World Cinema

A physician, alchemist, and spiritual guru, Paracelsus (1493-1541) was one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of science. And, like its subject, this 1943 film is shrouded in mystery, even though it was  directed by one of the supreme stylists of the German cinema: G.W. Pabst.

Pasolini

Pasolini

Drama · Based on Literature · Biography

The Roman life and the imaginary worlds of Pier Paolo Pasolini intermingle in Abel Ferrara’s retelling of the final days in the life of the fifty-year-old filmmaker and writer (played by Willem Dafoe), in a lovely, haunting film that draws on his last interview and envisages scenes f…

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

Peter Asher: Everywhere Man

Documentary · Music · Biography

The extraordinary life of Peter Asher, a child actor who became a pop star and then a manager and producer to the likes of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

The Plainsman

The Plainsman

History · Romance · Western

Teaming up with his lover Calamity Jane, as well as Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok helps to pacify the frontier in a period of immense change for the Old West.

Portrait of Jason

Portrait of Jason

Documentary · Biography

Shirley Clarke filmed gay actor, hustler, chanteuse Jason Holliday's 12-hour soliloquy, creating a documentary that Ingmar Bergman said was "the most extraordinary film I’ve seen in my life.”  

The President's Wife

The President's Wife

History · Comedy · Drama

Madame Chirac’s rise from invisible political spouse to major media figure—as calculated as it was inevitable—is chronicled with equal parts reverence and wit, driven by Catherine Deneuve’s wryly memorable central performance.

Promise at Dawn

Promise at Dawn

War · Biography · Drama

From his childhood in Poland to his adolescence in Nice to his years as a student in Paris and his tough training as a pilot during World War II, this epic drama tells the romantic story of Romain Gary, one of the most famous French novelists and sole writer to have won the Goncourt Prize for French…

Queen of the Ring

Queen of the Ring

Drama · Biography

An extraordinary, true-life tale that follows a single mom who defied incredible odds to become the first million-dollar female athlete and longest reigning wrestling champion at a time when the sport was banned across most of America.

Ray (4KUHD)

Ray (4KUHD)

4K UHD DISC · Music · Drama

Jamie Foxx won the Academy Award for Best Actor (2004) as the one-of-a-kind innovator of soul who overcame impossible odds to become a music legend.

The Red Star

The Red Star

Comedy · Mystery · Biography

The Red Star is a mockumentary following Laila Salama, a mysterious woman who may have contributed to the 1960 kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, neglected from the annals of history.

Rodin

Rodin

History · Biography · Drama

An account of the famous French sculptor's romance with Camille Claudel.

SEMBENE!

SEMBENE!

Biography · Documentary · Historic Drama

In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the father of African cinema, against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year battle to give Africans a voice.

Scalia: Portrait of a Man & Jurist

Scalia: Portrait of a Man & Jurist

Documentary · History · Biography

SCALIA: PORTRAIT OF A MAN & JURIST examines the judicial life and legacy of the controversial Supreme Court Justice.

Scott Joplin

Scott Joplin

Music · Drama · Biography

This historic film recounts Scott Joplin's determination in the face of racism, his heroic struggle with a debilitating disease and his ultimate triumph as a composer and musical legend.

Serpico (50th Anniversary) 4KUHD

Serpico (50th Anniversary) 4KUHD

Thriller · Crime · Biography

Serpico is based on the true story of a New York policeman who discovers that honesty is not expected to be part of his job.

Shari & Lamb Chop

Shari & Lamb Chop

Documentary · Biography

The legendary ventriloquist Shari Lewis rose to stardom with her beloved sock puppet Lamb Chop. When her popular children’s show gets cancelled, Shari must find a way to make peace with her alter ego. Together they spend decades reinventing themselves until Shari’s unlikely comeback wher…

Stealing Charlie Chaplin

Stealing Charlie Chaplin

Documentary · Crime · Biography

STEALING CHARLIE CHAPLIN chronicles the disappearance of the interntional icon's body in 1978, as well as the ransom and recovery that followed.

Stones and Flies: Richard Long in the Sahara

Stones and Flies: Richard Long in the Sahara

Art · Documentary · Biography

Director Philip Haas follows land artist Richard Long on his walk across Algeria’s Hoggar, a volcanic region of the Sahara Desert.

To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back

War · History · Action

Audie Murphy, the most decorated American soldier of WWII, plays himself in this gripping, action-packed battle saga.

Tom of Finland

Tom of Finland

Drama · LGBTQ · Biography

This stirring biopic follows the life of the artist whose proudly erotic drawings of leather-clad studs served as an emblem of gay liberation and influenced art, fashion and culture for decades to come.

Tous les Matins du Monde

Tous les Matins du Monde

Music & Dance · Drama · Biography

Monsieur de Sainte Colombe is reclusive composer who lives with his two beautiful daughters. Their lives are forever changed by the flamboyant young student Marin Marais who fascinates Colombe and entrances his daughters.

The Valachi Papers

The Valachi Papers

Thriller · Crime · Biography

Sentenced to 15 years in prison, former mob “button man” Joe Valachi turns informant when he learns top Mafia capo Vito Genovese has put a $100,000 contract out on his life.

Violeta Went to Heaven

Violeta Went to Heaven

Biography · Drama · Romance

The extraordinary story of the iconic poet, musician and folksinger Violeta Parra, whose songs have become hymns for Chileans and Latin Americans alike. Director Andres Wood (Machuca) traces the intensity and explosive vitality of her life, from humble origins to international fame, her defense of i…

Winsor McCay: The Master Edition

Winsor McCay: The Master Edition

Animation · History · Biography

Winsor McCay was the first master of animation and one of its greatest and most influential artists. His films — joyous, hilarious and beautiful —continue to delight and astonish audiences today. 

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood

Without Lying Down: Frances Marion and the Power of Women in Hollywood

Documentary · Film · Biography

For over two decades, Frances Marion was one of the most powerful names Hollywood; now, her fascinating story come alive in this insightful documentary narrated by Uma Thurman and Kathy Bates.

Yangsi

Yangsi

Spirituality · Buddhism · Religion

Jigme Lhundrup is the Yangsi, the reincarnation of a greatly revered Tibetan Buddhist meditation master. He must train to uphold this legacy from the age of four. Even with the loving support of his teachers and family, questions begin to arise about the place of his tradition in the modern world.