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Rentals

Documentaries

Fresh perspectives on familiar themes give a new relevance, as proven by our choice of the best in modern documentaries.

Documentaries can be as lyrical, expressive and experimental as any work of fiction while presenting different ways of seeing. What unites these choices is the themes of place and identity, focusing on the British landscape, its coastline and cities. History also plays a role thanks the expert use of archive footage from Penny Woolcock and Julien Temple.

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Rent for £3.50

Who's Gonna Love Me Now?Who's Gonna Love Me Now?

Documentary201786 minsDirector: Tomer Heymann and Barak Heymann

A heartfelt exploration of one man’s struggle to reconcile with his Israeli family, while finding a new ‘family’ in London Gay Men’s Chorus.

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The Confession: Living the War on TerrorThe Confession: Living the War on Terror

Documentary201696 minsDirector: Ashish Ghadiali

A detailed, wide-ranging interview with Moazzam Begg, a British citizen formerly detained at Guantanamo Bay under suspicion of terrorism offenses.

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Fahrenheit 11/9Fahrenheit 11/9

Documentary2018128 minsDirector: Michael Moore

Michael Moore paints a fiery portrait of life in Trump’s America. Populist, provocative and piercingly captivating, this is Moore’s clarion call to action.

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McQueenMcQueen

Biopic2018111 minsDirector: Ian Bonhôte

In scintillating fashion, this compelling documentary explores the dark dreams that drove the brilliant, lamented designer, Alexander McQueen.

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Of Fathers and SonsOf Fathers and Sons

Documentary201799 minsDirector: Talal Derki

Syrian-born filmmaker Talal Derki travels to his homeland where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years. 2019 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature.

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Ryuichi Sakamoto: CodaRyuichi Sakamoto: Coda

Documentary2017101 minsDirector: Stephen Schible

A graceful, intimate study of the legendary Japanese musician, composer, actor, writer and activist.

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RBGRBG

Biopic201899 minsDirector: Julie Cohen and Betsy West

Revelatory documentary on an unexpected hero - former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

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Generation RevolutionGeneration Revolution

Documentary201672 minsDirector: Usayd Younis and Cassie Quarless

This urgent, impassioned documentary follows a new generation of Black activists as they fight for social and political change in London and beyond.

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The Hard StopThe Hard Stop

Documentary201686 minsDirector: George Amponsah

The story of Mark Duggan, who was shot and killed in Tottenham in 2011, is brought to the screen in this humane, thought-provoking and topical documentary.

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Grace Jones: Bloodlight and BamiGrace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami

Documentary2017115 minsDirector: Sophie Fiennes

Grace Jones is laid bare in this intimate and electrifying insight into the fascinating world of a pop-cultural phenomenon.

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The Lovers & the DespotThe Lovers & the Despot

Documentary201698 minsDirector: Ross Adam and Rob Cannan

Discover one of cinema’s strangest stories: a film director and his star are kidnapped by Kim Jong-il to make movies in the world’s weirdest state.

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Love Is AllLove Is All

Documentary201474 minsDirector: Kim Longinotto

A hundred years of love and courtship on the silver screen, with music created by celebrated Sheffield singer-songwriter-producer Richard Hawley.

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HockneyHockney

Biopic2014108 minsDirector: Randall Wright

A portrait of the beloved British artist, drawing on his own home-movie footage and with revealing contributions from his friends and colleagues.

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A Man's StoryA Man's Story

Documentary201298 minsDirector: Varon Bonicos

A documentary charting twelve years in the career of Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng.

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Notes on BlindnessNotes on Blindness

Documentary201687 minsDirector: James Spinney and Peter Middleton

James Spinney and Peter Middleton's highly original documentary uses cinematic interpretations and textured sound design to express a ‘world beyond sight.’

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The Man from Mo'WaxThe Man from Mo'Wax

Documentary2018116 minsDirector: Matthew Jones

The exhilarating, no holds-barred story of Mo'Wax records founder James Lavelle, one of the most enigmatic yet influential figures in British music culture.

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Robinson in RuinsRobinson in Ruins

Animation & Artists Moving Image2010101 minsDirector: Patrick Keiller

The head of a research organisation arranges Robinson’s abandoned research on the English landscape to uncover the origins of capitalist catastrophe.

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Self MadeSelf Made

Documentary201184 minsDirector: Gillian Wearing

Artist Gillian Wearing’s ‘documentary’ observes seven people creating (fantasy?) identities in collaboration with a drama teacher. Raw and revealing.

Rent for £2.50

The Spirit of '45The Spirit of '45

Documentary201395 minsDirector: Ken Loach

Ken Loach's stirring polemical history explores the immense forces that built Britain's Welfare State from the rubble of the Second World War.

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What Is This Film Called Love?What Is This Film Called Love?

Documentary201281 minsDirector: Mark Cousins

Mark Cousins’ cine-essay, inspired by Sergei Eisenstein’s 1930s Mexican odyssey, is a poetic meditation on memory, landscape and walking.

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Stockholm My LoveStockholm My Love

Drama201684 minsDirector: Mark Cousins

Neneh Cherry, director Mark Cousins and cinematographer Christopher Doyle's exquisite love song to the Swedish city.

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The Big MeltThe Big Melt

Documentary201371 minsDirector: Martin Wallace

Jarvis Cocker and acclaimed director Martin Wallace's feature-length elegy to the men and women who toiled in Sheffield's steelworks is a hymn to Britain's proud industrial past.

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Project Wild ThingProject Wild Thing

Documentary201380 minsDirector: David Bond

Crowning himself as Marketing Director for Nature, a father aims to entice his kids away from TV, toys and technology.

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Dark HorseDark Horse

Documentary201586 minsDirector: Louise Osmond

The inspirational, larger-than-life true story of how a group of friends in a poor mining village took on the elite 'sport of kings' and breed themselves a racehorse.

Currently unavailable

Deep WaterDeep Water

Documentary200689 minsDirector: Louise Osmond and Jerry Rothwell

Riveting account of the disastrous attempt by novice sailor Donald Crowhurst to compete in a round-the-world, solo yachting race.

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The Epic of EverestThe Epic of Everest

Non-Fiction192487 minsDirector: J.B.L. Noel

Premiere. A breathtaking and poignant account of the valiant 1924 British assault on the awe-inspiring peak, beautifully restored by the BFI.

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The Marvellous Mabel Normand: The Leading Lady of Film ComedyThe Marvellous Mabel Normand: The Leading Lady of Film Comedy

Comedy201878 minsDirector: Leo McCarey, Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett and Charles Chaplin

Discover early Hollywood's irrepressible comic pioneer, showcased in this delightful package of short films in which she appears alongside fellow greats Charlie Chaplin, Fatty Arbuckle and Oliver Hardy.