WAnd Everything Is Going Fine is a 2010 documentary film directed by Steven Soderbergh about the life of monologist Spalding Gray. It premiered on January 23, 2010 at the Slamdance Film Festival and was screened at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and the 2010 Maryland Film Festival. Soderbergh had earlier directed Gray's filmed monologue, Gray's Anatomy.
WBala is a 1976 documentary film made by Satyajit Ray, about a Bharatanatyam dancer, Balasaraswati, fondly known as "Bala". The film was jointly produced by National Centre for the Performing Arts and Government of Tamil Nadu. The thirty-three-minute documentary features the life and some of the works by Balasaraswati in the form of narration and dance, starring herself. At the age of fourteen, Ray had seen a performance of Balasaraswati in Kolkata, then known as "Calcutta", in 1935, when she was seventeen years old.
WBehind the Burly Q is a 2010 film documentary examining the golden age of American burlesque in the first half of the 20th century.
WBeing Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a 2011 American documentary film about Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind the Sesame Street character Elmo who became a rising star and created a global sensation. “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” was one of the most talked about documentaries coming out of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
WBettie Page Reveals All is a 2012 documentary film about the life history and cultural influence of Bettie Page. Directed by Mark Mori, much of its narration is from audiotape interviews with Page. Individuals offering commentary on Page and her significance include Dita Von Teese, Hugh Hefner, Rebecca Romijn, Tempest Storm, Bunny Yeager, Paula Klaw, Jessicka, Mamie Van Doren and Naomi Campbell.
WCarmen Miranda: Bananas is My Business is a 1995 documentary filmed and directed by Helena Solberg. This documentary chronicles the life and career of Carmen Miranda, Hollywood's symbol of Latin American spirit in the 1940s. The documentary tells her life story in a series of stages, beginning with her roots and rise to stardom in her home country of Brazil, her transition and development as a performer in the United States, first on Broadway in New York City, then in the film industry after she signed with 20th Century Fox in Los Angeles, and her later years in life, before her death and her return to Brazil. Helena Solberg uses two different film styles, biography and directorial reverie, in which Solberg uses actor Erick Barretos to “resurrect Carmen Miranda in several fantasy sequences. Helena Solberg's attitudes shift throughout the documentary from awe-struck child to empathetic and forgiving Brazilian woman, which she uses to represent the contradictory subplots of Carmen Miranda's life. Alongside the fantasy like resurrection of Miranda, Solberg accompanies her documentary with multiple interviews with Carmen Miranda's friends and family, like her sister, her first boyfriend, the guitarist Laurindo Almeida, samba song-writer Synval Silva, Cesar Romero, and Alice Faye.
WThe Cockettes is a 2002 American documentary film. It was directed by Bill Weber and David Weissman, and produced by Weissman. Its subject is the 1960s-70s San Francisco performance group The Cockettes. The film debuted at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It went on to a limited theatrical release and to play the film festival circuit. The film received the LA Film Critics Award for Best Documentary of 2002.
WDying to do Letterman is a 2011 documentary film, directed by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina, and produced under their Joke Productions banner. The documentary follows the journey of Steve Mazan, a stand up comedian with the lifelong dream of performing a comedy routine on the Late Show with David Letterman.
WDysfunktional Family is an American documentary and stand-up comedy film written, produced and starring comedian Eddie Griffin, and directed by George Gallo. It was released to theaters by Miramax Films on April 4, 2003 and stayed in theaters until May 18, 2003. The film earned $2,255,000 with its widest release being in 602 theaters. Dysfunktional Family is mainly a concert performance featuring Eddie Griffin filmed live at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, Indiana that also includes behind-the-scenes documentary footage filmed in Kansas City, Missouri detailing the stand-up comedian's personal life and family as he travels to a family reunion to reunite with the cast of characters who are the root of his comedy: his mother, an uncle who was an ex-pimp, and his Uncle Curtis, who pontificates on his career as a porno director.
WEmma Goes to Bollywood is a 2005 British documentary film produced and broadcast by BBC Two. It was directed by Louis Theroux and released on 12 June 2005. It stars Emma Bunton on her travel to Bollywood.
WÉvocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie is a 2012 documentary film that chronicles the history of The Morton Downey Jr. Show and Downey's influence on "trash TV." The film also looks at Downey's relationship with Al Sharpton and other important 1980s figures, as well as Downey's role as a predecessor for conservative commentators like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.
WFor the Love of a Man is a 2015 Indian documentary film directed by Rinku Kalsy. The film explores the fan following of film actor Rajinikanth.
WSpice Girls: Giving You Everything is a 2007 British documentary film released to coincide with the 2007 reunion tour of the British all-female pop group the Spice Girls.
WAn Honest Liar is a 2014 biographical feature film documentary, directed and produced by Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, written by Weinstein, Greg O'Toole and Measom, produced through Left Turn Films, Pure Mutt Productions and Part2 Filmworks, and distributed by Abramorama. The film documents the life of former magician, escape artist, and skeptical educator James Randi, in particular the investigations through which Randi publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists. The film also focuses on Randi's relationship with his partner of 25 years, José Alvarez, who at the time of filming, had been discovered to be living under a false identity, calling into question "whether Randi was the deceiver or the deceived."
WI Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story is a 2014 American documentary film about Caroll Spinney, the original performer of Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. The film has received generally favorable reviews. It has been shown at many film festivals, including the April 2014 Hot Docs Festival.
WLipstick and Dynamite: The First Ladies of Wrestling is a 2004 documentary film about the early days of women's professional wrestling in North America. It was directed by Ruth Leitman, who interviewed The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, Gladys "Kill 'Em" Gillem, Ida Mae Martinez, Ella Waldek and Penny Banner for the film. The film premiered in 2004 in Toronto and was screened at various film festivals across the United States. The film also had a limited release in theaters in 2005. Reviews for the film were mixed.
WMondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith. The documentary film was inspired by the 1963 movie Mondo Cane.
WMr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project is a 2007 documentary film about stand-up comedian Don Rickles, which was first screened at the 2007 New York Film Festival and then shown on HBO.
WPrisoner of Paradise is a 2002 documentary film directed by Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender. The film is an international co-production of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and tells the true story of Kurt Gerron, a German-Jewish cabaret and film actor in the 1920s and 1930s who was deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in Czechoslovakia during World War II. There, Gerron was ordered to write and direct a Nazi propaganda film.
WRichard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!! is a 2003 American short documentary film about and featuring actor-comedian Richard Pryor. It was produced and aired by Comedy Central. It features commentary from different actors, comedians, and Pryor's own family members on the aspects and influence of his life and work.
WSee What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary is a 2009 documentary produced and directed by Hilari Scarl. It focuses on the lives of deaf artists Bob Hiltermann, TL Forsberg, CJ Jones, and Robert DeMayo.
WTotally Bill Hicks is a video, originally released in 1994, documenting the life and comedy of Bill Hicks. It consists of two parts: Revelations, a recording of his last live performance in the United Kingdom made at the Dominion Theatre, and It's Just A Ride, a documentary about Hicks' life which features interviews with friends, admirers, and family.
WTrixie Mattel: Moving Parts is a documentary film starring drag queen and singer-songwriter Trixie Mattel. It was directed by Nick Zeig-Owens and produced by David Silver, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2019. Following screenings, Mattel performed several songs on stage. The documentary was made available on video on demand platforms on December 3, 2019.
WWalt: The Man Behind the Myth is a 2001 biographical documentary film about Walt Disney. It was narrated by Dick Van Dyke and directed by Jean-Pierre Isbouts.
WWild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland is a comedy documentary film directed by Ari Sandel and follows the 30-day comedy tour of several stand up comedians. It premiered September 8, 2006, at the Toronto International Film Festival. It opened in wide release in the United States on February 8, 2008.