We don’t like to boast around here, but with the arrival of Black History Month, we want to shout from the rooftops about Durham Tech Libraries’ robust collection of documentary films about famous Black activists, artists, athletes.
Have you seen a movie about New York slam poets?
How about a survey of the history of Black Feminism?
Click “Continue Reading” to see what films we’re talking about!
Blackfish
The filmmaker began researching the lives of orcas in captivity after the death of Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau. Her film offers a powerful and provocative look at a remarkable breed of animals that humans still don’t fully understand, and how the financial interests of water parks and resorts may run counter to the best interests of the animals they put on display.
Dark Girls
Dark Girls is a fascinating and controversial film that goes underneath the surface to explore the prejudices dark-skinned women face throughout the world.
Hungry for Change
This documentary exposes shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food industries don’t want you to know about deceptive strategies designed to keep you coming back for more. Find out what’s keeping you from having the body and health you deserve and how to escape the diet trap forever.
Also: Muscle Shoals, Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life, Head Games, Marley, Undefeated, The Wall: A World Divided, Too Important to Fail, and more!
Fruitvale Station
This drama centered on the tragic shooting of Oscar Grant, a vibrant 22-year-old Bay Area father who was senselessly gunned down by BART officers on New Year’s Day in 2009, and whose murder sent shockwaves through the nation after being captured on camera by his fellow passengers.
12 Years a Slave
Based on the true story of Solomon Northup. It is 1841, and Northup, an accomplished, free citizen of New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery.
Gravity
A heart-pounding thriller that will draw viewers into the infinite and merciless realm of deep space.
Also: Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Philomena, Blue Jasmine, American Hustle, Nebraska, Inside Llewyn Davis, Wolf of Wall Street, and more!
We have added several new documentary films to our library collection. Learn something new! Borrow one today!
Use the online catalog to search our film collection by title or keyword. If you are looking for movies on a particular topic you can search for that topic along with the words “and video” to limit to video titles.
American Teacher
See the stories of four teachers in different areas of the country, revealing the frustrating realities of today’s teachers, the difficulty of attracting talented new educators, and why so many of our best teachers leave the profession altogether. Can we re-value teaching and turn it into a prestigious, financially attractive, and desirable profession?
Bl
ack Power Mixtape
Footage shot by a group of Swedish journalists documenting the Black Power Movement in the United States is edited together by a contemporary Swedish filmmaker.
Half the Sky
Take an unforgettable journey to meet some of the most courageous individuals of our time, who are doing extraordinary work to empower women and girls everywhere. These are stories of heartbreaking challenge, dramatic transformation and enduring hope.
How to Die in Oregon
In 1994, Oregon became the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. Since then, more than 500 Oregonians have taken their mortality into their own hands. Filmmaker Peter Richardson gently enters the lives of the terminally ill as they consider whether–and when–to end their lives by lethal overdose. Richardson examines both sides of the complex, emotionally charged issue. What emerges is a life-affirming, staggeringly powerful portrait of what it means to die with dignity.
The Interrupters
Tells the moving and surprising story of three “violence interrupters” in Chicago who with bravado, humility and even humor try to protect their communities from the violence they once employed.
Invisible War
An investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military.
The Last Mountain
The fight for the last great mountain in America’s Appalachian heartland pits the mining giant that wants to explode it to extract the coal within, against the community fighting to preserve the mountain and build a wind farm on its ridges instead. Robert Kennedy Jr. joins the fight to preserve the mountain.
Louder Than a Bomb
Follows the fortunes of four Chicago-area high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the world’s largest youth slam.
Project Nim
The story of Nim, the chimpanzee who became the focus of a landmark 1970s experiment to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. But as Nim’s natural instincts take over and the humans trusted with his well-being fail to protect him, Project Nim uncovers the unflinching and extraordinary journey of one animal thrust into human society.
Titanic: The Complete Story
This is the most complete chronicle of the Titanic ever created and is filled with survivor interviews, rare newsreel footage, and photos. It’s an incomparable voyage into one of history’s most unforgettable tragedies.