This documentary captures the extraordinary twists and turns in the journeys of Rubik's Cube-solving champions Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs.
The Fittest (2020)
In 2019 the fittest athletes on earth took on the unknown and unknowable during four intense days of competition at the CrossFit Games. "The Fittest " captures all the drama as chiseled athletes descend on Madison, Wisconsin, to face a series of trials. On top of the physical challenges, this year the sport grew from 40 men and women, to over 100 of each. But with this new format came cuts of the field, so for the final half of the weekend, only 10 men and 10 women move on to determine who is the fittest. The best among them enter the pantheon of CrossFit giants and earn the right to call themselves the "Fittest on Earth."
Four Women of Egypt (1997)
Four female friends from Egypt with opposing religious, social, and political views listen to one another's perspectives and argue openly, without ever breaking the bond that unites them.
Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater (2013)
In 1985, former oil rig worker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experimental films to a budding community of cinephiles. Eventually incorporating as a nonprofit, the newly branded Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town filmmaker: James Benning. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, leading to many future encounters. Starting in the 1960s, Benning had been creating low budget films mostly on his own, while Linklater had just begun to craft his first shorts. The filmmakers have remained close even as their careers have diverged. After the cult success of Slacker, Linklater went on to make films with Hollywood support. Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture.
Air Guitar Nation (2006)
If your bedroom has become too small a stage for your air guitar antics, take inspiration from the competitors featured here as they battle their way from the inaugural U.S. Air Guitar Championship to the world championship in Oulu, Finland. Along the way, filmmaker Alexandra Lipsitz documents the fierce rivalries that develop as would-be rock legends vie for top honors in technical accuracy, stage presence and "airness."
Hard Problems (2008)
Hard Problems is about the extraordinary gifted students who represented the United States in 2006 at the world's toughest math competition: The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). It is the story of six American high school students who competed with 500 others from 90 countries in Ljublijana, Slovenia. The film shows the dedication and perseverance of these remarkably talented students, the rigorous preparation they undertake, and the joy they get out of solving challenging math problems. It captures the spirit that infuses the mathematical quest at the highest level.
The Special Need (2014)
28 year old Enea is looking for love - physical love that is. But as the autist he is, living in Italy, this is anything but easy. So he and his best friends Carlo and Alex set out on a journey through Europe and eventually find a lot more than they are looking for.
Scrabylon (2003)
Scrabylon is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed documentary on the cut throat world of tournament SCRABBLE®.
The Comeback (1980)
After an absence of five years, six times Mr Olympia winner Arnold Schwarzenegger makes a comeback and attempts to take the World Body Building Championship for the 7th time.
Pumping Iron (1977)
Amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests as five-time champion Arnold Schwarzenegger defends his Mr. Olympia title against Serge Nubret and the shy young Lou Ferrigno.
Curt (2015)
The story of Curt Harper, a 50-year-old competitive surfer with autism, who has become a well known figure in Southern California's surf scene.
Snack And Drink (2016)
In this short film, filmmakers Bob Sabiston and Tommy Pallotta accompany Ryan, a six-foot-tall, 13-year-old autistic boy, to a local convenience store to purchase a "snack and drink".
The Armstrong Lie (2013)
In 2009, Alex Gibney was hired to make a film about Lance Armstrong’s comeback to cycling. The project was shelved when the doping scandal erupted, and re-opened after Armstrong’s confession. The Armstrong Lie picks up in 2013 and presents a riveting, insider's view of the unraveling of one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of sports. As Lance Armstrong says himself, “I didn’t live a lot of lies, but I lived one big one.”
2013 NBA Champions: Miami Heat (2013)
In June of 2012, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat made good on a promise to deliver a championship to the basketball fans of South Florida. It seemed unlikely that they would ever be able to match the drama and the intensity of that title run in an encore performance. But this was no ordinary basketball team. From the opening night of the 2012-13 NBA season, the Heat were determined to prove that not only were they up for the daunting challenge to repeat as champs but they were also destined to become one of the most successful and celebrated teams in history. No one could have anticipated the breathtaking 27 game winning streak that would catapult the Miami Heat into one of the biggest stories of the year. And after sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks, dispatching the Chicago Bulls and outlasting the Indiana Pacers, Miami would take home their second consecutive title after an epic seven game series with the San Antonio Spurs.
Strength Wars (2021)
Strength Wars: The Movie follows the lives of eight athletes preparing for the ultimate strength competition. The prize? To be labeled the strongest man in the world. Putting two different types of athletes against each other, Strength Wars is the ultimate proving ground to test any given athlete's true strength. Eight athletes. Eight athletic disciplines. One winner. The film highlights eight men from across the globe including Larry Wheels, Terron Beckham, Blaine Sumner, NDO Champ, Big Neechi, Jerry Pritchett, Anabolic Horse, and Leonidas Arkona. Welcome to Strength Wars. May the best man win.
Blush: An Extraordinary Voyage (2022)
For 18-year-old Finnish–Kosovan Fatu, a simple visit to the grocery store feels as nerve-racking as a lunar expedition: for the first time in his life, he’s wearing makeup in public. Luckily his best friend Rai, a young woman on the spectrum of autism, is there to ferociously support him through the voyage.
MsC: The Movie (2006)
If you liked Jackass, Superbad and the Titanic, you'll shit your pants over this fairy tale. 4 years in the making, this film documents a group of young men as they take their first steps into high school and follows their questionable behaviour until graduating night. Some crazy fucking shit goes down. Honest…
White Rock (1977)
British documentary filmmaker and producer Tony Maylam reinvigorated the sports documentary genre with WHITE ROCK, an idiosyncratic and utterly engaging account of the XII Olympic Winter Games Innsbruck 1976. He did so by placing music (by organ and synth wunderkind Rick Wakeman) front and center, and by using Hollywood star James Coburn as a "guide for the uninitiated."
When We Were Kings (1996)
It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.