Without much ado, here are my ten favorite out of many documentaries I watched in 2018, in order by year of release. The absolute favorite of all documentaries I watched last year was a re-watch of Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams (1982) about the making of Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo.
Tokyo-Ga (1985) – Directed by Wim Wenders
Subject: Tokyo and director Yasujiro Ozu
The World of Jacques Demy (1995) – Directed by Agnes Varda
Subject: Tribute to the life and films of director Jacques Demy by his wife, director Agnes Varda
The Buena Vista Social Club (1999) – Directed by Wim Wenders
Subject: Legendary pre-Castro Cuban musicians and their revival
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff (2010) – Directed by Craig McCall
Subject: Cinematographer/director Jack Cardiff
And Everything is Going Fine (2010) – Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Subject: Actor/monologist/writer Spalding Grey
… But Film Is My Mistress (2010) – Directed by Stig Bjorkman
Subject: Influence of director Ingmar Bergman on contemporary directors
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (2015) – Directed by Stig Bjorkman
Subject: Intimate look at the actress’s personal life through her home movies, diary entries, letters and through interviews with her children
OJ: Made in America (2016) – Directed by Ezra Edelman
Subject: Career and trial of the football star/actor/accused murderer
Filmworker (2017) – Directed by Tony Zierra
Subject: Career of Stanley Kubrick’s assistant, Leon Vitali
