Essential films for photographers

An examination of the life and work of the revered and controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe.

INSTANT DREAMS tells the story of a group of scientist who are trying to unravel the chemical formula of Polaroid and the Polaroid-users that eagerly await its rebirth. Each in their own way tries to keeps their instant dream alive.

Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscapes due to industrial work and manufacturing.

A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

A profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.

A documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.

A film centering on the life and work of Ron Galella that examines the nature and effect of paparazzi.

Exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals.

The story of three lost boxes known as the Mexican Suitcase that were recovered in 2007. The boxes, misplaced in the chaos at the start of WWII, contained many of the Spanish Civil War negatives by the legendary photographer Robert Capa and fellow photographers Gerda Taro and David "Chim" Seymour.

A documentary on art-scene commentator Paul Hasegawa-Overacker's relationship with enigmatic photographer Cindy Sherman.

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the worldÕs greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.

A documentary that examines the relationship between celebrity and society.

To many, Don McCullin is the greatest living war photographer, often cited as an inspiration for today's photojournalists. For the first time, McCullin speaks candidly about his three-decade career covering wars and humanitarian disasters on virtually every continent and the photographs that often defined historic moments. From 1969 to 1984, he was the Sunday Times of London's star photographer, where he covered stories from the civil war in Cyprus to the war in Vietnam, from the man-made famine in Biafra to the plight of the homeless in the London of the swinging sixties. Exploring not only McCullin's life and work, but how the ethos of journalism has changed throughout his career, the film is a commentary on the history of photojournalism told through the lens of one of its most acclaimed photographers.

"So There You Go" features an on camera interview with Ms. Leibovitz who offers viewers her own perspective on her life's work as well as insight into her family and friends. The film provides a comprehensive overview of 40 years of Ms. Leibovitz's photographs. Annie Leibovitz began her career as a photojournalist for Rolling Stone in 1970, while she was still a student at the San Francisco Art Institute. Her pictures have appeared regularly on magazine covers ever since, and her large and distinguished body of work encompasses some of the most well-known portraits of our time.

A documentary shot over a decade with unprecedented access to photographer Gregory Crewdson that bares the artist's process.

Photographer Spencer Tunick travels the U.S. in search of volunteers to pose nude for his outlaw photo-shoots, all of them done out in public and often without legal permits. This documentray chronicles Tunick's logistic nightmares, his brushes with the law, and the free-spirit-volunteers who discard their inhibitions for his artistic vision, and their own personal concepts of self-gratification