Movies Similar to Hayao Miyazaki and the Ghibli Museum

River's End: California's Latest Water War(2021)

A documentary that reveals California's complex struggle over who gets fresh water, and how moneyed interests game the system. Constant battling over uncertain water supplies heralds an impending crisis—not just in California, but around the world.

7.5

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Artist Unknown(2017)

A short documentary on how people view art and its value in today's society.

0.0

Lyd(2023)

A sci-fi documentary that follows the rise and fall of Lyd — a 5,000-year-old metropolis that was once a bustling Palestinian town until it was conquered when the State of Israel was established in 1948. As the film unfolds, a chorus of characters creates a tapestry of the Palestinian experience of this city and the trauma left by the massacre and expulsion.

0.0

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller(2002)

Samuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips.

5.8

The Haunting Lodge(2023)

Filmmakers stay at a haunted lodge and find themselves in over their heads when they encounter something otherworldly.

3.0

The Ring Thing(2017)

When Sarah accidentally proposes to her girlfriend in Provincetown, the mixup turns their loving relationship into a minefield of marital exploration.

4.0

The Executive Empress(2019)

The Executive Empress explores the entrepreneurial lives of several Florida women, who have turned their unique passions into successful businesses.

7.0

It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures(2001)

A 60-minute salute to American International Pictures. Entertainment lawyer Samuel Z. Arkoff founded AIP (then called American Releasing Corporation) on a $3000 loan in 1954 with his partner, James H. Nicholson, a former West Coast exhibitor and distributor. The company made its mark by targeting teenagers with quickly produced films that exploited subjects mainstream films were reluctant to tackle.

6.8

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Skin Pics(1980)

A bold reveal of a rose tattoo opens this 1980 documentary on tattooing in New Zealand. The potted history includes visits to tattoo parlours on K' Road and Hastings, and the studios of industry legends Steve Johnson and Roger Ingerton. Tattooists discuss public stigma, people's reasons for getting inked, and popular designs: sailors, serpents, swallows and tā moko. Made for documentary slot Contact, Skin Pics chronicles a time when "folk art has become high art".

0.0

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Signatures of the Soul(1984)

Tattooing — "the world's oldest skin game" — is the subject of this iconic documentary. Writer/director Geoff Steven scored a major coup by signing Easy Rider legend Peter Fonda as his presenter. Travelling to Aotearoa, Samoa, Japan and the United States, the doco traces key developments in tattooing, including its importance in the Pacific, prison-inspired styles, and the influence of 1960s counterculture. Legendary tattooists feature (including Americans Ed Hardy and Jack Rudy), while the closing credits parade some eye-opening full body tattoos.

0.0

Shaolin Kung Fu(1994)

A documentary about Shaolin Kung Fu starring Jet Li

8.0

The Crazy Life(2008)

Reflects a depressing and hopeless reality by following some of the members of "la dieciocho", the so-called 18th Street gang in a poor San Salvador neighborhood.

6.4

Retirement Home(2017)

A group of elders spends their weekdays in a retirement home in Sandim, in the north of Portugal, where they talk, do arts and crafts, practice yoga and pray. We follow them between October 2012 and March 2013, when an economic crisis overshadowed Portuguese society and unemployment rates reached record levels. Meanwhile, arrangements are made for the Carnival ball. Will they bring the first place home this time?

10.0

We Want the Airwaves(2022)

Hollywood is perhaps the most elusive animal. "We Want the Airwaves" follows three first time TV makers who set out on the ultimate adventure: to change television as we know it. The trio creates, films and pitches their advocacy docuseries masterpiece, "Manifesto!" all over the world, with the goal of giving a broadcast voice to a generation.

0.0

Mantrap – Straw Dogs: The Final Cut(2003)

Documentary about the making of Sam Peckinpah's 1971 film "Straw Dogs."

7.0

Cidade Dorme(2023)

Night falls and the noisy and chaotic population of the city of Rio de Janeiro goes to their homes, preparing for a new day. But while most people sleep, how does the city function? Early morning seems, to unaccustomed eyes, something lonely and even scary. What is life like, then, for those who work and live while the city sleeps?

10.0

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The Decline of the Century: Testament L.Z.(1994)

An epic documentary of rise and fall of Ustasha regime in Croatia.

7.5

Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental(2023)

Pixar director Peter Sohn takes viewers on a humorous personal journey through the inspiration behind Disney and Pixar’s feature film “Elemental.” “Good Chemistry: The Story of Elemental” traces his parents’ voyage from Korea to New York, explores his dad’s former grocery shop in the heart of the Bronx, and delves into his choice of a career in animation, rather than the family business.

7.0

The Champion of the World(2019)

Ten years after winning a world title in bodybuilding in Russia and becoming a star of said discipline in Mexico, Antonio Osta (43) leads a life of austerity in the Uruguayan rural town where he grew up. He resides there with his son Juanjo (17), a sensitive teenager who keeps him company and confronts him openly. Suffering from acute kidney disease which keeps him from competing professionally, Antonio is stuck in limbo, halfway between his glorious past and the impossibility of being who he once was. However, he is unwilling to give up his lifestyle, even if it kills him. In an attempt to reinvent himself, and seeking a better future for his son, Antonio plans a comeback to the Mexico bodybuilding scene, where he may relive his glory days.

5.0

The Empire Strikes Door(2019)

A thrilling comedic documentary attempting to uncover the mystery of who is responsible for one of the most infamous bloopers in cinematic history.

8.7