This film is part of Rentals
20 Feet from Stardom
This moving documentary shines a spotlight on the backing singers behind some of the great musical hits of the 21st century.
Documentary 2013 87 mins
Director: Morgan Neville
Overview
Millions know their voices, but no one knows their names. This moving documentary shines a spotlight on the backing singers – largely of African descent – who were behind some of the great musical hits of the 21st century. Triumphant and heartbreaking in equal measure, the film reflects on the conflicts, sacrifices and rewards of the backing singer.
infrequent strong languageRelated
Documentary
Henry Glassie: Field Work Henry Glassie: Field Work
Documentary 2019 105 mins Director: Pat Collins
Director Pat Collins’ sublime portrait of the renowned American folklorist and ethnologist, Henry Glassie, who has spent a half century documenting the artistic processes of traditional craftspeople.
He Dreams of Giants He Dreams of Giants
Documentary 2020 83 mins Director: Keith Fulton
Terry Gilliam battles with obsession and self-doubt in this poignant, insightful documentary on the making of his long-anticipated screen adaptation of Don Quixote.
Billie Billie
Documentary 2019 98 mins Director: James Erskine
Part film-noir, part tragedy, this mesmerising documentary uncovers the true life of the legendary Billie Holiday.
Stray Stray
Documentary 2020 72 mins Director: Elizabeth Lo
A soulful new voice emerges in Elizabeth Lo’s evocative award-winning debut documentary, which details life on the streets of Istanbul from the perspective of the city’s stray dogs.
The Earth Asleep The Earth Asleep
Documentary 2021 80 mins Director: Clara Casian
Poignant film by artist filmmaker Clara Casian addressing the aftermath and extreme trauma of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché
Documentary 2021 96 mins Director: Celeste Bell
The death of punk icon and X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene sends her daughter on a journey through her mother’s archives in this intimate documentary.
African Odysseys
Pili Pili
Drama 2018 81 mins Director: Leanne Welham
An HIV+ mother has a chance to turn her life around when she's offered a market stall, in Leanne Welham's extraordinary drama.
Rafiki Rafiki
Drama 2018 83 mins Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Romantic sparks fly between the daughters of two opposing politicians in Wanuri Kahiu’s neon-bright story of forbidden love in Kenya.
Premature Premature
Drama 2019 90 mins Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Budding writer Ayanna’s life is transformed over the course of one hot Harlem summer, when a handsome and mysterious stranger walks into her life.
Farming Farming
Drama 2018 107 mins Director: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
A fostered Nigerian boy growing up in Essex loses all sense of identity and joins a racist skinhead gang. Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Oz, Lost) directs this powerful drama based on his own, extraordinary upbringing.
The Day Shall Come The Day Shall Come
Comedy 2018 88 mins Director: Christopher Morris
An impoverished Miami preacher is lured into terrorism by the FBI, in the latest explosive satire from comedy genius Chris Morris.
Talking about Trees Talking about Trees
Documentary 2019 94 mins Director: Suhaib Gasmelbari
Beautifully shot documentary about four members of the 'Sudanese Film Club' who decide to revive an old cinema.
New
Henry Glassie: Field Work Henry Glassie: Field Work
Documentary 2019 105 mins Director: Pat Collins
Director Pat Collins’ sublime portrait of the renowned American folklorist and ethnologist, Henry Glassie, who has spent a half century documenting the artistic processes of traditional craftspeople.
A Common Crime [Un crimen común] A Common Crime [Un crimen común]
Drama 2020 96 mins Director: Francisco Márquez
There are echoes of Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman in this gripping tale of class divisions and ethical responsibility in contemporary Argentina.
Sequin in a Blue Room Sequin in a Blue Room
Drama 2019 80 mins Director: Samuel Van Grinsven
Sexual obsessions spiral dangerously out of control in this altogether different coming-of-age tale.
T11 Incomplete T11 Incomplete
Drama 2020 104 mins Director: Suzanne Guacci
Past mistakes haunt the present and threaten a new love affair between an older woman and her patient in this compelling melodrama.
Minari Minari
Drama 2020 116 mins Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Lee Isaac Chung's sweeping story of a Korean-American family in search of the American Dream, winner of two Sundance prizes and now nominated for six Academy Awards.
Zana Zana
Drama 2019 96 mins Director: Antoneta Kastrati
Haunted by her long-suppressed past, a Kosovar woman struggles to reconcile the expectations of motherhood with a legacy of wartime brutality.