These documentary films are about making many art projects and crafts for political movements, culture reclaiming, social messages or for the art of the craft. These are the thoughts that people have had about the work they make on film. There are no photos used because they are documentaries.
Yarn (2016)
This is a nice documentary about knitting, crocheting and making yarn for crafting. The people in this documentary use yarn for crafting, political activism, artistic expression, theatrical props and for fun.
This has a lot of large street scale projects that show off how fun making some projects can be and small projects that showcase what a small business of artisans can do with yarn. There were some political activism and yarn.
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (2011)
This film follows a sushi maker at an Osaka subway station. This is a beautiful documentary that talks about Jiro’s life, career and search for perfection. But the film also focuses on his eldest son who still works for him at 50 in his father’s shadow. It’s one of those feel-good stories about working hard at a craft and seeing the payoff to the customer while knowing all the time, energy and life that went into that piece of sushi.
For the film: Google Play, Amazon Prime or on DVD/Bluray
Mermaids (2017)
This documentary is about a group of women of diverse backgrounds coming together to perform and hang out at beaches as mermaids. The participants of the documentary talk about why they dress up as the fictional fined creature of the sea. For instance, they talk about positive experiences and a sense of belonging when they are dressed up. There are discussions about how they make their fins to slide into and fit their body types.
Originally found on Tubi
The Love Of Beer (2011)
A highly revered documentary about crafting beer. The follows the growth of female-led breweries, the accolades and becoming an influence in the craft beer world. It goes through the stereotypes of being a woman in a beer-making marketplace, lifestyle changes, raising families and fame.
Originally found on Vimeo, Tubi and Google Play
Men Of Cloth (2014)
Three Italian tailors discuss their pride, devotion and mastery of making custom-tailored suits in their twilight years. The discussions of tailoring and their apprentices watching over them to construct the suits are more of an emotional discussion than a technical breakdown.
Can be found on Amazon Prime
Qatuwas – People Gathering Together (1997)
This documentary is not as long as the other films on the list but discusses the importance of traditions and creating carved canoes by reclaiming their heritage. In the 1980s, the First Nations people of the Northwest Territory in British Columbia started to carve canoes to take into the water. In 1993 in the documentary, they celebrate the completion of the canoe during the Qatuwas festival. The people in the documentary describe the creation of the canoes and canoeing in them their connections it has with their past, the cultural significance and the struggles to keep traditions alive.
Originally found on the National Film Board of Canada
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These documentary films are about making many art projects and crafts for political movements, culture reclaiming, social messages or for the art of the craft. These are the thoughts that people have had about the work they make on film. There are no photos used because they are documentaries.
Yarn (2016)
This is a nice documentary about knitting, crocheting and making yarn for crafting. The people in this documentary use yarn for crafting, political activism, artistic expression, theatrical props and for fun.
This has a lot of large street scale projects that show off how fun making some projects can be and small projects that showcase what a small business of artisans can do with yarn. There were some political activism and yarn.
For more information: http://www.yarnfilm.com/
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (2011)
This film follows a sushi maker at an Osaka subway station. This is a beautiful documentary that talks about Jiro’s life, career and search for perfection. But the film also focuses on his eldest son who still works for him at 50 in his father’s shadow. It’s one of those feel-good stories about working hard at a craft and seeing the payoff to the customer while knowing all the time, energy and life that went into that piece of sushi.
For the film: Google Play, Amazon Prime or on DVD/Bluray
Mermaids (2017)
This documentary is about a group of women of diverse backgrounds coming together to perform and hang out at beaches as mermaids. The participants of the documentary talk about why they dress up as the fictional fined creature of the sea. For instance, they talk about positive experiences and a sense of belonging when they are dressed up. There are discussions about how they make their fins to slide into and fit their body types.
Originally found on Tubi
The Love Of Beer (2011)
A highly revered documentary about crafting beer. The follows the growth of female-led breweries, the accolades and becoming an influence in the craft beer world. It goes through the stereotypes of being a woman in a beer-making marketplace, lifestyle changes, raising families and fame.
Originally found on Vimeo, Tubi and Google Play
Men Of Cloth (2014)
Three Italian tailors discuss their pride, devotion and mastery of making custom-tailored suits in their twilight years. The discussions of tailoring and their apprentices watching over them to construct the suits are more of an emotional discussion than a technical breakdown.
Can be found on Amazon Prime
Qatuwas – People Gathering Together (1997)
This documentary is not as long as the other films on the list but discusses the importance of traditions and creating carved canoes by reclaiming their heritage. In the 1980s, the First Nations people of the Northwest Territory in British Columbia started to carve canoes to take into the water. In 1993 in the documentary, they celebrate the completion of the canoe during the Qatuwas festival. The people in the documentary describe the creation of the canoes and canoeing in them their connections it has with their past, the cultural significance and the struggles to keep traditions alive.
Originally found on the National Film Board of Canada
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