Our online editor Caitlin Tilley ranks her top six documentary picks to keep you entertained over the Easter holidays.
1. The Imposter
My all-time favourite documentary film, The Imposter will stay with you long after you have finished watching. A gripping tale which is hard to believe is true, this documentary follows the disappearance and then apparent discovery of a 13-year-old Texan boy. If the constant twists and turns do not give you chills, then the ending sure will.
2. Senna
Senna is a 2010 British documentary that depicts the life and death of Brazilian motor-racer Ayrton Senna. A fast-paced film which follows the three-time Formula One champion and Brazil’s national hero, before he suffered an untimely death at age 34.
3. Amy
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life, career and death of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. The documentary tells the tragic tale from charismatic teen to troubled star, looking at both her personal and professional life and her gradual downward spiral.
4. Touching the Void
In 1985, two young climbers, Joe Simpson (Brendan Mackey) and Simon Yates (Nicholas Aaron), embark on the treacherous descent down the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes – then catastrophe hits when Simpson breaks his leg in a fall, leaving Yates to lower him painstakingly with ropes. When a storm threatens both their lives, Yates must decide whether to cut the rope and risk Simpson’s likely death, in order to give himself a chance of survival.
5. My Scientology Movie
Louis Theroux is back once again to dig up the truths after being denied admittance into the Church of Scientology’s headquarters. In classic Theroux style with confrontation and humour galore, Louis ventures to expose the hidden inner workings of the mysterious organisation.
6. Exit Through the Gift Shop
A 2010 British documentary film, directed by street artist Banksy, which tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a Los Angeles-based Frenchman who videotapes various underground art escapades, and later is transformed into an art phenomenon dubbed “Mr Brainwash”. In this documentary, where the line between what is real and what might be fake blurs, as modern art and celebrity overlap and are put under the microscope.