Portside

In this searing exposé on the state of democracy in America and the fracturing of the Republican Party, Academy Award®-nominated directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water; co-producers of Fahrenheit 9/11 & Bowling for Columbine) follow the money behind the rise of the Tea Party. CITIZEN KOCH investigates the impact of unlimited, anonymous spending by corporations and billionaires on the electoral process, featuring stories of life-long Republicans whose loyalty is tested when their families become collateral damage in the GOP fight to take organized labor out at the knees. Alternately terrifying and funny, CITIZEN KOCH is an essential and powerful portrait of our political times.

"Daddy I Do" examines Abstinence-Only Education versus Comprehensive Sex Education in America and its influence on the rates of teen pregnancies, abortions, and STDs, as well as poverty and sexual abuse. Directed by Cassie Jaye. Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the 2010 Cannes Independent Film Festival. DVD available here.

This movie  transports us to the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. Muscle Shoals has inspired some of the most important and resonant songs of all time. At its heart is Rick Hall, who founded FAME Studios. Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, Hall brought black and white together in Alabama's cauldron of racial hostility to create music for the generations. Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals' magnetism and mystery.

Jon Favreau wrote the script and heads a scintillating cast in Chef. Carl Casper suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman). In Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen—and zest for life and love. (Correction: an earlier version incorrectly identified the scriptwriter Jon Favreau as the same Jon Favreau who was a White House speechwriter. -- moderator.)

Chris Hegedus' and D.A. Pennebaker's films include Don't Look Back with Bob Dylan, The War Room chronicling Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign, and Startup.com shot during the Internet’s first boom and bust. These are stories about passionate people who took risks that changed history. They believe their new film, Unlocking the Cage, is just such a story. For the past two years they have been following an animal rights lawyer, Steve Wise, who is attempting to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. Help crowd-source this film project here.

In The Unknown Known, Academy Award-winning director Errol Morris (The Fof of War) offers a mesmerizing portrait of Donald Rumsfeld, who served as George W. Bush's secretary of defense and as the principal architect of the Iraq War.

A stunning documentary of the appalling waste, and shameless collusive practices that are the inner workings of the $50 billion a year U.S. family law industry.

Gollum is digital, and he may be the biggest star of the new Hobbit blockbuster. Here's how he was brought to life.

A movie (1964) by the Italian Communist Pier Paolo Pasolini, retelling the story of Jesus Christ, from birth to resurrection. For more Alt-Xmas music, go here and here.

From Jehane Noujaim, acclaimed director of Control Room, Startup.com, Rafea: Solar Mama, a documentary about the Egyptian revolution behind the headlines. Follow a group of activists in Tahrir Square, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience. Check here for screenings.