Film & TV
August 6, 2021
How Alvin Ailey Built a World Where Black Dancers Felt Free
A new documentary about the dance visionary from Rogers shows how he nurtured fellow artists—even while pushing them (and himself) relentlessly.
Documentary
Film & TV
August 4, 2021
A New Documentary Pens a Poignant Love Letter to Numbers, a Storied Houston Haunt
‘Friday I’m in Love’ delves into the fascinating history of the former dinner theater, gay disco, and frequent dance party locale.
Film & TV
July 2, 2021
Texas Executed Carlos DeLuna for Murder in 1989. A New Documentary Says He Was Innocent.
The Phantom stylishly portrays what most everybody knows: the 27-year-old Texan didn’t kill Wanda Lopez.
Film & TV
June 25, 2021
A Scintillating but Uneven New Documentary Probes the Life of Trini Lopez, a Legend in Plain Sight
The Dallas native was a live-wire entertainer who never shied away from his Mexican American roots.
Film & TV
March 25, 2021
‘The Last Blockbuster’ Is a Fond Farewell to the Nearly Defunct Video Chain
Each blue VHS box was a transmission from another planet that promised there were others like me somewhere.
Film & TV
March 16, 2021
Hayden Pedigo Ran for Amarillo City Council as a Joke. A New Film Captures Why He Was Worth Taking Seriously.
The then-24-year-old musician’s campaign started as satire and grew into a rare opportunity to change the conversation around local politics.
Film & TV
February 2, 2021
In El Paso, Joining Border Patrol Offers a Rare Path to Financial Security. But for Some Immigrant Kids, It’s Complicated.
The new documentary ‘At the Ready’ follows the members of Horizon High School’s criminal justice club as they train for Border Patrol careers—and grapple with what that means.
The Culture
December 22, 2020
‘Texas 6’ Offers a Glimpse at the State’s Smallest Football Dynasty
The new docuseries follows tiny Strawn High School's six-player football team in its quest for a three-peat.
Film & TV
October 23, 2020
Up Close With One of Texas’s Most Prized Playwrights in a New Documentary
The late Horton Foote, known for his screen adaptation of ’To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is the subject of a movie premiering at this year’s Austin Film Festival.
Film & TV
August 13, 2020
What ‘Boys State’ Says About the Future of Texas Politics
The annual mock-government summer camp—which I attended in 1995—hits the national spotlight thanks to an engaging new documentary.
Film & TV
May 22, 2020
‘AKA Jane Roe’ Finally Gives Norma McCorvey the Nuanced Portrait She Deserves
A new documentary urges viewers to see McCorvey’s essential humanity, not just her role as a symbol in the abortion wars.
Music
May 15, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: ‘The Pushback,’ A Documentary About the State’s Rapidly Changing Political Landscape
Plus, a longread that dives to the deepest places on earth and Molly Burch’s cover of Ariana Grande’s ‘Needy.’
Film & TV
February 5, 2020
The Documentary ‘Boys State’ Delivers a Dose of Political Hope to Our Divisive Age
The Sundance Film Festival award winner follows teenagers from across Texas as they convene in Austin for an immersive lesson in government.
Film & TV
November 15, 2019
A New Documentary Captures Longtime Houston Photographer Ben DeSoto’s Storied Life
‘For Art’s Sake’ delves into the photojournalist’s work documenting local music scenes, poverty, public policy.
Film & TV
October 4, 2019
A New Documentary Exposes the Dark Truth of a West Texas Massacre
'Porvenir, Texas' explores the search for justice after 15 Mexican-Americans were killed at the hands of the Texas Rangers.
Music
September 16, 2019
Ken Burns Talks Waylon, Willie, and How Texas Defined Country Music
The ’Country Music’ documentarian on the Outlaws, forgotten forces, and how Texas country music could bring us all together.
Music
September 3, 2019
Travis Scott’s Documentary Situates Astroworld, and Houston, Front and Center
‘Look Mom I Can Fly’ traces the rapper’s ascent and his efforts to elevate Third Coast hip-hop.
The National Podcast of Texas
September 3, 2019
Janice Engel: “For Molly Ivins, Politics Was About Who’s Getting Screwed And Who’s Doing The Screwing”
On this week’s National Podcast of Texas, a conversation about ‘Raise Hell: The Life and Times of Molly Ivins’ with filmmaker Engel and former Texas agriculture commissioner Jim Hightower.
Film & TV
August 29, 2019
Why We Need Molly Ivins’s Wisdom Now More Than Ever
The director of a new documentary on the inimitable Texas political columnist says there’s much to be learned from her legacy.
Arts & Entertainment
July 29, 2019
Ten Things to Watch That Aren’t the Armie Hammer Toe-Sucking Video
Featuring Selena, a Golden Girls gospel remix, and more.
Film & TV
July 8, 2019
NASA Pioneer Poppy Northcutt Reflects on Her Role in the Apollo Program
New PBS space-race documentary ‘Chasing the Moon’ highlights her challenges as the only woman in Mission Control.
Film & TV
May 28, 2019
New HBO Documentary Offers an Intimate Look at Beto O’Rourke’s Senate Run
A Q&A between filmmaker David Modigliani and Texas Monthly's Eric Benson, who followed O'Rourke for the 2018 'Underdog' podcast.
Music
April 18, 2019
‘Homecoming’ Is Beyoncé’s Ode to the Power and Creativity of Blackness
The Netflix documentary (and surprise album!) offers an unfiltered look at how the Texas singer made music history at Coachella.
Film & TV
April 12, 2019
‘Action’ Producer Bradley Jackson on the Odds of Texas Legalizing Sports Gambling
The documentary filmmaker spent six months investigating the world of gambling from all sides.
Film & TV
April 8, 2019
Beyoncé’s Netflix Documentary Looks Amazing
Queen Bey’s unforgettable 2018 Coachella set gets a feature-length documentary.
Film & TV
March 22, 2019
‘Becoming Leslie’ Pays Homage to Austin’s Beloved—and Complicated—Leslie Cochran
The film, which premiered at SXSW, shares a nuanced perspective of the man behind the leopard-print thong.
Music
March 15, 2019
Texas Monthly Recommends: Traveling the Border via the Film ‘The River and the Wall’
Plus, Tom Morello’s SXSW magic, a cancer researcher celebrated, and hand-painted jean jackets.
Film & TV
March 14, 2019
“Who Let the Dogs Out?” Apparently Austin’s Reagan High School Is to Thank (or Blame) for the Baha Men Hit
A SXSW premiere documentary explores the song’s strangely complex origin story and comes to a surprising conclusion.
Film & TV
March 8, 2019
New Documentary Revives Molly Ivins’s Sharp Wit in the Age of Trump
’Raise Hell,’ which screens at SXSW, introduces the legendary Texas political commentator and humorist to the internet generation.
Film & TV
January 29, 2019
The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘From Tonga’
Filmmaker Huay-Bing Law explores how Tongan immigrants revitalized the local high school football team in Euless.
Film & TV
January 22, 2019
The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘Night at the Dance’
In this 2011 documentary, filmmaker Annie Silverstein chronicles the scene at Sefcik Dance Hall in Seaton, one of the last small-town Texas dance halls remaining.
Film & TV
January 15, 2019
The Texas Film Showcase Presents: ‘Auction’
In this documentary, filmmaker Joel Fendelman captures the auctioneer, attendees, and atmosphere at a small-town cattle auction in Gonzales.
Film & TV
December 17, 2018
Why Did Grand Saline’s Charles Moore Set Himself on Fire? A New Documentary Examines His Case
The documentary, premiering on PBS December 17, looks to the elderly minister's hometown of Grand Saline to uncover why he set himself alight.
Texas History
November 18, 2015
Five Questions With Filmmaker John Paris About the Bubblegum King of McAllen
John Paris’ father, Andy, was one of the most famous men alive in post-WWII America and Mexico—that is, until his bubblegum empire crashed hard.
Film & TV
August 19, 2015
Five Questions With The Director Of Austin’s Public Access Television Documentary
The indie filmmaker is days away from the end of his Kickstarter campaign to tell the story of one of the nation's most vibrant public access television scenes. Here's what he's learned.
Uncategorized
June 8, 2015
Willie Nelson’s Daughter Is Making a Documentary About His 90-Year-Old Roadie
Texas’s favorite octogenarian looks like a spring chicken next to his longest-tenured roadie.
The Daily Post
March 5, 2015
Exclusive Sneak-Peek: The Doug Sahm Documentary
Sir Doug and the Genuine Texas Cosmic Groove, a new film about the legendary Texas musician, will debut at this year’s SXSW.
Music
February 12, 2015
Watch a Short Documentary About Willie Nelson and His Iconic Guitar, Trigger
A short documentary by Rolling Stone, narrated by Woody Harrelson, affirms how essential the Martin classical guitar is to Willie Nelson’s sound and persona.
Film & TV
December 24, 2014
Going Deep
Margaret Brown’s new documentary, The Great Invisible, delves into the human suffering experienced in the wake of the BP oil spill.
Film & TV
December 5, 2014
It Takes a Thief
Filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe discusses “Evolution of a Criminal,” a riveting work of self-examination.
The Culture
April 15, 2014
Revisiting the Dallas Club That Gave Rise to Raves
In the 1980s, The Starck Club was where everyone—gay, straight, conservative and liberal—went to be themselves and to break the rules. With the release of an eponymous documentary, the history of the club is finally being told.
The Daily Post
February 12, 2014
A Blind San Antonio Man Is The World’s Greatest Card Cheat
Just a quick word of advice: Don't get into a three-card-monty game with Richard Turner, the world's greatest card cheat.
Film & TV
March 10, 2013
The Ten Greatest Texas Documentaries
When Texas Monthly created a list of the ten best movies about Texas, they chose to not include documentaries. What gives? So now, just in time for SXSW, a list that applauds the films about the true stories of Texas.
Film & TV
January 21, 2013
Two New Documentaries Focus on Bush 41 and Ann Richards
Political junkies sad the legislature is in an off year can dig their teeth into two new documentaries about Texas politicians premiering this month.
Music
September 30, 2011
Putting the Band Back Together
Thunder Soul, a documentary about the Kashmere High School Stage Band's return to the stage after 35 years, makes a powerful argument for the necessity of arts education.
Sports
December 1, 2010
Beating a Dead Horse
Nearly 25 years after SMU received the death penalty, the Mustangs are finally on the trail to success. But an ESPN documentary reminds us how far the team had fallen thanks to ego, greed, and the religion of football.
Art
March 1, 2009
All in the Family
A new film presents a never-before-seen look at Dominique de Menil in her curatorial element.
The Inside Story
June 30, 1997
Hail, Mary Ellen
For thirty years Mary Ellen Mark has made her name as a documentary photographer by not shying away from tough assignments, whether that means traveling for six months in India to shoot circus folk or infiltrating the world of runaway kids in Seattle. Chronicling life at Abilene’s House of Yahweh