Buzz
For our loyal readers, it’s no secret that we have a profound admiration for the art of documentary filmmaking.
Since its establishment in 2013, Vocativ has carved out a niche as a news platform that delves into the depths of the internet to uncover gripping narratives. The outcome is a collection of extraordinary documentaries. These bite-sized films, often under 10 minutes, deliver powerful stories that are both succinct and enlightening.
10. Blood Rites: The Price Of Fame
While many dream of achieving superstardom, few are willing to endure the sacrifices required. The journey to the top for actors and athletes often involves relentless effort, personal sacrifices, and an unwavering commitment to their craft.
Alternatively, they resort to beheading chickens. This method, according to Hotman Predator, is equally effective.
A Ugandan artist, who might want to rethink his stage name, Predator aspires to be the next sensation in East African pop music. This is where witchcraft, or 'doggo,' plays a crucial role. As depicted in Blood Rites: The Price of Fame, aspiring stars in Uganda often seek the assistance of a local witch doctor to boost their careers.
Achieving top-tier celebrity status in Uganda often requires appeasing the spirits through sacrifices, which typically involve a significant amount of blood. Viewer discretion is advised, as the latter part of the documentary contains graphic content. Those with a weak stomach might want to avoid this one, as it’s not for the faint-hearted.
9. Prison Pageant
Vocativ has created several impactful prison documentaries in recent years, including The Real Orange is the New Black. This five-minute film offers a heartfelt glimpse into prison life, featuring interviews with a pregnant inmate and scenes from the laundry room. Despite its brevity, it provides a moving portrayal of the monotonous environment within California’s prison system, complete with orange jumpsuits and stark white walls.
Life inside a South American prison, however, offers a more vibrant and unconventional experience.
The documentary Prison Pageant provides a fascinating glimpse into one of the most unusual beauty pageants in the world, held within the confines of a prison. At Colombia’s largest women’s penitentiary, inmates from different cell blocks compete for the title of the facility’s top beauty queen. With assistance from volunteer stylists, these women, many of whom are convicted of theft or drug-related crimes, don glamorous dresses and respond to thought-provoking questions such as, 'What lessons has prison taught you?'
The event is nothing short of surreal. Contestants perform dances dressed as princesses or even cats. Oddly enough, someone appears in a Goofy costume, and the decorations seem like they’ve been plucked from the strangest fairy tale imaginable. (Watch for the gnomes riding deer.) The audience enthusiastically cheers as if they’re at a major sporting event. While a Colombian prison may rank among the harshest places on Earth, its inmates certainly know how to entertain.
8. The Masked Men Of Lucha Libre
Every country has its unique form of combat. England is known for bare-knuckle boxing, South Korea for tae kwon do, and in Tijuana, Mexico, locals gather to watch masked wrestlers take on furry dwarves and characters resembling Shrek. And honestly? It’s absolutely thrilling.
The Masked Men of Lucha Libre offers an up-close exploration of one of Mexico’s most electrifying sports. For the uninitiated, lucha libre is a dramatic spectacle combining morality tales with high-flying flips, powerful kicks, and intense body slams. The Tecnicos (heroes) clash with the Rudos (villains) in a breathtaking showcase of skill and agility. Despite their whimsical costumes, their athletic prowess is nothing short of extraordinary.
The documentary shines a spotlight on Damien 666 and Bestia 666, a father-son duo who, as their names suggest, play the villains. Entering the ring, they resemble outcasts from a KISS tribute band, but in reality, they’re ordinary men wrestling to support their families. For them, it’s more than just a career—it’s a legacy. Wrestling runs through their veins, and the physical toll is evident on their bodies.
Damien’s body is marked by gruesome scars, the result of barbed wire and broken glass frequently used in matches. Reflecting on his son’s decision to follow in his footsteps, Damien confesses, “I cried because I knew he would inherit all of this—the pain, the scars, everything.”
Even though the matches are prearranged, the profession is far from easy. The bloodshed is genuine, promoters are often dishonest, and the wrestlers train as rigorously as UFC fighters. When they perform in front of roaring audiences, these masked athletes outshine even the most skilled MMA competitors.
7. Camouflage Is The New Black
In many nations, combat roles have traditionally been dominated by men. However, the US is shifting this narrative, with the government announcing plans to fully integrate women into combat positions by 2016. While this is a significant step, the US is merely catching up to regions like the Middle East, where women have been actively participating in combat for years.
Consider the Female Peshmerga Fighters, for instance. These all-women units are trained in using AK-47s and RPGs to protect Iraqi Kurdistan from ISIS threats. For an even more remarkable example, look no further than Caracal, Israel’s mixed-gender military unit, where men and women train, march, and fight side by side.
In Camouflage is the New Black, Vocativ documents the Caracal unit’s operations along the Sinai border. Both men and women conduct joint patrols and train together on the firing range. Should an enemy attack occur, every soldier, regardless of gender, is ready to engage—proficiency with a machine gun is what truly matters.
6. The Material Boys Of South Africa
We’ve previously explored several intriguing subcultures, such as the Tokyo Rockabillies and Elevator Enthusiasts, but one of the most flamboyant can be found in South Africa. Known as “Izikhothane,” a term meaning “bragging,” these individuals place immense importance on their appearance and public image.
These “material boys” are obsessed with fashion, favoring the most extravagant and expensive outfits. They splurge on high-end shirts and shoes, parading through the streets in their bold ensembles. Dressed in Armani T-shirts and Sfarzo Couture jeans, they aim to project an image of affluence and influence, a striking contrast in a nation where many of their peers struggle with unemployment.
However, their appeal goes beyond just wearing flashy attire. What makes the Izikhothane truly captivating are their dramatic public confrontations. Rival groups gather in parks, hurling insults about each other’s fashion choices and mocking their rivals’ style. The tension escalates until the dancing begins.
The gang members start moving and grooving, all while deliberately ruining their expensive outfits. Amidst cheering onlookers, they stomp on their shoes, dance over costly food, and, as one observer noted, even “rip up their money.” This bizarre display serves as both a bold fashion statement and a defiant act against poverty, earning them admiration from their peers and disapproval from older generations.
5. The Busiest Morgue On The Mexican Border
Working in a morgue is undoubtedly a grim job, particularly along the Mexican-American border. Each year, countless individuals attempting to cross into the US find themselves in perilous situations. As border security tightens, smugglers lead migrants through treacherous desert areas to evade detection, often resulting in tragic deaths from dehydration.
Many of these bodies end up at the Pima County Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. Known as “the busiest morgue on the Mexican border,” the facility has processed over 2,000 bodies since its inception (as of early 2014 when this documentary was released). More than 800 of these remains remain unidentified—individuals stripped of their futures and their identities.
As the Vocativ team tours the medical center, the camera captures rows upon rows of body bags, filled with fragments of skulls and spines. In interviews, medical staff describe how some bodies arrive mummified and how they had to construct an additional cold storage room to accommodate the influx of corpses. The most chilling moment, however, comes in the final scene, revealing the fate of those who were never identified.
4. Adventures In Nollywood
While Hollywood boasts massive budgets and A-list stars, Nollywood reigns supreme when it comes to producing films in under a week. As the second-largest film industry globally, surpassed only by India, Nigeria releases an astonishing 40 movies weekly.
Curious about their rapid production process, Vocativ traveled to Nigeria with a screenplay in hand to document the creation of a Nollywood film. The result is a brief yet captivating glimpse into African filmmaking, an industry that prioritizes speed above all else. Sorry, Richard Linklater, this isn’t your kind of filmmaking.
Filming in Nigeria comes with challenges that Hollywood directors likely never encounter. While American filmmakers rely on consistent electricity, Nollywood crews must haul their own generators due to Nigeria’s unreliable power supply. With limited budgets, they can’t afford to construct sets, so they improvise by borrowing local homes or shooting in public spaces. Adding to the chaos are the notorious traffic jams. In one instance, Nigerian producer Eke Ume spends two hours traveling just 30 kilometers (18 miles).
While Nollywood films may lack high-end camera quality or sophisticated sound design, and their actors earn nowhere near Johnny Depp’s salary, there’s something remarkable about completing a movie in just 29 hours despite these hurdles. The dedication of these filmmakers is extraordinary, leaving one to imagine what they could achieve with more resources and time.
3. Slumdog Editor
Vocativ has produced numerous documentaries about India, from the chilling Interview with a Hangman to the eye-opening Slumming It: Tourism in India’s Shanty Towns. However, we’re concluding this list on an uplifting note with a story about the world’s most inspiring newspaper.
Headquartered in New Delhi, Balaknama is a newspaper entirely managed by children. Two of its leading reporters are just 14 years old, and the editor-in-chief is a 16-year-old girl—an impressive feat in a country often criticized for its treatment of women.
The young journalists at Balaknama aren’t focused on celebrity scandals or sports updates. These teenagers are on a mission to highlight the struggles of India’s street children—those who wash cars, prepare meals, and sift through trash. They interview children battling drug addiction and living in dire conditions, aiming to amplify their voices and share their stories with the world.
2. The Village Of Stolen Kidneys
Previously, we’ve covered stories of unethical surgeons profiting from organ trafficking, such as Amit “Dr. Horror” Kumar, who deceived poor laborers into selling their kidneys. However, this time, we’re shifting our focus to the victims residing in The Village of Stolen Kidneys.
In Hokshe, Nepal, a village of 300 people, approximately 70 have been swindled into selling their kidneys. The reason is clear: extreme poverty. The villagers lack electricity, cook over open flames, and live in homes devoid of basic furnishings. When brokers arrive offering money, the desperate villagers find it hard to resist, especially when faced with hunger.
To make matters worse, these criminals employ deceitful tactics, including false claims about human biology, to convince villagers to part with their organs. Even after the surgery, the victims receive only a fraction of the promised payment.
Selling a kidney comes with more than just financial consequences. The Village of Stolen Kidneys highlights Ram Kumar Dai, a resident of Hokshe, whose choice to sell his kidney has impacted his health and social standing. As he recounts his experience, Dai’s face reflects deep regret, and he eventually walks away from the interview, overwhelmed by emotion. Like many in Hokshe, he’s trapped in a system where the wealthy exploit the poor as a source of organs.
1. The House Where China’s Babies Are Abandoned
The building is painted a cheerful pink, adorned with cartoon characters and red hearts, but this small structure is one of the most heartbreaking places in the world. Located in Jinan, it’s a baby hatch, one of over 30 such facilities across China. These are not whimsical cottages but places where parents come to abandon their children.
China faces a significant issue with child abandonment. The narrator explains that approximately 10,000 babies are left on the streets annually, most of whom do not survive.
To address this tragic problem, the Chinese government has established baby hatches nationwide. Parents can safely leave their infants in these facilities by placing them in a crib and pressing a button. A nurse then arrives to take the child to an orphanage. While the process seems straightforward, the emotional toll is evident, especially when watching the mother in the documentary’s opening scene. Giving up a child is anything but easy.
Many parents who resort to baby hatches are in such dire financial straits that they cannot provide for their children, as seen with the father interviewed toward the film’s conclusion. He exhausted his life savings attempting to treat his infant, who was born with multiple health complications, but the mounting medical expenses became insurmountable. However, the most devastating moment comes at the end, revealing a shocking and deeply tragic truth.
