Nerdcore Rising is a documentary/concert film starring MC Frontalot, and various other nerdcore hip hop artists such as mc chris, Wheelie Cyberman of Optimus Rhyme and MC Lars with contributors such as “Weird Al” Yankovic, Prince Paul and Brian Posehn. The film, directed and produced by Negin Farsad, premiered at the 2008 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. It combines interviews about nerdcore and its origins with footage of MC Frontalot’s 2006 Nerdcore Rising national tour. You can currently see the full video on Netflix Instant.

Overnight is a 2003 documentary follows a 4 year journey into the rise and fall of director/musician Troy Duffy, as he attempts to create his cult classic 1999 film, The Boondock Saints. See the rise and fall of one man turned bartender into filmmaker overnight in this true to life rags-to-riches-to-rags story. Watch the full length documentary on Netflix Instant. Directed by Tony Montana and Mark Brian Smith.

A Life Without Pain is a documentary film by Melody Gilbert about children who can’t feel pain. The film explores the daily lives of three children with Congenital insensitivity to pain, a rare genetic disorder shared by just a hundred people in the world. Three-year-old Gabby from Minnesota, 7-year-old Miriam from Norway and 10-year-old Jamilah from Germany have to be carefully guarded by their parents so they don’t suffer serious, life-altering injuries. The film can be seen in full on Netflix Instant.

Above is a clip from the documentary “Modify.” You can watch the full version of the documentary on Netflix Instant.

Modify is probably the most honest take on body modification I’ve seen so far. There a few people in the documentary that are able to talk about modification inteligently which I think is worth seeing.

Very Young Girls is a documentary film about the sex exploitation industry in New York, revealing misconceptions about the type of woman who sells her body and the serious yet highly ignored problem on urban streets today.  

This may sound naive, but I had no idea so many prostitutes were girls as young as 12 years old. I suppose I never factored age into the equation, simply just assumed many were drug addicts “hoing” to support their addictions. I was wrong.  In fact, the Department of Justice estimates the most frequent age of entry into the commercial sex industry in the United States is 12-14 years old.

Using footage from actual pimps who filmed their rides with the idea that they may someday score a TV deal, filmmaker David Schisgall exposes the pimps for what they really are – dangerous and sleazy kidnappers who take girls from the streets and sweet-talk them into “making them money.” At the time, these girls feel special as if they’ve snagged an older boyfriend turned father figure who loves them. He may go by “daddy,” but he’s no father.

What this film does really well is give a voice to the survivors, young girls who left “the life” yet remain so lost, confused and conflicted about leaving their pimp despite the constant beatings, gang rapes, and abuse they endure. There are moments that are incredibly sad to watch, particularly the brutally honest and courageous interviews, but there are moments of hope and redemption as well, which make this film that more powerful. 

Many of these women feel hopeless and alone. They want to get out, but fear their lives won’t be much different if they go back home. In New York, these girls can find refuge in Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS), a non-profit “committed to ending commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking of children by changing individual lives, transforming public perception, and revolutionizing the systems and policies that impact sexually exploited youth.”

It was really inspiring to see GEMS in action. It’s a small organization, but it’s making a difference in so many lives. Support is necessary when confronting such a problem, but changing, we learn, is a two-way street. With any sort of rehabilitation, these women have to meet GEMS halfway and make the commitment to change their lives. Throughout the film we see some succeed and some fail.

Very Young Girls is running on Showtime this month, but if you have access to Netflix you can watch this film instantly. I’d highly recommend it. 

If you’d like to support GEMS, you can make a financial donation through Network for Good.

This documentary is available on Netflix Instant.