Documentaries in the Spotlight

I don't agree with everything Michael Moore puts out there, but he certainly has raised the profile for documentary filmmaking.

His "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11" helped give pieces like "Super Size Me" more recognition.

Less well known, but no less worthy, are other documentary films like "Born Into Brothels," which is up for an Academy Award. It's about the children of prostitutes in Calcutta who were given cameras to document their lives.

There's also "Stolen Childhoods," about child labor, which we're going to cover at ED (EthicsDaily.com) soon.

And "Paper Clips" is opening this weekend in Tennessee from Miramax. I screened it last April at the Nashville Film Festival. It's about a school in Tennessee that started to collect paper clips in memory of Holocaust victims. Really a fascinating story.

Just a reminder that some of the best stuff out there isn't what's most heavily advertised.