SEE THE REAL WORLD THROUGH A NEW LENS

You’re always saying you’ll turn off the buddy cop dramas and watch more meaningful cinema. Now’s your chance. Our list of gripping documentaries, from the silent era to right now. Plus, ballet, theatre, art

This 2020 documentary puts forward new facts about the murder of civil rights leader Malcom X, that resulted in the reopening of the case 54 years on. Directors Rachel Dretzin and Phil Bertelsen follow the work of Abdurrahman Muhammad, a historian and tour guide in Washington, DC, who investigated the assassination for 30 years. Watch the film on Netflix.

This 2010 film by American documentary maker Michael P Nash attempts to examine the consequences of countries running out of food and water as a result of natural disasters associated with climate change. The story builds, with inputs from activists, politicians and local populations in areas already hit by rising sea levels and storms of growing frequency and intensity, as the filmmaking team travels across 48 countries. Watch it on Mubi.

Plays from the UK’S National Theatre (youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre): The UK’S preeminent theatre body is running the National Theatre At Home campaign on its Youtube channel. Through April and May, it will stream one play every Thursday. They’re starting with One Man, Two Guvnors (a lovely chance to see a young James Corden). There’s also Jane Eyre, Treasure Island and Twelfth Night on the cards. Plays stream at 7pm GMT, which is roughly 12.30am on Friday mornings

SPECIAL MENTION

British filmmaker Asif Kapadia’s 2010 documentary on the Brazilian motor-racing champion Ayrton Senna was made for everyone, sports fan or not. The struggle for safety, the complex dynamics of competitive sport and big money — it all makes for a riveting watch. Senna is available on Youtube.

The NGMA virtual tour (ngmaindia.gov.in): The National Gallery of Modern Art, with chapters in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, is offering a level-by-level virtual tour of their expansive Delhi space. Scroll through to find works by masters like Amrita Sher-gil and Jamini Roy, Company Period paintings, miniatures, sculpture.

Text by Dipanjan Sinha and Rachel Lopez