A Documentary Film Fest In the Comfort of Home

Are you a movie buff who would love to visit Sundance or Tribeca but just can't swing a visit to one of those big film festivals? Then the Docurama Film Festival I might be just the ticket for you.

Docurama, a label dedicated to bringing documentary films to the home entertainment market, has selected 10 films (available for $26.95 each or as a complete set for $229.95) and created a Web site, http://docuramafilmfestival.com/ , designed to foster a festival experience in the comfort of your home. The site includes blogs, Q&A's, podcasts and more.

Obviously there's no way to truly re-create the film festival experience at home, but Docurama Film Festival I does achieve its more essential goal, which is bringing attention to some worthy films that might otherwise be overlooked. The films are an intriguing assortment that examine such issues as foster care, the prison system and police work. They are:

"Aging Out" -- Follows three foster children as they "age out" of the system and are on their own for the first time. It chronicles their challenges as they become parents, battle drug addiction or end up in jail. It was co-directed by Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth.

"Broken Rainbow" -- Narrated by Martin Sheen, this Academy Award-winning film recounts the forced relocation in the 1970s of 12,000 Navajos from their Arizona homeland.

"Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House" -- This Academy Award-nominated film explores life inside the walls of Lewisburg, a maximum security federal penitentiary. Director Alan Raymond spent five unescorted weeks focusing on several inmates and corrections officers.

"Full Frame Documentary Shorts Vol. 4" -- Brings together a collection of compelling short films from the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, N.C. The festival screens more than 100 documentaries each year.

"Legacy" -- Narrated by teen-age Nickcole Collins, it follows the Collins family over five years as they deal with poverty, drug addiction and violence.

"Sister Rose's Passion" -- A look at Sister Rose Thering, a nun who spent much of her life fighting against anti-Semitism.

"The Fire Next Time" -- A penetrating look at Kalispell, Mont., and the tensions rampant in it as it undergoes rapid growth. A forest fire serves as a backdrop to a divided community.

"Omar and Pete" -- Examines the social, economic and personal barriers faced by two men who have spent a combined 30 years or so behind bars as they try to make it on the outside.

"The Police Tapes" -- Filmmakers ride along with New York cops on nighttime patrol in the South Bronx of the late '70s.

"The Wobblies" -- A remembrance of the Industrial Workers of the World, aka the Wobblies, who organized unskilled workers and fought for eight-hour workdays and fair wages.