Sunday Arts Up Late

As the end of the year draws near, the top ten lists start appearing. Best movies, best books, best plays, best albums of 2014; you all know the drill. Here at ABC TV Arts we're sidestepping the 'best of' and instead bringing you a 'curated selection' of our favourite music documentaries from the past four decades. So here's our line-up, with a few thoughts on why we think these films are great.

Sons & Mothers is an intimate portrait of a group of marginalised men who meet once a week as part of the Men's Ensemble theatre troupe. Led by Alirio Zavarce, a Venezuelan born actor and theatre director, they embark on a year long creative process to create a theatrical love letter to the most important women in their lives, their mothers.

When Australian filmmaker Sophia Turkiewicz was seven years old, her Polish mother, Helen, abandoned her in an Adelaide orphanage. Sophia never forgot this maternal act of betrayal. Now in middle age, as Sophia examines her troubled relationship with Helen, she discovers the story behind Helen's miraculous wartime escape from a Siberian gulag, her subsequent survival against the odds and the truth about an historic betrayal involving Stalin and the Allies.

Tempest at the Drop-In is a documentary that follows the participants of the St Kilda Drop In Centre who were involved in the 2011 theatrical production of Shakespeare's The Tempest. This was a collaborative production with Inotrope Productions, a local theatre company. This film explores the idea that drama and theatre is an incredibly powerful way to bring people together and overcome preconceptions and barriers between us.

Mademoiselle C is an insider's look into the rarefied world of high fashion. Follow fashion icon Carine Roitfeld as she leaves Paris Vogue and starts her own magazine.

This week's documentary explores something that affects the majority of people on the planet - life in a big city. The Human Scale looks at the work and ideas of Danish architect Jan Gehl, who has spent his career mapping ways to improve urban design and looking at how architecture can affect your way of being.

Gore Vidal was an intellectual giant of the 20th Century. Born to a world of privilege he turned his back on the establishment to become one of the most influential critical writers and social commentators of his generation.

This week we bring you the battle between tech giant Google and the humble book.

The name Hal Prince is synonymous with Broadway musical success. Cabaret, West Side Story, Phantom of the Opera, Sweeney Todd - these are just a few of the dozens of hits Hal Prince has directed. In this 2009 documentary, we spend some time meeting the man and those who have worked with him.

This version of Sleeping Beauty is unlike anything you have seen before. British choreographer Matthew Bourne has taken on possibly the most detailed dance score of the 19th century and created a fairytale for today.

British choreographer Matthew Bourne is famous for his skills as a storyteller, a showman and a theatrical innovator who is not afraid to challenge the dance establishment. In this 2012 BBC documentary, Imagine: A Beauty Is Bourne, we go behind the scenes of Matthew Bourne's reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty.

Pina Bausch was one of the world's most influential dancers and choreographers. This feature film is a tribute to Bausch's creative vision and includes stunning performances by Bausch's dance company of some of her key works.

In the first episode of a series exploring the history of American art, Andrew Graham-Dixon embarks on an epic journey from east to west, following in the footsteps of the pioneers who built the foundations of modern America.

Hi and thanks for joining me. I'm Wesley Enoch and you're watching Sunday Arts Up Late.

Anna Wintour, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine for twenty years, is the most powerful and polarizing figure in fashion. Hidden behind her trademark bob and sunglasses, she has never allowed anyone to scrutinize the inner workings of her magazine. Until now.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to travel is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the twentieth century, an enduring icon who has had a strong influence on the course of fashion, beauty, publishing and culture.

What happens when one of the world's most famous directors becomes trapped inside one of his own movies?

On Borrowed Time presents an affectionate portrait of the life and work of venerated Australian director Paul Cox. This documentary delves into Cox's outlook on filmmaking and life, particularly in the wake of his remarkable recent brush with cancer.Documentarian David Bradbury brings us an affectionate portrait of the life and work of venerated Australian director Paul Cox.

This week Sunday Arts Up Late presents a documentary about master architect, Norman Foster. Join Wesley Enoch at 10:30pm on April 7 for How Much Does Your Building Weigh Mr Foster?

This week Sunday Arts Up Late presents a documentary about one of the greatest composers of our age, Philip Glass. Join Wesley Enoch at 10:30pm on February 17 for Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve parts.