Best documentary
by rozhlady | created - 19 Jan 2012 | updated - 3 months ago | PublicThe best documents on the environment and society ...
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1. Earth (2007)
G | 90 min | Documentary
Feature-length version of the documentary TV series Planet Earth (2006), following the migration paths of four animal families.
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield | Stars: James Earl Jones, Patrick Stewart, Anggun, Ulrich Tukur
Votes: 14,742 | Gross: $38.05M
2. Home (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, Family
With aerial footage from fifty-four countries, 'Home' is a depiction of how Earth's problems are all interlinked.
Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand | Stars: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Glenn Close, Jacques Gamblin
Votes: 23,053
3. 2012: Time for Change (2010)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Animation, News
2012: Time For Change is a documentary feature that presents ways to transform our unsustainable society into a regenerative planetary culture. This can be achieved through a personal and ... See full summary »
Director: Joao G. Amorim | Stars: Daniel Pinchbeck, Maude Barlow, Ariane Burgess, Gerald Celente
Votes: 383 | Gross: $0.07M
4. Oceans (2008)
G | 84 min | Documentary
An ecological drama/documentary, filmed throughout the globe. Part thriller, part meditation on the vanishing wonders of the sub-aquatic world.
Directors: Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud | Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Jacques Perrin, Rie Miyazawa
Votes: 10,075 | Gross: $19.42M
5. Bigger Stronger Faster* (2008)
PG-13 | 105 min | Documentary, Sport
An examination of America's win-at-all-cost culture from the perspective of bodybuilding and performance enhancing drugs, as it focuses on a pair of siblings chasing their dream.
Director: Chris Bell | Stars: Chris Bell, Mike Bell, Mark Bell, Hank Aaron
Votes: 13,816 | Gross: $0.31M
6. Earthlings (2005)
95 min | Documentary
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
Director: Shaun Monson | Star: Joaquin Phoenix
Votes: 19,806
7. Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)
R | 127 min | Documentary, Crime, History
An examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, William Black, Jimmy Carter, Elijah Cummings
Votes: 43,872 | Gross: $14.36M
8. Baraka (1992)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
Director: Ron Fricke | Star: Patrick Disanto
Votes: 40,996 | Gross: $1.33M
9. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
PG | 96 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Al Gore, Billy West, George Bush, George W. Bush
Votes: 85,218 | Gross: $23.81M
10. Samsara (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Director: Ron Fricke | Stars: Balinese Tari Legong Dancers, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi, Putu Dinda Pratika
Votes: 38,052 | Gross: $2.67M
11. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
G | 90 min | Documentary, History
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Jean Clottes, Julien Monney, Jean-Michel Geneste
Votes: 17,794 | Gross: $5.23M
12. Food, Inc. (2008)
PG | 94 min | Documentary, News
An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
Director: Robert Kenner | Stars: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Richard Lobb, Vince Edwards
Votes: 52,225 | Gross: $4.42M
13. Into Eternity: A Film for the Future (2010)
75 min | Documentary
A documentary on the safety of nuclear storage.
Director: Michael Madsen | Stars: Carl Reinhold Bråkenhjelm, Mikael Jensen, Berit Lundqvist, Michael Madsen
Votes: 3,114 | Gross: $0.06M
14. Jesus Camp (2006)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer, Ted Haggard
Votes: 28,779 | Gross: $0.90M
15. Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup (2009 Video)
Unrated | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
An exploration of the viewpoint that the September 11, 2001 attacks were planned by the United States government.
Director: Dylan Avery | Stars: Osama bin Laden, Johnelle Bryant, George W. Bush, Laura Bush
Votes: 3,737
16. Genesis (2004)
G | 81 min | Documentary
A storyteller relates the creation of the world. A tall tale like all yarns. But this tall tale is a true tale - it is our very own story. The birth of the universe, the formation of the ... See full summary »
Directors: Claude Nuridsany, Marie Pérennou | Star: Sotigui Kouyaté
Votes: 1,513 | Gross: $0.01M
17. Religulous (2008)
R | 101 min | Documentary, Comedy, War
Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
Director: Larry Charles | Stars: Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden, Steven Burg
Votes: 60,248 | Gross: $13.00M
18. Sacred Planet (2004)
G | 40 min | Documentary, Short
State-of-the-art technology delivers stunning images of indigenous people, unique animals and spectacular landscapes that most of us will never see.
Director: Jon Long | Stars: Robert Redford, Arapata McKay, Tsaan Ciqae, Mae Tui
Votes: 357
19. The 11th Hour (I) (2007)
PG | 95 min | Documentary
A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems.
Directors: Leila Conners, Nadia Conners | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kenny Ausubel, Thom Hartmann, Wangari Maathai
Votes: 5,908 | Gross: $0.70M
20. The Big One (1997)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
On his book tour, Michael Moore exposes more wrongdoing by greedy big businesses and callous politicians around America.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Elaine Bly, Dan Burns, Chip Carter
Votes: 8,046 | Gross: $0.72M
21. The Corporation (2003)
Not Rated | 145 min | Documentary, History
Documentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
Directors: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott | Stars: Mikela Jay, Rob Beckwermert, Christopher Gora, Nina Jones
Votes: 21,787 | Gross: $1.88M
22. The Cove (2009)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones, Michael Illiff
Votes: 51,451 | Gross: $0.87M
23. The Union (2011)
90 min | Documentary
A look at the making of Elton John and Leon Russell's collaborative album, "The Union," produced by T-Bone Burnett.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: T Bone Burnett, Elton John, Bill Maxwell, Leon Russell
Votes: 164
24. This Is What Democracy Looks Like (2000)
Not Rated | 72 min | Documentary
A filmed account of the street protests against the World Trade Organization Summit in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1999.
Directors: Jill Friedberg, Rick Rowley | Stars: Noam Chomsky, Michael Franti, Carley Phelan, Susan Sarandon
Votes: 387
25. War Photographer (2001)
96 min | Documentary, War
Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.
Director: Christian Frei | Stars: James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare, Christiane Breustedt
Votes: 4,304
26. We Feed the World (2005)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A look at how the world's food is produced and how mass production changes the environment and the lives of people.
Director: Erwin Wagenhofer | Stars: Jean Ziegler, Peter Brabeck, Karl Otrok
Votes: 2,478
27. Waste Land (2010)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.
Directors: Lucy Walker, Karen Harley, João Jardim | Star: Vik Muniz
Votes: 9,362 | Gross: $0.19M
28. Zeitgeist (2007 Video)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, History
Mythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
Director: Peter Joseph | Stars: Chogyam Trungpa, Jordan Maxwell, George Carlin, Bill Hicks
Votes: 50,374
29. Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008 Video)
Not Rated | 123 min | Documentary, History, War
Zeitgeist: Addendum attempts to locate the root causes of the pervasive social corruption, while also offering a solution.
Director: Peter Joseph | Stars: Jacque Fresco, Roxanne Meadows, John Perkins, George Carlin
Votes: 18,691
30. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011)
Not Rated | 161 min | Documentary
A feature length documentary work which presents a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society.
Director: Peter Joseph | Stars: Peter Joseph, Robert Sapolsky, Gabor Maté, Richard Wilkinson
Votes: 18,743
31. Forks Over Knives (2011)
PG | 90 min | Documentary
Examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
Director: Lee Fulkerson | Stars: Lee Fulkerson, Matthew Lederman, Alona Pulde, T. Colin Campbell
Votes: 12,697
32. Water (I) (2006)
87 min | Documentary
Water is the most amazing yet least studied substance. From times immemorial, scientists, philosophers and theologians tried to understand its explicit and implicit properties, which are ... See full summary »
Directors: Yuliya Perkul, Anastasiya Popova | Stars: Masaru Emoto, Leonid Izvekov, Vlail Kaznacheyev, Lex Lang
Votes: 248
33. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,982 | Gross: $4.31M
34. The True Cost of Food (2005 Video)
15 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
In this witty cartoon short, a fat supermarket clerk discusses the production process of the products we consume. The horrified customer, along with her children, flees to an organic farm.
Director: Tate Hausman | Star: Louis Fox
35. Tapped (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary
Examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil.
Directors: Stephanie Soechtig, Jason Lindsey | Stars: Sally Bethea, Earl Blumenauer, Amanda Brown, Eugene Brown
Votes: 1,338
36. Food Matters (2008)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary
Food Matters examines how the food we eat can help or hurt our health. Nutritionists, naturopaths, doctors, and journalists weigh in on such topics as organic food, food safety, raw foodism, and nutritional therapy.
Directors: James Colquhoun, Carlo Ledesma | Stars: Vicky Blewitt, Ian Brighthope, Jerome Burne, Phillip Day
Votes: 4,812
37. The End of the Line (I) (2009)
Unrated | 85 min | Documentary
Documentary filmmaker Rupert Murray examines the devastating effect that overfishing has had on the world's fish populations and argues that drastic action must be taken to reverse these trends.
Director: Rupert Murray | Stars: Ben Bradshaw, Roberto Mielgo Bragazzi, Charles Clover, John Crosbie
Votes: 1,099
38. Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
A documentary depicting the life and work of the trappers of Bakhtia, a village in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, where daily life has changed little in over a century.
Directors: Werner Herzog, Dmitry Vasyukov | Stars: Werner Herzog, Gennady Soloviev, Anatoly Blumei, Gennady Tiganov
Votes: 8,929 | Gross: $0.34M
39. Waiting for Superman (2010)
PG | 111 min | Documentary
An examination of the current state of education in America today.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Charles Adams, Jonathan Alter, Robert Balfanz, Harriet Ball
Votes: 11,635 | Gross: $6.41M
40. Collapse (II) (2009)
Unrated | 82 min | Documentary
A documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
Director: Chris Smith | Star: Michael Ruppert
Votes: 6,844 | Gross: $0.05M
41. The War You Don't See (2010)
97 min | Documentary, War
Thought-provoking documentary on war propaganda: how governments manipulate the facts and how most media let them get away with it.
Directors: Alan Lowery, John Pilger | Stars: John Pilger, Stuart Ewen, Melvin Goodman, Dan Rather
Votes: 1,526
42. Occupation 101 (2006)
90 min | Documentary
A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and U.S. political involvement.
Directors: Abdallah Omeish, Sufyan Omeish | Stars: James Akins, Arik Ascherman, Bishop Barltlett Jr., Phyllis Bennis
Votes: 1,908
43. Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land (2004 Video)
80 min | Documentary
This video shows how the foreign policy interests of American political elites-working in combination with Israeli public relations stratgies-influence US news reporting about the Middle ... See full summary »
Directors: Sut Jhally, Bathsheba Ratzkoff | Stars: Seth Ackerman, Stav Adivi, Arik Ascherman, Hanan Ashrawi
Votes: 567
44. The War on Democracy (2007)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Salvador, Bolivia: people's struggle for democracy versus US imperialism in Latin America since the 1950s, backing coups and supporting dictatorships.
Directors: Chris Martin, John Pilger, Sean Crotty | Stars: John Pilger, Philip Agee, Salvador Allende, George Bush
Votes: 2,527
45. Why We Fight (2005)
PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary, History, War
Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.
Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Gore Vidal, John McCain, Ken Adelman, John Ashcroft
Votes: 10,233 | Gross: $1.44M
46. Billions in Change (2015)
Not Rated | 43 min | Documentary, Short
The world is facing some huge problems. There's a lot of talk about how to solve them. But talk doesn't reduce pollution, or grow food, or heal the sick. That takes doing. This film is the ... See full summary »
Stars: Manoj Bhargava, David Letterman, Rick Perry, Jerry Seinfeld
Votes: 410
47. Planetary (2015)
85 min | Documentary, History
We are in the midst of a global crisis of perspective. We have forgotten the undeniable truth that everything is connected. PLANETARY is a provocative and breathtaking wakeup call, a cross ... See full summary »
Directors: Guy Reid, Simon Rieber, Steve Watts Kennedy | Stars: Janine Benyus, Ronald Garan, Joan Halifax, Paul Hawken
Votes: 394
48. The True Cost (2015)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Drama, News
The True Cost is a documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet.
Director: Andrew Morgan | Stars: Livia Giuggioli, Stella McCartney, Richard D. Wolff, Vandana Shiva
Votes: 7,298
49. Virunga (2014)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, War
A team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.
Director: Orlando von Einsiedel | Stars: André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo
Votes: 12,261
50. The Mermaids' Tears: Oceans of Plastic (2010 TV Movie)
54 min | Documentary
Garbage is an escalating issue for today's civilization. In the oceans, waste accumulates to form gigantic floating landfills, surpassing even the largest European countries in size. ... See full summary »
Director: Sandrine Feydel | Stars: Christiana Boerger, Anna Cummins, Melanie Delia, Marcus Eriksen
Votes: 13
51. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.
Directors: Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn | Stars: Bruce Hamilton, Kip Andersen, Al Gore, Heather Cooley
Votes: 26,582
52. Plastic Planet (2009)
TV-G | 95 min | Documentary
Werner Boote presents an up-close and personal view of the controversial and fascinating material that has found its way into every facet of our daily lives: plastic. He takes us on a ... See full summary »
Director: Werner Boote | Stars: Werner Boote, John Taylor, Peter Lieberzeit, Marques Brown
Votes: 1,233 | Gross: $0.00M
53. A Plastic Ocean (2016)
102 min | Documentary
Journalist Craig Leeson teams up with diver Tanya Streeter and an international team of scientists and researchers, and they travel to twenty locations around the world over the next four years to explore the fragile state of our oceans.
Director: Craig Leeson | Stars: David Attenborough, Sylvia Earle, Ben Fogle, Craig Leeson
Votes: 3,232
54. Slavery - A Global Investigation (2000)
79 min | Documentary
Directors: Kate Blewett, Brian Woods | Star: Kevin Bales
55. The Light Bulb Conspiracy (2010)
75 min | Documentary
This is the story of companies who engineered their products to fail.
Director: Cosima Dannoritzer | Stars: Richard Jones, Molly Malcolm, Steve Bunn, Markus Krajewski
Votes: 2,316
56. The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006)
53 min | Documentary
The documentary, "The Power of Community - How Cuba Survived Peak Oil," was inspired when Faith Morgan and Pat Murphy took a trip to Cuba through Global Exchange in August, 2003. That year ... See full summary »
Director: Faith Morgan | Stars: Bruce Cromer, Jorge Mario, Rachel Bruhnke, Eugene 'Pat' Murphy
Votes: 265
57. A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (2006 Video)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
A theatrical documentary on the planet's dwindling oil resources.
Directors: Basil Gelpke, Raymond McCormack, Reto Caduff | Stars: Wade Adams, Abdul Samad Al-Awadi, Fadhil J. Al-Chalabi, Roscoe Bartlett
Votes: 1,999
58. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Alex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Christopher Beiring
Votes: 16,805 | Gross: $0.27M
59. The Kill Team (2013)
R | 79 min | Documentary
This provocative, bold, and deeply moving documentary profiles Adam Winfield, a soldier-turned-whistleblower who returns from the battlefield to expose shocking war crimes that the U.S. Army will do anything to cover up.
Director: Dan Krauss | Stars: Adam Winfield, Christopher Winfield, Emma Winfield, Alaina Winfield
Votes: 1,352
60. Harvest of Empire (2012)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, History
A powerful documentary that exposes the direct connection between the long history of U.S. intervention in Latin America and the immigration crisis we face today. From the territorial ... See full summary »
Directors: Peter Getzels, Eduardo Lopez | Stars: Junot Diaz, Luis Enrique, Juan Gonzalez, Maria Hinojosa
Votes: 166 | Gross: $0.06M
61. Condor (2007)
103 min | Documentary
Operation Condor was a secret agreement between the military dictatorships of the Southern Cone in the 1970s, with the knowledge of the CIA. These governments to shared information and violently repressed suspected left-wing subversives.
Director: Roberto Mader
Votes: 35
62. The Devil We Know (2018)
95 min | Documentary
A group of citizens in West Virginia challenges a powerful corporation to be more environmentally responsible.
Directors: Stephanie Soechtig, Jeremy Seifert | Stars: Sue Bailey, Bucky Bailey, Ken Wamsley, Wilbur Tennant
Votes: 1,304
63. The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
An exploration of the life and work of Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, former Marine and military strategist, who was responsible for the publication of secret government documents that revealed the truth behind America's involvement in Vietnam.
Directors: Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith | Stars: Peter Arnett, Ben Bagdikian, Ann Beeson, John Dean
Votes: 2,421 | Gross: $0.45M
64. We Steal Secrets (2013)
R | 130 min | Documentary
A documentary that details the creation of Julian Assange's controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Julian Assange, Adrian Lamo, John 'FuzzFace' McMahon, Alex Gibney
Votes: 8,178 | Gross: $0.16M
65. Le monde selon Monsanto (2008 TV Movie)
108 min | Documentary
You do not have to believe that God exists, but you will after this movie know that the devil poster! Monsanto is the largest global company that produces agricultural products: pesticides,... See full summary »
Director: Marie-Monique Robin | Stars: David Baker, Ken Cook, David Carpenter, Robert Bellé
Votes: 1,847
66. Enchanted Kingdom (2014)
G | 87 min | Documentary
This absolutely beautiful documentary on our World, its mystical beauty and miracles including slow motion footage of nature, animals, seasons, new life and daily beauties I've never seen ... See full summary »
Directors: Patrick Morris, Neil Nightingale | Stars: Idris Elba, Lambert Wilson, Humberto Tan, Lillie-Mae Stewart
Votes: 812
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