Raising Awareness
by babett3 | created - 03 Apr 2018 | updated - 29 Jan 2023 | PublicDocumentaries that raise awareness of what is going on in the world.
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1. 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: 52,231 | Gross: $4.42M
2. Take Your Pills (2018)
TV-14 | 87 min | Documentary
Every era gets the drug it deserves. In America today, where competition is ceaseless from school to the workforce and everyone wants a performance edge, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are the defining drugs of this generation.
Director: Alison Klayman | Stars: Ariana, Delaney, Jasper Holt-Teza, Leigh
Votes: 5,673
3. Sicko (2007)
PG-13 | 123 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Tucker Albrizzi, Tony Benn, George W. Bush
Votes: 76,836 | Gross: $24.54M
4. 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: 43,879 | Gross: $14.36M
5. 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: 85,230 | Gross: $23.81M
6. The Awful Truth (1999–2000)
30 min | Documentary
Activist film director Michael Moore hosts a show where he continues his crusade to expose wrongdoing by the high and mighty.
Stars: Michael Moore, Jay Martel, Gideon Evans, Karen Duffy
Votes: 2,258
7. Before the Flood (2016)
PG | 96 min | Documentary, News
A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems and native communities across the planet.
Director: Fisher Stevens | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ban Ki-moon, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mike Brune
Votes: 28,882
8. 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
9. Super Size Me (2004)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary
While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
Director: Morgan Spurlock | Stars: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Chemeeka Walker, Dania Abu-Rmaileh
Votes: 113,315 | Gross: $11.53M
10. Fed Up (2014)
PG | 92 min | Documentary
An examination of America's obesity epidemic and the food industry's role in aggravating it.
Director: Stephanie Soechtig | Stars: Michele Simon, Katie Couric, Bill Clinton, Michael Pollan
Votes: 12,358 | Gross: $1.54M
11. Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)
PG | 92 min | Documentary
A documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
Director: Chris Paine | Stars: Martin Sheen, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Reverend Gadget
Votes: 12,757 | Gross: $1.68M
12. GasLand (2010)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary
An exploration of the fracking petroleum extraction industry and the serious environmental consequences involved.
Director: Josh Fox | Stars: Josh Fox, Dick Cheney, Pete Seeger, Richard Nixon
Votes: 11,105 | Gross: $0.03M
13. 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
14. The House I Live In (2012)
Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary
From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Eugene Jarecki, David Simon, Shanequa Benitez, William Julius Wilson
Votes: 5,396 | Gross: $0.21M
15. 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
16. Redlight (2009)
72 min | Documentary
A powerful feature documentary about child sexploitation, an epidemic happening in every country around the world. Filmed over a four year period, REDLIGHT focuses on the personal stories ... See full summary »
Directors: Adi Ezroni, Guy Jacobson, Charles Kiselyak | Stars: Somaly Mam, Reena, Sokha, Srey Peuv
Votes: 76
17. Dirty Money (2018–2020)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
A Netflix Original Series documenting various stories about exposing the greed, corruption, and crime spreading through the global economy.
Stars: Matt Taibbi, Fisher Stevens, Alex Gibney, Fahmi Quadir
Votes: 10,189
18. 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
19. Unity (2015)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
A study in the duality of man. Even after thousands and thousands of years, mankind still can't get along with each other, the animals, or the environment, despite the advent of science, literature, technology, philosophy and religion.
Director: Shaun Monson | Stars: Aaron Paul, Adam Levine, Adrian Grenier, Alison Eastwood
Votes: 1,036
20. The Human Family Tree (2009 TV Movie)
PG | 93 min | Documentary
On a single day on a single street, with the DNA of just a couple of hundred random people, National Geographic Channel sets out to trace the ancestral footsteps of all humanity.
Director: Chad Cohen | Stars: Kevin Bacon, Michelle DeJesus, George Delis, Mehmet Demirci
Votes: 182
21. This Space Available (2011)
90 min | Documentary
The average person sees 143,080,000 advertisements in a lifetime. Put together, US billboards would cover the surface of 60,000 football fields. A single digital billboard consumes 14 times... See full summary »
Director: Gwenaëlle Gobé | Stars: David Allan, Robert Barocci, Lawrence Bridges, Barbara Broide
Votes: 28
22. Thank You for Smoking (2005)
R | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
Satirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his 12-year old son.
Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Cameron Bright, Maria Bello, Joan Lunden
Votes: 229,014 | Gross: $24.79M
23. Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)
Not Rated | 79 min | Documentary, News
A documentary that exposes what corporations and governments learn about people through Internet and cell phone usage, and what can be done about it ... if anything.
Director: Cullen Hoback | Stars: Max Schrems, Moby, Mark Zuckerberg, Orson Scott Card
Votes: 6,543 | Gross: $0.06M
24. Trashed (2012)
Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary
Jeremy Irons sets out to discover the extent and effects of the global waste problem, as he travels around the world to beautiful destinations tainted by pollution. This is a meticulous, ... See full summary »
Director: Candida Brady | Stars: Paul Connett, Jeremy Irons, Evangelos Kalafatis, Charles Moore
Votes: 700
25. Homo toxicus (2008 Video)
86 min | Documentary
Documentarian Carole Poliquin examines the politics and science behind the more than 100,000 man-made chemicals that contaminate human beings, mammals, plants, and fish.
Director: Carole Poliquin | Stars: Kevin Arroyo, Jacques Auger, Robert Bolduc, James Brophy
Votes: 36
26. 13th (2016)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales
Votes: 37,692
27. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary
A documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Spanky Taylor, David Miscavige
Votes: 40,922
28. The Human Footprint (2007 TV Movie)
75 min | Documentary
Documentray examining the amount of products consumed in a lifetime and the impact it has on the environment.
Director: Nick Watts | Stars: Catherine Collins, Oliver Curry, George Monbiot, Jeremy Penzer
Votes: 98
29. Kill the Messenger (2014)
R | 112 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Journalist Gary Webb, California 1996, started investigating CIA's role in the 1980s in getting crack cocaine to the black part of LA to get money and weapons to the Contra insurgents in Nicaragua.
Director: Michael Cuesta | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Robert Patrick, Jena Sims, Robert Pralgo
Votes: 48,769 | Gross: $2.45M
30. Global Waste: The Scandal of Food Waste (2011)
54 min | Documentary
Food waste is a global problem of increasing magnitude. This documentary outlines the severity of the issue, and shows various solutions implemented by people and companies around the world.
Director: Olivier Lemaire | Star: Tristram Stuart
Votes: 26
31. The Bleeding Edge (2018)
TV-14 | 99 min | Documentary
A look at the unforeseen consequences of advanced technological devices used in the medical field.
Director: Kirby Dick | Stars: Jim Spencer, Jeanne Lenzer, Michael Carome, Angie Firmalino
Votes: 3,105
32. I am Jane Doe (2017)
98 min | Documentary
This intense documentary follows real cases of American girls enslaved in the child sex trade through ads in a newspaper's online classified section.
Director: Mary Mazzio | Stars: Erik Bauer, John Montgomery, Rob Portman, Claire McCaskill
Votes: 1,649
33. Rotten (2018–2019)
TV-MA | 55 min | Documentary
Rotten dives deep into the food production underworld to expose the corruption, waste and real dangers behind your everyday eating habits.
Stars: Latif Nasser, Sonny Nguyen, Stanley Crawford, Casey Cox
Votes: 4,093
34. When They See Us (2019)
TV-MA | 75 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story.
Stars: Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez
Votes: 137,963
35. Unnatural Selection (2019– )
TV-MA | 66 min | Documentary
DNA, the very essence of life, can now be altered. Not only by Harvard geneticists and multi-billion dollar corporations, but also by renegade biohackers working out of their garages.
Stars: David Ishee, Jeffrey Kahn, Jackson Kennedy, Kevin Esvelt
Votes: 2,191
36. The Great Hack (2019)
TV-MA | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The Cambridge Analytica scandal is examined through the roles of several affected persons.
Directors: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim | Stars: Brittany Kaiser, David Carroll, Paul-Olivier Dehaye, Ravi Naik
Votes: 25,027
37. The Keepers (II) (2017)
TV-MA | 62 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
A seven-part docuseries about the unsolved murder of a nun and the horrific secrets and pain that linger nearly five decades after her death.
Stars: Gemma Hoskins, Abbie Schaub, Virginia Anzengruber, Jean Hargadon Wehner
Votes: 25,078
38. Terra (2015 TV Movie)
98 min | Documentary
A visually stunning documentary that reflects human's relationship to other species on Earth as humanity becomes more and more isolated from Nature.
Directors: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Michael Pitiot | Star: Vanessa Paradis
Votes: 2,007
39. The Staircase (2004–2018)
TV-MA | 629 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
Stars: Michael Peterson, David Rudolf, Ron Guerette, Martha Ratliff
Votes: 27,237
40. The Pharmacist (2020)
TV-MA | 54 min | Documentary, Crime
Dan Schneider, a small-town pharmacist in Louisiana, makes effort to identify his son's killer, which leads to his gathering of evidence against a prolific "pill mill" doctor in New Orleans.
Stars: Dan Schneider, Annie Schneider, Jack Stephens, M.
Votes: 8,686
41. The Game Changers (2018)
86 min | Documentary, Sport
A UFC fighter's world is turned upside down when he discovers an elite group of world-renowned athletes and scientists who prove that everything he had been taught about protein was a lie.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: James Wilks, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrik Baboumian, Dotsie Bausch
Votes: 21,848 | Gross: $0.74M
42. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,904
43. Athlete A (2020)
PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Crime, Sport
Follow the Indianapolis Star reporters that broke the story about USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar's abuse and hear from gymnasts like Maggie Nichols.
Directors: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk | Stars: Maggie Nichols, Gina Nichols, John Nichols, Steve Berta
Votes: 12,429
44. Down to Earth with Zac Efron (2020– )
TV-PG | 40 min | Documentary, History, Reality-TV
In this travel show, actor Zac Efron journeys around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in search of healthy, sustainable ways to live.
Stars: Zac Efron, Darin Olien, Steve Hoffmann, Bruce Pascoe
Votes: 7,981
45. Connected: The Hidden Science of Everything (2020)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Comedy
Exploring the intricate and surprising connections that exist between ourselves, the Earth, and even the universe.
Stars: Latif Nasser, Alex Wellerstein, Vincent Thurkettle, Christopher Heckscher
Votes: 1,909
46. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)
TV-MA | 57 min | Documentary, Crime
Survivors reveal the manipulation, abuse and emotional scars suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Their stories expose a sex trafficking ring of powerful enablers leading up to his 2019 arrest.
Stars: Michael Reiter, Annie Farmer, Shawna Rivera, Alan Dershowitz
Votes: 29,191
47. The Social Dilemma (2020)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Drama
Explores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: Tristan Harris, Jeff Seibert, Bailey Richardson, Joe Toscano
Votes: 89,497
48. Kiss the Ground (2020)
84 min | Documentary
A revolutionary group of activists, scientists, farmers, and politicians band together in a global movement of "Regenerative Agriculture" that could balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies, and feed the world.
Directors: Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Ray Archuleta, John Wick, Kristin Ohlson
Votes: 7,590
49. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020 TV Movie)
PG | 83 min | Documentary, Biography
One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jonathan Hughes, Keith Scholey | Stars: David Attenborough, Max Hughes
Votes: 34,576
50. Broken (2019– )
TV-14 | Documentary
Influencer hype and marketing create conditions where counterfeit makeup thrives, teens become addicted to vaping, disposable furniture kills, and corporations use of single use plastics are the stories told in this 4 part series.
Stars: Jenise Morgan, Bella Carroll, Janet McGee, Lexy Lebsack
Votes: 1,340
51. Human Nature (I) (2019)
95 min | Documentary
A breakthrough called CRISPR opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. A provocative exploration of its far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it.
Director: Adam Bolt | Stars: Jennifer Doudna, George Church, Alta Charo, Fyodor Urnov
Votes: 1,728
52. American Made (2017)
R | 115 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
The story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug-runner for the CIA in the 1980s in a clandestine operation that would be exposed as the Iran-Contra Affair.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons
Votes: 208,405 | Gross: $51.34M
53. Lost Girls (2020)
R | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When Mari Gilbert's daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered sex workers.
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, Gabriel Byrne, Lola Kirke
Votes: 24,994
Somebody got away with murder... at least 16 times!
54. The Fear of 13 (2015)
96 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A convicted murderer who has spent 23 years on Death Row tells his story.
Director: David Sington | Stars: Herbert A. Fuchs, Sammy Silverwatch, Nick Yarris
Votes: 7,637
55. Armenian Genocide (2006 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary, History, War
The first Genocide of the 20th century when over a million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Turks during World War I, between 1915 and 1918.
Director: Andrew Goldberg | Stars: Julianna Margulies, Ron Suny, Peter Balakian, Elizabeth Frierson
Votes: 4,984
56.
Chef's Table (2015–2019)
Episode:
Dan Barber
(2015)
TV-MA | Documentary, Biography
A look at Dan Barber and his restaurant Blue Hill, and the start of the farm-to-table movement.
Director: Clay Jeter | Stars: Dan Barber, Ruth Reichl
Votes: 655
57. The C Word (2015 TV Movie)
90 min | Drama
A woman writes a blog about her experience with terminal cancer.
Director: Tim Kirkby | Stars: Sheridan Smith, Paul Nicholls, Stephanie Vogt, Tom Hutch
Votes: 536
58. Chernobyl (2019)
TV-MA | 41 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In April 1986, the city of Chernobyl in the Soviet Union suffers one of the worst nuclear disasters in the history of mankind. Consequently, many heroes put their lives on the line in the following days, weeks and months.
Stars: Jessie Buckley, Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Adam Nagaitis
Votes: 866,691
59. Fantastic Fungi (2019)
Not Rated | 81 min | Documentary
Fantastic Fungi is a descriptive time-lapse journey about the magical, mysterious and medicinal world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth that began 3.5 billion years ago.
Director: Louie Schwartzberg | Stars: Brie Larson, Andrew Weil, Giuliana Furci, Paul Stamets
Votes: 11,557
60. Inside Look: The People v. O.J. Simpson - American Crime Story (2016)
TV-14 | 5 min | Documentary, Short
Inside the series of the same name.
Stars: Sarah Paulson, Sterling K. Brown, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson
Votes: 27,213
61. Modern Slavery (2009)
108 min | Documentary
There's 27 million slaves in the world today. We find them in the sex industry, as child soldiers, as unpaid housekeepers and in production and as shop workers. We have all a responsibility for this.
Directors: Tina Davis, Thomas Robsahm | Stars: Kevin Bales, Joseph Stiglitz, Sylvie O'Dy, Jan Egeland
Votes: 96
62. The Confession Killer (2019)
TV-14 | 48 min | Documentary, Crime
Henry Lee Lucas was known as America's most prolific serial killer, admitting to hundreds of murders, but, as DNA results contradict his confessions, will they expose the biggest criminal justice hoax in U.S. history?
Stars: Bob Prince, Nan Cuba, Hugh Aynesworth, Phil Ryan
Votes: 10,322
63. Our Father (III) (2022)
TV-MA | 97 min | Documentary, Crime
After a woman's at-home DNA test reveals multiple half-siblings, she discovers a shocking scheme involving donor sperm and a popular fertility doctor.
Director: Lucie Jourdan | Stars: Jacoba Ballard, Julie Harmon, Matt White, Heather Woock
Votes: 14,491
64. The Courier (2020)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, History, Mystery
Businessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Director: Dominic Cooke | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan, Vladimir Chuprikov
Votes: 73,700 | Gross: $6.61M
65. The Mauritanian (2021)
R | 129 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Mohamedou Ould Slahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Nouhe Hamady Bari, Saadna Hamoud, Mohamed Yeslem Mousse
Votes: 61,845
66. Ancient Apocalypse (2022)
TV-MA | 30 min | Documentary, History
What if everything we know about prehistory is wrong? Journalist Graham Hancock visits archaeological sites around the world investigating if a civilization far more advanced than we ever believed possible existed thousands of years ago.
Stars: Graham Hancock, Joe Rogan, Martin Sweatman, Randall Carlson
Votes: 10,248
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