Documentaries
by mendoncagoncalo | created - 02 Jan 2019 | updated - 22 Dec 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Beautiful People (1974)
G | 92 min | Comedy, Documentary
Hilarious documentary on the wildlife of the Namib Desert.
Director: Jamie Uys | Star: Paddy O'Byrne
Votes: 4,156
2. Sans Soleil (1983)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Drama
A woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Amilcar Cabral, Florence Delay, Arielle Dombasle, Riyoko Ikeda
Votes: 12,128 | Gross: $0.03M
3. F for Fake (1973)
PG | 89 min | Documentary
A documentary about fraud and fakery.
Directors: Orson Welles, Gary Graver, Oja Kodar, François Reichenbach | Stars: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar, François Reichenbach, Elmyr de Hory
Votes: 18,290
4. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary
A man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.
Director: Dziga Vertov | Stars: Mikhail Kaufman, Elizaveta Svilova
Votes: 27,971
5. Nanook of the North (1922)
Passed | 78 min | Documentary
In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.
Director: Robert J. Flaherty | Stars: Allakariallak, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou, Allegoo
Votes: 13,446
6. Isle of Flowers (1989)
13 min | Documentary, Short
The ironic, heartbreaking and acid "saga" of a spoiled tomato: from the plantation of a "Nisei" (Brazilian with Japanese origins); to a supermarket; to a consumer's kitchen to become sauce ... See full summary »
Director: Jorge Furtado | Stars: Paulo José, Ciça Reckziegel, Douglas Trainini, Júlia Barth
Votes: 6,522
7. Night and Fog (1956)
TV-14 | 32 min | Documentary, Short, History
The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Michel Bouquet, Reinhard Heydrich, Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler
Votes: 21,453
8. Shoah (1985)
Not Rated | 566 min | Documentary, History, War
Claude Lanzmann's epic documentary recounts the story of the Holocaust through interviews with witnesses - perpetrators as well as survivors.
Director: Claude Lanzmann | Stars: Simon Srebnik, Michael Podchlebnik, Motke Zaïdl, Hanna Zaïdl
Votes: 10,547 | Gross: $0.02M
9. The Sorrow and the Pity (1969)
PG | 251 min | Documentary, History, War
An in-depth exploration of the various reactions by the French people to the Vichy government's acceptance of the German invasion.
Director: Marcel Ophüls | Stars: Helmut Tausend, Marcel Verdier, Alexis Grave, Louis Grave
Votes: 4,095
10. Hoop Dreams (1994)
PG-13 | 170 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Director: Steve James | Stars: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates
Votes: 28,014 | Gross: $7.83M
11. Las Hurdes (1933)
30 min | Documentary, Short
A surrealist film, a pseudo-documentary portrait of Las Hurdes, a remote region of Spain where civilisation has barely developed, showing how the local peasants try to survive without even the most basic utilities and skills.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Abel Jacquin, Alexandre O'Neill
Votes: 6,259
12. À Propos de Nice (1930)
Not Rated | 24 min | Documentary, Short, Comedy
What starts off as a conventional travelogue turns into a satirical portrait of the town of Nice on the French Cote d'Azur, especially its wealthy inhabitants.
Directors: Boris Kaufman, Jean Vigo
Votes: 4,629
13. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,801 | Gross: $0.49M
14. The Look of Silence (2014)
PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer | Stars: Adi Rukun, M.Y. Basrun, Volker Hanisch, Amir Hasan
Votes: 13,877 | Gross: $0.11M
15. Tokyo Olympiad (1965)
Not Rated | 170 min | Documentary, Sport
Kon Ichikawa examines the beauty and rich drama on display at the 1964 Summer Games in Tokyo, creating a record of observations that range from the expansive to the intimate.
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Antonio Ambu, Gary Anderson, Gerry Ashworth, Polina Astakhova
Votes: 2,199
16. Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: David Albritton, Arvo Askola, Jack Beresford, Erwin Blask
Votes: 5,239
17. Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty (1938)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Sheigo Arai, Jack Beresford, Ralf Berzsenyi, Ferenc Csík
Votes: 4,325
18. Grizzly Man (2005)
R | 103 min | Documentary, Biography
A devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog, Carol Dexter
Votes: 61,868 | Gross: $3.17M
19. Häxan (1922)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Fantasy, Horror
Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in Eastern Europe.
Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen, Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan
Votes: 16,713
20. Love Meetings (1964)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
Director Pasolini traverses Italy in 1963 with camera and microphone interviewing people in public places about sex, marriage and gender roles.
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini | Stars: Lello Bersani, Alberto Moravia, Cesare Musatti, Peppino Di Capri
Votes: 2,639
21. Letter from Siberia (1958)
62 min | Documentary
A witty examination of life and culture in Siberia.
Director: Chris Marker | Star: Georges Rouquier
Votes: 844
22. Le joli mai (1963)
Not Rated | 165 min | Documentary
Chris Marker and Pierre Lhomme's LE JOLI MAI (The Lovely Month of May) is a portrait of Paris and Parisians during May 1962, the first springtime of peace after the ceasefire with Algeria ... See full summary »
Directors: Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme | Stars: Chris Marker, Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Jean-Luc Godard
Votes: 877 | Gross: $0.02M
23. Three Cheers for the Whale (1972)
Not Rated | 17 min | Documentary, Short
THREE CHEERS FOR THE WHALE chronicles the history of mankind's relationship with the largest and most majestic of marine mammals, and graphically exposes their slaughter by the fishing ... See full summary »
Directors: Chris Marker, Mario Ruspoli | Stars: Casamayor, Valérie Mayoux, Lalan, Emily Hoffman
Votes: 440
24. Genèse d'un repas (1979)
115 min | Documentary
With this documentary on the plots and sub-plots of the universe of food, Moullet moves away from comedy to become a pioneer of today's trend to analyze the forms of globalization by ... See full synopsis »
Director: Luc Moullet | Stars: Paul Anquetil, Emile Azoulay, Gustavo Borges, Jean Bouy
Votes: 121
25. Tokyo-Ga (1985)
92 min | Documentary
Moved by the work of director Yasujirô Ozu, Wim Wenders travels to Japan in search of the Tokyo seen in Ozu's films.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Werner Herzog, Yûharu Atsuta, Chris Marker
Votes: 3,305
26. Level Five (1997)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, Romance, War
The French computer programmer Laura inherits the task of making a computer game of the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. She searches the internet for information on the battle, and ... See full summary »
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Catherine Belkhodja, Kenji Tokitsu, Nagisa Ôshima, Junichi Ushiyama
Votes: 948 | Gross: $0.02M
27. The Beaches of Agnès (2008)
Not Rated | 112 min | Documentary, Biography
Agnès Varda explores her memories, mostly chronologically, with photographs, film clips, interviews, reenactments, and droll, playful contemporary scenes of her narrating her story.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Agnès Varda, André Lubrano, Blaise Fournier, Vincent Fournier
Votes: 4,781 | Gross: $0.24M
28. Pina (2011)
PG | 103 min | Documentary, Music
A tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Pina Bausch, Regina Advento, Malou Airaudo, Ruth Amarante
Votes: 15,942 | Gross: $3.52M
29. The Salt of the Earth (2014)
PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders | Stars: Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Votes: 23,444 | Gross: $1.34M
30. As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
288 min | Documentary, Biography
Director Jonas Mekas provides an intimate glimpse of his personal life by constructing a feature length narrative from over 30 years of private home movie footage.
Director: Jonas Mekas | Stars: Jonas Mekas, Stan Brakhage, Robert Breer, Hollis Frampton
Votes: 1,461
31. Dream of Light (1992)
133 min | Documentary, Biography
The artist Antonio López tries to capture the sunlight hitting his quince tree all autumn, but the struggle seems futile.
Director: Víctor Erice | Stars: Antonio López, María Moreno, Enrique Gran, María López
Votes: 2,122
32. Close-Up (1990)
Not Rated | 98 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of Hossain Sabzian, a cinephile who impersonated the director Mohsen Makhmalbaf to convince a family they would star in his so-called new film.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Hossain Sabzian, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Abolfazl Ahankhah, Mehrdad Ahankhah
Votes: 23,000 | Gross: $0.00M
33. The Clowns (1970 TV Movie)
G | 92 min | Comedy
A ragout of real memories and mockumentary, as Fellini explores a childhood obsession: circus clowns.
Director: Federico Fellini | Stars: Riccardo Billi, Gigi Reder, Tino Scotti, Valentini
Votes: 2,957
34. D'amore si vive (1983)
93 min | Documentary
The director interviews five people with different backgrounds about love and sex.
Director: Silvano Agosti | Star: Silvano Agosti
Votes: 212
35. Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania (1972)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Jonas Mekas creates an elegiac diary of a trip to his home country of Lithuania.
Director: Jonas Mekas | Stars: Jonas Mekas, Adolfas Mekas, Pola Chapelle, Ken Jacobs
Votes: 1,251
36. The Gleaners & I (2000)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
Varda films and interviews gleaners in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: François Wertheimer, Agnès Varda, Jean La Planche, Bodan Litnanski
Votes: 8,794 | Gross: $0.15M
37. Hello Cinema (1995)
75 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Makhmalbaf puts an advertisement in the papers calling for an open casting for his next movie. However when hundreds of people show up, he decides to make a movie about the casting and the screen tests of the would-be actors.
Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf | Stars: Shaghayeh Djodat, Behzad Dorani, Feizola Gashghai, Maryam Keyhan
Votes: 2,184
38. Crumb (1994)
R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb
Votes: 21,589 | Gross: $3.17M
39. Voyage in Time (1983 TV Movie)
62 min | Documentary
Acclaimed Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and his screenwriter Tonino Guerra travel all over Italy to scout locations for the film Nostalghia.
Directors: Tonino Guerra, Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Tonino Guerra, Lora Jabloskina, Andrei Tarkovsky
Votes: 2,088
40. Grey Gardens (1975)
PG | 95 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
Directors: Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Muffie Meyer | Stars: Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, Brooks Hyers
Votes: 15,272 | Gross: $0.03M
41. Chronicle of a Summer (1961)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the everyday lives of ordinary Parisians, done in the style of cinéma vérité.
Directors: Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch | Stars: Angelo, Nadine Ballot, Catherine, Céline
Votes: 3,584
42. The Great White Silence (1922)
80 min | Documentary
In 1910 the British Antarctic Expedition, led by Capt. Robert F. Scott, embarks from Lyttleton, NZ on a quest to become the first to reach the South Pole.
Director: Herbert G. Ponting | Stars: Robert Falcon Scott, Herbert G. Ponting, Henry R. Bowers, Edgar Evans
Votes: 1,680
43. Dying at Grace (2003)
148 min | Documentary
Director Allan King documents the final months of five terminally ill cancer patients at the Toronto Grace Health Centre.
Director: Allan King | Stars: Phyllis Bobbitt, Joyce Bone, Norman Collins, Lloyd Greenway
Votes: 434
44. Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Music
The highlights of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
Directors: Bert Stern, Aram Avakian | Stars: Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton
Votes: 1,943
45. Trances (1981)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Music
The very popular Moroccan group Nass-El Ghiwane are filmed, in performances, meetings, interviews, and collaborations with other musicians.
Director: Ahmed El Maanouni | Stars: Larbi Batma, Nass-El Ghiwane, Abderrahman Paco, Omar Sayed
Votes: 698
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