Documentaries
by annie-rl | created - 30 Oct 2013 | updated - 4 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Armadillo (2010)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, War
Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.
Director: Janus Metz
Votes: 10,327 | Gross: $0.01M
2. Restrepo (2010)
R | 93 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.
Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger | Stars: The Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Juan 'Doc Restrepo, Dan Kearney, LaMonta Caldwell
Votes: 24,418 | Gross: $1.33M
3. (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Drama, News
From ticket-fixing in our police departments to test-score scandals in our schools, from our elected leaders' extra-marital affairs to financial schemes undermining our economy, dishonesty ... See full summary »
Director: Yael Melamede | Star: Dan Ariely
Votes: 1,966
4. 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: 7,292
5. 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: 17,770 | Gross: $5.23M
6. 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: 102,738
7. Food Choices (2016)
TV-PG | 91 min | Documentary
This new ground-breaking documentary explores the impact that food choices have on people's health, the health of our planet and on the lives of other living species. And also discusses several misconceptions about food and diet.
Director: Michal Siewierski | Stars: Pam Popper, T. Colin Campbell, Joe Cross, Ashlee Piper
Votes: 3,240
8. Beware the Slenderman (2016)
TV-14 | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Tells the story of two 12-year old girls, who attempted to murder one of their friends in an attempt to appease Slenderman, a fictional monster from a horror website.
Director: Irene Taylor | Stars: Morgan Geyser, Anissa Weier, Angie Geyser, William Weier
Votes: 7,797
9. 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: 7,632
10. First Contact: Lost Tribe of the Amazon (2016)
48 min | Documentary
Documents first contact with members of a previously isolated tribe called the Txapanawa on the bank of the Envira River in the village of Simpatia in Brazil. The Anthropologist is José Carlos Meirelles.
Director: Angus MacQueen
Votes: 956
11. The White Helmets (2016)
TV-14 | 41 min | Documentary, Short, War
As daily airstrikes pound civilian targets in Syria, a group of indomitable first responders risk their lives to rescue victims from the rubble.
Director: Orlando von Einsiedel | Stars: Dana Abed, Tia Alkerdi, Khalid Farah, Mohammed Farah
Votes: 8,193
12. We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
A documentary on the workings and beliefs of the self-described "hacktivist" collective, Anonymous.
Director: Brian Knappenberger | Stars: Anon2World, Anonyops, Julian Assange, Aaron Barr
Votes: 10,420
13. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
Director: Brian Knappenberger | Stars: Aaron Swartz, Tim Berners-Lee, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman
Votes: 18,031 | Gross: $0.05M
14. She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary, History
A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.
Director: Mary Dore | Stars: Chude Pamela Allen, Alta, Judith Arcana, Nona Willis Aronowitz
Votes: 1,650 | Gross: $0.42M
15. Tales by Light (2015– )
23 min | Documentary
Behind every powerful image is a powerful story. Uniting exploration, photography and the natural world, Tales By Light follows photographers from Australia and around the world as they push the limits of their craft.
Stars: Art Wolfe, Jonathan Scott, Angela Scott, Eric Cheng
Votes: 2,045
16. 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: 12,248
17. The Ivory Game (2016)
112 min | Documentary
Wildlife activists in take on poachers in an effort to end illegal ivory trade in Africa.
Directors: Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani | Stars: Andrea Crosta, Ian Stevenson, Prince William of Wales
Votes: 3,486
18. Living on One Dollar (2013)
TV-14 | 56 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
Four young friends set out to live on just $1 a day for two months in rural Guatemala. Armed with only a video camera, they battle hunger, parasites, and extreme financial stress as they attempt to survive life on the edge.
Directors: Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard, Chris Temple | Stars: Chris Temple, Zach Ingrasci, Sean Leonard, Ryan Christoffersen
Votes: 4,882
19. Chasing Ice (2012)
PG-13 | 75 min | Documentary, Biography
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: James Balog, Svavar Jónatansson, Louie Psihoyos, Kitty Boone
Votes: 8,859 | Gross: $1.33M
20. All This Mayhem (2014)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Brothers Tas and Ben Pappas become the kings of professional skateboarding, but their hedonistic ways lead to a hard fall from grace.
Director: Eddie Martin | Stars: Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas, Tommy Caudill, Lance Conklin
Votes: 3,783
21. The Culture High (2014)
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, News
Scours the deep-seated roots of this morally induced Marijuana campaign and reveal the fascinating path it has taken to get to where it is today.
Director: Brett Harvey | Stars: Snoop Dogg, Joe Rogan, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama
Votes: 3,755
22. National Parks Adventure (2015 TV Movie)
TV-G | Documentary
Coinciding with the National Parks Continennial, National Parks Adventure celebrates America's natural wonders. Narrated by Robert Redford, it follows a trio of adventurers and revisits ... See full summary »
Director: Andrew Emilio DeCesare | Star: Alice Ford
Votes: 222
23. Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable (2017)
90 min | Documentary
The fake story of the art found beneath the depths of the ocean from a 2,000 year old ship wreck. Damien Hirst and the crew recount the moments various discoveries are made, the myths and legends surrounding the find.
Director: Sam Hobkinson | Stars: Damien Hirst, Piotr Baumann, Andrew Whipp
Votes: 1,524
24. Unacknowledged (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary
"Unacknowledged" focuses on the historic files of the Disclosure Project and how UFO secrecy has been ruthlessly enforced-and why. The best evidence for extraterrestrial contact, dating ... See full summary »
Director: Michael Mazzola | Stars: Giancarlo Esposito, Steven M. Greer, Carl Sagan, Richard Doty
Votes: 8,723
25. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look inside the mind of serial killer Ted Bundy, featuring interviews with him on death row.
Stars: Stephen Michaud, Bob Keppel, Kathleen McChesney, Ward Lucas
Votes: 32,894
26. Feminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)
86 min | Documentary
Feminists: What Were They Thinking? takes aim at our current culture revealing all too vividly the urgent need for continued change.
Director: Johanna Demetrakas | Stars: Bella Abzug, Laurie Anderson, Phyllis Chesler, Judy Chicago
Votes: 2,475
27.
America Undercover (1983– )
Episode:
The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer
(1992)
Not Rated | 47 min | Documentary
Richard Kuklinski was a devoted husband, loving father--and ruthless killer of over 100 people. You'll meet him in this powerful documentary that features one of the most vivid and ... See full summary »
Directors: Arthur Ginsberg, Tom Spain | Stars: Richard Kuklinski, Michael Baden, Robert J. Carroll, Lee Grant
Votes: 1,108
28. Jane Fonda in Five Acts (2018)
TV-14 | 133 min | Documentary, Biography
A look at the life, work, activism and controversies of actress and fitness tycoon, Jane Fonda.
Director: Susan Lacy | Stars: Jane Fonda, Richard Nixon, Robert Redford, Nathalie Vadim
Votes: 2,672
29. 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: 15,252 | Gross: $0.03M
30. The Mind, Explained (2019–2021)
TV-14 | 20 min | Documentary
Ever wonder what's happening inside your head? From dreaming to anxiety disorders, discover how your brain works with this illuminating series.
Stars: Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Jewel Jordan, Faith Jones
Votes: 6,028
31. Explained (2018–2021)
TV-MA | 18 min | Documentary
A documentary series that looks to explore the big questions of today.
Stars: Estelle Caswell, Samira Wiley, Maria Bello, Kyle MacLachlan
Votes: 9,937
32. Circus of Books (2019)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In 1976, Karen and Barry Mason had fallen on hard times and were looking for a way to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was seeking ... See full summary »
Director: Rachel Mason | Stars: Karen Mason, Barry Mason, Micah Mason, Rachel Mason
Votes: 5,004
33. 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: 89,366
34. The Last Shaman (2016)
77 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
James gives himself 12 months before he has 'a license to kill himself', he sets off to the amazon rainforest with hopes of finding a shaman who can save his life.
Director: Raz Degan | Stars: Guillermo Arevalo, James Freeman
Votes: 2,020 | Gross: $0.02M
35. Love on the Spectrum (2019–2021)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Reality-TV, Romance
A documentary series following young adults on the autism spectrum as they explore the unpredictable world of love, dating and relationships.
Stars: Brooke Satchwell, Michael Theo, Mark Radburn, Ronan Soussa
Votes: 7,538
36. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)
TV-MA | 47 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
This limited docu-series tells the true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice.
Stars: Paul Skolnick, Gil Carrillo, Frank Salerno, Pearl Carrillo
Votes: 30,236
37. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)
TV-MA | 55 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
College student and tourist Elisa Lam vanishes, leaving behind all of her possessions in her hotel room. The Cecil Hotel grows in infamy.
Stars: Tim Marcia, Amy Price, Greg Kading, Josh Dean
Votes: 19,973
38. The Ripper (2020)
TV-MA | 49 min | Documentary, Crime
Investigators and witnesses recall how a modern-day Jack the Ripper terrorized the north of England during the late 1970s.
Stars: Alan Whitehouse, Keith Hellawell, Andrew Laptew, Christa Ackroyd
Votes: 10,833
39. Wig (I) (2019)
TV-MA | 91 min | Documentary
Wigstock was an annual drag festival which glamorously signaled the end of summer for the gay community in New York City for almost 20 years. Late one night in 1984, Lady Bunny and a few ... See full summary »
Director: Chris Moukarbel | Stars: Joey Arias, Kevin Aviance, Fenton Bailey, Boomer Banks
Votes: 849
40. Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016)
76 min | Documentary
Trace the rise of contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang from childhood in Mao's China to global art world superstar, and join his quest to realize his lifelong obsession: Sky Ladder.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Ian Buruma, Guo-Qiang Cai, Wen-You Cai, Wenhao Cai
Votes: 1,643
41. 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: 38,004 | Gross: $2.67M
42. Finding Vivian Maier (2013)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Mystery
A documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.
Directors: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel | Stars: Vivian Maier, John Maloof, Daniel Arnaud, Simon Amédé
Votes: 15,073 | Gross: $1.51M
43. The B-Side (2016)
R | 76 min | Documentary
A look at the life and work of photographer Elsa Dorfman.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Elsa Dorfman, Jorge Luis Borges, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg
Votes: 840 | Gross: $0.07M
44. Paris Is Burning (1990)
R | 78 min | Documentary
A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.
Director: Jennie Livingston | Stars: Brooke Xtravaganza, André Christian, Dorian Corey, Paris Duprée
Votes: 17,572 | Gross: $3.78M
45. Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Music
This documentary goes behind the scenes with pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a bold new album and prepares for her Super Bowl halftime show.
Director: Chris Moukarbel | Stars: Sandra Amador, Michael Bearden, Tony Bennett, BloodPop
Votes: 13,686
46. What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Nina Simone, Lisa Simone Kelly, Roger Nupie, Al Schackman
Votes: 14,815
47. Kurt & Courtney (1998)
R | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary on the life of Kurt Cobain and his relationship with Courtney Love.
Director: Nick Broomfield | Stars: Courtney Love, Nick Broomfield, Kurt Cobain, Mari Earle
Votes: 7,354 | Gross: $0.44M
48. Daft Punk Unchained (2015)
TV-14 | 85 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary about the entire career of Daft Punk, from their start in early 90's with their first group called Darlin', until their grammy awards in 2014. We learn how the artists have ... See full summary »
Director: Hervé Martin-Delpierre | Stars: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo, Skrillex, Jean-Daniel Beauvallet
Votes: 3,509
49. Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
TV-MA | 132 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography
An authorized documentary on the late musician Kurt Cobain, from his early days in Aberdeen, Washington to his success and downfall with the grunge band Nirvana.
Director: Brett Morgen | Stars: Kurt Cobain, Wendy O'Connor, Don Cobain, Jenny Cobain
Votes: 32,114
50. Amy (III) (2015)
R | 128 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Russell Brand
Votes: 54,915 | Gross: $8.41M
51. Party Monster (1998)
57 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary film exploring the rise of Club Kid legend Michael Alig and his fall in 1996 when he murdered his drug dealer/roommate Angel Melendez.
Directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato | Stars: Michael Alig, Gitsie, James St. James, Keoki
Votes: 1,772
52. Nelson Sullivan's World of Wonder (1994 TV Movie)
52 min | Documentary
Tells the story of Nelson Sullivan who was the unofficial video documentary filmmaker of the late 1980s downtown New York nightlife and LGBTQ+ community, with extensive archival segments directed by Sullivan himself.
Directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato | Stars: Christina, Quentin Crisp, Albert Crudo, Deee-Lite
Votes: 15
53. 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: 8,782 | Gross: $0.15M
54. The Casketeers (2018– )
TV-14 | Documentary
Maori funeral directors Francis and Kaiora Tipene and staff temper good humor with care and respect as they help Polynesian families cope with loss.
Stars: Francis Tipene, Kaiora Tipene
Votes: 515
55. Along the Coast (1958)
25 min | Documentary, Short, History
A humorous travelogue of the French Riviera.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Roger Coggio, Anne Olivier, Jacopo Nizi
Votes: 1,749
56. Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes (2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer confesses to his gruesome crimes in unguarded interviews, offering an unsettling view into a disturbed mind.
Stars: Park Dietz, Wendy Patrickus, Anne E. Schwartz, Kenneth Smail
Votes: 9,349
57. Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (2022)
TV-MA | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Jimmy Savile once ruled the airwaves with a quirky persona and good works. So how did this icon manage to hide his many alleged bad deeds for so long?
Stars: Roger Ordish, Mark Lawson, Meirion Jones, Alison Bellamy
Votes: 9,068
58. Hail Satan? (2019)
R | 95 min | Documentary
A look at the quick rise and influence of the controversial religious group known as The Satanic Temple.
Director: Penny Lane | Stars: Jex Blackmore, Chalice Blythe, Nicholas Crowe, Sal De Ciccio
Votes: 7,797 | Gross: $0.42M
59. The Iceman Confesses: Secrets of a Mafia Hitman (2001 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 43 min | Documentary, Crime
Richard Kuklinski was a devoted husband, a loving father...and a ruthless killer. A decade after HBO last visited him in prison, the convicted murderer, who freely admits having whacked ... See full summary »
Director: Arthur Ginsberg | Stars: Mark Musto, Rocco Fazzolari, Richard Kuklinski, Richard Lounello
Votes: 1,629
60. How to with John Wilson (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 30 min | Documentary, Comedy
An anxious New Yorker attempts to give everyday advice while dealing with his own personal issues.
Stars: John Wilson, Kyle MacLachlan, Justin A. Martell, Niko Nelson
Votes: 13,250
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