50 Decisive Docs (2000-2015)
by christian94 | created - 17 Jul 2013 | updated - 1 week ago | PublicTop 50 (rated 8,9 or 10/10) loosely by director in order
and a few others more to see
Runner Ups:
Viva La Frida! (2001)
Biggie and Tupac (2002)
9/11 (2002)
Control Room (2004)
Electric Yakuza, Go to Hell! (2004)
La marche de l'empereur (2005)
Mystery of the Nile (2005)
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)
Manufactured Landscape (2006)
My Winnipeg (2007)
Shadow of the House (2007)
Up the Yangtze (2007)
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk (2008)
Alexandria: The Greatest City (2010)
First Position (2011)
Samsara (2012)
Marley (2012)
To the Arctic 3D (2012)
The Invisible War (2012)
Visitors (2013)
Corée, l'impossible réunification? (2013)
Le monde en face: Leçon de propagande chinoise en zone interdite (2014)
One Couch at a Time (2014)
The Visit: An Alien Encounter (2015)
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101. Born in Gaza (2014)
54 min | Documentary
Filmed shortly after the 2014 Gaza war, this documentary examines how violence has transformed the lives of 10 Palestinian children.
Director: Hernán Zin | Stars: Walaa Eltiti, Yazeed Faruja
Votes: 2,072
102. Keep on Keepin' On (2014)
R | 84 min | Documentary
A documentary that follows jazz legend Clark Terry over four years to document the mentorship between Terry and 23-year-old blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin as the young man prepares to compete in an elite, international competition.
Director: Alan Hicks | Stars: Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock
Votes: 1,055 | Gross: $0.16M
103. The Square (2013)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Drama, History
A group of Egyptian revolutionaries battle leaders and regimes, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience.
Director: Jehane Noujaim | Stars: Ahmed Hassan, Khalid Abdalla, Magdy Ashour, Ramy Essam
Votes: 9,404 | Gross: $0.12M
104. The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young (2014)
Not Rated | 89 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
A famous prison escape sparks the idea for a cult-like race that has seen only 10 finishers in its first 25 years. This award-winning, oddly inspiring, and wildly funny documentary reveals the sports world's most guarded secret.
Directors: Annika Iltis, Timothy James Kane | Star: Lazarus Lake
Votes: 5,774
105. Superhuman: Genius (2008 TV Movie)
50 min | Documentary
Genius is mysterious and various. This show takes a look at five different geniuses, each of unique gifts and captures something of their lives and talents. There is Ainan Celeste Cawley, ... See full summary »
Director: Matt Calais | Stars: Ainan Celeste Cawley, Valentine Cawley, Sam Hazeldine, Akiane Kramarik
Votes: 31
106. Faith School Menace? (2010 TV Movie)
48 min | Documentary
Richard Dawkins looks at Government funded faith schools and the effect they could have on children.
Director: Molly Milton | Star: Richard Dawkins
Votes: 326
107. Le 11 septembre n'a pas eu lieu... (2004 TV Movie)
43 min | Documentary
Examines conspiracy theories that state that the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks did not take place.
Directors: Barbara Necek, Antoine Vitkine | Stars: Thierry Meyssan, Pierre Lagrange, Patrick Pasin, Pierre Henri Bunel
Votes: 20
108. Homegoings (2013)
TV-PG | 51 min | Documentary
Through the eyes of funeral director Isaiah Owens, the beauty and grace of African-American funerals are brought to life. Filmed at Owens Funeral Home in New York City's historic Harlem ... See full summary »
Director: Christine Turner | Star: Isaiah Owens
Votes: 70
109. Nas: Time Is Illmatic (2014)
TV-14 | 74 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story behind Nas's groundbreaking debut album 'Illmatic, ' and the early life of one of the most talented rappers of all time. Featuring Pharrell Williams, Alicia Keys, Q-Tip, and Busta Rhymes.
Director: One9 | Stars: Nas, Cornel West, Pharrell Williams, Swizz Beatz
Votes: 3,338 | Gross: $0.11M
110. Don't Cry for Me, Sudan (2010)
91 min | Documentary, Biography
A Schweitzer of Korea Father LEE Tae-seok, devoted his life in Sudan; a remote area of Africa.
Director: Soo-Hwan Goo
Votes: 32
111. Do the Math (2013)
50 min | Documentary
Bill McKibben in a David-vs-Goliath battle fights the fossil fuel industry to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis.
Directors: Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott | Stars: Lester Brown, Mike Brune, Majora Carter, Susan Casey-Lefkowitz
Votes: 111
112. Valley Uprising (2014)
Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary
In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service.
Directors: Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Josh Lowell | Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Alex Honnold, Yvon Chouinard, Royal Robbins
Votes: 6,278
113. 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: 61,926 | Gross: $3.17M
114. King Leopold's Ghost (2006)
PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary
A documentary about the exploitation of the Congo by King Leopold II of Belgium.
Directors: Pippa Scott, Oreet Rees | Stars: Philippe Bergeron, Don Cheadle, James Cromwell, Frank McCourt
Votes: 388
115. Angel of Nanjing (2015)
Not Rated | 70 min | Documentary, Drama
The story of Chen Si, a man who patrols the Yangtze River Bridge in China saving people who try to commit suicide.
Directors: Frank Ferendo, Jordan Matthew Horowitz
Votes: 200
116. Kumaré (2011)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.
Director: Vikram Gandhi | Stars: Vikram Gandhi, Toby, Greg, Molly
Votes: 5,198 | Gross: $0.13M
117. Happy (2012)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary, Drama, Family
Happy takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy.
Director: Roko Belic | Stars: Marci Shimoff, Ed Diener, Richard Davidson, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Votes: 3,382
118. Creating Freedom: The Lottery of Birth (2013)
Not Rated | 77 min | Documentary, History
Do you shape the world or does it shape you? Drawing on leading thinkers from around the world, and with a torrent of mind-expanding ideas and information, THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH will make you think again about what it means to be free.
Directors: Raoul Martinez, Joshua van Praag | Stars: Michael Albert, Stanley Aronowitz, Tony Benn, Nick Davies
Votes: 440
119. A Ripple of Hope (2008)
TV-PG | 55 min | Documentary
It was April 4, 1968. At 6:01 p.m., across the street from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, a gunman fired a rifle, and the leader of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., ... See full summary »
Director: Donald Boggs | Stars: John Lewis, Adam Walinsky, Frank Mankiewicz, Thurston Clarke
Votes: 84
120. National Gallery (2014)
Not Rated | 180 min | Documentary
A documentary that goes inside one of the great museums of the world: The National Gallery in London.
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Stars: Leanne Benjamin, Kausikan Rajeshkumar, Jo Shapcott, Edward Watson
Votes: 1,659 | Gross: $0.10M
121. Bitter Lake (2015)
136 min | Documentary
An experimental documentary that explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.
Director: Adam Curtis | Stars: George Bush, George W. Bush, Joanne Herring, Hamid Karzai
Votes: 3,527
122. Oh Dearism (2009)
6 min | Documentary, Short
Explores mainstream media's narrative about world events.
Director: Adam Curtis
Votes: 53
123. Le voyage de Nadia (2006)
72 min | Documentary
-This feature-length documentary delves into a complex reality, that of the forced confinement of women in their own homes from the time they reach puberty. At the age of 19, Nadia ... See full summary »
Directors: Carmen Garcia, Nadia Zouaoui
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