List of best documentaries in no particular order
A list of favorite and best documentaries that I've watched in no particular order.
List activity
385 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
68 titles
- DirectorBart LaytonStarsAdam O'BrianNicholas BarclayCarey GibsonA documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- StarsSigourney WeaverDavid AttenboroughNikolay DrozdovA documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's study of the world of plants, which demonstrates, with the aid of time-lapse photography, the rich and varied ways in which they flourish.
- StarsMorgan FreemanSean CarrollMichio KakuHosted by Morgan Freeman, Through the Wormhole will explore the deepest mysteries of existence - the questions that have puzzled mankind for eternity. What are we made of? What was there before the beginning? Are we really alone? Is there a creator? These questions have been pondered by the most exquisite minds of the human race.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsNev SchulmanAriel SchulmanHenry JoostYoung filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreTucker AlbrizziTony BennA documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsJacque FrescoRoxanne MeadowsJohn PerkinsZeitgeist: Addendum attempts to locate the root causes of the pervasive social corruption, while also offering a solution.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA 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.
- DirectorAndrew JareckiStarsArnold FriedmanJesse FriedmanDavid FriedmanDocumentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorJane PrestonStarsKenneth CranhamKing AdzBanksyA look at the feud between graffiti artists King Robbo and Banksy.Robbo Vs Banksy
- DirectorGeoffrey O'ConnorStarsLouis TherouxLouis stays with the residents of a soon to open brothel in Nevada for a few weeks.
- DirectorStuart CabbStarsLouis TherouxApril GaedeBill GaedeLouis Theroux travels to California to meet the man dubbed "the most dangerous racist in America"; Tom Metzger, his family and his publicity manager. Louis also meets 'Prussian Blue' an American white-nationalist preteen musical sibling duo.
- DirectorHelen SageStuart CabbDaniel EliasStarsLouis TherouxRobert BlackDeWayne BruceLouis Theroux narrates a compilation of clips from his documentaries.
- DirectorGeoffrey O'ConnorStarsLouis TherouxLauren DrainSteve DrainLouis meets the Phelps family, who protest against an America that tolerates homosexuality
- DirectorEmma CooperStarsStuart LinderLouis TherouxLouis Theroux gets under the skin of the plastic surgery patients of Beverly Hills.
- DirectorStuart CabbStarsLouis TherouxFor two weeks, Theroux visits the San Quentin State Prison.
- DirectorPaddy WivellStarsLouis TherouxLouis goes to South Africa where American tourists pay to hunt wild animals in privately owned reserves.
- DirectorAndy WellsStarsLouis TherouxYair LiebermanDaniel LuriaLouis Theroux visits a small group of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers.
- DirectorAgnieszka PiotrowskaAn observation documentary about women who fall in love with large objects rather than people. They maintain to have intimate relationships with them, including comunicating with them through telepathy. The film suggests gently that this might be a psychological defence as the protagonists have suffered at the hands of people.
- DirectorOsca HumphreysStarsOsca HumphreysCarla KriekJames RileyA shy 26-year-old man visits a school run for virgins to educate them in sexuality and all aspects of dating. Will the training he receives allow him to "lose it"?
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAnon2WorldAnonyopsJulian AssangeA documentary on the workings and beliefs of the self-described "hacktivist" collective, Anonymous.
- DirectorChris PaineStarsMartin SheenTom HanksMel GibsonA 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.
- DirectorSimon KloseStarsGottfrid SvartholmPeter SundeFredrik NeijAn intellectual freedoms documentary based around the interpersonal triumphs, and defeats of the three main characters against the largest industry in the known universe. The media industry.
- StarsRushmore DeNooyer
- DirectorJason Scott SadofskyStarsErnest AdamsScott AdamsHollywood AndersonWith limited sound, simple graphics, and tiny amounts of computing power, the first games on home computers would hardly raise an eyebrow in the modern era of photorealism and surround sound. In a world of Quake, Half-Life and Halo, it is expected that a successful game must be loud, fast, and full of blazing life-like action. But in the early 1980s, an entire industry rose over the telling of tales, the solving of intricate puzzles and the art of writing. Like living books, these games described fantastic worlds to their readers, and then invited them to live within them. They were called "computer adventure games", and they used the most powerful graphics processor in the world: the human mind. Rising from side projects at universities and engineering companies, adventure games would describe a place, and then ask what to do next. They presented puzzles, tricks and traps to be overcome. They were filled with suspense, humor and sadness. And they offered a unique type of joy as players discovered how to negotiate the obstacles and think their way to victory. These players have carried their memories of these text adventures to the modern day, and a whole new generation of authors have taken up the torch to present a new set of places to explore. Get Lamp is a documentary that will tell the story of the creation of these incredible games, in the words of the people who made them.
- DirectorMagnus TempleStarsPhil AdamEvgeni Nikolaevich BelikovRandy BroweleitThe story behind the fiendishly addictive game, a tale of high stakes, intimidation and legal feuds set against the backdrop of Cold War tensions between East and West.
- DirectorJuan Carlos Pineiro EscoriazaStarsDan BustardAshley EsquedaAndrew MonkelbanAn intimate, fascinating look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging, hugely popular genre of computer games.
- DirectorEmmanuel GoldsteinStarsMark AbeneEd CummingsRobert DarlingtonA feature length documentary about the Free Kevin movement and the hacker world.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsTony BrooksDiana DavisTerry WoodA horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
- StarsRobert X. CringelySteve JobsBill GatesThe development of Arpanet, the Internet and the World Wide Web from 1969 to 1998 is explored.
- DirectorMichael EpsteinLilibet FosterNathaniel KahnStarsThomas GoetzThree stories from filmmakers about the expected change in the future of energy, in the year 2050.
- DirectorGideon BradshawStarsBrian CoxNick ChohanPaul CollierA tour and presentation of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland from physicist Brian Cox.
- DirectorScott J. GillStarsNeil ArmstrongDavid BakerPenelope BostonVisionary rocket scientist, Robert Zubrin, has a plan for getting humans to Mars in the next ten years and ultimately turning the Red Planet blue. But can he win over the skeptics at NASA and the wider world?
- StarsBenedict CumberbatchStephen HawkingMelissa RicciIn this comprehensive cosmology series Stephen Hawking looks at the entire universe, from the Big Bang to the end of time.
- StarsBrian CoxSteven MackintoshProfessor Brian Cox visits some of the most dramatic parts of the globe to explain the fundamental principles that govern the laws of nature - light, gravity, energy, matter and time. With the world's most profound science at its heart, Wonders Of The Universe reveals how the story of humanity is intimately entwined with that of the complex story of the origins of the universe.
- DirectorDavid ClarkAl GiddingsStarsRoscoe Lee BrowneJohn E. McCoskerBruce RobisonViewers are taken 3,000 feet [914.4 meters] below the surface of the ocean near the Galapagos Islands.
- DirectorChristopher ButcherA documentary that explores the use of nanotechnology in medical applications, as well as some of the ethical and environmental concerns about its use today.
- DirectorSatheesh GopalanStarsSteve BorgiaChip ConleyMihaly CsikszentmihalyiINNOVATION : Where Creativity and Technology Meet is a documentary film about Creativity, Innovation, and Technology. It shows how these powerful forces are changing the way we live and work in the 21st century. This movie takes viewers on a world-wide journey to see how great achievers, past and present, use creativity, innovation, and technology to thrive in a hyper-connected and hyper-competitive world. First time in a documentary film many world-renowned entrepreneurs, professors, psychologists, and leadership mentors share their wisdom and strategies to unleash the creative force within us and explain how to pursue a more successful and fulfilling life in a dramatically changing world. This film will make its viewers feel that any one can become great and it is never too late to be what an individual might have been.
- DirectorMartin WilliamsStarsRichard LinternPatrick StewartA fantastical - but factual - journey to the Centre of the Earth.
- DirectorGary JohnstoneStarsAidan McArdleShirley HendersonSteven RobertsonThis docudrama examines the history of scientific discovery that lead up to Albert Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 and its aftermath in the creation of nuclear energy. This includes Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic fields; Antoine Lavoisier's discovery that mass is never lost; and Emilie du Chatelet's demonstration that Newton's calculation of the velocity of a falling object was incorrect. By 1905, the miracle year where the publication Einstein's four physics papers changed over 200 years of scientific fundamentals, all of this came together with his now famous equation. Afterwards, Lise Meisner's work on uranium let to her conclusion that splitting an atom would release large amounts of energy.
- CreatorDaniel HartAlan KwanTacita MorwayStarsJay O. SandersCraig SechlerStacy KeachScience documentaries about various topics.
- DirectorSerena DaviesRushmore DeNooyerSarah HoltStarsEllen Becker-GrayJerry ChuKandace C. CummingsA look at Charles Darwin, his book On The Origin of Species, and how his theory of evolution is explained. It includes Darwin's observations through work on the Human Genome Project.
- DirectorNic StaceyStarsJim Al-KhaliliChaos theory has a bad name, conjuring up images of unpredictable weather, economic crashes and science gone wrong. But there is a fascinating and hidden side to Chaos, one that scientists are only now beginning to understand. It turns out that chaos theory answers a question that mankind has asked for millennia - how did we get here? In this documentary, Professor Jim Al-Khalili sets out to uncover one of the great mysteries of science - how does a universe that starts off as dust end up with intelligent life? How does order emerge from disorder? It's a mindbending, counterintuitive and for many people a deeply troubling idea. But Professor Al-Khalili reveals the science behind much of beauty and structure in the natural world and discovers that far from it being magic or an act of God, it is in fact an intrinsic part of the laws of physics. Amazingly, it turns out that the mathematics of chaos can explain how and why the universe creates exquisite order and pattern. And the best thing is that one doesn't need to be a scientist to understand it. The natural world is full of awe-inspiring examples of the way nature transforms simplicity into complexity. From trees to clouds to humans - after watching this film you'll never be able to look at the world in the same way again.
- DirectorMichael SchwarzEdward GrayStarsFrances McDormandMichael PollanMichael Pollan, a professor of journalism and a student of food, presents the history of four plants, each of which found a way to make itself essential to humans, thus ensuring widespread propagation. Apples, for sweetness; tulips, for beauty; marijuana, for pleasure; and, potatoes, for sustenance. Each has a story of discovery and adaptation; each has a symbiotic relationship with human civilization. The film tells these stories and examines these relationships.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughJustin MarshallJean-Bernard CaronDavid Attenborough goes back in time to investigate the origins of life.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's comprehensive and richly detailed study of birds, examining the variety of different species and their ways of life.
- DirectorAndy PapadopoulosStarsErik ThompsonMichio KakuAlex FilippenkoSome of the world's leading physicists believe they have found startling new evidence showing the existence of universes other than our own. One possibility is that the universe is so vast that an exact replica of our Solar System, our planet and ourselves exists many times over. These Doppelganger Universes exist within our own Universe; in what scientist now call "The Multiverse.
- StarsGeorge WrightScott LomuDavid KastelerFollows Americans George Wright and Scott Lomu, two hard working men who risk it all to strike it rich as part of a golden plan to recover from losing everything in the real estate crash of 2008.
- CreatorLes StroudStarsLes StroudLogan StroudTodd StandingNo food, no shelter, no fresh water - one man alone in the wild for seven days with only his wits and stamina to sustain him.
- CreatorCraig LangmanStarsEd StaffordChris RyanEd Stafford attempts to survive alone on a Desert island for 60 days. With no clothes, no knife or anything except his camera, an emergency satellite phone and an emergency medical kit.
- StarsLuke CollyerEd StaffordGadiel 'Cho' Sanchez RiveraThe story of Ed Stafford's 2 1/2 year journey to become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon River.
- DirectorRobert UthStarsStacy KeachElisabeth NooneNikola TeslaBiography of electrical inventor and visionary genius Nikola Tesla.
- StarsScott Victor NelsonDoug Scroggins IIIBronte D'AcquistoAmericans who have an obsession for a certain item or entity are interviewed and discuss their obsessions on reality TV.
- CreatorJason BolickiChris SergiStarsJohn ZajeckaDemi KazanisTrisha PaytasTells the compelling stories of people who are battling obsessive behaviors on the verge of taking over their lives. Follow these addicts as they reveal their strange addictions and meet with psychological experts.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- StarsRobert DurstAndrew JareckiDick DeGuerinFilmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.
- StarsJim ClementeEna O'RourkeR.J. WagnerA team of investigators re-examine the 20 year-old unsolved murder of JonBenét Ramsey.
- StarsMichael BrownAmanda KayeLaura ZerraReality show where two strangers (typically 1 male, 1 female) try to survive in the wild for up to 21 days, naked.
- StarsMichael BrownJeff ZauschMatt WrightA group of amateur survivalists are put to the ultimate test in the wild for 40 days with nothing but a few primitive tools. No food. No clothing. No water. They must hunt and gather whatever they need until extraction day.