Good Documentaries
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- StarsDavid AttenboroughRolf SteinmannEmma NapperDavid Attenbourough narrates on the greatest of all adventures - the journey through life.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughJustin MarshallJean-Bernard CaronDavid Attenborough goes back in time to investigate the origins of life.
- DirectorMichael GuntonMartha HolmesStarsDaniel CraigKoert-Jan de BruijnFocuses on the cyclical journey taken by all living creatures, from birth to having youngsters of their own.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJulian AssangeAdrian LamoJohn 'FuzzFace' McMahonA documentary that details the creation of Julian Assange's controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history.
- DirectorLaura PoitrasStarsEdward SnowdenGlenn GreenwaldWilliam BinneyA documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsStan AdelsteinLanice ArcherRobert BakkerA documentary about the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsElon MuskJoel SartoreLouie PsihoyosA documentary that follows undercover activists trying to stave off a man-made mass extinction.
- StarsTempestt BledsoeEdward BurnsDean CainOriginal Vietnam War footage presented in high definition along with narrations by war veterans and the voices of Hollywood stars.
- DirectorAnthony GeffenStarsConrad AnkerSusan RobertsonRobert MacfarlaneUses astonishing visuals to tell the intersecting stories of George Mallory, the first man to attempt a summit of Mount Everest, and Conrad Anker, the mountaineer who finds Mallory's frozen remains 75 years later.
- DirectorLeanne PooleyStarsChad MoffittSonam SherpaJohn WraightTenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's monumental and historical ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 - an event that stunned the world and defined a nation.
- DirectorMark LevinsonStarsDavid KaplanFabiola GianottiSherwood BoehlertAs the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.
- DirectorScott MactavishStarsMichael P. MurphyJohnny McElhoneHector Velez Jr.A documentary based on the honor, courage and commitment of Navy SEAL LT Michael P. Murphy, who gave his life for his men in 2005 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2007.
- DirectorRodney AscherStarsStephen JosephEstrella CristinaSiegfried PetersA look at a frightening condition that plagues thousands; sleep paralysis.
- DirectorGreg MacGillivrayStarsEwan McGregorAn in-depth look at the lives of humpback whales and the challenges they face to avoid extinction.
- DirectorRob StewartStarsRob StewartPaul WatsonErich RitterAn investigation of sharks' importance to ecosystems and humankind's mass destruction of shark species worldwide.
- DirectorHoward HallStarsJim CarreyZozo KahramanaAn underwater look at the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas and the impact of global warming on the oceans.
- DirectorRick RowleyStarsJeremy ScahillNasser Al AulaqiSaleha Al AulaqiInvestigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is pulled into an unexpected journey as he chases down the hidden truth behind America's expanding covert wars.
- DirectorYann Arthus-BertrandStarsYann Arthus-BertrandGlenn CloseJacques GamblinWith aerial footage from fifty-four countries, 'Home' is a depiction of how Earth's problems are all interlinked.
- StarsPeter FirthMary Beth SchwartzJeff HenryFilmed over the course of a year in Yellowstone, this documentary tracks the area's wildlife as they grapple with life and death within one of America's last remaining wilderness regions.
- DirectorMartin WilliamsStarsRichard LinternPatrick StewartA fantastical - but factual - journey to the Centre of the Earth.
- DirectorLorenz KnauerStarsAngelina JoliePierce BrosnanJane GoodallMore than 20 years ago, Dr. Jane Goodall, now 75, decided to give up her career as a primatologist, as well as her private life, in order to devote all her energy to saving our endangered planet. Since then she's been spending 300 days a year scouring the globe on her mission to spread hope for future generations. She has taken on the responsibilities of a UN Messenger of Peace, and has been honored with countless awards. In Jane's Journey, we accompany her on her travels across several continents, and receive unprecedented access to her intense and exciting past. From her childhood home in Bournemouth, England, we embark to Gombe National Park on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, in Tanzania, her second home. It's where she began her groundbreaking research nearly half a century ago, and she still returns every year to enjoy the company of the chimpanzees that made her the internationally recognized activist so loved and deeply respected.This documentary offers an intimate portrait of the private person behind the world-famous icon, possibly the most fascinating woman of our time, whose scientific breakthroughs are considered to be among the most important of the past 100 years.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughAlec BaldwinChadden HunterFocuses on life and the environment in both the Arctic and Antarctic.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogJean ClottesJulien MonneyWerner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerStarsStephen RakesJames 'Whitey' BulgerTommy DonahueA look at James 'Whitey' Bulger, one of the most infamous criminals in American history.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMichael RuppertA documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, From the Wilderness.
- DirectorDereck JoubertStarsJeremy IronsFifty years ago there were close to half-a-million lions in Africa. Today there are around 20,000. To make matters worse, lions, unlike elephants, which are far more numerous, have virtually no protection under government mandate or through international accords. This is the jumping-off point for a disturbing, well-researched and beautifully made cri de coeur from husband and wife team Dereck and Beverly Joubert, award-winning filmmakers from Botswana who have been Explorers-in-Residence at National Geographic for more than four years. Pointing to poaching as a primary threat while noting the lion's pride of place on the list for eco-tourists-an industry that brings in 200 billion dollars per year worldwide-the Jouberts build a solid case for both the moral duty we have to protect lions (as well as other threatened "big cats," tigers among them) and the economic sense such protection would make. And when one takes into account the fact that big cats are at the very top of the food chain-and that their elimination would wreak havoc on all species below them, causing a complete ecosystem collapse-the need takes on a supreme urgency.
- DirectorMark KrenzienStarsLindsay AitchisonSerena Aunon-ChancellorChris FergusonAn unveiling of a new era of unprecedented deep space exploration in dramatic giant screen film format.
- DirectorDavid LickleyStarsBirute GaldikasDaphne SheldrickMorgan FreemanThis heartwarming film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them-saving endangered species one life at a time.
- DirectorLuke CresswellSteve McNicholasFrom the Academy-Award nominated creators of the Broadway show STOMP and the award-winning film Wild Ocean, The Last Reef is an uplifting, inspirational large-format and 3D cinema experience capturing one of nature's more vibrant and diverse wonderlands. Exotic coral reefs, vibrant sea walls in the sub-arctic pulsating with anemones and crustaceans: these biodiversity hot spots are as vital to our lives as the rainforests. Shot on location in Palau, Vancouver Island, French Polynesia, Mexico, and The Bahamas using groundbreaking 3D cinematography, The Last Reef takes us on a global journey to explore the connection of our cities on land with the ocean's complex, parallel world of the coral reefs beneath the sea.
- DirectorJames CameronSteven QualeStarsJames CameronAnatoly M. SagalevitchGenya ChernaievJames Cameron teams up with NASA scientists to explore the Mid-Ocean Ridge, a submerged chain of mountains that band the Earth and are home to some of the planet's most unique life forms.
- 201346mTV-PG8.5 (75)TV EpisodeDirectorDavid LeeStarsDavid AttenboroughThe ancient origins of the first vertebrates, including how they transitioned from water to land.
- DirectorFranco di ChieraStarsCraig SechlerStephen WroeGavin PrideauxA team of scientific detectives from around the world attempt to crack one of science's most enduring mysteries - what killed Australia's megafauna?
- DirectorMartin KempMeet Titanoboa: She's longer than a bus, eats crocodiles for breakfast and makes the anaconda look like a garter snake.
- StarsStephen FrySimon BellMark Payne-GillThis is a series about the tiny animals of the forest and jungles. Seen from their perspective, we experience a life where almost everything is a giant.
- StarsCampbell ScottH.W. BrandsMark CubanRockefeller, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Astor, Ford and Morgan. Their names are part of history and synonymous with the American dream. These men transformed every industry they touched: oil, rail, steel, shipping, automobiles, and finance.
- StarsAlexander SkarsgårdJames RansoneLee TergesenA Rolling Stone reporter, embedded with The 1st Recon Marines chronicles his experiences during the first wave of the American-led assault on Baghdad in 2003.
- DirectorJeffrey RothStarsEugene CernanYuri GagarinJohn F. Kennedy"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." These words spoken by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 changed the lives of twelve Americans who walked on the moon. The Wonder of it All focuses on Apollo astronauts; Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt as they reflect on the training, tragedies, being on the moon and the effect of space travel. Becoming heroes to a nation, they fulfilled the dream to set foot on another world and in so doing, forever changed the way we view ourselves.
- StarsBrian CoxCarolyn PorcoRichard HooverIn this spellbinding series Professor Brian Cox visits the most extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders across the solar system.
- 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.
- DirectorRick SmithStarsRemi WarrenEagles are estimated to have eyesight up to eight times stronger than that of the average human. Using the power of modern optics, Remi Warren attempts to spot and hunt Coues deer from long range like one of the world's greatest winged predators: the golden eagle.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughAnthony GeffenMartin WilliamsFilmed in one of the most extreme and hard-to-reach locations in the world, 'Galapagos' explores the unique environments and species of the Galapagos. It will take viewers on a voyage to understand the stunning archipelago which changed the way we see the world and has long-remained a place of true interest with the nation's favourite naturalist.
- DirectorJulia HuffmanStarsJim BrandenburgJane GoodallSaginaw GrantFilmmaker Julia Huffman travels to Minnesota and into "wolf country" to pursue the deep intrinsic value of brother wolf and our forgotten promise to him.
- StarsDick RodsteinScientists have been reconstructing the history of the Moon by scouring its surface, mapping its mountains and craters, and probing its interior. Find out what the origins of the Moon can tell us about our own planet's beginnings.
- DirectorDavid ClarkStarsChristopher PlummerTrevor S. ValleChristoph WalterExplore the Pleistocene through archaeological discoveries, reenactments, and CGI.
- DirectorMargaret BrownStarsMeccah Boynton-BrownDoug BrownBob CavnarA documentary on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion as seen through the eyes of oil executives, survivors and Gulf Coast residents who experienced it first-hand and then were left to pick up the pieces while the world moved on.
- StarsIain StewartLeo HouldingVictor BakerIn each episode, geologist Dr. Iain Stewart explains the effects and importance of a specific force of nature, such as wind or volcanism. He also examines the various ways in which it shapes planet earth itself and influences life on it, often in conjunction with other natural forces, and sometimes with lifeforms, as in the 'apocalyptically' grave case of global warming.
- DirectorKeith ScholeyAlastair FothergillStarsSamuel L. JacksonPatrick StewartMeet Mara, an endearing lion cub striving to be like her mother; Sita, a cheetah and single mother of five; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion.
- DirectorAbdallah OmeishStarsAyman MohyeldinSherine TadrosIn 2008 two best friends found themselves trapped in one of the most dangerous places on earth - the only western journalists in the Gaza Strip on what was supposed to be a 24-hour assignment. The War Around Us captures the collision of veteran war correspondent and one of TIME's most 100 influential people, Ayman Mohyeldin, with rookie reporter Sherine Tadros. As missiles shower the city and unspeakable atrocities emerge, the pair is torn by fierce professional rivalry, private terror and grim humor - with no way out and the whole world watching.
- StarsChristopher CottenMichael MosleyInside The Human Body - takes us deep under our skin where we are dwarfed by even the smallest cell, where blood vessels becomevast cathedrals and the tiniest cluster of cilia becomes an expansive forest.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsGeorge HarrisonHarry HarrisonPeter HarrisonFilmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.
- DirectorLauren SouthernStarsLauren SouthernSimon RocheEileen de JagerDetails the plight of South African farmers.
- StarsLaurence OlivierAverell HarrimanAnthony EdenA groundbreaking 26-part documentary series narrated by the actor Laurence Olivier about the deadliest conflict in history, World War II.
- DirectorMichael MazzolaStarsGiancarlo EspositoSteven M. GreerCarl Sagan"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 back decades, is presented with direct top-secret witness testimony, documents and UFO footage, 80% of which has never been revealed anywhere else. The behind-the-scenes research and high-level meetings convened by Dr. Steven Greer will expose the degree of illegal, covert operations at the core of UFO secrecy. From briefings with the CIA Director, top Pentagon Generals and Admirals, to the briefing of President Obama via senior advisor John Podesta, chairman of the Hillary Clinton Campaign, we take the viewer behind the veil of secrecy and into the corridors of real power where the UFO secrets reside. The viewer will learn that a silent coup d'état has occurred dating back to the 1950s and that the Congress, the President and other world leaders have been sidelined by criminal elements within the military-industrial-financial complex.
- StarsCillian MurphyRenée GodfreyColin FoordIn this landmark series, the BBC Natural History Unit explores a vast ocean that stretches nearly 10,000 miles, from Arctic to Antarctic and from sun-drenched tropical reefs to crushing abyssal depths.
- DirectorJon BowermasterStarsTilda SwintonAntarctica lives in our dreams as the most remote, the most forbidding continent on Planet Earth. It is a huge land covered with ice as thick as three miles, seemingly invulnerable, cold and dark for eight months of the year. Yet Antarctica is also a fragile place, home to an incredible variety of life along its edges, arguably the most stunning, breathtaking and still-pristine place on earth. The one constant is that it is constantly changing, every season, every day, every hour. I've been fortunate to travel to Antarctica many times; most recently with 3D cameras, a first for the continent. The result is our new film, Antarctica: On the Edge.
- DirectorBill GuttentagMichael WareStarsAbu Musab Al-ZarqawiMichael WareAustralian journalist Michael Ware's experiences in Iraq during the 2003 war and after.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsAndrew AckermanPim BongaertsNeal CantinCoral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
- DirectorAnnie GoldsonStarsKim DotcomAlan CurtisFrance KomoroskeThe story of the most wanted man online
- DirectorFred FougeaJérôme GuiotStarsNadine AdamsJason BarnardFred BobbittIn this epic special, travel back in time 25 million years to experience the trials, dramas and triumphs that shaped our ancestors.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsThomas AdlamWilliam ArgentJohn AshbyA documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsBuzz AldrinA look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.
- DirectorCaolan RobertsonStarsJanice AtkinsonJustin BarrettGail DunneChronicles the migrant crisis occurring in Europe and the consequences on both refugees and natives.
- DirectorDan ReedStarsMichael JacksonWade RobsonJoy RobsonAt the height of his stardom, the world's biggest pop star, Michael Jackson, began long-running relationships with two young boys, aged between seven and ten, along their families. They now allege that he sexually abused them.
- DirectorJennifer BaichwalEdward BurtynskyNicholas de PencierStarsYoussef Suleiman MohammedAlicia VikanderFilmmakers travel to six continents and 20 countries to document the impact humans have made on the planet.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughEach of the twelve 50-minute episodes features a different aspect of the journey through life, from birth to adulthood and continuation of the species through reproduction.
- DirectorSally ThomsonStarsDavid AttenboroughBenjamin MoonChris MooreSir David Attenborough investigates the discovery of a 200 million year old Ichthyosaur on the Jurassic Coast in southern England.
- DirectorJeremy Kenyon Lockyer CorbellStarsBob LazarGeorge KnappJeremy Kenyon Lockyer CorbellIn 1989, physicist Bob Lazar broke the story of Area 51 and the US government's work on alien spacecrafts. He blew the whistle, shocked the world, then went silent - until now.
- StarsJohn HurtBased on the latest paleontological discoveries from all continents, veteran actor John Hurt narrates the gory, bleak stories of the brutal relationship between the ancient apex predators and their gigantic herbivorous prey.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughDavid Attenborough's groundbreaking study of the evolution of life on our planet.
- DirectorLeila ConnersNadia ConnersStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKenny AusubelThom HartmannA look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughBarack ObamaDavid Attenborough revisits the Great Barrier Reef after nearly 60 years. His visit takes him from the most exposed part of the reef as well as down to 300m below the surface discovering corals never seen before.
- DirectorAnthony PhilipsonStarsPatrick KennedyJack TarltonRufus WrightEight days, three hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds. That's the total duration of the most important and celebrated space mission ever flown - Apollo 11 - when we first stepped foot on the moon. Eight days that created some of the most iconic images in human history and changed the way we think about our place in the universe forever. But what was it really like for those three men in that high-tech tin can through each of those extraordinary eight days? 8 Days, a feature-length drama documentary to mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, will bring the real story of the mission as it happened. With access to hours of declassified cockpit audio recorded by the astronauts themselves, 8 Days will use cutting-edge digital effects and dramatised performances to create a stunning 21st century visual journey to bring the original audio to life. Until now we've only glimpsed inside Apollo 11 with a handful of iconic stills and a few precious minutes of movie footage. But what if we could step inside that Saturn V rocket and for the very first time be on the inside to hear every word they said, from moments of high drama to the constant banter on that long and dangerous journey.
- DirectorAl ReinertStarsJim LovellKen MattinglyRussell SchweickartAn in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.
- DirectorDuncan CoppStarsJames S. BullockReg E. CatheyEmbark on an astounding journey across 100,000 light-years to witness key moments in the history of the Milky Way. Using cutting-edge science, National Geographic constructs a 3-D state-of-the-art CGI model of our galaxy. Gaze into the heart of the Milky Way on the hunt for super-massive black holes. Witness as stars are born and die. Fly out and above the plane of our galaxy to understand its true shape and scour its dusty spiral arms for the possibility of life.
- StarsLee JagowRobin NapperRay BiondiThe official definition of a serial killer is someone who kills three or more people. But do they have more in common than just a statistic? The series looks deeply into contemporary serial killers, to the most meticulous killer of modern times, Sacramento's Dorothea Puente, the owner of the 'House of Horrors'. Then there are the educated killers, like Dr Harold Shipman, who is thought to have killed nearly 300 people who were his patients and Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, who held a PhD in Mathematics. At the other end of the scale, Los Angeles serial killer Lonnie Franklin was organised but not smart, his reign of murder led to the deaths of so many disadvantaged women. Londoner Dennis Nilsen, strangled his victims with a tie, In Finland sexual predator Stephen Thomas, used his bodily fluid to kill prostitutes by infecting them with AIDS. '35 Serial Killers the World Wants to Forget' will use file vision, reenactments witness accounts, interviews with experts, friends, family, and people who just may have met them once, to create stories that investigate the mind and actions of serial killers. The series does not glamourize the killers, instead it will give us an understanding of why, why some people in society do kill, and why others see this as a fascination.
- StarsDavid AttenboroughExplores and unravels the mystery of how and why animals migrate, showing some of the most dramatic and compelling stories in the natural world through spectacular and innovative cinematography.
- StarsIvor DavisJeff GuinnDianne LakeOver 50 years later, Helter Skelter features new interviews and archival material to provide the most comprehensive retelling yet of the Manson Family's crimes, seeking to upend assumptions about this layered, complex story.
- DirectorDavid SalzbergChristian TureaudStarsFrank AdamskiOfren ArrechagaEd BankstonArmed only with their cameras, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning conflict Journalist Mike Boettcher, and his son, Carlos, provide unprecedented access into the longest war in U.S. history.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsTristan HarrisJeff SeibertBailey RichardsonExplores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
- StarsJeff WilburnConor HallTim PaigeThe Pacific War in Color immerses viewers in a graphic and dramatic look through an unfiltered lens.
- StarsCharles CoffeyJim McIntyreJohn IngramThe investigators behind infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.
- DirectorHugh BallantyneStarsLiev SchreiberStefan Ashton FrankMelissa FarleyA retelling of the Manson story using original, archived 16mm footage.