Documentaries on Race, Ethnicity and Migration
by MrKaya | created - 08 Jan 2015 | updated - 7 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. We Were Children (2012)
88 min | Drama
For over 130 years till 1996, more than 100,000 of Canada's First Nations children were legally required to attend government-funded schools run by various Christian faiths. There were 80 ... See full summary »
Director: Tim Wolochatiuk | Stars: Lyna Hart, Glen Anaquod, Alicia Hamelin, Jade Hamelin
Votes: 716
2. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2006 Video)
50 min | Documentary, History, War
This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged form the earliest days of silent film to today's biggest Hollywood ... See full summary »
Directors: Jeremy Earp, Sut Jhally | Stars: Bo Derek, Ana Obregón, Jack Shaheen
Votes: 622
3. Which Way Home (2009)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
"Which Way Home" is a feature documentary film that follows unaccompanied child migrants, on their journey through Mexico, as they try to reach the United States. We follow children like ... See full summary »
Director: Rebecca Cammisa
Votes: 1,198
4. Promises (2001)
106 min | Documentary
Several Jewish and Palestinian children are followed for three years and put in touch with each other, in this alternative look at the Jewish-Palestinian conflict. The three filmmakers ... See full summary »
Directors: B.Z. Goldberg, Justine Shapiro, Carlos Bolado | Stars: Moishe Bar Am, B.Z. Goldberg, Shlomo Green, Sanabel Hassan
Votes: 2,723 | Gross: $0.24M
5. Erasing Hate (2011 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary
In this hour, MSNBC goes inside the world of Bryon Widner, a former skinhead "pit bull", as he undergoes painful treatments to remove the physical representation of the hate he had exhibited to the world for more than half his life.
Director: Bill Brummel | Stars: Bryon Widner, Julie Widner, Brooke Beck, Andrew Micheal Carter
Votes: 422
6. Lost Boys of Sudan (2003)
Unrated | 87 min | Documentary
Lost Boys of Sudan is a feature-length documentary that follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to America. Orphaned as young boys in one of Africa's cruelest ... See full summary »
Directors: Megan Mylan, Jon Shenk | Stars: Santino Majok Chuor, Jarrid Geduld, Peter Kon Dut
Votes: 660 | Gross: $0.12M
7. Without Shepherds (2013)
Not Rated | 89 min | Documentary
Six bold people navigate the dangerous waters of Pakistan's current crisis to discover a new tomorrow: a cricket star starts a progressive political party, a female journalist goes behind ... See full summary »
Directors: Cary McClelland, Imran Babur | Stars: Vaneeza Ahmad, Arieb Azhar, Abdullah Khan, Imran Khan
Votes: 72
8. The Muslims Are Coming! (2013)
Not Rated | 81 min | Documentary, Comedy
Comedians Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah lead an all-star Muslim comedy performing in big cities, small towns, liberal enclaves, conservative hotbeds, rural and everything in between to ... See full summary »
Directors: Negin Farsad, Dean Obeidallah | Stars: Lewis Black, Scott Blakeman, David Cross, Omar Elba
Votes: 345
9. On the Way to School (2008)
81 min | Documentary, Drama
One year in the life of a Turkish teacher, teaching the Turkish language to Kurdish children in a remote village in Turkey. The children can't speak Turkish, the teacher can't speak Kurdish... See full summary »
Directors: Özgür Dogan, Orhan Eskiköy | Stars: Emre Aydin, Rojda Huz, Vehip Huz, Zulkuf Huz
Votes: 3,129
10. Slavery and the Making of America (2005)
TV-PG | 240 min | History
A documentary of the history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies through the years of post-Civil War Reconstruction, this series examines the integral role ... See full summary »
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Jordan Brown, Justin Jackson, Chauncey Herring
Votes: 152
11. Documented (2013)
89 min | Documentary, Biography, Family
In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as an undocumented immigrant in the New York Times Magazine. 'Documented' chronicles his journey to America from... See full summary »
Directors: Jose Antonio Vargas, Ann Lupo | Stars: Emelie Salinas, Leonila Salinas, Jose Antonio Vargas
Votes: 164 | Gross: $0.01M
12.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
Separate and Unequal/Omarina's Story
(2014)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, News
From PBS and FRONTLINE: Sixty years after the Supreme Court declared separate schools for black and white children unconstitutional, FRONTLINE examines the comeback of segregation in ... See full summary »
Director: Mary Robertson | Stars: Will Lyman, Nikki Dangerfield, Caleb Dangerfield, Lionel Rainey
Votes: 33
13. The Loving Story (2011)
Not Rated | 77 min | Documentary, Drama, History
A racially charged trial and a heartrending love story converge in this documentary about Mildred and Richard Loving, set during the Civil Rights era.
Director: Nancy Buirski | Stars: Jane Alexander, Lindsay Almond Jr., Edward L. Ayers, Leon M. Bazile
Votes: 961
14. The Trials of Muhammad Ali (2013)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The legal battles of the great American boxer against being conscripted into the US military during the Vietnam War.
Director: Bill Siegel | Stars: Eamonn Andrews, Muhammad Ali, David Susskind, George W. Bush
Votes: 1,180 | Gross: $0.06M
15. 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: 40,802 | Gross: $0.49M
16. Reel Injun (2009)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Western
The history of the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films.
Directors: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge, Jeremiah Hayes | Stars: Adam Beach, Chris Eyre, Russell Means, John Trudell
Votes: 1,645
17. Welcome to Leith (2015)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
When a noted white supremacist moves into their town, the residents of Leith, North Dakota do what they can to prevent him from taking control of the municipality.
Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker | Stars: Ryan Schock, Heather Cook, Lee Cook, Bobby Harper
Votes: 4,457 | Gross: $0.04M
18. Salam Neighbor (2015)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
Two filmmakers fully embed themselves in a Syrian refugee camp, providing an intimate look at the world's most dire humanitarian crisis.
Directors: Zach Ingrasci, Chris Temple | Stars: Yara Ibrahim, Zach Ingrasci, Chris Temple
Votes: 586
19. 13th (2016)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales
Votes: 37,669
20. Sex: My British Job (2013)
Not Rated | 63 min | Documentary
Nick Broomfield met Hsiao Hung Pai, a journalist who was working for the Guardian, when making his feature film 'Ghosts' (about the Morecambe Bay Chinese Cockle Pickers ). As an experiment ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Broomfield | Stars: Nick Broomfield, Hsiao-Hung Pai
Votes: 419
21. Meet the Patels (2014)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Animation, Comedy
An Indian-American man who is about to turn 30 gets help from his parents and extended family to start looking for a wife in the traditional Indian way.
Directors: Geeta Vasant Patel, Ravi Patel | Stars: Ravi Patel, Geeta Vasant Patel, Champa V. Patel, Vasant K. Patel
Votes: 3,543 | Gross: $1.69M
22. For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots (2010 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 115 min | Documentary
A two-part, four-hour documentary series honoring African-American servicemen and women.
Director: Frank Martin | Stars: Halle Berry, Avery Brooks, Colin Powell, John Amos
Votes: 114
23. The NSU-Complex (2016 TV Movie)
54 min | Documentary
An underground neo-nazi organisation evades law enforcement whilst performing horrific acts of crime and violence. But for how long?
Directors: Stefan Aust, Dirk Laabs | Stars: Stefan Aust, Tino Brandt, Uwe Böhnhardt, Arne-Andreas Ernst
Votes: 359
24. Hitler: A Career (1977)
Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, History
This meticulously assembled film dissects the Third Reich with an analytical blade, charting Hitler's improbable rise, his mastery of crowd psychology and his consummate skill in exploiting others' weaknesses.
Directors: Joachim Fest, Christian Herrendoerfer | Stars: Gert Westphal, Stephen Murray, Artur Axmann, General Bergeret
Votes: 3,033
25. Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America (2016)
96 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Daryl Davis is an accomplished musician who was played all over the world. He also has an unusual hobby, particularly for a middle aged black man. When not displaying his musical chops, ... See full summary »
Director: Matthew Ornstein | Stars: Daryl D. Davis, Kenneth Nwadike, Jeff Schoep, Michael Wood Jr.
Votes: 1,186 | Gross: $0.00M
26. Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (2016)
Not Rated | 39 min | Documentary, Short
An unprecedented look into the workings of one of the only health clinics that serves America's untouchable class: undocumented immigrants.
Director: Maxim Pozdorovkin
Votes: 97
27. Les Bleus une autre histoire de France (2016 TV Movie)
104 min | Documentary, History, Sport
This documentary follows the French national team for 20 years, from 1996 to 2016. Successes and setbacks that mirrored the French Society.
Directors: David Dietz, Sonia Dauger, Pascal Blanchard
Votes: 814
28. Oklahoma City (2017)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Documents the beliefs and experiences of Timothy McVeigh in the lead-up to his bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which claimed 168 lives.
Director: Barak Goodman | Stars: Janet Beck, Alan Berg, Jim Botting, Bill Buford
Votes: 2,957
29. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)
Not Rated | 115 min | Documentary, History
This documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century's most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world's attention for nearly 50 years.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Blair Anderson, Omar Barbour, Julian Bond, Elaine Brown
Votes: 2,144 | Gross: $0.48M
30. Maya Angelou And Still I Rise (2016)
Not Rated | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The first feature documentary about the remarkable writer, poet, actress, activist Maya Angelou.
Directors: Rita Coburn, Bob Hercules | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Guy Johnson, Diahann Carroll, Don Martin
Votes: 581
31. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 76 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 18,454
32. Forever Pure (2016)
85 min | Documentary
One season and one football team in crisis, as power, money and politics fuel a club spiralling out of control.
Director: Maya Zinshtein | Stars: Eli Cohen, Arcadi Gaydamak, Ariel Harush, Dzhabrail Kadiyev
Votes: 844
33. Dough (2015)
Not Rated | 94 min | Comedy, Drama
An old Jewish baker struggles to keep his business afloat until his young Muslim apprentice drops cannabis in the dough and sends sales sky high.
Director: John Goldschmidt | Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Jerome Holder, Phil Davis, Ian Hart
Votes: 2,019 | Gross: $1.14M
34. Disturbing the Peace (2016)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary
In a world torn by conflict -in a place where the idea of peace has been abandoned-an energy of determined optimism emerges. When someone is willing to disturb the status quo and stand for ... See full summary »
Directors: Stephen Apkon, Andrew Young | Stars: Chen Alon, Jamil Qassas, Avner Wishnitzer, Sulaiman Khatib
Votes: 280 | Gross: $0.02M
35. Awake: A Dream from Standing Rock (2017)
89 min | Documentary
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota captures world attention through their peaceful resistance against the U.S. government's plan to construct an oil pipeline through their land.
Directors: Myron Dewey, Josh Fox, James Spione | Star: Autumn DePoe-Hughes
Votes: 225
36. Farid in the West (2013)
10 min | Short, Comedy, Drama
When two middle-eastern migrants face the pressures of a new culture, they turn to the niqab/burqua in very different ways.
Director: Steve Anthopoulos | Stars: Mairead Armstrong, Michelle Cameron, Cynthia Gordon, Bev Killick
Votes: 16
37. Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 (2017)
TV-MA | 144 min | Documentary, History
An in-depth look at the culture of Los Angeles in the ten years leading up to the 1992 uprising that erupted after the verdict of police officers cleared of beating Rodney King.
Director: John Ridley | Stars: Daryl Gates, Tom Bradley, Damian 'Football' Williams, Michael Moulin
Votes: 837
38. East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem (2014)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, Music
In Palestinian East Jerusalem, Singer-Songwriter David Broza records a new album with American, Palestinian and Israeli musicians in defiance of the Middle East's dark realities.
Directors: Henrique Cymerman, Erez Miller | Stars: Fadi Awad, Mira Awad, David Broza, Steve Earle
Votes: 68
39. Human Flow (2017)
PG-13 | 140 min | Documentary
Human Flow is director and artist Ai Weiwei's detailed and heartbreaking exploration into the global refugee crisis.
Director: Ai Weiwei | Stars: Israa Abboud, Hiba Abed, Rami Abu Sondos, Fadi Abou Akleh
Votes: 2,795 | Gross: $0.53M
40. I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary, History
Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
Director: Raoul Peck | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X
Votes: 23,497 | Gross: $7.12M
41. Amandla! (2002)
PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary, History, Music
Interviews, archival footage, and filmed performances highlight the role of music in the South African struggle against apartheid.
Director: Lee Hirsch | Stars: Abdullah Ibrahim, Duma Ka Ndlovu, Vusi Mahlasela, Walter Cronkite
Votes: 624 | Gross: $0.40M
42. Fire at Sea (2016)
114 min | Documentary
Capturing life on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a frontline in the European migrant crisis.
Director: Gianfranco Rosi | Stars: Samuele Pucillo, Mattias Cucina, Samuele Caruana, Pietro Bartolo
Votes: 6,054 | Gross: $0.12M
43. Born in Syria (2016)
86 min | Documentary
Since civil war started in Syria in 2011, an estimated 9 million Syrians have fled their homes, half of them children. These children have fled unimaginable horror: the indiscriminate ... See full summary »
Director: Hernán Zin | Stars: Tia Alkerdi, Javier Castell
Votes: 356
44. Life Overtakes Me (2019)
TV-PG | 39 min | Documentary, Short
In the grip of trauma, hundreds of refugee children in Sweden withdraw from life's uncertainties into a coma-like illness called Resignation Syndrome.
Directors: John Haptas, Kristine Samuelson | Stars: Henry Ascher, Nadja Hatem, Mikael Billing, Karl Sallin
Votes: 2,161
45. Reggie Yates: Race Riots USA (2015 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
Reggie Yates examines the position of African-Americans in US society.
Director: Ruhi Hamid | Stars: Reggie Yates, Dorothy Kaiser, Clifton Kinnie, Brendan Roediger
Votes: 66
46. Reggie Yates: Life and Death in Chicago (2016 TV Movie)
53 min | Documentary
Against the backdrop of unprecedented gun violence, Reggie Yates travels to Chicago to investigate gun crime in President Obama's adopted hometown.
Director: Toby Trackman | Stars: Reggie Yates, Ja'mal Green, Catherine Brown, Al Francis
Votes: 35
47. Living Undocumented (2019)
45 min | Documentary
A look at the lives of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
Votes: 618
48.
ITV Exposure (2011– )
Episode:
White Right: Meeting the Enemy
(2017)
55 min | Documentary, News
Emmy award-winning film-maker Deeyah Khan joins the front line of the race wars in America, sitting down face-to-face with Neo-Nazis and fascists.
Director: Deeyah Khan | Stars: Deeyah Khan, Jeff Schoep, Brian Culpepper, Mike Schloer
Votes: 673
49. Who Killed Malcolm X? (2019–2020)
43 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Activist Abdur-Rahman Muhammad begins his own investigation into the perplexing details surrounding the assassination of civil rights leader Malcolm X.
Stars: Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, Muhammad A. Aziz, Zak A. Kondo, David Garrow
Votes: 2,380
51. The Hate That Hate Produced (1959 TV Special)
Documentary
Stars: Louis Farrakhan, Louis Lomax, Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad
Votes: 31
52. Alaturka (2014)
42 min | Documentary, Short
Three generations of Turkish women in Gent, Belgium share their personal views on integration.
Director: Alexander Decommere | Stars: Sùleyman Alicli, Cimen Aydin, Yusuf Aydin, Ahmet Er
Votes: 20
53. Immigration Nation (2020– )
TV-MA | Documentary
A documentary looking inside the world of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Votes: 1,229
54. Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali (2021)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History
From a chance meeting to a tragic fallout, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali's extraordinary bond cracks under the weight of distrust and shifting ideals.
Director: Marcus A. Clarke | Stars: Ilyasah Shabazz, Rahman Ali, Cornel West, Todd Boyd
Votes: 1,207
55. Mis dos voces (2022)
68 min | Documentary
A poetic reflection on the fluid nature of identity, Mis dos voces focuses on Ana, Claudia, and Marinela, three Latin American women who share their intimate experiences of immigrating to ... See full summary »
Director: Lina Rodriguez | Stars: Ana Garay Kostic, Claudia Montoya, Marinela Piedrahita
Votes: 14
57. Stranger at the Gate (2022)
29 min | Documentary, Short
A U.S. Marine plots a terrorist attack on a small-town American mosque, but his plan takes an unexpected turn when he comes face-to-face with the people he is about to kill.
Director: Joshua Seftel | Stars: Bibi Bahrami, Saber Bahrami, Zaki Bahrami, Kent Kurtz
Votes: 1,660
58. Harry & Meghan (2022)
TV-MA | 58 min | Documentary, Biography
Explores the span of their relationship, from the early days of the couple's courtship to the challenges and controversies that prompted them to step back from the royal family.
Stars: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Doria Ragland, David Olusoga
Votes: 23,451
59. Bigger Than Africa (2018)
90 min | Documentary
When the slave boats docked in the Americas, Cuba and the Caribbean, hundreds of cultures and religions came with the Africans but only one survived the plantations. To date, the most ... See full summary »
Director: Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye | Stars: Gary Shaw, Iyanifa Ajisebo Abimbola, Wande Abimbola, Olori Adaramola
Votes: 61
60. For Love (2022)
13+ | 90 min | Documentary
Indigenous people of Canada share heartbreaking stories that reveal injustices inflicted by the country's child welfare system.
Director: Matt Smiley | Star: Shania Twain
Votes: 62
61. Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History (2019 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 62 min | Comedy
Kevin Hart highlights the fascinating contributions of black history's unsung heroes in this entertaining and educational comedy special.
Director: Tom Stern | Stars: Steve Agee, Derek Basco, Brad Berryhill, Kirk Bovill
Votes: 1,465
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