Documentaries worth watching
by ashly1048 | created - 04 Sep 2014 | updated - 20 May 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Room 237 (I) (2012)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary
An exploration of various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (1980).
Director: Rodney Ascher | Stars: Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan
Votes: 23,104 | Gross: $0.26M
2. Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? (2013)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography
A series of interviews featuring linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky done in hand-drawn animation.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Noam Chomsky, Michel Gondry, Richard Feynman, Michèle Oshima
Votes: 3,674 | Gross: $0.13M
3. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta
Votes: 68,785 | Gross: $3.29M
4. Blindsight (I) (2006)
PG | 104 min | Documentary, Adventure
Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.
Director: Lucy Walker | Stars: Gavin Attwood, Sally Berg, Sonam Bhumtso, Dachung
Votes: 699 | Gross: $0.09M
5. Beautiful Losers (2008)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Music
This documentary follows the lives and careers of a collective group of Do-it-yourself artists and designers who inadvertently affected the art world.
Directors: Aaron Rose, Joshua Leonard | Stars: Julian Bennett Holmes, Thomas Campbell, Shepard Fairey, Jo Jackson
Votes: 1,423 | Gross: $0.06M
6. Citizenfour (2014)
R | 114 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Jacob Appelbaum
Votes: 57,938 | Gross: $2.80M
7. First Love (II) (2010)
TV-G | 52 min | Documentary, Adventure, Family
This feature length surf film First Love is about friendship, passion and following your dreams.
Director: Claire Gorman | Stars: Bethany Hamilton, Coco Ho
Votes: 112
8. Stories We Tell (2012)
PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary
A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers.
Director: Sarah Polley | Stars: Michael Polley, John Buchan, Mark Polley, Joanna Polley
Votes: 14,108 | Gross: $1.60M
9. Elena (II) (2012)
80 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Elena, a young Brazilian woman, travels to New York with the same dream as her mother, to become a movie actress. She leaves behind her childhood spent in hiding during the years of the ... See full summary »
Director: Petra Costa | Stars: Li An, Elena Andrade, Petra Costa
Votes: 2,047
10. LolliLove (2004)
Not Rated | 64 min | Comedy
Mockumentary about a wealthy couple who set out to make a difference in the lives of homeless people by giving each of them a lollipop with a cheery slogan on the wrapper.
Director: Jenna Fischer | Stars: James Gunn, Jenna Fischer, Peter Alton, Sarah Sido
Votes: 1,546
11. Catfish (2010)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary, Drama, Mystery
Young filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.
Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman | Stars: Nev Schulman, Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost, Angela Wesselman-Pierce
Votes: 43,733 | Gross: $3.23M
12. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby
Votes: 40,642 | Gross: $0.02M
13. 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
14. Poached (I) (2015)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, Comedy
Obsessive egg thieves threaten the rarest birds by robbing their nests each Spring while a UK national police operation tries to stop them. Money is not a factor for these bandits. They are... See full summary »
Director: Timothy Wheeler
Votes: 32
15. My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn (2014)
PG-13 | 58 min | Documentary
Liv Corfixen documents her husband, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, during the production and release of his movie Only God Forgives (2013).
Director: Liv Corfixen | Stars: Liv Corfixen, Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling, Johnny Andersen
Votes: 1,611
16. All These Sleepless Nights (2016)
R | 100 min | Documentary, Drama
A new era is coming, and Warsaw stands uncomfortably at its edge. Art school classmates Christopher and Michal, on the precipice of their own coming of age, restlessly roam their city's ... See full summary »
Director: Michal Marczak | Stars: Krzysztof Baginski, Michal Huszcza, Eva Lebuef, Natalia Atmanska
Votes: 1,857 | Gross: $0.02M
17. Cameraperson (2016)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Exposing her role behind the camera, Kirsten Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation of the power of the camera.
Director: Kirsten Johnson | Stars: Kirsten Johnson, Aisha Bukar, Eric W. Davis, Jacques Derrida
Votes: 3,231 | Gross: $0.10M
18. Kink (2013)
Unrated | 80 min | Documentary
A documentary on fetish website Kink.com.
Director: Christina Alexandra Voros | Stars: Peter Acworth, Maitresse Madeline, Chris Norris, Tomcat
Votes: 1,298
19. De Palma (2015)
R | 110 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary about writer and director Brian De Palma.
Directors: Noah Baumbach, Jake Paltrow | Stars: Brian De Palma, Mark Hamill, Amy Irving, Kurt Russell
Votes: 6,199 | Gross: $0.16M
20. 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: 6,051 | Gross: $0.12M
21. Flames (2017)
84 min | Documentary, Drama, Romance
A real romance filmed over five years. Josephine and Zefrey simmer in the white hot apocalypse of first love until the throw of a dart finds them on a spontaneous trip to the Maldives and ... See full summary »
Directors: Zefrey Throwell, Josephine Decker | Stars: Josephine Decker, Zefrey Throwell, Hollis Witherspoon, Nora Ash
Votes: 94
22. In Jackson Heights (2015)
TV-MA | 190 min | Documentary
Jackson Heights, Queens is one of the most culturally diverse communities in the US where 167 languages are spoken. IN JACKSON HEIGHTS explores the conflict between maintaining ties to old traditions and adapting to American values.
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Star: Laura Obiols
Votes: 728 | Gross: $0.05M
23. Unrest (I) (2017)
98 min | Documentary, Drama, History
When Harvard Ph.D. student Jennifer Brea is struck down by a fever that leaves her bedridden, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story as she fights a disease that medicine forgot.
Director: Jennifer Brea | Stars: Jennifer Brea, Omar Wasow, Jessica l e Taylor, Ruby Taylor
Votes: 3,204 | Gross: $0.04M
24. Kedi (2016)
Not Rated | 79 min | Documentary
A profile of an ancient city and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat.
Director: Ceyda Torun | Stars: Yaman Barlas, Sari, Arzu Göl, Kemal Suncu
Votes: 15,866 | Gross: $2.83M
25. Touching the Void (2003)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron
Votes: 38,079 | Gross: $4.59M
26. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,849 | Gross: $3.97M
27. When the Earth Seems to Be Light (2015)
76 min | Documentary
Impressions from the lives of young skaters, artists and musicians in the Republic of Georgia, creating their own open spaces.
Directors: Tamuna Karumidze, Salome Machaidze, David Meskhi | Star: Sandro Sulakauri
Votes: 112
28. Contemporary Color (2016)
PG-13 | 97 min | Documentary, Music
In the summer of 2015, legendary musician David Byrne staged an event at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate the art of Color Guard: synchronized dance routines involving flags, rifles,... See full summary »
Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross | Stars: Simon Bennett, David Byrne, Christian Delmotte, Nelly Furtado
Votes: 203 | Gross: $0.02M
29. Master and Tatyana (2015)
84 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Some called him a madman, others - a genius. Because he kept a live lion in his apartment. Because he was the first to go beyond Lithuanian surroundings and document the spontaneous reality... See full summary »
Director: Giedre Zickyte | Stars: Tatjana Luckiene, Vitas Luckus
Votes: 232
30. Take Your Pills (2018)
TV-14 | 87 min | Documentary
Every era gets the drug it deserves. In America today, where competition is ceaseless from school to the workforce and everyone wants a performance edge, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are the defining drugs of this generation.
Director: Alison Klayman | Stars: Ariana, Delaney, Jasper Holt-Teza, Leigh
Votes: 5,666
31. 20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Drama, Music
Writer and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.
Directors: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard | Stars: Nick Cave, Susie Bick, Warren Ellis, Darian Leader
Votes: 11,966 | Gross: $0.28M
32. Girl Rising (2013)
PG-13 | 101 min | Documentary, Drama
This film follows 9 girls from Haiti, Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Peru, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan on their journey to education.
Director: Richard Robbins | Stars: Amina, Azmera, Arindol Bagchi, Rekha Banerjee
Votes: 1,277
33. Leaving Neverland (2019)
TV-MA | 240 min | Documentary
At 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.
Director: Dan Reed | Stars: Michael Jackson, Wade Robson, Joy Robson, Chantal Robson
Votes: 31,107
34. Life, Animated (2016)
PG | 92 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
A coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.
Director: Roger Ross Williams | Stars: Owen Suskind, Cornelia Suskind, Ron Suskind, Walter Suskind
Votes: 6,174 | Gross: $0.26M
35. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006 TV Movie)
120 min | Documentary
Stephen Fry presents this documentary exploring the disease of manic depression; a little understood but potentially devastating condition affecting an estimated two percent of the ... See full summary »
Director: Ross Wilson | Stars: Stephen Fry, Andy Behrman, Jo Brand, Jo Crocker
Votes: 1,258
36. Cinemania (2002)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary
This documentary about the culture of intense cinephilia in New York City reveals the impassioned world of five obsessed movie buffs. The filmmakers expose this delightfully deranged cult ... See full summary »
Directors: Angela Christlieb, Stephen Kijak | Stars: Jack Angstreich, Eric Chadbourne, Bill Heidbreder, Roberta Hill
Votes: 2,378 | Gross: $0.01M
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