The Real Stuff: A List Of Documentaries
by elloxed | created - 03 Dec 2019 | updated - 10 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. A Tunnel (2019)
92 min | Documentary
An old railway station in a remote valley of Georgia suddenly becomes a site for a big change, when hundreds of Chinese settle around it to build the New Silk Road.
Directors: Vano Arsenishvili, Nino Orjonikidze
Votes: 46
2. Under the Sun (2015)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary
A propaganda documentary about North Korea that reveals a few hidden facts because the director continues filming between the scripted scenes.
Director: Vitaliy Manskiy | Stars: Lee Zin-Mi, Yu-Yong, Hye-Yong, Oh-Gyong
Votes: 5,055 | Gross: $0.07M
3. The Iron Ministry (2014)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
Filmed over three years on what will soon be the world's largest railway network, 'The Iron Ministry' traces the vast interiors of a country on the move: flesh and metal, clangs and squeals, light and dark, language and gesture.
Director: J.P. Sniadecki | Star: Woseser Tsering
Votes: 286
4. 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: 40,823 | Gross: $0.49M
5. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A 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".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 58,687 | Gross: $2.96M
6. Our Daily Bread (2005)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
OUR DAILY BREAD is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part. A pure, meticulous and high-end film experience that enables the audience to form their own ideas.
Director: Nikolaus Geyrhalter | Stars: Claus Hansen Petz, Arkadiusz Rydellek, Barbara Hinz, Renata Wypchlo
Votes: 2,690
7. Behind the Curve (2018)
TV-14 | 96 min | Documentary
Meet real Flat Earthers, a small but growing contingent of people who firmly believe in a conspiracy to suppress the truth that the Earth is flat.
Director: Daniel J. Clark | Stars: Mark K. Sargent, Patti Sargent, Hannalore Gerling-Dunsmore, Joe Pierre
Votes: 10,735
8. The Look of Silence (2014)
PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer | Stars: Adi Rukun, M.Y. Basrun, Volker Hanisch, Amir Hasan
Votes: 13,889 | Gross: $0.11M
9. 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: 3,680 | Gross: $0.13M
10. Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (2016)
PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary
Werner Herzog's exploration of the Internet and the connected world.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Elon Musk, Lawrence Krauss, Lucianne Walkowicz, Kevin Mitnick
Votes: 13,415 | Gross: $0.59M
11. Sign Painters (2013)
Not Rated | 81 min | Documentary
At a time when most American cityscapes are dominated by computer created signage, Sign Painters takes a close look at the past, present, and hopeful future of the hand paint sign industry in the USA.
Directors: Faythe Levine, Sam Macon
Votes: 141
12. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Unrated | 98 min | Documentary
Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
Director: Kirby Dick | Stars: Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Atom Egoyan
Votes: 28,628 | Gross: $0.30M
13. Glass (1958)
11 min | Documentary, Short
Documentary about Dutch glass production in the 50s.
Director: Bert Haanstra
Votes: 1,149
14. Manufactured Landscapes (2006)
Unrated | 86 min | Documentary
Photographer Edward Burtynsky travels the world observing changes in landscapes due to industrial work and manufacturing.
Director: Jennifer Baichwal | Star: Edward Burtynsky
Votes: 3,064 | Gross: $0.24M
15. Theory of Obscurity: A Film About the Residents (2015)
87 min | Documentary, Music
Theory of Obscurity tells the story of the renegade sound and video collective known as The Residents. A story that spans 40 years and is clouded in mystery. Many details surrounding the ... See full summary »
Director: Don Hardy | Stars: Gerald Casale, Les Claypool, Chris Combs, Nolan Cook
Votes: 565
16. Crossroads (2014)
65 min | Documentary
Valery Liashkevich is a homeless artist who for over twenty years has painted pictures in the streets of the town of Gomel in Belarus. The documentary was made with private money to support this extremely talented artist.
Director: Anastasiya Miroshnichenko | Star: Valery Liashkevich
Votes: 26
17. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)
PG | 108 min | Documentary, Music
Documentary about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who backed up dozens of Motown artists.
Director: Paul Justman | Stars: Joe Hunter, Jack Ashford, Uriel Jones, Richard 'Pistol' Allen
Votes: 3,849 | Gross: $1.60M
18. 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: 61,919 | Gross: $3.17M
19. TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay Away from Keyboard (2013)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
An 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.
Director: Simon Klose | Stars: Gottfrid Svartholm, Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Peter Althin
Votes: 13,929
20. Videocracy (2009)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
A look at segments of the Italian population who are consumed with celebrity worship.
Director: Erik Gandini | Stars: Silvio Berlusconi, Flavio Briatore, Fabio Calvi, Riccardo Canevali
Votes: 1,906 | Gross: $0.02M
21. Gates of Heaven (1978)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
A documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Lucille Billingsley, Zella Graham, Cal Harberts, Dan Harberts
Votes: 6,296
22. Terms and Conditions May Apply (2013)
Not Rated | 79 min | Documentary, News
A documentary that exposes what corporations and governments learn about people through Internet and cell phone usage, and what can be done about it ... if anything.
Director: Cullen Hoback | Stars: Max Schrems, Moby, Mark Zuckerberg, Orson Scott Card
Votes: 6,541 | Gross: $0.06M
23. London: The Modern Babylon (2012)
Not Rated | 125 min | Documentary, History, Music
London: The Modern Babylon is legendary director Julien Temple's epic time-traveling voyage to the heart of his hometown.
Director: Julien Temple | Stars: Keith Allen, Michael Gambon, Steve Jones, Bill Nighy
Votes: 656
24. Zhar nezhnykh. Dikiy, dikiy plyazh (2006)
125 min | Documentary
A drunk couple spend their summer-holiday at sea. Their life is not everything they hoped for, and abuse is part of their relationship. At sea they dream about love and understanding, and ... See full summary »
Directors: Susanna Barandzhiyeva, Vitaliy Manskiy, Aleksandr Rastorguev
Votes: 221
25. Devstvennost (2008)
85 min | Documentary, Drama
Three young women, who each have a sought-after commodity - their virginity. Kristina, Karina and Katya each try to make their way in a world ruled by fame, popularity and money.
Director: Vitaliy Manskiy | Stars: Kseniya Borodina, Karina Sharabokova, Aleksandr Tsekalo
Votes: 230
26. The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
150 min | Documentary
Slavoj Zizek examines famous films in a philosophical and a psychoanalytic context.
Director: Sophie Fiennes | Star: Slavoj Zizek
Votes: 7,342
27. Katastrofin aineksia (2008)
85 min | Documentary
What happens when a suburban family gives up all fossil fuel-based products, including plastic, for a whole year?
Director: John Webster | Stars: Anu Webster, Benjy Webster, John Webster, Samuel Webster
Votes: 401
28. 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
29. Last Train Home (2009)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Drama
A couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.
Director: Lixin Fan | Stars: Changhua Zhang, Yang Zhang, Suqin Chen, Qin Zhang
Votes: 3,717 | Gross: $0.29M
30. Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country (2008)
Unrated | 84 min | Documentary, History, News
Using smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.
Director: Anders Østergaard | Stars: George W. Bush, Joshua Min Htut, Ko Muang, Aung San Suu Kyi
Votes: 2,520 | Gross: $0.05M
31. 24x36: A Movie About Movie Posters (2016)
82 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary exploring the birth, death, and resurrection of the illustrated movie poster.
Director: Kevin Burke | Stars: Paul Ainsworth, Dave Alexander, Andrea Alvin, David Byrd
Votes: 926
32. Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)
22 min | Documentary, Short
A short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.
Director: Les Blank | Stars: Werner Herzog, Tom Luddy, Michael Goodwin, Alice Waters
Votes: 2,731
33. Dovidjenja, kako ste? (2009)
60 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Jokes as a weapon of resistance: how satire sustains a beleaguered culture.
Director: Boris Mitic | Star: Nebojsa Glogovac
Votes: 170
34. They Shall Not Grow Old (II) (2018)
R | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Thomas Adlam, William Argent, John Ashby, Attwood
Votes: 38,476 | Gross: $17.96M
35. Honeyland (2019)
Unrated | 89 min | Documentary, Drama
The last female bee-hunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood.
Directors: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov | Stars: Hatidze Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam, Ljutvie Sam
Votes: 19,419 | Gross: $0.82M
36. Immortal (I) (2019)
61 min | Documentary
The film, set in a north-western industrial town in Russia, reveals the mechanisms that entice human beings to voluntarily become a resource to the state. Can a person ever be free in an ... See full summary »
Director: Ksenia Okhapkina
Votes: 109
37. Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (2018)
TV-14 | 105 min | Documentary, Music
It's a documentary about the life of eccentric comedian Frank Sidebottom who wore a huge papier-mache' head and whose true identity was a closely guarded secret until after he died. The ... See full summary »
Director: Steve Sullivan | Stars: Johnny Vegas, Ross Noble, John Cooper Clarke, Chris Sievey
Votes: 777
38. Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (2018)
87 min | Documentary
Filmmakers travel to six continents and 20 countries to document the impact humans have made on the planet.
Directors: Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky, Nicholas de Pencier | Stars: Youssef Suleiman Mohammed, Alicia Vikander
Votes: 2,060
39. Gunda (2020)
G | 93 min | Documentary
Documentary looks at the daily life of a pig and its farm animal companions: two cows and a one-legged chicken.
Director: Victor Kossakovsky | Star: Gunda
Votes: 2,929
40. My Favorite War (2020)
80 min | Documentary, Animation
A personal, animated documentary about the director's life growing up in Latvia during the Soviet era 1970-1990, where Sovjet used WW2 as an ideological weapon to suppress and scare the population.
Director: Ilze Burkovska Jacobsen
Votes: 369
41. Sacro GRA (2013)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary
For nearly two years of exploring the "Great Ring Road's" almost 70km of looping highway, Gianfranco Rosi brings to the foreground the daily routine of ordinary people, composing the profile of a microcosm on the outskirts of Great Rome.
Director: Gianfranco Rosi | Stars: Francesco De Santis, Gaetano Finocchi, Roberto Giuliani, Daniel Ona
Votes: 1,894
42. Bitter Love (2020)
86 min | Documentary
On a Russian cruise ship of the cheaper kind, everyone is looking for love - and luckily find it.
Director: Jerzy Sladkowski
Votes: 161
43. Rats (II) (2016)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Horror
A history of rat infestations in major cities throughout the world.
Director: Morgan Spurlock | Stars: Ed Sheehan, Bobby Corrigan, Rick Simeone, Michael Blum
Votes: 1,577
44. Anthill (2015)
83 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
A portrait of a giant garage complex, located in the largest blockhouse area of Tallinn. Here 700 garage box owners form an extraordinary men's club, and vary from those who just keep their... See full summary »
Director: Vladimir Loginov
Votes: 71
45. Mad Tiger (2015)
82 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Two best friends spent the last fifteen years touring the country in their performance art punk band. When one of them decides to quit, they both face deeper challenges than expected.
Directors: Michael Haertlein, Jonathan Yi | Stars: Kengo Hioki, Kotaro Tsukada, Yumiko Hioki, Akiteru Ito
Votes: 107 | Gross: $0.01M
46. Glory to the Queen (2020)
82 min | Documentary
Against the backdrop of Cold War, Glory to the Queen reveals stories of four legendary female chess players from Georgia who revolutionized women's chess across the globe and became Soviet icons of female emancipation.
Directors: Tatia Skhirtladze, Anna Khazaradze | Stars: Nana Ioseliani, Nona Gaprindashvili, Nana Alexandria, Milunka Lazarevic
Votes: 75
47. Ascension (III) (2021)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary
The absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the "Chinese Dream." This observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.
Director: Jessica Kingdon
Votes: 4,106
48. Sans Soleil (1983)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Drama
A woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Amilcar Cabral, Florence Delay, Arielle Dombasle, Riyoko Ikeda
Votes: 12,136 | Gross: $0.03M
49. Pipeline (2013)
116 min | Documentary
Director Vitaly Manskiy sets off on the trail of the Trans-Siberian gas pipeline to find out what it's like for ordinary people living in its vicinity.
Director: Vitaliy Manskiy
Votes: 129
50. The Earth Is Blue as an Orange (2020)
74 min | Documentary, War
To cope with the daily trauma of living in a war-zone, Anna and her children are making a film together about their life in the most surreal surroundings.
Director: Iryna Tsilyk | Stars: Danylo Dydenko, Ganna Gladka, Olena Gladka, Olga Gladka
Votes: 773
51. Taming the Garden (2021)
91 min | Documentary
Documentary follows trees that are transported, at great expense and inconvenience, from the coast of the Republic of Georgia to the private garden of that country's former prime minister.
Director: Salomé Jashi
Votes: 720
52. The Foundation Pit (2020)
71 min | Documentary
A compilation documentary consisting of public access YouTube videos, in which ordinary Russian citizens, lacking any other means to vent their grievances, address president Putin with a host of their complaints.
Director: Andrei Gryazev
Votes: 76
53. Hamada (2018)
89 min | Documentary
With vitality, humor and unexpected situations, this film paints an unusual portrait of a group of young friends living in a refugee camp in the middle of the stony Saharan desert. A ... See full summary »
Director: Eloy Domínguez Serén | Stars: Sidahmed Salec Labeid, Ainina Sihamed Mohamed, Zaara Mohamed Saleh, Taher Mulay Zain
Votes: 95
54. Shirkers (2018)
TV-14 | 97 min | Documentary
A woman explores the events surrounding a film she and her friends began making with a mysterious stranger decades ago.
Director: Sandi Tan | Stars: Jasmine Kin Kia Ng, Philip Cheah, Sophia Siddique Harvey, Sharon Siddique
Votes: 5,674
55. Ostrov - Lost Island (2021)
92 min | Documentary
On the island of Ostrov in the Caspian Sea the inhabitants, left alone by the Russian state after the collapse of the Soviet Union, survive through poaching.
Directors: Svetlana Rodina, Laurent Stoop | Stars: Alina, Anatoly, Anna, Anton
Votes: 78
56. Królik po berlinsku (2009)
Not Rated | 51 min | Documentary, History, News
The untold story about wild rabbits which lived between the Berlin Walls.
Director: Bartosz Konopka
Votes: 901
57. Pryvoz (2021)
72 min | Documentary
Pryvoz is one of the oldest and largest European markets. Everyone goes there, everyone finds something. Those searching for miracles or change-in destiny, human soul, time-will not leave with empty-handed.
Director: Eva Neymann
Votes: 12
58. Garage People (2020)
95 min | Documentary
In Russia's north, garages stretch out into endlessness. Behind rusty doors everything can be found, except cars. They are the refuge of the Russian man, the vanishing point out of bleak daily life and a signal of hope for big dreams.
Director: Natalija Yefimkina
Votes: 201
59. Eternal Spring (2022)
86 min | Documentary, Animation
Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted in China, they tried to tell the truth but they were kidnapped, some Falun Gong practitioners died.
Director: Jason Loftus | Stars: Henry Guo, Shi Jian, Yu Feng, Tan Junfeng
Votes: 1,697 | Gross: $0.09M
60. Sour Grapes (2016)
TV-14 | 85 min | Documentary, Crime
Documentary about the fine and rare wine auction market centering around a counterfeiter who befriended the rich and powerful and sold millions of dollars of fraudulent wine through the top auction houses.
Directors: Reuben Atlas, Jerry Rothwell | Stars: Laurent Ponsot, Jay McInerney, Jefery Levy, Maureen Downey
Votes: 5,998
61. My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes (2018)
14 min | Documentary, Short, Biography
A short documentary that follows director Charlie Tyrell as he tries to uncover a better understanding of his deceased father through the random objects he inherited, including a pile of VHS dirty movies.
Director: Charlie Tyrell | Star: David Wain
Votes: 385
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