Documentaries

by sam1-576-441435 | created - 26 May 2020 | updated - 2 days ago | Public
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1. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

82 Metascore

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: 40,682 | Gross: $0.02M

2. 13th (2016)

TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History

81 Metascore

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: 37,667

3. Blackfish (2013)

PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary

83 Metascore

A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall

Votes: 72,426 | Gross: $2.07M

4. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)

Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary

80 Metascore

A documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Spanky Taylor, David Miscavige

Votes: 40,900

5. For Sama (2019)

TV-PG | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, War

89 Metascore

FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.

Directors: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts | Stars: Waad Al-Kateab, Sama Al-Khateab, Hamza Al-Khateab, Afra

Votes: 12,817 | Gross: $0.04M

6. Free Solo (2018)

PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport

83 Metascore

Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.

Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe

Votes: 77,320 | Gross: $17.54M

7. Icarus (2017)

TV-MA | 120 min | Documentary, Sport

68 Metascore

When Bryan sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller.

Director: Bryan Fogel | Stars: Bryan Fogel, Dave Zabriskie, Don Catlin, Grigory Rodchenkov

Votes: 54,689

8. Betting on Zero (2016)

Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary

72 Metascore

Writer/director Ted Braun follows controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade to expose Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history.

Director: Ted Braun | Stars: William Ackman, Douglas M. Brooks, William Cohan, Julie Contreras

Votes: 5,619

9. Fyre (2019)

TV-MA | 97 min | Documentary, Crime, Music

75 Metascore

An exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre music festival.

Director: Chris Smith | Stars: Billy McFarland, Jason Bell, Gabrielle Bluestone, Shiyuan Deng

Votes: 52,037

10. The Fog of War (2003)

PG-13 | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, History

87 Metascore

The story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Robert McNamara, John F. Kennedy, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon

Votes: 25,045 | Gross: $4.20M

11. Conor McGregor: Notorious (2017)

R | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

Featuring unprecedented access, never before seen moments and explosive fight footage, this is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at a sporting icon and his spectacular rise.

Director: Gavin Fitzgerald | Stars: José Aldo, Audie Attar, Matt Boud, Ryan Buescher

Votes: 6,560

12. The Act of Killing (2012)

Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

92 Metascore

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: 40,801 | Gross: $0.49M

13. Louis Theroux: Talking to Anorexia (2017 TV Movie)

59 min | Documentary

Louis meets different people suffering from anorexia and sees how it impacts their family as well as their personal health.

Director: Ellena Wood | Stars: Louis Theroux, Frances Connan, James Kelly

Votes: 771

14. Louis and the Nazis (2003 TV Movie)

70 min | Documentary

Louis 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.

Director: Stuart Cabb | Stars: Louis Theroux, April Gaede, Bill Gaede, Lamb Gaede

Votes: 2,107

15. Touching the Void (2003)

R | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama

82 Metascore

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: 38,088 | Gross: $4.59M

16. Louis Theroux: Behind Bars (2008 TV Movie)

60 min | Documentary

For two weeks, Theroux visits the San Quentin State Prison.

Director: Stuart Cabb | Star: Louis Theroux

Votes: 2,130

17. The Great Hack (2019)

TV-MA | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History

The Cambridge Analytica scandal is examined through the roles of several affected persons.

Directors: Karim Amer, Jehane Noujaim | Stars: Brittany Kaiser, David Carroll, Paul-Olivier Dehaye, Ravi Naik

Votes: 25,016

18. The Most Hated Family in America (2007 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary

Louis meets the Phelps family, who protest against an America that tolerates homosexuality

Director: Geoffrey O'Connor | Stars: Louis Theroux, Lauren Drain, Steve Drain, Fred Phelps

Votes: 4,835

19. America's Most Hated Family in Crisis (2011)

Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary

Louis returns to the Phelps family to find that several members have left the cult, and that they are being sued.

Director: Emma Cooper | Stars: Louis Theroux, Lauren Drain, Steve Drain, Betty Phelps

Votes: 2,709

20. Louis Theroux: Louis and the Brothel (2003 TV Movie)

80 min | Documentary

Louis stays with the residents of a soon to open brothel in Nevada for a few weeks.

Director: Geoffrey O'Connor | Star: Louis Theroux

Votes: 1,768

21. Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)

Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, History, War

79 Metascore

A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.

Director: Evgeny Afineevsky | Stars: His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Said Ismagilov, Bishop Agapit, Archbishop Petro Malchuk

Votes: 20,622

22. Louis Theroux: Drinking to Oblivion (2016 TV Movie)

59 min | Documentary

Louis Theroux traces the fortunes of different people living in South London suffering from alcoholism.

Director: Tom Barrow | Stars: Pieter Swanepoel, Mariana, Ian Webzell, Aurelie Fonjo

Votes: 1,269

23. Make Us Dream (2018)

Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

Documentary about the mercurial football career of Steven Gerrard, one of Liverpool FCs finest ever players.

Director: Sam Blair | Stars: Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Steve Bruce, Jamie Carragher

Votes: 3,434

24. The Endless Summer (1966)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Sport

82 Metascore

The crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters.

Director: Bruce Brown | Stars: Robert August, Michael Hynson, Lord James Blears, Bruce Brown

Votes: 6,217

25. When We Were Kings (1996)

PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport

83 Metascore

Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.

Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown

Votes: 19,129 | Gross: $2.79M

26. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020 TV Movie)

PG | 83 min | Documentary, Biography

72 Metascore

One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.

Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jonathan Hughes, Keith Scholey | Stars: David Attenborough, Max Hughes

Votes: 34,547

27. Boys State (2020)

PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary

84 Metascore

A thousand 17-year-old boys from Texas join together to build a representative government from the ground up.

Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss | Stars: Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall, René Otero

Votes: 5,718

28. Valley Uprising (2014)

Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary

In the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service.

Directors: Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Josh Lowell | Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Alex Honnold, Yvon Chouinard, Royal Robbins

Votes: 6,273

29. Time (I) (2020)

PG-13 | 81 min | Documentary, Biography

91 Metascore

Fox Rich fights for the release of her husband, Rob, who is serving a 60-year sentence in prison.

Director: Garrett Bradley | Stars: Sibil Fox Richardson, Robert G. Richardson, Mahlik Richardson, Remington B. Richardson

Votes: 6,292

30. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)

PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, Music

77 Metascore

Daniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.

Director: Jeff Feuerzeig | Stars: Daniel Johnston, Mabel Johnston, Bill Johnston, Laurie Allen

Votes: 10,528 | Gross: $0.33M

31. Apollo 11 (I) (2019)

G | 93 min | Documentary, History

88 Metascore

A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.

Director: Todd Douglas Miller | Stars: Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins, Buzz Aldrin, Deke Slayton

Votes: 27,208 | Gross: $9.04M

32. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime

85 Metascore

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: 68,819 | Gross: $3.29M

33. The Art of Flight (2011)

PG-13 | 80 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport

Two years in the making, this film gives snowboarder Travis Rice and friends the opportunity to redefine what is possible in the mountains.

Director: Curt Morgan | Stars: Travis Rice, Mark Landvik, John Jackson, Nicolas Müller

Votes: 8,023

34. Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)

TV-14 | 91 min | Documentary, Crime

The twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.

Director: Skye Borgman | Stars: Jan Broberg, Bob Broberg, Mary Ann Broberg, Susan Broberg

Votes: 22,224

35. No End in Sight (2007)

Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, War

89 Metascore

A comprehensive look at the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war and its occupation of the country.

Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Campbell Scott, Gerald Burke, Ali Fadhil, Omar Fekeiki

Votes: 8,629 | Gross: $1.43M

36. The Mole: Undercover in North Korea (2020)

123 min | Documentary, Thriller

A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.

Director: Mads Brügger | Stars: Ulrich Løvenskjold Larsen, Mads Brügger, Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez, Jim Latrache-Qvortrup

Votes: 5,399

37. Grizzly Man (2005)

R | 103 min | Documentary, Biography

87 Metascore

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: 61,866 | Gross: $3.17M

38. Honeyland (2019)

Unrated | 89 min | Documentary, Drama

85 Metascore

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: 19,403 | Gross: $0.82M

39. The Cove (2009)

PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

84 Metascore

Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.

Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones, Michael Illiff

Votes: 51,437 | Gross: $0.87M

40. American Factory (2019)

TV-14 | 110 min | Documentary

86 Metascore

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert | Stars: Junming 'Jimmy' Wang, Robert Allen, Sherrod Brown, Dave Burrows

Votes: 23,870

41. My Octopus Teacher (2020)

TV-G | 85 min | Documentary, Drama

82 Metascore

A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.

Directors: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed | Stars: Craig Foster, Tom Foster

Votes: 63,767

42. The Dawn Wall (2017)

Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

81 Metascore

In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.

Directors: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer | Stars: John Branch, Tommy Caldwell, Kevin Jorgeson

Votes: 21,232 | Gross: $1.08M

43. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

R | 122 min | Documentary, Drama, War

67 Metascore

Michael 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.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Ben Affleck, Stevie Wonder

Votes: 132,377 | Gross: $119.19M

44. Clusterf**k: Woodstock '99 (2022)

TV-MA | 47 min | Documentary, History, Music

Woodstock 1969 promised peace and music, but its '99 revival delivered days of rage, riots and real harm. Why did it go so horribly wrong?

Stars: Ananda Lewis, Heather Eason Liposky, Colin Speir, John Scher

Votes: 21,448

45. Feels Good Man (2020)

92 min | Documentary, Comedy

79 Metascore

Artist Matt Furie, creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.

Director: Arthur Jones | Stars: Matt Furie, Aiyana Udesen, Chris Sullivan, Johnny Ryan

Votes: 5,548

46. The Street (2019)

94 min | Documentary, Drama

Some of the businesses on Hoxton Street have been around for over a hundred years. Recent times have witnessed an explosion of property development. The locals feel the exclusion of being priced out, and wonder who's to blame.

Director: Zed Nelson | Stars: Adrian, Aina, Alan, Anna

Votes: 434

47. Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In (2021)

PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

68 Metascore

A look at the life and legend of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

Director: Jason Ferguson | Stars: Eric Cantona, Alex Ferguson, Ryan Giggs, Jason Ferguson

Votes: 6,093

48. The Ponds (2018)

76 min | Documentary

In a world of constant flux and chaos, it's almost a shock to discover some experiences remain unchanged, natural, primitive even. In the middle of London lies Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares... See full summary »

Directors: Patrick McLennan, Samuel Smith

Votes: 217

49. Ascension (III) (2021)

Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary

84 Metascore

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: 4,098

50. Sherpa (2015)

Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary

93 Metascore

In 2014, director Jennifer Peedom was working on a documentary about the Sherpas of Mount Everest when the largest avalanche in recent history occurred on the mountain, killing 16 Sherpas.

Director: Jennifer Peedom | Stars: Russell Brice, Tim Medvetz, Pasang Tenzing Sherpa, Phurba Tashi Sherpa

Votes: 5,411

51. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

PG-13 | 118 min | Documentary, History, Music

96 Metascore

Documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.

Director: Questlove | Stars: Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty

Votes: 13,870



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