Top 300 Documentaries
List of the best 300 Documentaries Liked by both Critics and Audience. Total 300 Titles and 117265 Views.
2. Sicko(2007) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Drama|Documentary | Release Date:18 May 2007 |
| Country: USA | Languages:English | French | Spanish | Russian | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:Sicko is a Michael Moore documentary about the corrupt health care system in The United States who's main goal is to make profit even if it means losing peoples lives. "The more people you deny health insurance the more money we make" is the business model for health care providers in America.
Director:
Michael Moore
Stars:
Michael Moore
, Tucker Albrizzi
, Tony Benn
, George W. Bush
Tags:
Politics Compassion
4. Exit Through the Gift Shop(2010) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Comedy|Documentary|Crime | Release Date:24 Jan 2010 |
| Country: UK | Languages:English | French | Rating:R |
Description:The story of how an eccentric French shop-keeper and amateur film-maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains...
Director:
Banksy
Stars:
Banksy
, Mr. Brainwash
, Debora Guetta
, Space Invader
Tags:
Alternate History Disney Satire Voice Over Narration
5. Searching for Sugar Man(2012) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Music|Documentary|Biography | Release Date:30 Jun 2012 |
| Countries: Sweden| UK| Finland | Language:English | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez. The film won Best Documentary at the 85th Academy Awards.
Director:
Malik Bendjelloul
Stars:
Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman
, Dennis Coffey
, Mike Theodore
, Dan DiMaggio
Tags:
Detective Racism Christmas Politics
6. Blackfish(2013) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Drama|Documentary | Release Date:19 Jan 2013 |
| Country: USA | Languages:English | Spanish | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intelligent and sentient creatures in captivity.
Director:
Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Stars:
Tilikum
, John Hargrove
, Samantha Berg
, Mark Simmons
Tags:
Human Animal Relationship F Rated
7. Senna(2010) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Sport|Documentary|Biography | Release Date:07 Oct 2010 |
| Countries: UK| France| USA | Languages:English | Portuguese | French | Japanese | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
Director:
Asif Kapadia
Stars:
Ayrton Senna
, Alain Prost
, Frank Williams
, Ron Dennis
Tags:
Family Relationships Voice Over Narration Belief In God
8. March of the Penguins(2005)Original Title: La Marche de l'empereur |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|Family | Release Date:26 Jan 2005 |
| Country: France | Languages:French | English | Rating:G |
Description:In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
Director:
Luc Jacquet
Stars:
Charles Berling
, Romane Bohringer
, Jules Sitruk
, Morgan Freeman
Tags:
Survival Family Relationships Voice Over Narration Blockbuster
9. Waltz with Bashir(2008)Original Title: Vals Im Bashir |
| Runtime: | Genres:Drama|Animation|War|Biography | Release Date:25 Jun 2008 |
| Countries: Israel| France| Germany| USA| Finland| Switzerland| Belgium| Australia | Languages:Hebrew | Arabic | German | English | Rating:R |
Description:An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.
Director:
Ari Folman
Stars:
Ari Folman
, Ori Sivan
, Ronny Dayag
, Shmuel Frenkel
Tags:
Experimental Film Voice Over Narration
10. Man on Wire(2008) |
| Runtime: | Genres:History|Documentary|Biography|Thriller|Crime | Release Date:25 Jul 2008 |
| Countries: UK| USA | Languages:English | French | Rating:PG-13 |
Description: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
12. Grizzly Man(2005) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|Biography | Release Date:12 Aug 2005 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:R |
Description:Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one man's attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.
Director:
Werner Herzog
Stars:
Werner Herzog
, Carol Dexter
, Val Dexter
, Sam Egli
Tags:
Survival Investigation Family Relationships Motivational Friendship Animal Lover
14. Zeitgeist(2007) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|History | Release Date:01 Jun 2007 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NR |
Description:Zeitgeist: the Movie is a 2007 documentary film by Peter Joseph examining possible historical and modern conspiracies surrounding Christianity, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the Federal Reserve bank. It was officially released online on June 18, 2007 on www.ZeitgeistMovie.com
Director:
Peter Joseph
Stars:
Chogyam Trungpa
, Jordan Maxwell
, George Carlin
, Bill Hicks
Tags:
World War Two Great Depression Christmas Voice Over Narration
15. The Cove(2009) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|Crime | Release Date:31 Jul 2009 |
| Country: USA | Languages:English | Japanese | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.
Director:
Louie Psihoyos
Stars:
Richard O'Barry
, Louie Psihoyos
, Hardy Jones
, Michael Illiff
16. Amy(2015) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Music|Documentary|Biography | Release Date:16 May 2015 |
| Country: UK | Language:English | Rating:R |
Description:A documentary on the life of Amy Winehouse, the immensely talented yet doomed songstress. We see her from her teen years, where she already showed her singing abilities, to her finding success and then her downward spiral into alcoholism and drugs.
Director:
Asif Kapadia
Stars:
Amy Winehouse
, Lauren Gilbert
, Juliette Ashby
, Nick Shymansky
Tags:
Family Relationships Heartbreak Friendship Voice Over Narration
18. Capitalism: A Love Story(2009) |
| Runtime: | Genres:News|Documentary|Crime | Release Date:06 Sep 2009 |
| Country: USA | Languages:English | Russian | Spanish | Rating:R |
Description:Michael Moore's CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
Director:
Michael Moore
Stars:
William Black
, Jimmy Carter
, Elijah Cummings
, Baron Hill
21. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief(2015)Original Title: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief |
| Runtime: | Genre:Documentary | Release Date:25 Jan 2015 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NR |
Description:Going Clear intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.
Director:
Alex Gibney
Stars:
Paul Haggis
, Jason Beghe
, Spanky Taylor
, David Miscavige
Tags:
Based On Book Courtroom Alien World War Two Investigation Heartbreak U.S. Army Politics Bullying
23. Koyaanisqatsi(1982) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Music|Documentary | Release Date:28 Apr 1982 |
| Country: USA | Language:None | Rating:NR |
Description:Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.
Director:
Godfrey Reggio
Stars:
Lou Dobbs
, Ted Koppel
24. Touching the Void(2003) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Action|Drama|Documentary|Adventure | Release Date:05 Sep 2003 |
| Countries: UK| USA | Language:English | Rating:R |
Description:A documentary based on the book of the same name by Joe Simpson about Simpson's and Simon Yates' disastrous and near-fatal attempt to climb 6,344m Siula Grande in the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Director:
Kevin Macdonald
Stars:
Brendan Mackey
, Nicholas Aaron
, Richard Hawking
, Joe Simpson
Tags:
Based On Book Survival Disaster Friendship Voice Over Narration
25. The Act of Killing(2012)Original Title: Jagal |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|Crime | Release Date:31 Aug 2012 |
| Countries: UK| Denmark| Norway | Languages:Indonesian | English | Rating:NR |
Description: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(co-director)
, Christine Cynn(co-director)
Stars:
Anwar Congo
, Herman Koto
, Syamsul Arifin
, Ibrahim Sinik
27. Samsara(2011) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Drama|Music|Documentary | Release Date:16 Sep 2011 |
| Countries: USA| Indonesia| Singapore| Thailand| Kenya| Denmark| Brazil| Jordan| United Arab Emirates| Saudi Ara | Language:None | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Director:
Ron Fricke
Stars:
Balinese Tari Legong Dancers
, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi
, Puti Sri Candra Dewi
, Putu Dinda Pratika
28. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father(2008) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|Biography|Crime | Release Date:31 Oct 2008 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NR |
Description:In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.
Director:
Kurt Kuenne
Stars:
Kurt Kuenne
, Andrew Bagby
, David Bagby
, Kathleen Bagby
Tags:
Family Relationships Friendship Road Trip Voice Over Narration
30. Cobain: Montage of Heck(2015) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Music|Animation|Documentary|Biography | Release Date:24 Jan 2015 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:TV-MA |
Description:The authorized documentary on late Guitar/lead singer Kurt Cobain from his early days in Aberdeen Washington to his success and downfall with Grunge band Nirvana.
Director:
Brett Morgen
Stars:
Aaron Burckhard
, Chad Channing
, Don Cobain
, Jenny Cobain
Tags:
Drug Addiction Childhood
32. Roger & Me(1989) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Comedy|Documentary|History | Release Date:01 Sep 1989 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:R |
Description:A documentary about the closure of General Motors' plant at Flint, Michigan, which resulted in the loss of 30,000 jobs. Details the attempts of filmmaker Michael Moore to get an interview with GM CEO Roger Smith.
Director:
Michael Moore
Stars:
Michael Moore
, Roger B. Smith
, Rhonda Britton
, Fred Ross
Tags:
National Film Registry Christmas
33. Icarus(2017) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Sport|Documentary|Thriller | Release Date:20 Jan 2017 |
| Country: USA | Languages:Russian | English | Rating:TV-MA |
Description:When Bryan Fogel 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:
Thomas Bach
, Sebastian Coe
, Bryan Fogel
, Nikita Kamaev
34. Capturing the Friedmans(2003) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|Biography | Release Date:30 May 2003 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NR |
Description:Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
Director:
Andrew Jarecki
Stars:
Arnold Friedman
, Elaine Friedman
, David Friedman
, Seth Friedman
Tags:
Courtroom Investigation Police Brutality Detective Family Relationships Friendship Voice Over Narration
35. Hoop Dreams(1994) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Drama|Sport|Documentary | Release Date:12 Sep 1994 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Director:
Steve James
Stars:
William Gates
, Arthur Agee
, Emma Gates
, Curtis Gates
Tags:
National Film Registry High School
36. Before the Flood(2016) |
| Runtime: | Genres:News|Documentary|TVMovie | Release Date:21 Oct 2016 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:PG |
Description:A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems, and native communities across the planet.
Director:
Fisher Stevens
Stars:
Leonardo DiCaprio
, Ki-moon Ban
, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
, Mike Brune
37. What the Health(2017) |
| Runtime: | Genre:Documentary | Release Date:16 Mar 2017 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NA |
Description:Filmmaker Kip Andersen uncovers the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases, and he investigates why the nation's leading health organizations doesn't want people to know about it.
Directors:
Kip Andersen
, Keegan Kuhn
Stars:
Kip Andersen
, Larry Baldwin
, Neal Barnard
, Tia Blanco
38. The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara(2003)Original Title: The Fog of War |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|War|Biography|History | Release Date:09 Dec 2003 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:The story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara.
Director:
Errol Morris
Stars:
Robert McNamara
Tags:
World War Two U.S. Military Vietnam War Politics
40. Restrepo(2010) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Documentary|War | Release Date:25 Jun 2010 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:R |
Description:Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for a Documentary, Restrepo chronicles the deployment of a U.S. platoon of courageous American soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, considered to be one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military.
Directors:
Tim Hetherington
, Sebastian Junger
Stars:
The Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team
, Juan 'Doc Restrepo
, Dan Kearney
, LaMonta Caldwell
43. Pumping Iron(1977) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Sport|Documentary | Release Date:18 Jan 1977 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:PG |
Description:From Gold's Gym in Venice Beach California to the showdown in Pretoria, amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests in this ...
Directors:
George Butler
, Robert Fiore
Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
, Lou Ferrigno
, Matty Ferrigno
, Victoria Ferrigno
Tags:
Based On Book Friendship Voice Over Narration
45. The Thin Blue Line(1988) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Mystery|Drama|Documentary|Crime | Release Date:28 Aug 1988 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NR |
Description:Errol Morris's unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas.
Director:
Errol Morris
Stars:
Randall Adams
, David Harris
, Gus Rose
, Jackie Johnson
Tags:
National Film Registry Investigation Racism
46. Jodorowsky's Dune(2013) |
| Runtime: | Genres:Drama|Documentary | Release Date:30 Aug 2013 |
| Countries: France| USA | Languages:English | French | German | Spanish | Rating:PG-13 |
Description:The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
Director:
Frank Pavich
Stars:
Alejandro Jodorowsky
, Amanda Lear
, Brontis Jodorowsky
, Chris Foss
Tags:
Drug Culture Reference To William Shakespeare
47. 13th(2016) |
| Runtime: | Genres:History|Documentary|Crime | Release Date:30 Sep 2016 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:TV-MA |
Description: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
Tags:
Violence Courtroom Police Brutality Slavery Racism Tragedy F Rated Politics
49. Eddie Murphy: Raw(1987)Original Title: Eddie Murphy Raw |
| Runtime: | Genres:Comedy|Documentary | Release Date:25 Nov 1987 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:R |
Description:Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.
Director:
Robert Townsend
Stars:
Eddie Murphy
, Tatyana Ali
, Billie Allen
, Clebert Ford
Tags:
Black Comedy Satire Racism Politics
50. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward(2011) |
| Runtime: | Genre:Documentary | Release Date:15 Jan 2011 |
| Country: USA | Language:English | Rating:NR |
Description:A feature length documentary work which presents a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society.
Director:
Peter Joseph
Stars:
Peter Joseph
, Robert Sapolsky
, Gabor Mate
, Richard Wilkinson
