Documentaries that will change you
by mdmafa | created - 17 Oct 2012 | updated - 09 Dec 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Waste Land (2010)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
On the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.
Directors: Lucy Walker, Karen Harley, João Jardim | Star: Vik Muniz
Votes: 9,355 | Gross: $0.19M
2. The Corporation (2003)
Not Rated | 145 min | Documentary, History
Documentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
Directors: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott | Stars: Mikela Jay, Rob Beckwermert, Christopher Gora, Nina Jones
Votes: 21,761 | Gross: $1.88M
3. Home (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, Family
With aerial footage from fifty-four countries, 'Home' is a depiction of how Earth's problems are all interlinked.
Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand | Stars: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Glenn Close, Jacques Gamblin
Votes: 23,033
4. Why We Fight (2005)
PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary, History, War
Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.
Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Gore Vidal, John McCain, Ken Adelman, John Ashcroft
Votes: 10,217 | Gross: $1.44M
5. 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: 3,711 | Gross: $0.29M
10/28/2012- SHAMSI 91/08/07
It is about migrant workers in china, but somehow in a broader view remind you what Novalis said: "Philosophy is properly Home-sickness; the wish to be everywhere at home."
6. Everest: Beyond the Limit (2006–2009)
Documentary, Adventure
Climbers arrive at Everest Base Camp and quickly learn the dangers of the mountain.They are shocked to discover how badly their minds and bodies cope as they move to Advance Base Camp. A ... See full summary »
Stars: Phurba Tashi Sherpa, Rod Baber, Darius Vaiciulis, Fred Ziel
Votes: 1,022
7. Planet Earth (2006)
TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary, Family
A documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, David Attenborough, Nikolay Drozdov, Thomas Anguti Johnston
Votes: 219,305
8. Who Wrote the Bible? (2004 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary
Who actually wrote the book that millions of people describe as the word of God? Christian theologian Robert Beckford sets off on a voyage of historical discovery through Genesis and beyond to uncover the Bible's complex origins.
Directors: Polly Morland, David Wilson | Stars: Robert Beckford, Janet Dibley, Edward Adams, Paul Bruce
Votes: 137
9. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
R | 122 min | Documentary, Drama, War
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: 132,254 | Gross: $119.19M
10. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Salvador Allende
Votes: 148,557 | Gross: $21.58M
11. 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: 72,741 | Gross: $3.97M
It has no tragic end, but absolutely is tragic in all aspect.
12. Sound City (2013)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary on the fabled recording studio that was located in Van Nuys, California.
Director: Dave Grohl | Stars: Trent Reznor, Tom Petty, Mick Fleetwood, Vinny Appice
Votes: 13,429 | Gross: $0.42M
13.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
(2010)
TV-14 | 52 min | Documentary, News
In Afghanistan many hundreds of boys, often as young as ten, are being lured off the streets on the promise of a new life.
Directors: Jamie Doran, Mike Healy | Stars: Najibullah Quraishi, Arun Rath
Votes: 167
14. All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (2011)
60 min | Documentary
A series of films about how humans have been colonized by the machines we have built. Although we don't realize it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers.
Stars: Adam Curtis, Stewart Brand, Al Gore, Alvin Toffler
Votes: 2,129
15.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Silicon Valley
(2013)
TV-PG | 82 min | Documentary, Biography, History
SILICON VALLEY tells the story of the pioneering scientists who transformed rural Santa Clara County into the hub of technological ingenuity we now know as Silicon Valley.
Stars: Leslie Berlin, Roger Borovoy, Kathleen Cohen, Andrew Grove
Votes: 198
16. 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: 68,706 | Gross: $3.29M
17. Bitter Lake (2015)
136 min | Documentary
An experimental documentary that explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.
Director: Adam Curtis | Stars: George Bush, George W. Bush, Joanne Herring, Hamid Karzai
Votes: 3,513
18. Jim: The James Foley Story (2016)
TV-MA | 111 min | Documentary, Biography, War
An in-depth look at the life and work of American journalist James Foley, who was killed by ISIS terrorists in 2014.
Director: Brian Oakes | Stars: James Foley, Unai Aranzadi, Zac Baillie, Manu Brabo
Votes: 1,688
The movie has a strong message why James has been in Iraq, Syria, Libya and what front-line journalism mission is. The narrative is accompanied with profound pictures of war it's amazing how close it gets you the field of conflict.
19. Racing Extinction (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Adventure, News
A documentary that follows undercover activists trying to stave off a man-made mass extinction.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Elon Musk, Joel Sartore, Louie Psihoyos, Charles Hambleton
Votes: 8,179
20. Salinger (2013)
PG-13 | 120 min | Documentary
An unprecedented look inside the private world of J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye.
Director: Shane Salerno | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton, Judd Apatow, John Cusack
Votes: 2,683 | Gross: $0.58M
21. Samsara (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music
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
Votes: 37,955 | Gross: $2.67M
22. Saving Face (2012)
Not Rated | 40 min | Documentary, Short, Drama
Plastic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Jawad returns to his native Pakistan to help those left horribly scarred by acid attacks.
Directors: Daniel Junge, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy | Stars: Sarkar Abbas, Mohammad Jawad
Votes: 1,509
23. The Fear of 13 (2015)
96 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A convicted murderer who has spent 23 years on Death Row tells his story.
Director: David Sington | Stars: Herbert A. Fuchs, Sammy Silverwatch, Nick Yarris
Votes: 7,629
24. City of Ghosts (2017)
R | 92 min | Documentary, War
A documentary that follows the efforts of "Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently," a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. ... See full summary »
Director: Matthew Heineman | Stars: Abdelaziz Alhamza, Mohamad Almusari, Hamoud Almousa, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
Votes: 4,118 | Gross: $0.13M
25. Icarus (2017)
TV-MA | 120 min | Documentary, Sport
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: 54,567
26. 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: 57,888 | Gross: $2.80M
27. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
Director: Brian Knappenberger | Stars: Aaron Swartz, Tim Berners-Lee, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman
Votes: 18,017 | Gross: $0.05M
28. Zero Days (2016)
PG-13 | 116 min | Documentary
A documentary focused on Stuxnet, a piece of self-replicating computer malware that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility, and which ultimately spread beyond its intended target.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: David Sanger, Emad Kiyaei, Eric Chien, Liam O'Murchu
Votes: 10,389 | Gross: $0.10M
29.
Vice (2013–2021)
Episode:
State of Surveillance
(2016)
TV-14 | 26 min | Documentary, News
In Moscow, VICE co-founder Shane Smith's in depth interview with controversial NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden serves as the backdrop for a story on the state of government sponsored ... See full summary »
Director: Alex Chitty | Stars: Ben Anderson, Andreas Bakke Foss, Jason Leopold, Morgan Marquis-Boire
Votes: 81
30. Digital Amnesia (2014)
50 min | Documentary
Our memory is dissipating. Hard drives only last five years, a webpage is forever changing and there's no machine left that can read 15-year old floppy disks. Digital data is vulnerable. ... See full summary »
Director: Bregtje van der Haak | Stars: Brewster Kahle, Jason Scott Sadofsky
Votes: 13
31. 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: 13,394 | Gross: $0.59M
32. 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
TV-MA | 101 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Fearless Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja embarks on a seemingly impossible quest to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in seven months.
Director: Torquil Jones | Stars: Nirmal Purja, Suchi Purja, Klára Kolouchová, Reinhold Messner
Votes: 30,323
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