The best documentaries
Must see.
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1.
To Be and to Have
(2002 Documentary)
A documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher. (104 mins.)
Director: Nicolas Philibert
2.
Little World
(2012 Documentary)
Albert and Anna use to travel around the world without money and in a wheelchair. Now they want to conquer their craziest challenge: to reach the other side of the planet, from Barcelona to New Zealand.
Director: Marcel Barrena
3.
Capturing the Friedmans
(2003 Documentary)
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. (107 mins.)
Director: Andrew Jarecki
4.
Grizzly Man
(2005 Documentary)
A devastating and heartrending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska. (103 mins.)
Director: Werner Herzog
5.
Catfish
(2010 Documentary)
Young filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries. (87 mins.)
Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
6.
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
(2011 Documentary)
A further followup of the case of the West Memphis Three and the decades long fight to exonerate them that finally gained traction with new DNA evidence. (121 mins.)
Director: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky
7.
Encounters at the End of the World
(2007 Documentary)
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there. (99 mins.)
Director: Werner Herzog
8.
The Cove
(2009 Documentary)
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. (92 mins.)
Director: Louie Psihoyos
9.
TT3D: Closer to the Edge
(2011 Documentary)
By vividly recounting the TT's legendary rivalries and the Isle of Man's unique road racing history... (104 mins.)
Director: Richard De Aragues
10.
Tabloid
(2010 Documentary)
A documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary. (87 mins.)
Director: Errol Morris
11.
Exit Through the Gift Shop
(2010 Documentary)
The story of how an eccentric French shop-keeper and amateur film-maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy... (87 mins.)
Director: Banksy
12.
The Imposter
(2012 Documentary)
A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years. (99 mins.)
Director: Bart Layton
13.
Senna
(2010 Documentary)
A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34. (106 mins.)
Director: Asif Kapadia
14.
Crazy Love
(2007 Documentary)
The bizarre true story of Linda Riss and Burt Pugach. (92 mins.)
Director: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens
15.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
(2008 Documentary)
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. (95 mins.)
Director: Kurt Kuenne
16.
Anvil: The Story of Anvil
(2008 Documentary)
Since 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams. (80 mins.)
Director: Sacha Gervasi
17.
Food, Inc.
(2008 Documentary)
An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry. (94 mins.)
Director: Robert Kenner
18.
The Queen of Versailles
(2012 Documentary)
A documentary that follows a billionaire couple as they begin construction on a mansion inspired by Versailles. During the next two years, their empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. (100 mins.)
Director: Lauren Greenfield
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