Great Documentary Films
by jeffhchambers | created - 20 Jun 2014 | updated - 19 Mar 2022 | PublicChronological Listing Of Very Highest Rated Personal Favorites Including Hidden Gems And A Couple Of Shorts (My "10s" Only)
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1. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary
A man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.
Director: Dziga Vertov | Stars: Mikhail Kaufman, Elizaveta Svilova
Votes: 27,967
2. Faces of November (1964)
Not Rated | 12 min | Documentary, Short, News
The sights and sounds from the funeral of President John F. Kennedy in November, 1963.
Director: Robert Drew | Stars: Lyndon B. Johnson, John Kennedy Jr., Caroline Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy
Votes: 314
3. Night and Fog (1956)
TV-14 | 32 min | Documentary, Short, History
The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
Director: Alain Resnais | Stars: Michel Bouquet, Reinhard Heydrich, Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler
Votes: 21,449
4. Paddle to the Sea (1966)
28 min | Documentary, Short, Adventure
This film recounts the adventures of a toy Native American canoe as it makes its way from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
Director: Bill Mason | Star: Stanley Jackson
Votes: 547
5. The Endless Summer (1966)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Sport
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: 6,216
6. The Architecture of Doom (1989)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, History
An absorbing and chilling documentary about the National Socialist aesthetic, and how attempts to create the Aryan Ideal caused the extermination of millions. Aspects covered include: ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Cohen | Stars: Rolf Arsenius, Bruno Ganz, Sam Gray, Martin Bormann
Votes: 1,137
7. For All Mankind (1989)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, History
An in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.
Director: Al Reinert | Stars: Jim Lovell, Ken Mattingly, Russell Schweickart, Eugene Cernan
Votes: 6,523 | Gross: $0.77M
8. My Voyage to Italy (1999)
PG-13 | 246 min | Documentary
World-renowned director Martin Scorsese narrates this journey through his favorites in Italian cinema.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Star: Martin Scorsese
Votes: 3,523 | Gross: $0.01M
9. Baraka (1992)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
Director: Ron Fricke | Star: Patrick Disanto
Votes: 40,971 | Gross: $1.33M
10. War Photographer (2001)
96 min | Documentary, War
Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.
Director: Christian Frei | Stars: James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare, Christiane Breustedt
Votes: 4,301
11. No End in Sight (2007)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, War
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
12. My Winnipeg (2007)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Fact, fantasy and memory are woven seamlessly together in this portrait of film-maker Guy Maddin's home town of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Director: Guy Maddin | Stars: Darcy Fehr, Ann Savage, Louis Negin, Amy Stewart
Votes: 5,627 | Gross: $0.16M
13. 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: 23,046
14. The Cove (2009)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
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: 51,433 | Gross: $0.87M
15. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,945 | Gross: $4.31M
16. 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: 38,024 | Gross: $2.67M
17. Inequality for All (2013)
PG | 89 min | Documentary
A documentary that follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country's widening economic gap.
Director: Jacob Kornbluth | Stars: Robert Reich, Conan O'Brien, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin
Votes: 7,016 | Gross: $1.21M
18. Brothers in War (2014 TV Movie)
88 min | Documentary
Through gripping first-person accounts and digitally remastered archival footage, including the soldiers' own home movies and personal audio tapes, Brothers in War recounts the harrowing ... See full summary »
Director: Liz Reph | Stars: Jack Benedick, John Bradfield, Steve Hopper, Larry Lilley
Votes: 439
19. Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened (2016)
95 min | Documentary
This film from acclaimed theater director Lonny Price charts the journey of the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" in the 30-plus years since the musical debuted on Broadway at the Alvin Theatre in 1981.
Director: Lonny Price | Stars: Jason Alexander, Donna Marie Asbury, James Bonkovsky, David Cady
Votes: 738 | Gross: $0.10M
20. Sicko (2007)
PG-13 | 123 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Tucker Albrizzi, Tony Benn, George W. Bush
Votes: 76,823 | Gross: $24.54M
21. Crumb (1994)
R | 119 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
Director: Terry Zwigoff | Stars: Robert Crumb, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Charles Crumb, Maxon Crumb
Votes: 21,587 | Gross: $3.17M
22. Requiem for the American Dream (2015)
Not Rated | 73 min | Documentary, Biography, News
Renowned academic and author Noam Chomsky elucidates 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to unprecedented inequality and the hollowing out of the American middle class.
Directors: Peter D. Hutchison, Kelly Nyks, Jared P. Scott | Stars: Noam Chomsky, Alan Greenspan, Malcolm X, Richard Nixon
Votes: 9,884 | Gross: $0.13M
23. Chasing Coral (2017)
93 min | Documentary
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: Andrew Ackerman, Pim Bongaerts, Neal Cantin, Phil Dustan
Votes: 5,651
24. We Shall Not Die Now (2019)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, History, War
A chronicle of the Holocaust, exploring stories of survival, tragedy, hope, and resilience through one of history's darkest chapters.
Director: Ashton Gleckman | Stars: Benjamin Ferencz, Simon Srebnik, Filip Müller, Richard Glazar
Votes: 147
25. I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary, History
Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
Director: Raoul Peck | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X
Votes: 23,496 | Gross: $7.12M
26. 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: 38,445 | Gross: $17.96M
27. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020 TV Movie)
PG | 83 min | Documentary, Biography
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: 34,542
28. Bathtubs Over Broadway (2018)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Music
A Late Night comedy writer stumbles upon a hilarious, hidden world of corporate entertainment and finds an unexpected connection to his fellow man. Tribeca and WGA Award winner.
Director: Dava Whisenant | Stars: David Letterman, Martin Short, Chita Rivera, Susan Stroman
Votes: 1,226
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