BEST DOCUMENTARIES
by scott-18600 | created - 15 Sep 2015 | updated - 30 Nov 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)
PG-13 | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.
Directors: David Leaf, John Scheinfeld | Stars: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Stew Albert, Tariq Ali
Votes: 5,689 | Gross: $1.10M
2. Where to Invade Next (2015)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Comedy
To learn what the USA can learn from other nations, Michael Moore playfully "invades" them to see what they have to offer.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Johnny Fancelli, Christina Fancelli, Lorena Lardini
Votes: 25,716 | Gross: $3.82M
3. Zeitgeist: Addendum (2008 Video)
Not Rated | 123 min | Documentary, History, War
Zeitgeist: Addendum attempts to locate the root causes of the pervasive social corruption, while also offering a solution.
Director: Peter Joseph | Stars: Jacque Fresco, Roxanne Meadows, John Perkins, George Carlin
Votes: 18,693
4.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Henry Ford
(2013)
TV-PG | 115 min | Documentary, Biography, History
HENRY FORD paints a fascinating portrait of a farm boy who rose from obscurity to become the most influential American innovator of the 20th century.
Director: Sarah Colt | Stars: Oliver Platt, Henry Ford, Steven Watts, Douglas Brinkley
Votes: 273
5. I Am (III) (2010)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary
Director Tom Shadyac speaks with intellectual and spiritual leaders about what's wrong with our world and how we can improve both it and the way we live in it.
Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Tom Shadyac, Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Ray Anderson
Votes: 3,900 | Gross: $1.57M
6. Unbranded (2015)
PG-13 | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Western
Unbranded follows four men and sixteen mustangs on an epic 3,000-mile journey from Mexico to Canada through the American West to inspire adoptions for the 50,000 wild horses and burros in government captivity.
Director: Phillip Baribeau | Stars: Ben Masters, Jonny Fitzsimons, Thomas Glover, Ben Thamer
Votes: 1,579
7. Andrew Marr's History of the World (2012)
Documentary, History
Andrew Marr's History of the World is a 2012 BBC documentary television series presented by Andrew Marr that covers 70,000 years of world history from the beginning of human civilisation, ... See full summary »
Stars: Andrew Marr, Pierre Marais, Joe Vaz, Aubrey Shelton
Votes: 1,403
8. The Source Family (2012)
TV-14 | 98 min | Documentary, Music
A charismatic leader founds a commune in Los Angeles in the early '70s based on natural food, spiritual practices and psychedelic rock. This short-lived era is recreated with archival material and the memories of participants.
Directors: Maria Demopoulos, Jodi Wille | Stars: Ahom Aquarian, Isis Aquarian, Don Bolles, Elena Michaels
Votes: 1,467
9.
National Geographic Specials (1965– )
Episode:
Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West
(2003)
Documentary, History
Director: Kirk Simon
Votes: 43
10. Vietnam in HD (2011)
262 min | Documentary, History, War
Original Vietnam War footage presented in high definition along with narrations by war veterans and the voices of Hollywood stars.
Stars: Tempestt Bledsoe, Edward Burns, Dean Cain, Kevin Connolly
Votes: 1,642
11.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
Losing Iraq
(2014)
TV-PG | 84 min | Documentary, News
From PBS and FRONTLINE: FRONTLINE examines the unfolding chaos in Iraq and how the U.S. is being pulled back into the conflict. Drawing on interviews with policymakers and military leaders,... See full summary »
Director: Michael Kirk | Stars: Will Lyman, Peter Baker, Thomas Ricks, George W. Bush
Votes: 147
12.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
Secret State of North Korea
(2014)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, News
Through smuggled footage and interview with defectors, the true state of North Korea under Kim Jong-Un is examined.
Director: James Jones | Stars: Will Lyman, Jiro Ishimaru, Lee, Jin-Sung Jang
Votes: 310
13.
Nova (1974– )
Episode:
Rise of the Drones
(2013)
TV-G | 53 min | Documentary
Discover the cutting-edge technologies that are propelling us toward a new chapter in aviation history.
Director: Peter Yost | Stars: Craig Sechler, Corey Brixen, Rand Paul, Chad
Votes: 119
14. 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: 2,689 | Gross: $0.58M
15.
Independent Lens (1999– )
Episode:
Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey
(2013)
R | 105 min | Documentary
A documentary on Arnel Pineda, who was plucked from YouTube to become the new singer for the rock & roll band, Journey.
Director: Ramona S. Diaz | Stars: Arnel Pineda, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Ross Valory
Votes: 1,249
16. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011)
Not Rated | 161 min | Documentary
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 Maté, Richard Wilkinson
Votes: 18,745
17. 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: 72,937 | Gross: $3.97M
18. The Fog of War (2003)
PG-13 | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, History
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: 25,064 | Gross: $4.20M
19. Death by China (2012)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, Drama, History
In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization with the strong support of a Democratic President and Republican Congress. Before the ink was dry on this free trade agreement, China ... See full summary »
Director: Peter Navarro | Stars: Martin Sheen, Tom Danjzcek, Dan Fitzpatrick, Bill Loper
Votes: 510 | Gross: $0.04M
20. Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (2012)
Unrated | 70 min | Documentary
A conversation with Steve Jobs as he was running NeXT, the company he had founded after leaving Apple.
Director: Paul Sen | Stars: Robert X. Cringely, Steve Jobs
Votes: 1,914 | Gross: $0.10M
21. The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
An experimental documentary that uses archival footage, interviews, and fictionalized scenarios to tell the story of the people around Jeffrey Dahmer, during the summer of his arrest in 1991.
Director: Chris James Thompson | Stars: Andrew Swant, Pamela Bass, Jeffrey Jentzen, Pat Kennedy
Votes: 2,135
22. Kumaré (2011)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.
Director: Vikram Gandhi | Stars: Vikram Gandhi, Toby, Greg, Molly
Votes: 5,198 | Gross: $0.13M
23.
Nova (1974– )
Episode:
3D Spies of WWII
(2012)
TV-PG | 53 min | Documentary
The story of British aerial military photographic reconnaissance and analysis using stereoscopic viewing techniques during World War II.
Director: Tim Dunn | Stars: Craig Sechler, John S. Blyth, Mike Mockford, Dino A. Brugioni
Votes: 69
24. Unconstitutional (2004 Video)
66 min | Documentary
A documentary that investigates the ways in which the civil liberties of American citizens and immigrants have been rolled back since the September 11 and the Patriot Act.
Director: Nonny de la Peña | Stars: Aquil Abdullah, John Ashcroft, Bob Barr, Azmat Begg
Votes: 375
25.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Mormons: Part I
(2007)
TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The following topics are covered: history of Joseph Smith based almost entirely on 2nd and 3rd person accounts, Haun's Mill massacre, early polygamy, modern polygamy as practiced by ... See full synopsis »
Director: Helen Whitney | Stars: Will Bagley, Alex Baugh, Leslie Berger, Harold Bloom
Votes: 79
26. Wheel of Time (2003)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary
Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: The Dalai Lama, Lama Lhundup Woeser, Takna Jigme Sangpo, Matthieu Ricard
Votes: 2,739
27.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians - Part 1
(1998)
TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, News
The story of the rise of Christianity.
Director: William Cran | Stars: William Cran, John Dominic Crossan, Gil Edgeley, Paula Fredriksen
Votes: 168
28. Nazi Mega Weapons (2013– )
60 min | Documentary, History, War
An examination of Nazi Germany's various military engineering projects during World War II.
Stars: James Holland, Tony Pollard, Richard Lintern, Julian Forsyth
Votes: 615
29. Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004)
Unrated | 78 min | Documentary
Documentary on reported Conservative bias of the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News Channel (FNC), which promotes itself as "Fair and Balanced". Material includes interviews with former FNC employees and the inter-office memos they provided.
Director: Robert Greenwald | Stars: Douglas Cheek, Walter Cronkite, Bob McChesney, Jeff Cohen
Votes: 6,277 | Gross: $0.24M
30.
Modern Marvels (1993– )
Episode:
The Railroads That Tamed the West
(1996)
TV-PG | Documentary, History
The dangerous early history of railroads in the United States and the various inventions that slowly made them safer.
Stars: Kevin Bunker, Bob Dowty, John P. Hankey, Harlan Saperstein
Votes: 30
31. The Big One (1997)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
On his book tour, Michael Moore exposes more wrongdoing by greedy big businesses and callous politicians around America.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Elaine Bly, Dan Burns, Chip Carter
Votes: 8,046 | Gross: $0.72M
32. Ethos (I) (2011)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary
Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor Woody Harrelson, Ethos explores the mechanisms in our systems that work against democracy, the environment and our own personal liberty.
Director: Pete McGrain | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Justin Lewis, Bill Hogan, Noam Chomsky
Votes: 1,253
33.
Modern Marvels (1993– )
Episode:
The Manhattan Project
(2002)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, History
Encouraged by Leo Szilard and galvanized by German success in achieving nuclear fission, the United States embarks on a crash program to build a nuclear bomb. Aided by many Jewish ... See full summary »
Director: Sean Dash | Stars: Lloyd Sherr, William Lanouette, Robert Christy, Albert Einstein
Votes: 75
34.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
We Shall Remain: Part I - After the Mayflower
(2009)
TV-PG | 77 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In March of 1621, in what is now southeastern Massachusetts, Massasoit (actor Marcos Akiaten, Chiricauha Apache), the leading sachem of the Wampanoag, sat down to negotiate with a ragged ... See full summary »
Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Marcos Akiaten, Cassidy Alla, William Belleau, Ginew Benton
Votes: 163
35. Apocalypse: The Second World War (2009)
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, History, War
This six-part series traces the Second World War, from the rise of the Nazis to the surrender of the Japanese, with detailed portraits of key figures.
Stars: Mathieu Kassovitz, Martin Sheen, Rudolf Hess
Votes: 14,299
36. Soaked in Bleach (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Crime
Tom Grant, a private investigator once hired by Courtney Love, reveals his take on the death of Kurt Cobain.
Director: Benjamin Statler | Stars: Daniel Roebuck, Sarah Scott, August Emerson, Tyler Bryan
Votes: 11,599
37. Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip (2003 TV Movie)
TV-G | 107 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Keith David, Tom Hanks, Adam Arkin, Tom Bodett
Votes: 595
38. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,915
39. Religulous (2008)
R | 101 min | Documentary, Comedy, War
Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
Director: Larry Charles | Stars: Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden, Steven Burg
Votes: 60,253 | Gross: $13.00M
40. The French Revolution (2005 TV Movie)
100 min | Documentary, History
Documentary about the bloody beginning, bloodier middle and unceremonious end of the French Revolution, an event that ended in blood the reign of kings in France and laid the foundation for a new - republican - system of government.
Director: Doug Shultz | Stars: Edward Herrmann, George Ivascu, Rodica Lazar, Tomi Cristin
Votes: 336
41. The West (1996)
537 min | Documentary, History, War
Stephen Ives' "The West" is a PBS 4-Video Series co-produced by Ken Burns: - "Death Runs Riot" 85 min. - "Fight No More Forever" 85 min. - "Ghost Dance" 58 min. - "The People" 82 min.
Stars: Peter Coyote, N. Scott Momaday, Murphy Guyer, John Trudell
Votes: 2,147
42. 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: 9,892 | Gross: $0.13M
43. The Untold History of the United States (2012–2013)
TV-MA | 58 min | Documentary, History, War
Oliver Stone 's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.
Stars: Oliver Stone, Alan Shearman, Jim Ward, André Sogliuzzo
Votes: 9,714
44. Manhunt (II) (2017–2020)
TV-14 | 817 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An in-depth look at how an FBI profiler helped track down the terrorist Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.
Stars: Gethin Anthony, Arliss Howard, Kelly Jenrette, Cameron Britton
Votes: 63,866
45. Miss Americana (2020)
TV-MA | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
A look at iconic pop artist Taylor Swift during a transformational time in her life as she embraces her role as a singer/songwriter and harnesses the full power of her voice.
Director: Lana Wilson | Stars: Taylor Swift, Andrea Swift, Scott Swift, Joel Little
Votes: 24,851
46. Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet (2020)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary
Five years after his first documentary, award-winning producer/director Torsten Hoffmann revisits Bitcoin and sets out to explore the evolution of the blockchain industry and its new promise. Can this technology, designed to operate independent of trust and within a decentralized network, really provide a robust alternative to the Internet as we know it?
Directors: Torsten Hoffmann, Michael Watchulonis | Stars: Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Vitalik Buterin, Torsten Hoffmann, Robert Kahn
Votes: 1,353
47. Elon Musk: The Real Life Iron Man (2018)
TV-PG | 71 min | Documentary, Biography
Discover the meteoric rise of Elon Musk, the man who is transforming the way we think about travel technology through electric cars, the Hyperloop, and revolutionary ideas on how we live through artificial intelligence and colonizing Mars.
Director: Sonia Anderson | Stars: Daniela Albers, Julie Anderson Ankenbrandt, Richard Branson, Cary Cooper
Votes: 914
48. Laurel Canyon (2020)
TV-14 | 78 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary pulls back the curtain on a mythical world and provides an up-close look at the lives of the musicians who inhabited Laurel Canyon. It paints an intimate portrait of the artists who created a music revolution that would change popular culture.
Stars: Michelle Phillips, Alice Cooper, Micky Dolenz, Neil Young
Votes: 1,297
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