Documentaries
by jofwinterfell | created - 17 Feb 2021 | updated - 05 Jan 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Häxan (1922)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Fantasy, Horror
Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in Eastern Europe.
Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen, Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan
Votes: 16,737
2. Nanook of the North (1922)
Passed | 78 min | Documentary
In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.
Director: Robert J. Flaherty | Stars: Allakariallak, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou, Allegoo
Votes: 13,458
3. Berlin: Symphony of Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 65 min | Documentary
This movie shows us one day in Berlin, the rhythm of that time, starting at the earliest morning and ends in the deepest night.
Director: Walter Ruttmann | Star: Paul von Hindenburg
Votes: 4,798
4. 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: 28,006
5. Rain (1929)
12 min | Documentary, Short
Regen is an experimental documentary film directed by Joris Ivens in 1929. It can be defined as a cinematic-poem. In 2021 Breve Storia Del Cinema restored the film with a new score composed by Nikolas Labrinakos.
Directors: Mannus Franken, Joris Ivens
Votes: 1,914
6. 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: 21,476
7. Every Day Except Christmas (1957)
37 min | Documentary, Short
A day in the working class market at Covent Garden in London, where fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers are sold.
Director: Lindsay Anderson | Star: Alun Owen
Votes: 237
8. Primary (1960)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, History, News
Cinéma vérité feature that follows presidential hopefuls John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey during the 1960 Wisconsin primary.
Director: Robert Drew | Stars: Robert Drew, Hubert H. Humphrey, Muriel Buck Humphrey, Joseph Julian
Votes: 1,484
9. Chronicle of a Summer (1961)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the everyday lives of ordinary Parisians, done in the style of cinéma vérité.
Directors: Edgar Morin, Jean Rouch | Stars: Angelo, Nadine Ballot, Catherine, Céline
Votes: 3,587
10. Let There Be Light (1980)
Not Rated | 58 min | Documentary, War
A group of mentally traumatized veteran patients is followed as they go through psychiatric treatment.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Walter Huston, Benjamin Simon
Votes: 2,026
11. Sans Soleil (1983)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Drama
A woman narrates the contemplative writings of a seasoned world traveler, focusing on contemporary Japan.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Amilcar Cabral, Florence Delay, Arielle Dombasle, Riyoko Ikeda
Votes: 12,137 | Gross: $0.03M
12. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson
Votes: 25,979 | Gross: $1.21M
13. Child of Rage (1990 TV Movie)
27 min | Documentary
Six-year-old Beth talks to a therapist about the horrific abuse she has suffered as well as the abuse she inflicts upon small animals and her own brother. This film documents her subsequent healing and recovery.
Director: Arthur Ginsberg | Stars: Joel Craiger, Ken Magid, Beth Thomas
Votes: 1,178
14. Visions of Light (1992)
92 min | Documentary, History
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).
Directors: Arnold Glassman, Todd McCarthy, Stuart Samuels | Stars: Conrad L. Hall, John Bailey, Vilmos Zsigmond, Charles Lang
Votes: 3,336 | Gross: $0.80M
15. 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: 41,000 | Gross: $1.33M
16. The Gleaners & I (2000)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
Varda films and interviews gleaners in France in all forms, from those picking fields after the harvest to those scouring the dumpsters of Paris.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: François Wertheimer, Agnès Varda, Jean La Planche, Bodan Litnanski
Votes: 8,809 | Gross: $0.15M
17. Animal Park (2000– )
30 min | Documentary
Presenters Ben Fogle and Kate Humble show the daily life in the Longleat Safari Park and the challenges its staff faces every day while caring for the animals.
Stars: Kate Humble, Ben Fogle, Jean Johansson, Paul Heiney
Votes: 100
18. 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: 148,767 | Gross: $21.58M
19. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
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, Jesse Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman
Votes: 27,144 | Gross: $3.12M
20. Louis and the Nazis (2003 TV Movie)
70 min | Documentary
Louis Theroux travels to California to meet the man dubbed "the most dangerous racist in America"; Tom Metzger, his family and his publicity manager. Louis also meets 'Prussian Blue' an American white-nationalist preteen musical sibling duo.
Director: Stuart Cabb | Stars: Louis Theroux, April Gaede, Bill Gaede, Lamb Gaede
Votes: 2,109
21. Super Size Me (2004)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary
While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
Director: Morgan Spurlock | Stars: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Chemeeka Walker, Dania Abu-Rmaileh
Votes: 113,304 | Gross: $11.53M
22. 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: 132,406 | Gross: $119.19M
23. Grizzly Man (2005)
R | 103 min | Documentary, Biography
A devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog, Carol Dexter
Votes: 61,924 | Gross: $3.17M
24. Meerkat Manor (2005–2008)
26 min | Documentary
This is a documentary drama series which follows a meerkat family in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa, called the Whiskers.
Stars: Bill Nighy, Flower the Meerkat, Mozart the Meerkat, Zaphod the Meerkat
Votes: 1,304
25. The Most Hated Family in America (2007 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
Louis meets the Phelps family, who protest against an America that tolerates homosexuality
Director: Geoffrey O'Connor | Stars: Louis Theroux, Lauren Drain, Steve Drain, Fred Phelps
Votes: 4,837
26. Louis Theroux: Under the Knife (2007 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary
Louis Theroux gets under the skin of the plastic surgery patients of Beverly Hills.
Director: Emma Cooper | Stars: Stuart Linder, Louis Theroux
Votes: 1,528
27. The 9/11 Hotel (2008 TV Movie)
Documentary
The story of the 14 guests and staff trapped in a hotel beneath the Twin Towers on September 11, and their narrow escape.
Stars: Russell Boulter, Ronald Clifford, Jeff Johnson, Frank Razzano
Votes: 36
28. Catfish (2010)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary, Drama, Mystery
Young filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.
Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman | Stars: Nev Schulman, Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost, Angela Wesselman-Pierce
Votes: 43,745 | Gross: $3.23M
29. Madness in the Fast Lane (2010 TV Movie)
48 min | Documentary
Caught on tape, twin sisters for unknown reasons acting in a series of bizarre incidents on the M6 motorway and the subsequent killing of Glenn Hollinshead.
Director: Jim Nally | Stars: Frank Booth, Tracey Cope, Melissa Dutton, Nigel Eastman
Votes: 136
30. Louis Theroux: America's Most Dangerous Pets (2011 TV Movie)
59 min | Documentary
In America's heartlands, Louis looks at private collections of tigers and chimpanzees.
Director: Jamie Pickup | Stars: Louis Theroux, Joe Exotic, John Reinke, Tim Stark
Votes: 1,165
31. There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
This documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother?
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Jesse Temple, Brad Katinas, Diane Schuler, Jay Schuler
Votes: 6,405
32. America's Most Hated Family in Crisis (2011)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
Louis returns to the Phelps family to find that several members have left the cult, and that they are being sued.
Director: Emma Cooper | Stars: Louis Theroux, Lauren Drain, Steve Drain, Betty Phelps
Votes: 2,710
33. Project Nim (2011)
PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary
Tells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s.
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Nim Chimpsky, Stephanie LaFarge, Herbert Terrace, Wer LaFarge
Votes: 8,600 | Gross: $0.41M
34. Side by Side (2012)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
The documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation.
Director: Christopher Kenneally | Stars: Derek Ambrosi, Michael Ballhaus, Andrzej Bartkowiak, Dion Beebe
Votes: 13,719 | Gross: $0.03M
35. Blackfish (2013)
PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall
Votes: 72,478 | Gross: $2.07M
36. Under the Sun (2015)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary
A propaganda documentary about North Korea that reveals a few hidden facts because the director continues filming between the scripted scenes.
Director: Vitaliy Manskiy | Stars: Lee Zin-Mi, Yu-Yong, Hye-Yong, Oh-Gyong
Votes: 5,055 | Gross: $0.07M
37. 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: 102,896
38. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015–2024)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.
Stars: Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki, J. Patrick Burns, Dick DeGuerin
Votes: 51,750
39. Oasis: Supersonic (2016)
R | 122 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Oasis's breakthrough years documented into a detailed depiction of the infamous brothers from Manchester forming the band in the early 90's leading up to the legendary performance at Knebworth.
Director: Mat Whitecross | Stars: Paul Arthurs, Christine Biller, Mark Coyle, Debbie Turner
Votes: 12,393 | Gross: $0.24M
40. Beware the Slenderman (2016)
TV-14 | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Tells the story of two 12-year old girls, who attempted to murder one of their friends in an attempt to appease Slenderman, a fictional monster from a horror website.
Director: Irene Taylor | Stars: Morgan Geyser, Anissa Weier, Angie Geyser, William Weier
Votes: 7,812
41. Voyeur (II) (2017)
TV-MA | 95 min | Documentary, Crime
Journalism icon Gay Talese reports on Gerald Foos, the owner of a Colorado motel, who allegedly secretly watched his guests with the aid of specially designed ceiling vents, peering down from an "observation platform" he built in the motel's attic.
Directors: Myles Kane, Josh Koury | Stars: Gay Talese, Gerald Foos, Nan Talese, Susan Morrison
Votes: 6,822
42. I am Jane Doe (2017)
98 min | Documentary
This intense documentary follows real cases of American girls enslaved in the child sex trade through ads in a newspaper's online classified section.
Director: Mary Mazzio | Stars: Erik Bauer, John Montgomery, Rob Portman, Claire McCaskill
Votes: 1,649
43. Casting JonBenet (2017)
TV-14 | 80 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
In the months following the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, responses were elicited from her Colorado hometown community, creating a work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime inspired.
Director: Kitty Green | Stars: Hannah Cagwin, Aeona Cruz, Liv Bagley, Shylee Sagle
Votes: 5,749
44. Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)
TV-14 | 91 min | Documentary, Crime
The twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.
Director: Skye Borgman | Stars: Jan Broberg, Bob Broberg, Mary Ann Broberg, Susan Broberg
Votes: 22,258
45. 78/52 (2017)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary
An unprecedented look at the iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), the "man behind the curtain", and the screen murder that profoundly changed the course of world cinema.
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe | Stars: Marli Renfro, Alfred Hitchcock, Tere Carrubba, Alan Barnette
Votes: 3,873 | Gross: $0.04M
46. Spielberg (2017 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 147 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary on Steven Spielberg, filmmaker. Includes interviews with relatives, film critics, peers and people who have worked with him.
Director: Susan Lacy | Stars: Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Richard Dreyfuss, Bill Butler
Votes: 8,308
47. Andre the Giant (2018 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A look at the life and career of professional wrestler André Roussimoff, who gained notoriety in the 1980s as Andre the Giant.
Director: Jason Hehir | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Rob Reiner
Votes: 6,869
48. Three Identical Strangers (2018)
PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.
Director: Tim Wardle | Stars: Robert Shafran, Michael Domnitz, Howard Schneider, Ellen Cervone
Votes: 39,837 | Gross: $12.32M
49. Period. End of Sentence. (2018)
TV-PG | 26 min | Documentary, Short
Indian women fight the stigma surrounding menstruation and begin manufacturing sanitary pads.
Director: Rayka Zehtabchi | Stars: Ajeya, Anita, Gouri Choudari, Healthy Emmie
Votes: 6,560
50. Mark Kermode's Secrets of Cinema (2018– )
60 min | Documentary
British film critic Mark Kermode presents his guide to cinema.
Star: Mark Kermode
Votes: 371
51. Notes from Dunblane: Lesson from a School Shooting (2018)
22 min | Documentary, Short, History
In the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre that took the lives of 20 first graders and their teachers, local clergymen Father Bob Weiss receives a letter from a fellow ... See full summary »
Director: Kim A. Snyder
Votes: 405
52. Louis Theroux's Altered States (2018)
60 min | Documentary
Louis Theroux explores the unusual ways modern America deals with birth, love and death.
Stars: Louis Theroux, Trina Williams, Isaiah Stuck, Ari Lund
Votes: 650
53. Leaving Neverland (2019)
TV-MA | 240 min | Documentary
At the height of his stardom, the world's biggest pop star, Michael Jackson, began long-running relationships with two young boys, aged between seven and ten, along their families. They now allege that he sexually abused them.
Director: Dan Reed | Stars: Michael Jackson, Wade Robson, Joy Robson, Chantal Robson
Votes: 31,129
54. Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (2019)
TV-MA | 62 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
A group of online justice seekers track down a guy who posted a video of himself killing kittens.
Stars: Deanna Thompson, John Green, Claudette Hamlin, Anna Yourkin
Votes: 62,297
55. Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look inside the mind of serial killer Ted Bundy, featuring interviews with him on death row.
Stars: Stephen Michaud, Bob Keppel, Kathleen McChesney, Ward Lucas
Votes: 32,940
56. Game of Thrones: The Last Watch (2019 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 114 min | Documentary
Chronicling the creation of Game of Thrones (2011)'s final season, its most ambitious and complicated one.
Director: Jeanie Finlay | Stars: Kevin Alexander, Alfie Allen, Jacob Anderson, Gethin Anthony
Votes: 6,676
57. Louis Theroux: Surviving America's Most Hated Family (2019)
59 min | Documentary
Louis Theroux returns to visit the Westboro Baptist Church in the wake of the death of its leader.
Director: Geoffrey O'Connor | Stars: Louis Theroux, Fred Phelps, Bethany Hockenbarger, Chris Jakes
Votes: 955
58. Louis Theroux: The Night in Question (2019 TV Movie)
59 min | Documentary
Louis Theroux heads to the USA to meet college students accused of sexual assault.
Director: Lottie Gammon | Stars: Louis Theroux, Saif Khan, Margaret Valois, Jordan Draper
Votes: 733
59. The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story (2019 TV Movie)
86 min | Documentary
A documentary chronicling Queen and Lambert's incredible journey since they first shared the stage together on "American Idol" in 2009.
Directors: Christopher Bird, Simon Lupton | Stars: Freddie Mercury, Queen, Rami Malek, Joe Jonas
Votes: 2,340
60. Tiger King (2020–2021)
TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A rivalry between big cat eccentrics takes a dark turn when Joe Exotic, a controversial animal park boss, is caught in a murder-for-hire plot.
Stars: Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin, John Reinke, Jeff Lowe
Votes: 87,031
61. The Social Dilemma (2020)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Drama
Explores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: Tristan Harris, Jeff Seibert, Bailey Richardson, Joe Toscano
Votes: 89,488
62. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)
TV-MA | 57 min | Documentary, Crime
Survivors reveal the manipulation, abuse and emotional scars suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Their stories expose a sex trafficking ring of powerful enablers leading up to his 2019 arrest.
Stars: Michael Reiter, Annie Farmer, Shawna Rivera, Alan Dershowitz
Votes: 29,187
63. Slipknot Unmasked: All Out Life (2020)
59 min | Documentary, Music
Produced by the BBC, this documentary sees the 9 piece metal band perform live at the iconic Maida Vale Studios, after the release of their latest album 'We Are Not Your Kind' (2019). ... See full summary »
Director: Ed Coleman | Stars: Shawn Crahan, Paul Gray, Craig Jones, Joey Jordison
Votes: 33
64.
The New York Times Presents (2020– )
Episode:
Framing Britney Spears
(2021)
TV-MA | 74 min | Documentary
Her rise was a global phenomenon. Her downfall was a cruel national sport. People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.
Director: Samantha Stark | Stars: Britney Spears, Liz Day, Felicia Culotta, Hayley Hill
Votes: 6,966
65. Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)
TV-MA | 55 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
College student and tourist Elisa Lam vanishes, leaving behind all of her possessions in her hotel room. The Cecil Hotel grows in infamy.
Votes: 20,006
66. Louis Theroux: Transgender Kids (2015 TV Movie)
59 min | Documentary
Louis Theroux travels to San Francisco where a group of doctors help kids who claim to be born in the wrong body.
Director: Tom Barrow | Stars: Louis Theroux, Camille, Casey, Eduardo
Votes: 1,305
67. Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic (2021)
89 min | Documentary
This special sees Louis travel to America to investigate the story of a man who has become one of the most controversial and captivating icons of recent times: the gun-toting, self-described 'gay hillbilly' and 'Tiger King' Joe Exotic.
Director: Jack Rampling | Stars: Louis Theroux, Carole Baskin, Howard Baskin, Joe Exotic
Votes: 936
68. Fyre (2019)
TV-MA | 97 min | Documentary, Crime, Music
An exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre music festival.
Director: Chris Smith | Stars: Billy McFarland, Jason Bell, Gabrielle Bluestone, Shiyuan Deng
Votes: 52,066
69.
The New York Times Presents (2020– )
Episode:
Controlling Britney Spears
(2021)
TV-MA | 70 min | Documentary
Britney Spears has said that her conservatorship had become "an oppressive and controlling tool against her." This investigation reveals much of how it worked, including an intense surveillance apparatus that monitored her every move.
Director: Samantha Stark | Stars: Britney Spears, Felicia Culotta, Liz Day, Edan Yemini
Votes: 444
70. American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
TV-MA | 83 min | Documentary, Crime
In 2018, 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters disappear in Colorado. With the heartbreaking details emerging, the family's story made headlines around the world.
Director: Jenny Popplewell | Stars: Nickole Atkinson, Jim Benemann, Luke Epple, Mark Jamieson
Votes: 32,780
71. Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
TV-MA | 82 min | Documentary, Crime
In this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.
Director: Erin Lee Carr | Stars: Jessica Thomas, Jim Arnott, David Blanchard, Dee Dee Blanchard
Votes: 11,911
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