Oscars - Best Documentary Feature Film
by mfraser-97311 | created - 08 Nov 2022 | updated - 16 Nov 2022 | PublicAll winners followed by all nominees.
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1. The Battle of Midway (1942)
TV-PG | 18 min | Documentary, Short, War
The Japanese attack on Midway in June 1942, filmed as it happened.
Director: John Ford | Stars: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, Logan Ramsey, James Roosevelt
Votes: 2,272
2. Kokoda Front Line! (1942)
9 min | Documentary, Short, War
Cameraman Damien Parer has just returned from the front in New Guinea, where he's documented Australian troops in action. He explains this to us in a prolog. We then see air drops of ... See full summary »
Stars: Peter Bathurst, Damien Parer
Votes: 272
3. Moscow Strikes Back (1942)
Approved | 55 min | Documentary, War
A number of frontline cameramen shot the footage used in this documentary of the Battle of Moscow, between October 1941 and January 1942,in which a people's war against the German invaders,... See full summary »
Directors: Ilya Kopalin, Leonid Varlamov | Stars: N. Dubravin, Edward G. Robinson, Joseph Stalin
Votes: 293
4. Why We Fight (1942)
Not Rated | 52 min | Documentary, War
The official World War II US Government film statement defining the various enemies of the Allies and why they must be fought.
Directors: Frank Capra, Anatole Litvak | Stars: Walter Huston, Victor Bulwer-Lytton, Kai-Shek Chiang, Walter Darré
Votes: 2,409
5. Desert Victory (1943)
62 min | Documentary, War
The Allied campaign to drive Germany and Italy from North Africa is analysed, with the major portion of the film examining the battles at El Alamein, including a re-enactment.
Directors: Roy Boulting, David MacDonald | Stars: Harold Alexander, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, Bernard L. Montgomery
Votes: 370
6. The Fighting Lady (1944)
Passed | 61 min | Documentary, History, War
An in-depth look at aircraft carrier combat operations during World War II. Real combat footage. Very strong and compelling.
Directors: Edward Steichen, William Wyler | Stars: Robert Taylor, Charles Boyer, Joseph J. Clark, Dixie Kiefer
Votes: 616
7. The True Glory (1945)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, War
A documentary account of the allied invasion of Europe during World War II compiled from the footage shot by nearly 1400 cameramen.
Directors: Garson Kanin, Carol Reed | Stars: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Leslie Banks, Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle
Votes: 631
8. Design for Death (1947)
Approved | 48 min | Documentary
An Academy Award winner for best documentary, the film opens with a notice that..."Exhibition of confiscated Japanese film material authorized by permission of the Alien Property Custodian ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Kent Smith, Hans Conried
Votes: 48
9. The Secret Land (1948)
Passed | 71 min | Documentary
The 1946-1947 U.S. military expedition to explore and map Antarctica, led by Admiral Richard E. Byrd, is presented from its planning stages through its successful completion.
Stars: Robert Montgomery, Robert Taylor, Van Heflin, James Forrestal
Votes: 429
10. Daybreak in Udi (1949)
Approved | 47 min | Documentary
This 47-minute documentary, financed by HRH's government, won an Oscar in the special category, and most of it was later edited into a 1953 two-segment documentary called "Savage World" by ... See full summary »
Director: Terry Bishop | Stars: E.R. Chadwick, Harford Anerobi, Fanny Elumeze, Joseph Amalu
Votes: 93
11. The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (1950)
Not Rated | 70 min | Documentary
The life and works of the great artist Michelangelo Buonarroti are shown against the historical background of his time. It begins with his earliest artworks, and follows his life and career... See full summary »
Directors: Robert J. Flaherty, Richard Lyford, Curt Oertel | Star: Fredric March
Votes: 130
12. Kon-Tiki (1950)
Approved | 77 min | Documentary
A documentary about the Kon-Tiki expedition of the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl.
Director: Thor Heyerdahl | Stars: Thor Heyerdahl, Herman Watzinger, Erik Hesselberg, Knut Haugland
Votes: 2,809
13. The Sea Around Us (1953)
Approved | 62 min | Documentary
Oscar-winning documentary based on Rachel L. Carson's pioneering study of ocean life chronicled in her award-winning and best-selling 1951 book of the same name.
Director: Irwin Allen | Stars: Don Forbes, Theodore von Eltz
Votes: 379
14. The Living Desert (1953)
G | 69 min | Family, Documentary
Although first glance reveals little more than stones and sand, the desert is alive. Witness moving rocks, spitting mud pots, gorgeous flowers and the never-ending battle for survival between creatures of every shape, size and description.
Director: James Algar | Star: Winston Hibler
Votes: 1,717
15. The Vanishing Prairie (1954)
Approved | 71 min | Documentary, Family
Story of the American prairie as it was when vast herds of bison and elk grazed there.
Director: James Algar | Star: Winston Hibler
Votes: 801
16. The Unconquered (1954)
Approved | 55 min | Documentary, Biography
This documentary chronicles the life of Helen Keller, who was struck by an illness as a young child that left her both blind and deaf. Aided by her devoted teacher, Anne Sullivan, Keller is... See full summary »
Director: Nancy Hamilton | Stars: Katharine Cornell, Helen Keller, Polly Thompson, Dwight D. Eisenhower
Votes: 150
17. The Silent World (1956)
86 min | Documentary, Adventure
A documentary about the undersea explorers and how they penetrate into the underwater world.
Directors: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Louis Malle | Stars: Frédéric Dumas, Albert Falco, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, François Saout
Votes: 1,814
18. Albert Schweitzer (1957)
Approved | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This biographical drama/documentary narrative written by Dr. Albert Schweitzer and spoken by Fredric March, traces the life of Dr. Schweitzer (with actors playing the characters), from his ... See full summary »
Director: Jerome Hill | Stars: Burgess Meredith, Fredric March, Albert Schweitzer, Helene Schweitzer
Votes: 144
19. White Wilderness (1958)
Approved | 72 min | Documentary, Family
The wildlife of the arctic is explored in this true-life adventure.
Director: James Algar | Stars: Winston Hibler, Volmer Sørensen
Votes: 531
20. Serengeti (1959)
85 min | Documentary
The borders of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania were initially drawn without considering the herds of grass-eating wild animals. The recording of seasonal animal movements by the ... See full summary »
Director: Bernhard Grzimek | Stars: Bernhard Grzimek, Holger Hagen, Hermann Rockmann
Votes: 432
21. The Horse with the Flying Tail (1960)
G | 48 min | Family, Documentary
A palimino cow pony, through a series of owners and adventures becomes a champion mount for one of the US equestrian team.
Director: Larry Lansburgh | Stars: George Fenneman, Nautical the Horse, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Dorian Williams
Votes: 211
22. The Sky Above, the Mud Below (1961)
92 min | Documentary
In September, 1959, six Europeans leave Cook's Bay on the southern coast of Dutch New Guinea, now West Papua or Irian Jaya, to trek north to the far side of the island. The journey (450 ... See full summary »
Director: Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau | Stars: Gerard Delloye, Tony Saulnier, Herve de Maigret, William Dexter
Votes: 288
23. Black Fox: The True Story of Adolf Hitler (1962)
89 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The rise and fall of Nazi Germany in part through the use of classical allegory.
Director: Louis Clyde Stoumen | Stars: Marlene Dietrich, Adolf Hitler
Votes: 208
24. Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World (1963)
41 min | Documentary, Short, Biography
Acclaimed poet Robert Frost reminisces on his career. He is also seen giving lectures at Amherst and Sarah Lawrence Colleges, in daily life at his rural Vermont home, and receiving the Congressional Gold Medal from President Kennedy.
Director: Shirley Clarke | Stars: Robert Frost, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
Votes: 263
25. World Without Sun (1964)
93 min | Documentary
Fascinating underwater documentary filmed with hand-held cameras by frogmen and mostly filmed in deep-water seas from within a special designed batiscaff, by the Cousteau family of sea explorers.
Director: Jacques-Yves Cousteau | Stars: Pierre Bidault, Louis Bidegant, Christian Bonnici, Jacques Bourdes
Votes: 533
26. The Eleanor Roosevelt Story (1965)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Richard Kaplan documents the life of one of America's most influential first ladies. Orphaned at age 10, Eleanor Roosevelt marries her fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1905. His ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Kaplan | Stars: Archibald Macleish, Eric Sevareid, Corinne Alsop Cole, Hillary Clinton
Votes: 208
27. The War Game (1966)
48 min | Drama, War
A docudrama depicting a hypothetical nuclear attack on Britain.
Director: Peter Watkins | Stars: Michael Aspel, Peter Graham, Dave Baldwin, Kathy Staff
Votes: 7,316
28. The Anderson Platoon (1967)
Not Rated | 65 min | Documentary, History, War
The director, a French veteran of the Indochina war (La 317e Section), returned to follow a platoon of American soldiers for six weeks at the height of fighting in Vietnam in 1966. The ... See full summary »
Director: Pierre Schoendoerffer | Stars: Joseph B. Anderson, Stuart Whitman
Votes: 383
29. Journey Into Self (1969)
47 min | Documentary
The film portrays a 16-hour group-therapy session for eight well-adjusted people who had never met before.
Director: Bill McGaw | Stars: Carl Rogers, Richard Farson, Jerry, Beth
Votes: 114
30. Arthur Rubinstein: The Love of Life (1969)
91 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
An Oscar winning look at the life of Albert Rubinstein shortly after he turned 70. It contains some home movies of him and his family, but is primarily him talking and demonstrating his great skill as a pianist.
Directors: Gérard Patris, François Reichenbach | Stars: Artur Rubinstein, Eliahu Inbal, Paul Kletzki
Votes: 137
31. Woodstock (1970)
R | 184 min | Documentary, History, Music
Oscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.
Director: Michael Wadleigh | Stars: Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Roger Daltrey, Joe Cocker
Votes: 18,471 | Gross: $50.00M
32. The Hellstrom Chronicle (1971)
G | 90 min | Documentary, Drama
A scientist explains how the savagery and efficiency of the insect world could result in their taking over the world.
Directors: Walon Green, Ed Spiegel | Stars: Lawrence Pressman, Conlan Carter, Ian McShane, Suzanne Pleshette
Votes: 962 | Gross: $0.04M
33. Marjoe (1972)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
This Oscar-winning documentary explores the life of one-time child evangelist and faith healer Marjoe Gortner. The son of professional evangelists, Gortner was preaching on the Southern tent-revival circuit by the age of 3.
Directors: Sarah Kernochan, Howard Smith | Stars: Agnes Benjamin, Marjoe Gortner, Vernon Gortner, Sarah Kernochan
Votes: 1,745
34. The Great American Cowboy (1974)
G | 89 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary about the rivalry between veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne, as the two vie for the National Finals Rodeo Championship title.
Director: Kieth Merrill | Stars: Larry Mahan, Phil Lyne, Joel McCrea
Votes: 124
35. Hearts and Minds (1974)
R | 112 min | Documentary, History, War
A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
Director: Peter Davis | Stars: Tin Chan, Chau Diem, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles
Votes: 6,113 | Gross: $0.03M
36. The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)
G | 86 min | Documentary, Sport
This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain.
Director: Bruce Nyznik | Stars: Yûichirô Miura, Shintaro Ishihara, Taisuke Fujishima, Yukihiko Kato
Votes: 757
37. Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
PG | 103 min | Documentary
A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
Director: Barbara Kopple | Stars: John L. Lewis, Carl Horn, Norman Yarborough, Logan Patterson
Votes: 6,637
38. Who Are the DeBolts? and Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? (1977)
Not Rated | 72 min | Documentary, Biography
Dorothy and Bob DeBolt's tale of the struggles and joys involved in their 19 adopted children, many of who are physically disabled war orphans.
Director: John Korty | Stars: Kim Atwood, Marty Atwood, Mike Atwood, Mimi Atwood
Votes: 248
39. Scared Straight! (1978)
TV-PG | 96 min | Crime, Documentary
The filmed depiction of a program where convicts tell troubled kids about the horrors of prison life.
Director: Arnold Shapiro | Stars: Peter Falk, Mickie Cold, Doug Cronin, Carlo Gallo
Votes: 861
40. Best Boy (1979)
111 min | Documentary, Biography
In this documentary, the director follows the day-to-day activities of his mentally ill, middle-aged cousin Philly, over a three-year period.
Director: Ira Wohl | Stars: Ira Wohl, Philip Wohl, Zero Mostel, Christine O'Connor
Votes: 686
41. From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China (1979)
G | 84 min | Documentary, Music
Isaac Stern's cultural tour of China is seen, with the master violinist performing and mentoring young Chinese musicians. He visits rehearsals of the Peking Opera, meeting with their ... See full summary »
Director: Murray Lerner | Stars: Isaac Stern, David Golub, Delun Li, Ching-Ling Soong
Votes: 511
42. Genocide (1982)
PG | 90 min | Documentary, Drama, History
Orson Welles and Elizabeth Taylor compassionately narrate this harrowing documentary about Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany, which soon turned into a notoriously industrious plan to wipe them from existence.
Director: Arnold Schwartzman | Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, Simon Wiesenthal, Neville Chamberlain
Votes: 684
43.
The Fifth Estate (1975– )
Episode:
Just Another Missing Kid
(1981)
90 min | Documentary, News
On July 10, 1978, Eric Wilson - a 19-year from Ottawa and student at Tufts University - left home to drive to a summer college course in Colorado. When he went missing four days afterward ... See full summary »
Director: John Zaritsky | Stars: Ian Parker, Jim Conway, Raymond Hatch, Marilyn Wilson
Votes: 129
44. He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' (1983)
51 min | Documentary, Family
Jacques d'Amboise, a noted former American ballet star who had dancing roles in such films as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Carousel (1956), and who later became a New York dancing instructor.
Director: Emile Ardolino | Stars: Jacques d'Amboise, Judy Collins, Kevin Kline, Tom McCaffrey
Votes: 150
45. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.
Director: Rob Epstein | Stars: Harvey Fierstein, Harvey Milk, Anne Kronenberg, Tory Hartmann
Votes: 6,580 | Gross: $0.01M
46. Broken Rainbow (1985)
70 min | Documentary, History
Documentary chronicling the government relocation of 10,000 Navajo Indians in Arizona.
Director: Victoria Mudd | Stars: Martin Sheen, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Burgess Meredith, Laura Nyro
Votes: 281
47. Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got (1985)
114 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Documentary cataloging the life and music of the band leader and clarinetist, Artie Shaw.
Director: Brigitte Berman | Stars: Artie Shaw, John Best, Lee Castle, Helen Forrest
Votes: 128
48. Down and Out in America (1985 TV Movie)
Unrated | 57 min | Documentary
A recession in the mid-1980s affects Minnesota farm workers, unemployed urban workers and the newly homeless in Los Angeles and New York.
Director: Lee Grant | Stars: Lee Grant, Jeff Farmer, Bob Hanson, Robert Hayes
Votes: 242
49.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
The Algonquin Round Table: The Ten Year Lunch
(1987)
TV-14 | 56 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Surely one of the most profound and outrageous influences on the times following World War I, was the group of a dozen or so taste-makers who lunched together at New York City's Algonquin Hotel.
Director: Aviva Slesin | Stars: Heywood Hale Broun, Marc Connelly, Margalo Gillmore, Ruth Gordon
Votes: 220
50. Hôtel Terminus (1988)
Unrated | 267 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary about Klaus Barbie, the Gestapo chief of Lyon, and his life after the war.
Director: Marcel Ophüls | Stars: Klaus Barbie, Claude Lanzmann, Marcel Ophüls, Johannes Schneider-Merck
Votes: 1,591 | Gross: $0.34M
51. Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989)
79 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A collection of profiles of people dead from AIDS who are remembered in the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman | Stars: Sara Lewinstein, David Mandell, Suzi Mandell, Sallie Perryman
Votes: 1,086
52. American Dream (1990)
PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary
Recounts the 1985-86 strike against the Hormel Foods Corporation in Minnesota after its employees' wages and benefits were cut.
Directors: Barbara Kopple, Cathy Caplan, Thomas Haneke, Lawrence Silk | Stars: Lewie Anderson, R.J. Bergstrom, Ron Bergstrom, Wayne Goodnature
Votes: 1,012 | Gross: $0.27M
53. In the Shadow of the Stars (1991)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this film is a hilarious and affectionate look at the path to stardom inside the competitive world of opera.
Directors: Allie Light, Irving Saraf | Star: William S. Jones
Votes: 210
54. The Panama Deception (1992)
91 min | Documentary, History, War
A film about the true reasons for the 1989 US invasion of Panama and big media complicity in these activities.
Director: Barbara Trent | Stars: Elizabeth Montgomery, Carlos Cantú, Diviana Ingravallo, Abraham Alvarez
Votes: 1,167 | Gross: $0.31M
55. I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School (1993)
89 min | Documentary
Filmmakers Alan Raymond and Susan Raymond document Philadelphia teachers facing challenges at an inner-city school.
Director: Susan Raymond | Stars: Susan Raymond, Deanna Burney, Clary Jansson
Votes: 229
56. Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994)
105 min | Documentary, Biography
A film about the work of the artist most famous for her monuments such as the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the Civil Rights Fountain Memorial.
Director: Freida Lee Mock | Star: Maya Lin
Votes: 534 | Gross: $0.06M
57. Anne Frank Remembered (1995)
PG | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, War
Tells the story of the Frank family and paints a portrait of their brash and free-spirited daughter Anne, perhaps the world's most famous victim of the Holocaust.
Director: Jon Blair | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Glenn Close, Isa Baschwitz, Mary Bos
Votes: 1,350 | Gross: $1.31M
58. When We Were Kings (1996)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
Votes: 19,139 | Gross: $2.79M
59. The Long Way Home (1997)
Not Rated | 120 min | Documentary, History, War
The story of the post World War II Jewish refugee situation from liberation to the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
Director: Mark Jonathan Harris | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Israel Lau, Livia Shacter, Abraham Klausner
Votes: 1,270
60. The Last Days (1998)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary, War
In late 1944, even as they faced imminent defeat, the Nazis expended enormous resources to kill or deport over 425,000 Jews during the "cleansing" of Hungary. This Oscar-winning documentary... See full summary »
Director: James Moll | Stars: Bill Basch, Martin Basch, Randolph Braham, Alice Lok Cahana
Votes: 5,767 | Gross: $0.42M
61. One Day in September (1999)
R | 94 min | Documentary, History, Sport
The Palestinian terrorist group Black September holds Israeli athletes hostage at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Michael Douglas, Ankie Spitzer, Jamal Al Gashey, Gerald Seymour
Votes: 6,245 | Gross: $0.16M
62. Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000)
PG | 122 min | Documentary, History, War
The secret smuggling of 9,300 Jewish children out of Nazi Germany in the late 1930s.
Director: Mark Jonathan Harris | Stars: Judi Dench, Lory Cahn, Kurt Fuchel, Eva Hayman
Votes: 1,963 | Gross: $0.37M
63. Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Crime
Oscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | Stars: Ann Finnell, Patrick McGuinness, James Williams, Michael Glover
Votes: 4,519
64. 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: 148,769 | Gross: $21.58M
65. 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: 25,056 | Gross: $4.20M
66. Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004)
R | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, News
Two documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.
Directors: Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman | Stars: Kochi, Avijit Halder, Shanti Das, Manik
Votes: 18,007 | Gross: $3.41M
67. March of the Penguins (2005)
G | 80 min | Documentary, Family
In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
Director: Luc Jacquet | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Romane Bohringer, Charles Berling, Jules Sitruk
Votes: 59,961 | Gross: $77.44M
68. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
PG | 96 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Al Gore, Billy West, George Bush, George W. Bush
Votes: 85,226 | Gross: $23.81M
69. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Alex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Christopher Beiring
Votes: 16,805 | Gross: $0.27M
70. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 58,687 | Gross: $2.96M
71. 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: 51,458 | Gross: $0.87M
72. 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: 78,997 | Gross: $4.31M
73. Undefeated (2011)
PG-13 | 113 min | Documentary, Sport
Chronicles three underprivileged students from inner-city Memphis and their volunteer coach who tries to help them beat the odds on and off the field.
Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | Stars: Bill Courtney, O.C. Brown, Montrail 'Money' Brown, Chavis Daniels
Votes: 7,343 | Gross: $0.56M
74. 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: 72,926 | Gross: $3.97M
75. Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Backup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill
Votes: 13,959 | Gross: $4.95M
76. 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: 57,993 | Gross: $2.80M
77. Amy (III) (2015)
R | 128 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Russell Brand
Votes: 55,123 | Gross: $8.41M
78. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
TV-MA | 467 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
Director: Ezra Edelman | Stars: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mike Albanese, Muhammad Ali, Marcus Allen
Votes: 21,946
79. 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: 54,733
80. Free Solo (2018)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe
Votes: 77,478 | Gross: $17.54M
81. American Factory (2019)
TV-14 | 110 min | Documentary
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert | Stars: Junming 'Jimmy' Wang, Robert Allen, Sherrod Brown, Dave Burrows
Votes: 23,885
82. My Octopus Teacher (2020)
TV-G | 85 min | Documentary, Drama
A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.
Directors: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed | Stars: Craig Foster, Tom Foster
Votes: 63,884
83. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
PG-13 | 118 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.
Director: Questlove | Stars: Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty
Votes: 13,887
84. Ascension (III) (2021)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary
The absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the "Chinese Dream." This observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.
Director: Jessica Kingdon
Votes: 4,107
85. Attica (2021)
TV-MA | 116 min | Documentary, History
This unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising from Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
Directors: Traci Curry, Stanley Nelson | Stars: Arthur Harrison, Carlos Roche, Tyrone Larkins, George Che Nieves
Votes: 3,081
86. Flee (2021)
PG-13 | 89 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography
FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Stars: Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh, Milad Eskandari, Belal Faiz
Votes: 19,522
87. Writing with Fire (2021)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.
Directors: Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas | Stars: Meera Devi, Shyamkali Devi, Suneeta Prajapati
Votes: 1,663
88. Collective (2019)
Not Rated | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Director Alexander Nanau follows a crack team of investigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast health-care fraud that enriched moguls and politicians and led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
Director: Alexander Nanau | Stars: Dan Alexandru Condrea, Liviu Iolu, Razvan Lutac, Mirela Neag
Votes: 13,444
89. Crip Camp (2020)
R | 106 min | Documentary, History
Down the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement.
Directors: James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham | Stars: James Lebrecht, Lionel Je'Woodyard, Joseph O'Conor, Ann Cupolo Freeman
Votes: 8,239
90. The Mole Agent (2020)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
A private investigator in Chile hires someone to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.
Director: Maite Alberdi | Stars: Sergio Chamy, Romulo Aitken, Marta Olivares, Berta Ureta
Votes: 9,505
91. Time (I) (2020)
PG-13 | 81 min | Documentary, Biography
Fox Rich fights for the release of her husband, Rob, who is serving a 60-year sentence in prison.
Director: Garrett Bradley | Stars: Sibil Fox Richardson, Robert G. Richardson, Mahlik Richardson, Remington B. Richardson
Votes: 6,301
92. The Cave (I) (2019)
PG-13 | 107 min | Documentary, War
Amidst air strikes and bombings, a group of female doctors in Ghouta, Syria struggle with systemic sexism while trying to care for the injured using limited resources.
Director: Feras Fayyad | Stars: Amani Ballour, Salim Namour, Alaa, Samaher
Votes: 2,947
93. The Edge of Democracy (2019)
TV-14 | 121 min | Documentary, History
Political documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
Director: Petra Costa | Stars: Dilma Rousseff, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, Sergio Moro
Votes: 15,732
94. For Sama (2019)
TV-PG | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, War
FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.
Directors: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts | Stars: Waad Al-Kateab, Sama Al-Khateab, Hamza Al-Khateab, Afra
Votes: 12,824 | Gross: $0.04M
95. Honeyland (2019)
Unrated | 89 min | Documentary, Drama
The last female bee-hunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood.
Directors: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov | Stars: Hatidze Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam, Ljutvie Sam
Votes: 19,420 | Gross: $0.82M
96. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary
A kaleidoscopic and humanistic view of the Black community in Hale County, Alabama.
Director: RaMell Ross | Stars: Latrenda 'Boosie' Ash, Karmyn Bryant, Korbyn Bryant, Kyrie Bryant
Votes: 2,127 | Gross: $0.11M
97. Minding the Gap (2018)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Sport
Filmmaker Bing Liu searches for correlations between his skateboarder friends' turbulent upbringings and the complexities of modern masculinity.
Director: Bing Liu | Stars: Kent Abernathy, Mengyue Bolen, Nina Bowgren, Keire Johnson
Votes: 10,471 | Gross: $0.01M
98. Of Fathers and Sons (2017)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary, War
Talal Derki returns to his homeland where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years.
Director: Talal Derki | Stars: Tia Alkerdi, Yara Ibrahim, Abu Osama, Ayman Osama
Votes: 2,741 | Gross: $0.01M
99. RBG (2018)
PG | 98 min | Documentary, Biography
The exceptional life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon.
Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West | Stars: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ann Kittner, Harryette Helsel, Nina Totenberg
Votes: 15,069 | Gross: $14.02M
100. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
A small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States' 2008 mortgage crisis.
Director: Steve James | Stars: Thomas Sung, Hwei Lin Sung, Cyrus Vance Jr., Matt Taibbi
Votes: 2,943 | Gross: $0.10M
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