Favorite Documentaries
by travislegassie | created - 17 Oct 2017 | updated - 23 Oct 2017 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Farthest (2017)
PG | 121 min | Documentary, History
It is one of humankind's greatest achievements. More than 12 billion miles away a tiny spaceship is leaving our Solar System and entering the void of deep space - the first human-made object ever to do so.
Director: Emer Reynolds | Stars: Frank Drake, Carolyn Porco, John Casani, Lawrence Krauss
Votes: 4,581 | Gross: $0.01M
2. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
Director: Brian Knappenberger | Stars: Aaron Swartz, Tim Berners-Lee, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman
Votes: 18,038 | Gross: $0.05M
3. Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War (2016)
PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Defying the Nazis: The Sharps' War: Waitstill Sharp, a Unitarian minister, and Martha Sharp, a trained social worker, in February 1939, boldly commit to a life-threatening mission in Europe to assist refugees.
Directors: Ken Burns, Artemis Joukowsky | Stars: Marina Goldman, Tom Hanks
Votes: 639
4. When Two Worlds Collide (2016)
103 min | Documentary
An indigenous environmental activist takes on the large businesses that are destroying the Amazon.
Directors: Heidi Brandenburg, Mathew Orzel | Stars: Alberto Pizango, Alan García, Aruwihtu Pizanku, Ander Ordoñez
Votes: 561 | Gross: $0.01M
5. City of Ghosts (2017)
R | 92 min | Documentary, War
A documentary that follows the efforts of "Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently," a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. ... See full summary »
Director: Matthew Heineman | Stars: Abdelaziz Alhamza, Mohamad Almusari, Hamoud Almousa, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi
Votes: 4,126 | Gross: $0.13M
6. Tower (2016)
TV-14 | 82 min | Documentary, Animation, Crime
Animation, testimony, and archival footage combine to relate the events of August 1, 1966 when a gunman opened fire from the University of Texas clock tower, killing 16 people.
Director: Keith Maitland | Stars: Monty Muir, Violett Beane, Cole Bee Wilson, Aldo Ordoñez
Votes: 8,286 | Gross: $0.09M
7. 13th (2016)
TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales
Votes: 37,670
8. Peter and the Farm (2016)
Unrated | 91 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary on Peter Dunning, the proprietor of Mile Hill Farm in Vermont who has isolated himself away from his family and often suggests to the filmmakers to make his own suicide a narrative device.
Director: Tony Stone | Star: Peter Dunning
Votes: 885 | Gross: $0.02M
9. Nuts! (I) (2016)
Unrated | 79 min | Documentary, Animation
The mostly true story of Dr. John Romulus Brinkley, an eccentric genius who built an empire with his goat-testicle impotence cure and a million-watt radio station.
Director: Penny Lane | Stars: Gene Tognacci, Andy Boswell, John Causby, Kelly Mizell
Votes: 876
10. Class Divide (2015)
TV-PG | 74 min | Documentary
Documentary about class division and gentrification in the West Chelsea neighborhood of New York City and its effects on public housing.
Director: Marc Levin
Votes: 622
11. Time to Choose (2015)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary
Documentary filmmaker Charles Ferguson turns his lens to address worldwide climate change challenges and solutions.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Oscar Isaac, Peter Agnefjall, Tasso Azevedo, Neal Barnard
Votes: 281 | Gross: $0.03M
12. Cartel Land (2015)
R | 100 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the state of the ongoing drug problem along the U.S.-Mexican border.
Director: Matthew Heineman | Stars: Tim Foley, José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles, Paco Valencia, Chaneque
Votes: 18,825 | Gross: $0.70M
13. All Things Must Pass (2015)
Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary, History, Music
'All Things Must Pass' is a documentary that explores the rise and fall of Tower Records, and its legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon.
Director: Colin Hanks | Stars: Russ Solomon, Michael Solomon, Heidi Cotler, Paul Brown
Votes: 3,559 | Gross: $0.17M
14. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (2015)
Not Rated | 115 min | Documentary, History
This documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century's most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world's attention for nearly 50 years.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Blair Anderson, Omar Barbour, Julian Bond, Elaine Brown
Votes: 2,144 | Gross: $0.48M
15. The Case Against 8 (2014)
TV-14 | 109 min | Documentary, Biography, News
A behind-the-scenes look inside the case to overturn California's ban on same-sex marriage. Shot over five years, the film follows the unlikely team that took the first federal marriage equality lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Directors: Ben Cotner, Ryan White | Stars: Ted Olson, Christopher D. Dusseault, Jeffrey J. Zarrillo, Paul T. Katami
Votes: 1,156
16. Print the Legend (2014)
100 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Follows the people racing to bring the hot new 3D printing technology to your home, documenting the "Macintosh Moment" of this revolution and exploring what it takes to live the American Dream.
Directors: Luis Lopez, Clay Tweel | Stars: Chris Anderson, Bruce Bradshaw, Craig Broady, Bill Buel
Votes: 2,051
17. The Green Prince (2014)
PG-13 | 101 min | Documentary, Biography
The son of a founding leader in the Palestinian organization, Hamas, becomes a spy for the Israelis.
Director: Nadav Schirman | Stars: Mosab Hassan Yousef, Gonen Ben Yitzhak, Sheikh Hassan Yousef
Votes: 2,872 | Gross: $0.26M
18. A Journey to Planet Sanity (2013)
90 min | Documentary
Follow Blake Freeman as he takes 69 year old Leroy, across the country on a hilarious journey for the truth about Aliens, Psychics and the Paranormal.
Director: Blake Freeman | Stars: Blake Freeman, LeRoy Tessina, Cameron West, Nir Assayag
Votes: 641
19. 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: 5,197 | Gross: $0.13M
20. 5 Broken Cameras (2011)
Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary, War
A documentary on a Palestinian farmer's chronicle of his nonviolent resistance to the actions of the Israeli army.
Directors: Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi | Stars: Emad Burnat, Soraya Burnat, Mohammed Burnat, Yasin Burnat
Votes: 6,638 | Gross: $0.11M
21. How to Live Forever (2009)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
Baby boomer Mark Wexler travels the world searching for the secrets of long life.
Director: Mark Wexler | Stars: Suzanne Somers, Phyllis Diller, Ray Bradbury, Jack LaLanne
Votes: 285 | Gross: $0.06M
22. 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: 43,739 | Gross: $3.23M
23. The Parking Lot Movie (2010)
PG | 74 min | Documentary
Hailed as the "most feel-good film" of the South by Southwest Film Festival 2010, The Parking Lot Movie follows a select group of artistic and overeducated parking lot attendants as they wage war against the people who park in their lot.
Director: Meghan Eckman | Stars: Patrick Baran, John Beers, Chris Farina, Tyler Magill
Votes: 2,038
24. Marwencol (2010)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Fantasy
Documentary about Mark Hogancamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. Inspired the movie Welcome to Marwen (2018)
Director: Jeff Malmberg | Stars: Mark Hogancamp, Emmanuel Nneji, Edda Hogancamp, Tom Neubauer
Votes: 3,704 | Gross: $0.11M
25. The Botany of Desire (2009 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary
Michael Pollan, a professor of journalism and a student of food, presents the history of four plants, each of which found a way to make itself essential to humans, thus ensuring widespread ... See full summary »
Directors: Michael Schwarz, Edward Gray | Stars: Frances McDormand, Michael Pollan
Votes: 606
26. 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: 60,238 | Gross: $13.00M
27. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
PG-13 | 79 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Die-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
Director: Seth Gordon | Stars: Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Mark Alpiger, Adam Wood
Votes: 37,577 | Gross: $0.68M
28. 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: 76,826 | Gross: $24.54M
29. Confessions of an Innocent Man (2007)
90 min | Documentary, Biography
The shocking, heart-wrenching story of British-Canadian engineer William Sampson who lived a privileged life in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia until he was kidnapped, locked up and tortured by Saudi thugs for almost three years.
Director: David Paperny | Stars: William Sampson, James Sampson, Ali Al Ahmed, Les Walker
Votes: 123
30. Heckler (2007)
R | 80 min | Documentary, Comedy
Comedian Jamie Kennedy shows just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark
Director: Michael Addis | Stars: Louie Anderson, Criss Angel, Dave Attell, Vince August
Votes: 2,828
31. Jesus Camp (2006)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer, Ted Haggard
Votes: 28,774 | Gross: $0.90M
32. Hell House (2001)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
Each Halloween, youth members of Trinity Church, Texas construct a 'Hell House'; a modern-day fire-and-brimstone sermon, presented in the form of a haunted house, seen by over 10,000 visitors each year.
Director: George Ratliff | Stars: Aria Adloo, Ashley Adloo, Amy Allred, Gabriel Allred
Votes: 1,725
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