TOP 50 DOCUMENTARIES (WORLDWIDE)
by fesfood | created - 17 Feb 2019 | updated - 4 days ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 38,060 | Gross: $2.67M
2. 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: 21,942
3. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Music
A collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
Director: Godfrey Reggio | Stars: Edward Asner, Pat Benatar, Jerry Brown, Johnny Carson
Votes: 41,515 | Gross: $1.72M
4. LA 92 (2017)
R | 114 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine that tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.
Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | Stars: Henry Alfaro, Danny Bakewell, John D. Barnett, Bart Bartholomew
Votes: 6,907
5. Those Who Feel the Fire Burning (2014)
Not Rated | 74 min | Documentary, Drama
In search of love, the ghost of a drowned refugee frantically roams the fringes of Europe, the alleged paradise, while witnessing the brutal everyday reality of immigrants stuck in limbo.
Director: Morgan Knibbe
Votes: 284
6. This Place Rules (2022)
TV-MA | 82 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Follows events and characters surrounding the January 6th, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. Capital Building in the days preceding the attack.
Director: Andrew Callaghan | Stars: Andrew Callaghan, Joker Gang, Gum Gang, Brittany
Votes: 6,529
7. Is That Black Enough for You?!? (2022)
R | 135 min | Documentary, History
Tracks the history of Black cinema, focused mainly on the '70s, with archival and new interviews with many of the key players from the era.
Director: Elvis Mitchell | Stars: Elvis Mitchell, Margaret Avery, Harry Belafonte, Charles Burnett
Votes: 1,508
8. Now Something Is Slowly Changing (2018)
105 min | Documentary
A bold documentary in a measured style about the modern-day quest for meaning and personal growth.
Director: Menna Laura Meijer
Votes: 136
9. Stranger in Paradise (2016)
77 min | Documentary, Drama
In a classroom newly arrived refugees learn a lesson about multifarious Europe. Operating at the intersection of fiction and documentary, Stranger in Paradise reflects on the power ... See full summary »
Director: Guido Hendrikx | Star: Valentijn Dhaenens
Votes: 356
10. Darwin's Nightmare (2004)
107 min | Documentary
A documentary on the effect of fishing the Nile perch in Tanzania's Lake Victoria. The predatory fish, which has wiped out the native species, is sold in European supermarkets, while starving Tanzanian families have to make do with the leftovers.
Director: Hubert Sauper | Stars: Elizabeth 'Eliza' Maganga Nsese, Raphael Tukiko Wagara, Dimond Remtulia, Marcus Nyoni
Votes: 5,663 | Gross: $0.20M
11. 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: 23,513 | Gross: $7.12M
12. Coach Zoran and His African Tigers (2014)
75 min | Documentary, Sport
Sad story about newborn country of south Sudan and its efforts to catch up with the rest of the world. Story follows football coach Zoran who is trying to achieve certain success with ... See full summary »
Director: Sam Benstead | Star: Zoran Djordjevic
Votes: 162
13. 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: 37,691
14. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,823 | Gross: $0.49M
15. 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
16. 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: 25,711 | Gross: $3.82M
17. Seeds of Deceit (2018)
21 min | Documentary
Two mothers and their children must face a new reality and try to live with each other after finding out their fertility doctor, Jan Karbaat, secretly used his own seed instead of donors'.
Director: Miriam Guttmann
Votes: 58
18. Death of a Saint (2024)
91 min | Documentary
More than three decades after having lost her mother to a brutal crime in Uganda, director Patricia returns to her native country, Uganda, to confront her dark past in a deeply personal quest for truth and inner peace.
Director: Patricia Bbaale Bandak
Votes: 8
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