Documentaries: to-watch and watched
by mateica | created - 12 Jun 2016 | updated - 16 Aug 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Code Black (2013)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, Drama
A notorious trauma bay in an inner-city E.R. earns its keep as the 'hurt locker of medicine' as new, idealistic and adrenaline-seeking doctors train in an environment akin to a war zone. ... See full summary »
Director: Ryan McGarry | Stars: Danny Cheng, Andrew Eads, Jamie Eng, Luis Enriquez
Votes: 675 | Gross: $0.19M
2. Blood Brother (2013)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
Documentarian visits best friend in India to see the mutual unconditional love that keeps his buddy bonded to a village hostel housing AIDS-afflicted children.
Director: Steve Hoover | Stars: Rocky Braat, Steve Hoover, Anitha, Devi
Votes: 1,664 | Gross: $0.12M
3. Miss Representation (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
Explores the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America, and challenges the media's limited portrayal of what it means to be a powerful woman.
Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom | Stars: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Jean Kilbourne, Jim Steyer, Katie Couric
Votes: 3,866
4. 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: 57,996 | Gross: $2.80M
5. The Look of Silence (2014)
PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer | Stars: Adi Rukun, M.Y. Basrun, Volker Hanisch, Amir Hasan
Votes: 13,890 | Gross: $0.11M
6. 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: 40,830 | Gross: $0.49M
7. 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: 18,006 | Gross: $3.41M
8. Waiting for Superman (2010)
PG | 111 min | Documentary
An examination of the current state of education in America today.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Charles Adams, Jonathan Alter, Robert Balfanz, Harriet Ball
Votes: 11,635 | Gross: $6.41M
9. Meet the Patels (2014)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Animation, Comedy
An Indian-American man who is about to turn 30 gets help from his parents and extended family to start looking for a wife in the traditional Indian way.
Directors: Geeta Vasant Patel, Ravi Patel | Stars: Ravi Patel, Geeta Vasant Patel, Champa V. Patel, Vasant K. Patel
Votes: 3,546 | Gross: $1.69M
10. Gomorrah (2008)
Not Rated | 137 min | Crime, Drama
Scampia Vele is the Corbusian architecture which has become a stronghold for Mafia of Naples, Italy.
Director: Matteo Garrone | Stars: Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abbruzzese, Toni Servillo, Simone Sacchettino
Votes: 51,226 | Gross: $1.58M
11. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary
Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Director: Mami Sunada | Stars: Hayao Miyazaki, Yumiko Miyoshi, Toshio Suzuki, Shinsuke Nonaka
Votes: 5,663
12. The Propaganda Game (2015)
98 min | Documentary
Granted controlled access by national officials, filmmaker Álvaro Longoria tours North Korea to contrast his findings to the typical Western depiction of the nation.
Director: Álvaro Longoria | Stars: Álvaro Longoria, Simon Cockerell, Kang Hyoin Gyu, Barbara Demick
Votes: 4,536
13. The Beginning of Life (2016)
G | 120 min | Documentary, Family
Discoveries in neuroscience can help us understand childhood development. When a person is born, it is more than just a genetic load. We are formed by our relationship with everything ... See full summary »
Director: Estela Renner | Star: Laura Schichvarger
Votes: 1,016
14. Je Suis Charlie (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
On January 7th, 2015, the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo was the first target in a series of deadly terrorist attacks. This new documentary pays tribute to the victims and explores the resulting aftermath of a changed nation.
Directors: Daniel Leconte, Emmanuel Leconte | Stars: Elisabeth Badinter, Gérard Biard, Marisa Bret, Cabu
Votes: 296
15. It Happened Here (2014)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Through the intimate portraits of five student survivors, It Happened Here exposes the alarming pervasiveness of sexual assault on college campuses.
Director: Lisa F. Jackson | Stars: Kylie Angell, Anna Chapman, Erica Daniels, Angie Epifano
Votes: 105
16. Girl Rising (2013)
PG-13 | 101 min | Documentary, Drama
This film follows 9 girls from Haiti, Nepal, Ethiopia, India, Egypt, Peru, Cambodia, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan on their journey to education.
Director: Richard Robbins | Stars: Amina, Azmera, Arindol Bagchi, Rekha Banerjee
Votes: 1,279
17. Welcome to Leith (2015)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
When a noted white supremacist moves into their town, the residents of Leith, North Dakota do what they can to prevent him from taking control of the municipality.
Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker | Stars: Ryan Schock, Heather Cook, Lee Cook, Bobby Harper
Votes: 4,462 | Gross: $0.04M
18. She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary, History
A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.
Director: Mary Dore | Stars: Chude Pamela Allen, Alta, Judith Arcana, Nona Willis Aronowitz
Votes: 1,654 | Gross: $0.42M
19. He Named Me Malala (2015)
PG-13 | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
A look at the events leading up to the Taliban's attack on Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai for speaking out on girls' education, followed by the aftermath, including her speech to the United Nations.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Malala Yousafzai, Ziauddin Yousafzai, Toor Pekai Yousafzai, Khushal Yousafzai
Votes: 4,797 | Gross: $2.64M
20. Twinsters (2015)
PG-13 | 89 min | Documentary, Biography
Adopted from South Korea, raised on different continents & connected through social media, Samantha & Anaïs believe that they are twin sisters separated at birth.
Directors: Samantha Futerman, Ryan Miyamoto | Stars: Skylar Astin, Anaïs Bordier, Jacques Bordier, Patricia Bordier
Votes: 4,869
21. Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Directors: Matthew Akers, Jeff Dupre | Stars: Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Klaus Biesenbach, David Balliano
Votes: 6,475 | Gross: $0.09M
22. Uncertain (I) (2015)
82 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Uncertain is a visually stunning and disarmingly funny portrait of the literal and figurative troubled waters of Uncertain, Texas, a 94-resident town so tucked away "you've got to be lost to find it".
Directors: Ewan McNicol, Anna Sandilands
Votes: 336
23. Live and Let Live (2013)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary
Live and Let Live is a feature documentary examining our relationship with animals, the history of veganism and the ethical, environmental and health reasons that move people to go vegan.
Director: Marc Pierschel | Stars: Kati Kosler, Ria Rehberg, Hendrik Haßel, Jan Gerdes
Votes: 848
24. 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: 23,519 | Gross: $7.12M
25. Vito (2011)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of Vito Russo, founding father of the gay liberation movement, author of "The Celluloid Closet," and vociferous AIDS activist in the 1980s.
Director: Jeffrey Schwarz | Stars: Phyllis Antonellis, George Bancroft, Richard Barrios, Edmund Bergler
Votes: 773
26. We Were Here (I) (2011)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.
Directors: David Weissman, Bill Weber | Stars: Ed Wolf, Daniel Goldstein, Guy Clark, Eileen Glutzer
Votes: 2,280
27. How to Survive a Plague (2012)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History, News
The story of two coalitions -- ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) -- whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.
Director: David France | Stars: Peter Staley, Larry Kramer, Iris Long, Bob Rafsky
Votes: 4,358 | Gross: $0.13M
28. Step (2017)
PG | 84 min | Documentary
STEP documents the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore.
Director: Amanda Lipitz | Stars: Gari McIntyre, Amanda Leonard, Blessin Giraldo, Chevonne Hall
Votes: 1,233 | Gross: $1.15M
29. Ballet Boys (2014)
75 min | Documentary, Sport
Ballet Boys takes you through disappointments, victories, forging of friendship, first loves, doubt, faith, growing apart from each other, finding your own way and own ambitions, all mixed with the beautiful expression of ballet.
Director: Kenneth Elvebakk | Stars: Lukas Bjørneboe Brændsrød, Syvert Lorenz Garcia, Torgeir Lund
Votes: 319
30. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things (2015)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary
How might your life be better with less?
Director: Matt D'Avella | Stars: Dan Harris, Ryan Nicodemus, Rick Hanson, Jesse Jacobs
Votes: 16,729
31. A New High (2015)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Action, Adventure
An ex-Army Ranger who runs a homeless shelter for addicts in Seattle tries to give them hope by leading them up one of the most treacherous mountains in North America - Mt. Rainier. Will their personal mountains be too steep to overcome?
Directors: Samuel Miron, Stephen Scott Scarpulla
Votes: 87
32. Life, Animated (2016)
PG | 92 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
A coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.
Director: Roger Ross Williams | Stars: Owen Suskind, Cornelia Suskind, Ron Suskind, Walter Suskind
Votes: 6,178 | Gross: $0.26M
33. Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017)
94 min | Documentary, Biography
Literary icon Joan Didion reflects on her remarkable career and personal struggles in this intimate documentary directed by her nephew, Griffin Dunne.
Director: Griffin Dunne | Stars: Joan Didion, Griffin Dunne, Anna Wintour, Phyllis Rifield
Votes: 3,075
34. 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: 25,712 | Gross: $3.82M
35. Take Your Pills (2018)
TV-14 | 87 min | Documentary
Every era gets the drug it deserves. In America today, where competition is ceaseless from school to the workforce and everyone wants a performance edge, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are the defining drugs of this generation.
Director: Alison Klayman | Stars: Ariana, Delaney, Jasper Holt-Teza, Leigh
Votes: 5,673
36. The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, History, Music
A compilation of found footage featuring music, interviews, and stories of The Beatles' 250 concerts from 1963 to 1966.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney
Votes: 13,842 | Gross: $2.93M
37. Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan (2016)
90 min | Documentary
Documentary about the American dancer Wendy Whelan
Directors: Linda Saffire, Adam Schlesinger | Stars: Peter Martins, David Prottas, Wendy Whelan
Votes: 383 | Gross: $0.13M
38. 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: 39,859 | Gross: $12.32M
39. United in Anger: A History of ACT UP (2012 Video)
93 min | Documentary
United in Anger: A History of ACT UP is an inspiring documentary about the birth and life of the AIDS activist movement from the perspective of the people in the trenches fighting the ... See full summary »
Director: Jim Hubbard | Stars: David Barr, Ken Bing, Gregg Bordowitz, Jim Eigo
Votes: 156
40. School Life (2016)
PG-13 | 99 min | Documentary
Long careers are drawing to a close for John and Amanda, who teach Latin, English, and guitar at a stately home-turned-school, where they are legends with a mantra: "Reading. 'Rithmetic. Rock 'n' roll!" But leaving is the hardest lesson.
Directors: Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane | Stars: Dermot Dix, Amanda Leyden, John Leyden
Votes: 324 | Gross: $0.04M
41. Mr. Gaga: A True Story of Love and Dance (2015)
100 min | Documentary, Biography
Mr. Gaga tells the story of Ohad Naharin, renowned choreographer and artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company, an artistic genius who redefined the language of modern dance.
Director: Tomer Heymann | Stars: Ohad Naharin, Tzofia Naharin, Eliav Naharin, Judith Brin Ingber
Votes: 955 | Gross: $0.17M
42. McQueen (2018)
R | 111 min | Documentary, Biography
The life and career of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen: from his start as a tailor, to launching and overseeing his eponymous line and his untimely death.
Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui | Stars: Alexander McQueen, Joyce McQueen, John Hitchcock, Danny Hall
Votes: 8,422 | Gross: $1.26M
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