My favourite documentaries

by finncallan | created - 22 Jul 2017 | updated - 12 May 2018 | Public

Some of my favourite documentaries that you should definately see if you want your eyes to be opened up. In no paticular order.

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1. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime

85 Metascore

Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.

Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta

Votes: 68,837 | Gross: $3.29M

2. Meeting People Is Easy (1998)

Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary, Music

An entertaining "rockumentary" about Radiohead that shows some of the tedium of being a rock star, as well as some of the fun stuff.

Director: Grant Gee | Stars: Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien

Votes: 3,299 | Gross: $0.05M

3. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

Unrated | 98 min | Documentary

75 Metascore

Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.

Director: Kirby Dick | Stars: Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Atom Egoyan

Votes: 28,631 | Gross: $0.30M

4. Minecraft: The Story of Mojang (2012)

Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary

The first year in the life of independent game studio "Mojang" following the landmark success of their debut title, "Minecraft."

Director: Paul Owens | Stars: Jens Bergensten, Jonathan Blow, Lewis Brindley, Brent Copeland

Votes: 1,180

5. Titicut Follies (1967)

Unrated | 84 min | Documentary

Documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman takes us inside the Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater where people stay trapped in their madness.

Director: Frederick Wiseman

Votes: 5,113

6. Tickled (2016)

R | 92 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery

76 Metascore

Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.

Directors: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve | Stars: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve, David Starr, Kevin Clarke

Votes: 20,756 | Gross: $0.61M

7. Bowling for Columbine (2002)

R | 120 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama

72 Metascore

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: 148,775 | Gross: $21.58M

8. The Act of Killing (2012)

Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

92 Metascore

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: 40,829 | Gross: $0.49M

9. David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography

75 Metascore

Artist and filmmaker David Lynch discusses his early life and the events that shaped his outlook on art and the creative process.

Directors: Rick Barnes, Olivia Neergaard-Holm, Jon Nguyen | Stars: David Lynch, Lula Lynch, Edwina Lynch, Donald Lynch

Votes: 6,590 | Gross: $0.17M

10. The Look of Silence (2014)

PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, History

92 Metascore

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: 13,889 | Gross: $0.11M

11. 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

12. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

R | 86 min | Comedy, Horror

76 Metascore

Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav are vampires who are struggling with the mundane aspects of modern life, like paying rent, keeping up with the chore wheel, trying to get into nightclubs, and overcoming flatmate conflicts.

Directors: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi | Stars: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Jonny Brugh

Votes: 200,399 | Gross: $3.33M

13. Daft Punk Unchained (2015)

TV-14 | 85 min | Documentary, Music

Documentary about the entire career of Daft Punk, from their start in early 90's with their first group called Darlin', until their grammy awards in 2014. We learn how the artists have ... See full summary »

Director: Hervé Martin-Delpierre | Stars: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo, Skrillex, Jean-Daniel Beauvallet

Votes: 3,512

14. Planet Earth (2006)

TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary, Family

A documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, David Attenborough, Nikolay Drozdov, Thomas Anguti Johnston

Votes: 220,429

15. Blackfish (2013)

PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary

83 Metascore

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: 72,485 | Gross: $2.07M

16. The Imposter (2012)

R | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

77 Metascore

A documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.

Director: Bart Layton | Stars: Adam O'Brian, Nicholas Barclay, Carey Gibson, Bryan Gibson

Votes: 50,476 | Gross: $0.89M

17. Samsara (I) (2011)

PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music

65 Metascore

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: 38,064 | Gross: $2.67M

18. Indie Game: The Movie (2012)

Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary, Drama

73 Metascore

A documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.

Directors: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky | Stars: Jonathan Blow, Brandon Boyer, Renaud Bédard, Anthony Carboni

Votes: 21,442

19. My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn (2014)

PG-13 | 58 min | Documentary

50 Metascore

Liv Corfixen documents her husband, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, during the production and release of his movie Only God Forgives (2013).

Director: Liv Corfixen | Stars: Liv Corfixen, Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling, Johnny Andersen

Votes: 1,612

20. The Wolfpack (2015)

R | 90 min | Documentary, Biography

75 Metascore

Confined in an apartment from a New York housing project, the six Angulo brothers learned everything they know about the world through watching films and spend their time reenacting their favorite movies with intricate homemade costumes.

Director: Crystal Moselle | Stars: Mukunda Angulo, Narayana Angulo, Susanne Angulo, Bhagavan Angulo

Votes: 13,518 | Gross: $1.30M

21. Bodysong (2003)

83 min | Documentary

Simon Pummell's epic movie tells the story of a human life, using found footage from the last 100 years of cinema, cut to a powerful score by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead.

Director: Simon Pummell

Votes: 768

22. Borat (2006)

R | 84 min | Comedy

89 Metascore

Kazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world.

Director: Larry Charles | Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian, Luenell, Chester

Votes: 442,420 | Gross: $128.51M

23. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

R | 96 min | Documentary

Documentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.

Directors: Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, George Lucas

Votes: 23,243 | Gross: $1.32M

24. For All Mankind (1989)

Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, History

79 Metascore

An in-depth look at various NASA moon landing missions, starting with Apollo 8.

Director: Al Reinert | Stars: Jim Lovell, Ken Mattingly, Russell Schweickart, Eugene Cernan

Votes: 6,538 | Gross: $0.77M

25. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary

96 Metascore

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: 28,007

26. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Music

72 Metascore

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: 41,517 | Gross: $1.72M

27. Mountain (I) (2017)

PG | 74 min | Documentary

82 Metascore

An experience about the highest peaks around the world.

Director: Jennifer Peedom | Star: Willem Dafoe

Votes: 4,253 | Gross: $0.24M

28. Rocco (2016)

TV-MA | 105 min | Documentary

A behind-the-scene account of the porn world and its stars as they've never been seen before - and the no-holds-barred portrait of a true giant.

Directors: Thierry Demaizière, Alban Teurlai | Stars: Rocco Siffredi, Anikka Albrite, Veronica Avluv, Eva Berger

Votes: 4,316

29. Welcome to Leith (2015)

Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary

78 Metascore

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



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