Documentaries To Watch
by daniella_britt | created - 24 Jul 2015 | updated - 01 Jan 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Keep on Burning: The Story of Northern Soul (2012)
99 min | Documentary, Music
Keep on Burning tells the fascinating story of the world's most enduring underground music movement : Northern Soul! Featuring interviews with key DJ's, journalists and promoters, including... See full summary »
Directors: Wayne Allen, Alan Byron | Stars: Marc Almond, Tony Blackburn, Tim Brown, Ady Croasdell
Votes: 36
2. The Wrecking Crew! (2008)
PG | 101 min | Documentary, History, Music
A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew", a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys and Bing Crosby.
Director: Denny Tedesco | Stars: Brian Wilson, Dick Clark, Cher, Herb Alpert
Votes: 3,672 | Gross: $0.80M
3. 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: 57,960 | Gross: $2.80M
4. 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: 58,661 | Gross: $2.96M
5. Meru (2015)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
Three elite climbers struggle to find their way through obsession and loss as they attempt to climb Mount Meru, one of the most coveted prizes in the high stakes game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Conrad Anker, Grace Chin, Jimmy Chin, Amee Hinkley
Votes: 19,049 | Gross: $2.33M
6. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
PG | 81 min | Documentary
A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
Director: David Gelb | Stars: Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto, Daisuke Nakazama
Votes: 37,996 | Gross: $2.55M
7. Derrida (2002)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
Documentary about French philosopher (and author of deconstructionism) Jacques Derrida, who sparked fierce debate throughout American academia.
Directors: Kirby Dick, Amy Ziering | Stars: Jacques Derrida, Marguerite Derrida, René Major, Chantal Major
Votes: 990 | Gross: $0.16M
8. Being in the World (2010)
Unrated | 81 min | Documentary
BEING IN THE WORLD takes us on a journey around the world to meet philosophers influenced by the thought of Martin Heidegger, as well as experts in the fields of sports, music, craft, and ... See full summary »
Director: Tao Ruspoli | Stars: Tony Austin, Taylor Carman, Leah Chase, Ryan Cross
Votes: 408
9. Examined Life (2008)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary
In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today's most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas.
Director: Astra Taylor | Stars: Kwame Anthony Appiah, Judith Butler, Michael Hardt, Martha Nussbaum
Votes: 1,834 | Gross: $0.12M
10. The Philosopher Kings (2009)
Not Rated | 69 min | Documentary
An exploration of wisdom in the heart of America's most prestigious universities. Wisdom is found in the most unlikely places.
Director: Patrick Shen | Stars: Melinda Augustus, Corby Baker, Luis Cardenas, Oscar Dantzler
Votes: 179
11. An Ecology of Mind (2010)
60 min | Documentary, Biography, History
'An Ecology of Mind' is a filmic portrait of anthropologist, biologist, and psychotherapist Gregory Bateson. Bateson believed that, 'The major problems in the world are the result of the ... See full summary »
Director: Nora Bateson | Stars: Gregory Bateson, Nora Bateson, Gerry Brown, William Irwin Thompson
Votes: 109
12. Philosopher Escaped (2005)
60 min | Documentary
A film about the eccentric and paradoxical Russian philosopher Alexander Piatigorsky - a specialist on Buddhism and ancient Indian philosophy, a legendary character in Russian intellectual ... See full summary »
Director: Uldis Tirons | Star: Alexandre Piatigorsky
Votes: 35
13. How to Start a Revolution (2011)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, History
HOW TO START A REVOLUTION is the remarkable untold story of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Gene Sharp, the world's leading expert on non-violent revolution. This new film (from first time ... See full summary »
Director: Ruaridh Arrow | Stars: Robert Helvey, Jamila Raqib, Gene Sharp
Votes: 281
14. Marx Reloaded (2011 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 52 min | Documentary, Animation
Marx Reloaded is a cultural documentary that examines the relevance of German socialist and philosopher Karl Marx's ideas for understanding the global economic and financial crisis of 2008-... See full summary »
Directors: Jason Barker, Alexandra Weltz | Stars: Jason Barker, Michael Hardt, Toni Negri, Ivan Nikolic
Votes: 326
15. The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012)
Not Rated | 136 min | Documentary
Philosopher Slavoj Zizek examines the hidden themes and existential questions asked by world renowned films.
Director: Sophie Fiennes | Star: Slavoj Zizek
Votes: 7,524 | Gross: $0.07M
16. 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
17. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012)
R | 91 min | Documentary
A documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government.
Director: Alison Klayman | Stars: Ai Weiwei, Dan Ai, Lao Ai, Lee Ambrozy
Votes: 4,527 | Gross: $0.53M
18. El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (2010)
Unrated | 108 min | Documentary
Chef Ferran Adrià spends half the year making new culinary creations for his restaurant.
Director: Gereon Wetzel | Stars: Ferran Adrià, Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, Eugeni de Diego
Votes: 1,151 | Gross: $0.23M
19. Matangi/Maya/M.I.A (2018)
96 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Drawn from a never-before-seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.
Director: Steve Loveridge | Stars: M.I.A., Spike Jonze, Madonna, Bill Maher
Votes: 2,225 | Gross: $0.23M
20. Under African Skies (2012)
Not Rated | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the journey of his Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime.
Director: Joe Berlinger | Stars: Paul Simon, Maya Angelou, Okeyrema Asante, Harry Belafonte
Votes: 536
21. Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? (2013)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography
A series of interviews featuring linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky done in hand-drawn animation.
Director: Michel Gondry | Stars: Noam Chomsky, Michel Gondry, Richard Feynman, Michèle Oshima
Votes: 3,678 | Gross: $0.13M
22. Call Me Lucky (2015)
106 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy
Barry Crimmins is pissed. His hellfire brand of comedy has rained verbal lightning bolts on American audiences and politicians for decades, yet you've probably never heard of him. But once ... See full summary »
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait | Stars: Barry Crimmins, Jack Gallagher, Martin Olson, Steve Sweeney
Votes: 2,162
23. Aokigahara: Suicide Forest (2010 Video)
21 min | Documentary, Short
A short documentary on the famous Aokigahara Forest in Japan. The forest is known to be prone to people looking to commit suicide
Director: Santiago Stelley | Star: Azusa Hayano
Votes: 218
24. Banana Pancakes and the Children of Sticky Rice (2015)
90 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
When backpackers visit a small village in remote northern Laos in search of a traditional experience, the inhabitants of the village discover the attractions of the West. Two worlds meet at... See full summary »
Director: Daan Veldhuizen
Votes: 135
25. 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: 13,872 | Gross: $0.11M
26. The Wolfpack (2015)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Biography
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: 13,510 | Gross: $1.30M
27. 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: 18,824 | Gross: $0.70M
28. Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
Director: Evgeny Afineevsky | Stars: His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Said Ismagilov, Bishop Agapit, Archbishop Petro Malchuk
Votes: 20,617
29. 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: 54,989 | Gross: $8.41M
30. The Pearl Button (2015)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
Delving into the nearly-religious significance of water, this profound rumination on memory and loss bridges the gap between its mystical origins, Pinochet's coup d'état, and the secret of a mother-of-pearl button at the bottom of the sea.
Director: Patricio Guzmán | Stars: Martín Calderón, Cristina, Patricio Guzmán, Ema Malig
Votes: 2,895
31. Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015)
TV-MA | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Musician Cat Power narrates this documentary on Janis Joplin's evolution into a star from letters that Joplin wrote over the years to her friends, family, and collaborators.
Director: Amy Berg | Stars: Cat Power, Janis Joplin, Karleen Bennett, Laura Joplin
Votes: 5,642 | Gross: $0.41M
32. Food Chains (2014)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary
There is so much interest in food these days yet there is almost no interest in the hands that pick that food. In the US, farm labor has always been one of the most difficult and poorly ... See full summary »
Director: Sanjay Rawal | Stars: Eve Ensler, Barry Estabrook, Dolores Huerta, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Votes: 392
33. Maravilla, a Fighter Inside and Outside the Ring (2014)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Maravilla" can drop the world's best boxers with his lightning strikes and floor the most beautiful women with his devastating looks. But speaking truth to power has left him a virtual pariah in the unjust world of professional boxing.
Director: Juan Pablo Cadaveira | Stars: Carlos Aguilar, Raoul Roger Anderson, Bob Arum, Darren Baker
Votes: 216
34.
30 for 30: Soccer Stories (2014– )
Episode:
White, Blue and White
(2014)
51 min | Documentary, Sport
A look at the public response of Tottenham Hotspurs' Argentine players and 1981 FA Cup winners Ricardo Villa and Ossie Ardiles before, during, and after the Falklands War.
Director: Camilo Antolini | Stars: Osvaldo Ardiles, Patrick Barclay, Keith Burkinshaw, Garth Crooks
Votes: 106
35. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (2011)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography
A look at the life and work of the influential fashion editor of Harpers Bazaar, Diana Vreeland.
Directors: Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Frédéric Tcheng | Stars: Diana Vreeland, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Lauren Bacall
Votes: 1,695 | Gross: $1.00M
36. 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: 23,495 | Gross: $7.12M
37. I Called Him Morgan (2016)
92 min | Documentary, Drama, History
An exploration of the relationship between jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who was implicated in his murder in 1972.
Director: Kasper Collin | Stars: Lee Morgan, Helen Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Larry Reni Thomas
Votes: 1,941 | Gross: $0.10M
38. SOMM (2012)
Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary
Four sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
Director: Jason Wise | Stars: Bo Barrett, Shayn Bjornholm, Dave Cauble, Ian Cauble
Votes: 4,991 | Gross: $0.17M
39. SOMM: Into the Bottle (2015)
90 min | Documentary
The history, politics, pleasure, and BS of wine told through opening ten very different bottles.
Director: Jason Wise | Stars: Silvia Altare, Brian Carmody, Ian Cauble, Jean-Louis Chave
Votes: 1,930
40. The Search for General Tso (2014)
Not Rated | 71 min | Documentary, Comedy, History
Who was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.
Director: Ian Cheney | Stars: Susan Carter, Ian Cheney, Philip Chiang, Andrew Coe
Votes: 1,843 | Gross: $0.01M
41. Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power (2004)
67 min | Documentary
Rob Williams was an African-American living in Monroe, North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s. Living with injustice and oppression, many African-Americans advocated a non-violent resistance... See full summary »
Directors: Sandra Dickson, Churchill Roberts | Stars: Julian Bond, Walter Cronkite, Rob Williams, Robert Williams
Votes: 35
42. First Position (2011)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary
A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.
Director: Bess Kargman | Stars: Aran Bell, Rebecca Houseknecht, Joan Sebastian Zamora, Miko Fogarty
Votes: 3,454 | Gross: $1.10M
43. The Defiant Ones (2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
"The Defiant Ones" examines the partnership between Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre - one the son of a Brooklyn longshoreman, the other straight out of Compton - and their leading roles in a chain of transformative events in contemporary culture.
Stars: Stevie Nicks, Bono, Dr. Dre, Tom Petty
Votes: 15,673
44. 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
45. Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016)
120 min | Documentary, History
The history of Dawson City, the gold rush town that had a historical treasure of forgotten silent films buried in permafrost for decades until 1978.
Director: Bill Morrison | Stars: Michael Gates, Kathy Jones-Gates, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Frank Barrett
Votes: 2,148 | Gross: $0.13M
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