Documentaries
by sqeakyrustbucket | created - 31 Mar 2021 | updated - 3 weeks ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Some Kind of Heaven (2020)
81 min | Documentary
Behind the gates of a palm tree-lined fantasyland, four residents of America's largest retirement community, The Villages, FL, strive to find solace and meaning.
Director: Lance Oppenheim | Stars: Dennis Dean, Lynn Henry, Anne Kincer, Reggie Kincer
Votes: 3,537
2. Hands on a Hardbody: The Documentary (1997)
PG | 98 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Twenty-four contestants compete in an endurance/sleep deprivation contest in order to win a brand new Nissan Hardbody truck. The last person to remain standing with his or her hand on the ... See full summary »
Director: S.R. Bindler | Stars: Sid Allen, Brent Baskin, Greg Cox, J.C. Crum
Votes: 2,481 | Gross: $0.49M
3. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
PG-13 | 118 min | Documentary, History, Music
Documentary about the legendary 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival which celebrated African-American music and culture and promoted Black pride and unity.
Director: Questlove | Stars: Dorinda Drake, Barbara Bland-Acosta, Darryl Lewis, Ethel Beatty
Votes: 13,888
4. The Light Bulb Conspiracy (2010)
75 min | Documentary
This is the story of companies who engineered their products to fail.
Director: Cosima Dannoritzer | Stars: Richard Jones, Molly Malcolm, Steve Bunn, Markus Krajewski
Votes: 2,317
5. Childhood 2.0 (2020)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
The mental health of our children is statistically at an all-time low. Kids spend more time online and less engaging in real life, free play and autonomy. Childhood was more or less unchanged for a millennia, this is Childhood 2.0.
Directors: Robert Muratore, Jamin Winans, Kiowa K. Winans | Stars: Skyler Sledge, Shauna Sledge, Avi Khanna, Isabella Smouse
Votes: 206
6. The Mole: Undercover in North Korea (2020)
123 min | Documentary, Thriller
A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.
Director: Mads Brügger | Stars: Ulrich Løvenskjold Larsen, Mads Brügger, Alejandro Cao de Benos de Les y Pérez, Jim Latrache-Qvortrup
Votes: 5,414
7. Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135 (2000)
100 min | Documentary, Sport
Forty runners compete in the most grueling race on earth, the Badwater. The film documents the trials and tribulations of these athletes as they run 135 miles through Death Valley in July ... See full summary »
Director: Mel Stuart | Stars: Adam Bookspan, Angelika Castaneda, Eric Clifton, Maria De Jesus
Votes: 257 | Gross: $0.00M
8. A Cop Movie (2021)
R | 107 min | Documentary, Action, Crime
Two professional actors undergo an immersive process to find out what it takes to be a cop in Mexico City.
Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios | Stars: Mónica Del Carmen, Raúl Briones, María Teresa Hernández Cañas, José de Jesús Rodríguez Hernández
Votes: 2,185
9. Can't Get You Out of My Head (2021)
80 min | Documentary, History
Love, power, money, ghosts of empire, conspiracies, artificial intelligence and You. An emotional history of the modern world by Adam Curtis.
Star: Adam Curtis
Votes: 2,363
10. The Power of Nightmares (2004)
60 min | Documentary, History
A series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.
Stars: Gilles Kepel, William Kristol, Melvin Goodman, Richard Perle
Votes: 4,546
11. All Light, Everywhere (2021)
Unrated | 105 min | Documentary
A far-ranging look at the biases in how we see things, focusing on the use of police body cameras.
Director: Theo Anthony | Stars: Theo Anthony, Keaver Brenai, Robert Cunniff, Ross McNutt
Votes: 883
12. Attica (2021)
TV-MA | 116 min | Documentary, History
This unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising from Emmy® winning director Stanley Nelson sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the urgent, ongoing need for reform 50 years later.
Directors: Traci Curry, Stanley Nelson | Stars: Arthur Harrison, Carlos Roche, Tyrone Larkins, George Che Nieves
Votes: 3,081
13. Flee (2021)
PG-13 | 89 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography
FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Stars: Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh, Milad Eskandari, Belal Faiz
Votes: 19,524
14. Writing with Fire (2021)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India's only newspaper run by Dalit women. Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, redefining what it means to be powerful.
Directors: Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas | Stars: Meera Devi, Shyamkali Devi, Suneeta Prajapati
Votes: 1,666
15. Life of Crime 1984-2020 (2021)
121 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A relentless ride through the streets and prisons of Newark, New Jersey's largest city, and desperate fight to survive the deadliest enemy ever to attack America.
Director: Jon Alpert | Stars: Deliris, Freddy, Robert
Votes: 2,640
16. Vendemmia (2012)
61 min | Documentary
In today's modern world, when almost everything is done with the touch of a button, the citizens of the Cinque Terre of Italy still make Sciacchetra wine by hand, as their ancestors have ... See full summary »
Directors: Sharon Boeckle, Krista Lee Weller | Stars: Angelo Maria Betta, Nicola Biscardo, Franco Bonanini, Heydi Bonanini
17. Alaskan Nets (2021)
120 min | Documentary
In Alaska's last native reserve, two cousins lead their local basketball team to its first state championship in more than thirty years.
Director: Jeff Harasimowicz | Stars: DJ King, Danny Marsden
Votes: 96
18. The Invisible Pilot (2022)
TV-MA | 169 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Follows the story of a seemingly happy husband and father who unexpectedly jumped off a bridge in 1977, and years later it's found that there might had been hypnosis, secret identities and a dangerous double life and law-breaking involved.
Stars: Ray Buffer, Konstantin Podprugin, Nate Larson, Ava Pinto
Votes: 1,073
19. 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: 41,521 | Gross: $1.72M
20. Ariel Phenomenon (2022)
100 min | Documentary
The film follows a BBC war reporter and Harvard psychiatrist Dr. John Mack, whose careers were threatened by the investigation of the incident, as well as a former student who journeys back to the rural Ariel School.
Director: Randall Nickerson
Votes: 502
21. Claydream (2021)
96 min | Documentary
The meteoric rise and dramatic fall of "Father of Claymation" Will Vinton is the subject of this fascinating portrait of one of cinema's unheralded innovators.
Director: Marq Evans | Stars: Nick Park, Adam Elliot, Bill Plympton, Peter Lord
Votes: 193
22. Taming the Garden (2021)
91 min | Documentary
Documentary follows trees that are transported, at great expense and inconvenience, from the coast of the Republic of Georgia to the private garden of that country's former prime minister.
Director: Salomé Jashi
Votes: 720
23.
Untold (2021– )
Episode:
Operation Flagrant Foul
(2022)
TV-MA | 76 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Years after serving time for betting on games he officiated, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy revisits the scandal that shook up the league.
Director: David Terry Fine | Stars: Tim Donaghy, Matt Maltepes
Votes: 2,445
24. Gorillaz: Reject False Icons (2019)
95 min | Documentary, Music
Focused on the life of the band and their collaborators over the 3 vital years in which they developed critically acclaimed albums, 'Humanz' and 'The Now Now', and undertook their most ambitious world tour to date.
Director: Denholm Hewlett | Stars: Seye Adelekan, Damon Albarn, George Benson, Jehnny Beth
Votes: 423
25. The Brink (2019)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary
A fly-on-the-wall chronicle of embattled former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon's global mission to spread extreme nationalism.
Director: Alison Klayman | Stars: Steve Bannon, Sean Bannon, Raheem Kassam, Andy Surabian
Votes: 862 | Gross: $0.11M
26. The Great Alone (2015)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
The Great Alone is a feature length independent documentary film that tells the inspiring comeback story of Iditarod Champion Lance Mackey.
Director: Greg Kohs | Stars: Dick Mackey, Lance Mackey
Votes: 465
27. Sir Noface (2018)
TV-14 | 104 min | Documentary
Award-Winning Filmmaker Chad Calek's "SIR NOFACE" documentary chronicles the bizarre events reported on Sydney Harbour's Cockatoo Island and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the ... See full summary »
Director: Chad Calek | Stars: Chad Calek, Justin Holstein, Craig Powell
Votes: 172
28. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022)
Unrated | 113 min | Documentary
Follows the life of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic's unfathomable death toll.
Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Nan Goldin, David Velasco, Megan Kapler, Marina Berio
Votes: 7,819
29. Knock at the Cabin (2023)
R | 100 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.
Director: M. Night Shyamalan | Stars: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird
Votes: 115,678
30. The Fabric of the Human Body (2022)
115 min | Documentary
Focuses on five hospitals in northern Paris neighborhoods. It reveals that human flesh is an extraordinary landscape that exists only through the gaze and attention of others.
Directors: Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Verena Paravel
Votes: 667
31. American Movie (1999)
R | 107 min | Documentary, Comedy
Documentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
Director: Chris Smith | Stars: Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels, Monica Borchardt
Votes: 19,360 | Gross: $1.16M
32. When We Were Kings (1996)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
Votes: 19,142 | Gross: $2.79M
33. The Curious Case of Natalia Grace (2023–2024)
TV-14 | 42 min | Documentary, Biography, Mystery
This docuseries offers extraordinary access and exclusive insight into a world-renowned mystery. Initially assumed to be a 6-year-old Ukrainian orphan with a rare bone growth disorder she was actually a fully grown adult.
Stars: Dan Cody, Beth Karas, Michael Barnett, Caitlin McEachran
Votes: 3,851
34. Burden of Dreams (1982)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary
A documentary following German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make his film Fitzcarraldo (1982).
Director: Les Blank | Stars: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards
Votes: 8,144
35. Hoop Dreams (1994)
PG-13 | 170 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Director: Steve James | Stars: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates
Votes: 28,030 | Gross: $7.83M
36. A.K. (1985)
71 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary that shows the production of Ran and discusses the film techniques of Kurosawa himself.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Shigehiko Hasumi, Chris Marker, Akira Kurosawa, Tatsuya Nakadai
Votes: 1,223
37. The Contestant (2023)
90 min | Documentary
A Japanese reality TV star left naked in a room for more than a year, tasked with filling out magazine sweepstakes to earn food and clothing.
Director: Clair Titley | Stars: Tomoaki Hamatsu, Jason Her, Toshio Tsuchiya
Votes: 451
38. Behemoth (2015)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary
Under the sun, the heavenly beauty of grasslands will soon be covered by the raging dust of mines. Facing the ashes and noises caused by heavy mining , the herdsmen have no choice but to ... See full summary »
Director: Liang Zhao
Votes: 1,213
39. 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: 40,833 | Gross: $0.49M
40. In the Year of the Pig (1968)
Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary chronicling the background to, and history of, the Vietnam War.
Director: Emile de Antonio | Stars: Harry S. Ashmore, Daniel Berrigan, Joseph Buttinger, William R. Corson
Votes: 1,920
41. Hearts and Minds (1974)
R | 112 min | Documentary, History, War
A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
Director: Peter Davis | Stars: Tin Chan, Chau Diem, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles
Votes: 6,114 | Gross: $0.03M
42. Encounters (2023)
TV-14 | 194 min | Documentary, History
Mass UFO sightings from the last 50 years fuel a global mystery in this docuseries featuring eyewitness accounts, expert interviews and new evidence.
Stars: Gráinne Kelly, Steven Lim, Diana Walsh Pasulka, Angelia Joiner
Votes: 1,852
43. Afro-Punk (2003)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary, Music
Afro-Punk explores race identity within the punk scene. More than your everyday "Behind the Music" or typical "black history month" documentary, this film tackles hard questions, covering ... See full summary »
Director: James Spooner | Stars: Ralph Darden, Matt Davis, Maya Glick, Mariko Jones
Votes: 271
44. 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: 43,748 | Gross: $3.23M
45. If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (2011)
Unrated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.'
Directors: Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman | Stars: Daniel McGowan, Lisa McGowan, Tim Lewis, Kirk Engdall
Votes: 3,317 | Gross: $0.06M
46. Fair Play (2022)
95 min | Documentary
Follows three families on their journey to better balance their home life style. They are fighting problems that affect millions of couples and families across the country and even the globe.
Director: Jennifer Siebel Newsom | Stars: Melinda Gates, Katie Porter
Votes: 111
47. Dark Green (2021)
32 min | Documentary, Short
In Dark Green we follow conservationist and storyteller Paul Rosolie deep into the jungle of the Amazon, risking his life to learn more on this last remaining wilderness on earth.
Directors: Jesper Buijvoets, Aagje van Meerwijk | Stars: Juan Julio Durand, Roy Riquelme, Paul Rosolie, Victor Quio Trigoso
Votes: 8
48. Walking the Amazon (2011– )
96 min | Documentary
The story of Ed Stafford's 2 1/2 year journey to become the first man to walk the length of the Amazon River.
Stars: Luke Collyer, Ed Stafford, Gadiel 'Cho' Sanchez Rivera
Votes: 313
49. The Last Forest (2021)
77 min | Documentary, Drama
In powerful images, alternating between documentary observation and staged sequences, and dense soundscapes, Luiz Bolognesi documents the Indigenous community of the Yanomami and depicts ... See full summary »
Director: Luiz Bolognesi | Stars: Davi Kopenawa, Daucirene Yanomami, Ehuana Yaira Yanomami, Genésio Yanomami
Votes: 659
50. Candamo, la ultima selva sin hombres (1996)
50 min | Documentary
Melo, Mañuco and Mishaja are local villagers in a small town in Madre de Dios. They work as eventual tourism guides to foreign visitors and dreaming about pastime when the Amazon Rainforest... See full summary »
Director: Daniel Winitzky | Stars: Mañuco, Melo, Mishaja
Votes: 11
51. Great Photo, Lovely Life (2023)
TV-MA | 112 min | Documentary
Photojournalist Amanda Mustard turns her investigative lens on the sexual abuse committed by her grandfather, unearthing a high-stakes personal journey in pursuit of the truth and reconciliation for Amanda's family.
Directors: Rachel Beth Anderson, Amanda Mustard | Stars: Bill Flickinger, Angie Minnick, Amanda Mustard, Debi Mustard
Votes: 996
52. Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
TV-MA | 82 min | Documentary, Crime
In this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.
Director: Erin Lee Carr | Stars: Jessica Thomas, Jim Arnott, David Blanchard, Dee Dee Blanchard
Votes: 11,916
53. Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory (2014)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, Music, News
Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music's ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it.
Director: Michael Rossato-Bennett | Stars: Dan Cohen, Louise Dueno, Nell Hardie, Norman Hardie
Votes: 3,240 | Gross: $0.15M
54. Philly on Fire (2021)
Documentary | Post-production
On May 13, 1985, the Philadelphia Police dropped a bomb on a row house in a residential neighborhood, burning down an entire neighborhood. 11 people died, five of them children. 61 homes ... See full summary »
Director: Ross Hockrow | Stars: Ramona Africa, Jim Berghaier, Wilson Goode, Linn Washington
55. Ugo: A Homecoming Story (2024)
32 min | Documentary, Short
NBA star Giannis Amtetokoimpo visits Nigeria, where his family came from, for the first time.
Director: Rick Famuyiwa | Stars: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Tayo, Yeni Kuti, Veronica Antetokounmpo
Votes: 13
56. To Kill a Tiger (2022)
TV-MA | 128 min | Documentary
Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
Director: Nisha Pahuja
Votes: 2,136
57. Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (2023)
TV-MA | 69 min | Documentary, Biography
Follows actor, model, and icon Brooke Shields as she becomes a woman who discovers her power after being a sexualized young girl. She shows the dangers and triumphs of gaining agency in a hostile world.
Stars: Brooke Shields, Scaachi Koul, Isobel Coleman, Meenakshi Durham
Votes: 2,717
58. 20 Days in Mariupol (2023)
TV-PG | 95 min | Documentary, War
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
Director: Mstyslav Chernov | Stars: Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka, Liudmyla Amelkina, Roman Golovanov
Votes: 20,308
59. Minding the Gap (2018)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Sport
Filmmaker Bing Liu searches for correlations between his skateboarder friends' turbulent upbringings and the complexities of modern masculinity.
Director: Bing Liu | Stars: Kent Abernathy, Mengyue Bolen, Nina Bowgren, Keire Johnson
Votes: 10,471 | Gross: $0.01M
60. Ascension (III) (2021)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary
The absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the "Chinese Dream." This observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.
Director: Jessica Kingdon
Votes: 4,111
61. Baraka (1992)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
Director: Ron Fricke | Star: Patrick Disanto
Votes: 41,002 | Gross: $1.33M
62. Streetwise (1984)
91 min | Documentary, Drama
Gritty documentary that looks at the lives of teenagers living on the streets of Seattle.
Director: Martin Bell | Stars: Annie, Eddie, Antoine, Erica
Votes: 2,964 | Gross: $0.01M
63. Girls State (2024)
TV-14 | 95 min | Documentary
Follows 500 adolescent girls from all across Missouri as they come together for a week-long immersion in a sophisticated democratic laboratory, where they organize a Supreme Court to consider the most contentious issues of the day.
Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss | Stars: Emily Worthmore, Cecilia Bartin, Brooke Taylor, Faith Glasgow
Votes: 538
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