The Best Documentary Films
A list of the best documentary films
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- DirectorAnnika IltisTimothy James KaneStarsLazarus LakeA famous prison escape sparks the idea for a cult-like race that has seen only 10 finishers in its first 25 years. This award-winning, oddly inspiring, and wildly funny documentary reveals the sports world's most guarded secret.
- DirectorDave LaMattinaChad N. WalkerStarsCaroll SpinneyJim HensonFrank OzCaroll Spinney has been Sesame Street's Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969; at 78-years-old, he has no intention of stopping.
- DirectorJohn ChesterStarsJohn ChesterMolly ChesterToddDocumentarian John Chester and his wife Molly work to develop a sustainable farm on 200 acres outside of Los Angeles.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsAlex HonnoldTommy CaldwellJimmy ChinAlex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsDarlene LoveMerry ClaytonLisa FischerBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.
- DirectorJames HanlonGédéon NaudetJules NaudetStarsTony BenatatosYusuf Baran BilgicJamal BraithwaiteA real life documentary following the events of September 11 from an insider's view, through the lens of James Hanlon and two French filmmakers who were in Manhattan that one day.
- DirectorHenry SingerStarsSteven MackintoshEric LiptonIliana GuibertThe Falling Man is a documentary that examines one of the many images that were circulated by the press immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. The image in question can be seen above on the cover of the disc. It shows a man plummeting headfirst to the ground, having leapt from the burning towers. After touching on the events of the day and how the nation reacted, the program focuses specifically on this image, the photographer who took it, its subsequent circulation, the public's reaction to it and why it was later deemed UN-newsworthy...
- DirectorJosh LowellPeter MortimerStarsJohn BranchTommy CaldwellKevin JorgesonIn an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
- DirectorIan BonhôtePeter EttedguiStarsAlexander McQueenJoyce McQueenJohn HitchcockThe 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.
- DirectorArthur BradfordStarsTrey ParkerMatt StoneAnne GarefinoA look at the making of HUMANCENTiPAD (2011).
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
- DirectorLana WilsonStarsTaylor SwiftAndrea SwiftScott SwiftA look at iconic pop artist Taylor Swift during a transformational time in her life as she embraces her role as a singer/songwriter and harnesses the full power of her voice.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- 2020– 1h 14mTV-MA6.8 (7K)TV EpisodeDirectorSamantha StarkStarsBritney SpearsLiz DayFelicia CulottaHer rise was a global phenomenon. Her downfall was a cruel national sport. People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.
- StarsShadLL Cool JBig Daddy KaneMC and journalist Shad Kabango meets with Hip-Hop's biggest stars to retrace how Hip-Hop became the world's most popular music, but realizes that Hip-Hop's true legacy is something much more profound.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorNicole RittenmeyerSeth SkundrickStarsGeorge W. BushJoe NapolitanoKelly EdwardsThe morning of September 11, 2001 is shown through multiple video cameras in New York City, from the moment the first WTC tower is hit until after both towers collapse.
- StarsStevie NicksBonoDr. Dre"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.
- DirectorDave OhlsonStarsGerlinde KaltenbrunnerSimone LeorinJake MeyerFollowing a group of climbers attempting to climb K2 in 2009, on the 100-year anniversary of its landmark 1909 expedition. Experience the adventure, peril and serenity of a group's attempt to climb the most challenging peak on earth.
- DirectorKarim AmerJehane NoujaimStarsBrittany KaiserDavid CarrollPaul-Olivier DehayeThe Cambridge Analytica scandal is examined through the roles of several affected persons.
- DirectorErin Lee CarrStarsSimone BilesScott BlackmunRichard BlumenthalUSA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is convicted of serial sexual abuse of young athletes.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsBilly McFarlandJason BellGabrielle BluestoneAn exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre music festival.
- DirectorBeyoncéEd BurkeStarsBeyoncéJay-ZKelly RowlandThis intimate, in-depth look at Beyoncé's celebrated 2018 Coachella performance reveals the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement.
- DirectorRichard da CostaAlex ParkinsonStarsDuncan AllcockKjetil Ove AlvestadStuart AndersonA deep sea diver is stranded on the seabed with 5 minutes of oxygen and no hope of rescue. With access to amazing archive this is the story of one man's impossible fight for survival.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsWilliam GatesArthur AgeeEmma GatesA film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA 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".
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsSimon YatesJoe SimpsonBrendan MackeyThe true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsJim CarreyDanny DeVitoMilos FormanA behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon (1999).
- DirectorPeter MortimerNick RosenJosh LowellStarsPeter SarsgaardAlex HonnoldYvon ChouinardIn the shady campgrounds of Yosemite valley, climbers carved out a counterculture lifestyle of dumpster-diving and wild parties that clashed with the conservative values of the National Park Service.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsConrad AnkerGrace ChinJimmy ChinThree 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.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldRudi DolezalStarsWhitney HoustonMichael BakerWayne LindseyTells the story of Whitney Houston's extraordinary life and tragic death.
- DirectorDaniel GordonStarsWilliam BaleMargaret AspinallDavid DuckenfieldHillsborough is an in-depth, moving account of Britain's worst sporting disaster, in which 96 men, women and children were killed, hundreds injured and thousands traumatised. Beginning with that fateful day, 15 April 1989, the film details the horror of the tragedy, told through the experiences of those directly involved: fans, survivors, family members and police officers. Many speak publicly for the first time. It captures the horror of the crush on the terraces, revealing the prejudices held by the police towards football fans. It exposes the police commanders' abject failure in leadership as the tragedy unfolded, and their deceit and determination to deflect responsibility for their failures in crowd management onto those who survived. The documentary exposes the lack of dignity shown to bereaved families as they arrived in Sheffield to identify their loved ones laid out in body bags on a gymnasium floor. It considers the impact of the orchestrated vilification of fans in the media and, as a consequence, their public condemnation. By interviewing those involved, it recounts the 27-year campaign for justice fought on behalf of the 96 who died.
- StarsChris GrahamDoug MathewsAmy MurrayA detailed account of the McDonald's Monopoly game scam during the 1990s as told by the participants in the case, including the prizewinners and the FBI agents involved.
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
- DirectorPaul SoletStarsMarvin HeemeyerPatrick BrowerGlenn Trainor Jr.Pushed to his breaking point, a master welder in a small town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains quietly fortifies a bulldozer with 30 tons of concrete and steel and seeks to destroy those he believes have wronged him.
- DirectorMarta PrusStarsYana KudryavtsevaMargarita MamunIrina VinerAn intimate portrait of the world's most outstanding rhythmic gymnast Margarita Mamun who needs to overcome mental fragility to take part in the Olympic Games.
- DirectorRon CiceroKimo EasterwoodStarsJim BallantineEd BellJack BlackA documentary that explores the rise and fall of The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991) and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi.
- StarsTom MorrisKevin RaffertyAngela BassettThe inside look into the Walt Disney Imagineering company.
- DirectorPeter MortimerNick RosenStarsMarc-André LeclercPeter MortimerAlex HonnoldMarc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. The free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. With no cameras and no margin for error, Leclerc's approach is the essence of solo adventure.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsAsia ArgentoAnthony BourdainAriane BourdainA documentary about Anthony Bourdain and his career as a chef, writer and host, revered and renowned for his authentic approach to food, culture and travel.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsBancha DuriyapuntApakorn YoukongkaewAnan SurawanA chronicle of the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.