Documentaries
by enisyucel | created - 08 Aug 2022 | updated - 14 Nov 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
R | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: John Beard, Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer, George W. Bush
Votes: 20,117
2. 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: 18,008 | Gross: $3.41M
3. My Country, My Country (2006)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Documentary by Oscar winner Laura Poitras about the war in Iraq.
Director: Laura Poitras
Votes: 408
4. The Oath (2010)
Unrated | 90 min | Documentary
Tells the story of two men whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a course of events that led them to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Osama bin Laden, Salim Hamdan, Abu Jandal, Troy Lebane
Votes: 951 | Gross: $0.04M
5. Religulous (2008)
R | 101 min | Documentary, Comedy, War
Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
Director: Larry Charles | Stars: Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden, Steven Burg
Votes: 60,252 | Gross: $13.00M
6. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Crime, History
Alex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Christopher Beiring
Votes: 16,806 | Gross: $0.27M
7. Islam: Empire of Faith (2000)
160 min | Documentary, History
Islam: Empire of Faith is a documentary series, made in 2000, that details the history of Islam, from the birth of the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad to the Ottoman Empire.
The first episode ... See full synopsis »
Director: Robert H. Gardner | Stars: Esin Atil, Ben Kingsley, Michael Sells
Votes: 765
8. Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002)
PG | 116 min | Documentary
Tells the story of the seventh century prophet who changed world history in 23 years, and continues to shapes the lives of more than 1.2 billion people. The film takes viewers not only to ... See full summary »
Directors: Omar Al-Qattan, Michael Schwarz
Votes: 793
9. The New Americans (2003)
Not Rated | 411 min | Documentary
The New Americans follows a diverse group of immigrants and refugees as they leave their home and families behind and learn what it means to be new Americans in the 21st century.
Directors: Susana Aikin, Carlos Aparicio, Jerry Blumenthal, Steve James, Indu Krishnan, Gordon Quinn, Renee Tajima-Pena
Votes: 42
10. They Shall Not Grow Old (II) (2018)
R | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Thomas Adlam, William Argent, John Ashby, Attwood
Votes: 38,476 | Gross: $17.96M
11. Dead Birds (1963)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
An ethnographic documentary with allegorical undertones about the Dani people of Papua Barat and their social values based on an elaborate system of tribal warfare and revenge.
Director: Robert Gardner | Star: Robert Gardner
Votes: 282
12. Nanook of the North (1922)
Passed | 78 min | Documentary
In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.
Director: Robert J. Flaherty | Stars: Allakariallak, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou, Allegoo
Votes: 13,458
13. Triumph of the Will (1935)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History
The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Max Amann, Martin Bormann
Votes: 18,329
14. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
PG | 96 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Al Gore, Billy West, George Bush, George W. Bush
Votes: 85,225 | Gross: $23.81M
15. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
Director: Andrew Jarecki | Stars: Arnold Friedman, Jesse Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman
Votes: 27,139 | Gross: $3.12M
16. For Sama (2019)
TV-PG | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, War
FOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.
Directors: Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts | Stars: Waad Al-Kateab, Sama Al-Khateab, Hamza Al-Khateab, Afra
Votes: 12,823 | Gross: $0.04M
17. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,923 | Gross: $3.97M
18. Night Mail (1936)
Approved | 25 min | Short, Documentary
Shows the special train on which mail is sorted, dropped and collected on the run, and delivered in Scotland overnight.
Directors: Harry Watt, Basil Wright | Stars: Arthur Clark, John Grierson, Stuart Legg, Robert Rae
Votes: 1,458
19. Showman (1963)
53 min | Documentary
A documentary portrait of the brash American producer and distributor Joseph E.Levine, known for his successful promotions of Godzilla and Hercules,and now working on the US release of an Italian art film.
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles | Stars: Joseph E. Levine, Sophia Loren, Norman Rosten, Gustavo Lombardo
Votes: 58
20. Salesman (1969)
G | 91 min | Documentary, Drama
Four dogged door-to-door Bible salesmen travel from Boston to Florida on a seemingly futile quest to sell luxury editions of the Good Book to working-class Catholics.
Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin | Stars: Paul Brennan, Charles McDevitt, James Baker, Raymond Martos
Votes: 5,708
21.
ABC Close-Up! (1960– )
Episode:
The Children Were Watching
(1961)
Documentary
Robert Drew, whose film "Primary," from 1960, launched the documentary form of direct cinema in the United States, here immersively films the effort to desegregate public schools in New ... See full summary »
Directors: Robert Drew, Richard Leacock
Votes: 29
22. Primary (1960)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, History, News
Cinéma vérité feature that follows presidential hopefuls John F. Kennedy and Hubert H. Humphrey during the 1960 Wisconsin primary.
Director: Robert Drew | Stars: Robert Drew, Hubert H. Humphrey, Muriel Buck Humphrey, Joseph Julian
Votes: 1,484
23. Grey Gardens (1975)
PG | 95 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama
Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot.
Directors: Ellen Hovde, Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Muffie Meyer | Stars: Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale, Brooks Hyers
Votes: 15,295 | Gross: $0.03M
24. Makala (2017)
96 min | Documentary
Trials tribulation dreams and aspirations of a young farmer earning a living making and selling charcoal in Congo.
Director: Emmanuel Gras | Stars: Kabwita Kasongo, Lydie Kasongo
Votes: 773
25. Notes on Blindness (2016)
90 min | Documentary, Drama
In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer and theologian John Hull went blind. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary ... See full summary »
Directors: Peter Middleton, James Spinney | Stars: John M. Hull, Marilyn Hull, Miranda Beinart-Smith, Jamie Bradley
Votes: 2,198
26. Over the Limit (2017)
Not Rated | 74 min | Documentary, Sport
An 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.
Director: Marta Prus | Stars: Yana Kudryavtseva, Margarita Mamun, Irina Viner, Amina Zaripova
Votes: 998 | Gross: $0.00M
27. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary
A kaleidoscopic and humanistic view of the Black community in Hale County, Alabama.
Director: RaMell Ross | Stars: Latrenda 'Boosie' Ash, Karmyn Bryant, Korbyn Bryant, Kyrie Bryant
Votes: 2,127 | Gross: $0.11M
28. Broken Promises: The United Nations at 60 (2005 Video)
65 min | Documentary, History
The history of the United Nations highlighting the gap between the good intentions and ideals of its inception and the sad reality of its present state of inefficiency and corruption.
Directors: Kevin Knoblock, Ron Silver | Stars: Ron Silver, Kofi Annan, Roméo Dallaire, Stephane Dujarric
Votes: 45
29. Nine Days That Changed the World (2010)
94 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Director: Kevin Knoblock | Stars: Callista Gingrich, Newt Gingrich
Votes: 53
30. Border War: The Battle Over Illegal Immigration (2006)
95 min | Documentary
The volatile issue of illegal immigration and the continued conflict taking place at the U.S.-Mexico border are brought to life in the documentary BORDER WAR. Border War takes viewers into ... See full summary »
Director: Kevin Knoblock
Votes: 88
31. Mr Jones (2019)
Short
Welsh journalist Garett Jones risks his life to expose the truth about the devastating famine in the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R) in the early 1930's.
Directors: Gregory Grishayev, Lucy Samuel | Stars: Isabella Byford, Roman Grey, George Jayne, Mollie Orford
32. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend
Documentary, Music | Post-production
It showcases a never-before-seen concert footage of him over the past 50 years, as well as hand-written journals and present-day footage of him and his family.
Directors: R.J. Cutler, David Furnish | Star: Elton John
33. Wordplay (2006)
PG | 94 min | Documentary
An in-depth look at The New York Times' long-time crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and his loyal fan base.
Director: Patrick Creadon | Stars: Will Shortz, Ken Burns, Jon Stewart, Merl Reagle
Votes: 3,782 | Gross: $3.12M
34. I.O.U.S.A. (2008)
PG | 85 min | Documentary
Few are aware that America may be on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. explores the country's shocking current fiscal condition and ways to avoid a national economic disaster.
Director: Patrick Creadon | Stars: Robert Bixby, Humphrey Bogart, Warren Buffett, George Bush
Votes: 1,945 | Gross: $0.82M
35. 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: 39,824 | Gross: $12.32M
36. The Last Dance (2020)
TV-MA | 49 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Led by Michael Jordan, the 1990s Chicago Bulls establish themselves as one of the most notable dynasties in sports history.
Stars: Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, David Aldridge
Votes: 152,327
37. Collective (2019)
Not Rated | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Director Alexander Nanau follows a crack team of investigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast health-care fraud that enriched moguls and politicians and led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
Director: Alexander Nanau | Stars: Dan Alexandru Condrea, Liviu Iolu, Razvan Lutac, Mirela Neag
Votes: 13,443
38. 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: 43,745 | Gross: $3.23M
39. Stories We Tell (2012)
PG-13 | 108 min | Documentary
A film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a family of storytellers.
Director: Sarah Polley | Stars: Michael Polley, John Buchan, Mark Polley, Joanna Polley
Votes: 14,120 | Gross: $1.60M
40. American Factory (2019)
TV-14 | 110 min | Documentary
In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert | Stars: Junming 'Jimmy' Wang, Robert Allen, Sherrod Brown, Dave Burrows
Votes: 23,881
41. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby
Votes: 40,739 | Gross: $0.02M
42. The Exiles (II) (2022)
95 min | Documentary
Documentarian Christine Choy tracks down three exiled dissidents from the Tiananmen Square massacre, in order to find closure on an abandoned film she began shooting in 1989.
Directors: Violet Columbus, Ben Klein | Stars: Christine Choy, Todd Phillips, Ronald Gray, Atno Smith
Votes: 153
43. All That Breathes (2022)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary
Amidst the darkening backdrop of Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protect one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the Black Kite.
Director: Shaunak Sen | Stars: Salik Rehman, Mohammad Saud, Nadeem Shehzad
Votes: 4,802
44. 56 Up (2012)
Not Rated | 144 min | Documentary, Biography
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a seven-year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Directors: Michael Apted, Paul Almond | Stars: Michael Apted, Bruce Balden, Jacqueline Bassett, Symon Basterfield
Votes: 2,470 | Gross: $0.70M
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