Documentaries
by elenikati | created - 31 Jan 2016 | updated - 31 May 2020 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
G | 105 min | Documentary, Music
Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Octavio Calderon
Votes: 20,550 | Gross: $7.00M
2. The Salt of the Earth (2014)
PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders | Stars: Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Votes: 23,476 | Gross: $1.34M
3. 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: 40,823 | Gross: $0.49M
4. 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: 13,889 | Gross: $0.11M
5. La Vie En Rose (2007)
PG-13 | 140 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biopic of the iconic French singer Édith Piaf. Raised by her grandmother in a brothel, she was discovered while singing on a street corner at the age of 19. Despite her success, Piaf's life was filled with tragedy.
Director: Olivier Dahan | Stars: Marion Cotillard, Sylvie Testud, Pascal Greggory, Emmanuelle Seigner
Votes: 90,767 | Gross: $10.30M
6.
Imagine (2003– )
Episode:
Joan Baez... How Sweet the Sound
(2009)
TV-14 | Biography, History
Star: Alan Yentob
Votes: 5
7. Embrace of the Serpent (2015)
Not Rated | 125 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of forty years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant.
Director: Ciro Guerra | Stars: Nilbio Torres, Jan Bijvoet, Antonio Bolívar, Brionne Davis
Votes: 24,480 | Gross: $1.33M
8. Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup (2009 Video)
Unrated | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
An exploration of the viewpoint that the September 11, 2001 attacks were planned by the United States government.
Director: Dylan Avery | Stars: Osama bin Laden, Johnelle Bryant, George W. Bush, Laura Bush
Votes: 3,737
9. 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: 72,924 | Gross: $3.97M
10. Vanishing of the Bees (2009)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, History
This documentary takes a piercing investigative look at the economic, political and ecological implications of the worldwide disappearance of the honeybee.
Directors: Maryam Henein, George Langworthy | Stars: Elliot Page, Bret Adee, Dennis Cardoza, Henri Clement
Votes: 1,196
11. More Than Honey (2012)
Unrated | 95 min | Documentary
An in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia.
Director: Markus Imhoof | Stars: Fred Jaggi, Randolf Menzel, John Miller, Liane Singer
Votes: 4,320 | Gross: $0.07M
12. 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: 57,991 | Gross: $2.80M
13. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,994 | Gross: $4.31M
14. 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: 3,316 | Gross: $0.06M
15. The Weather Underground (2002)
Unrated | 92 min | Documentary, History, War
The remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous.
Directors: Sam Green, Bill Siegel | Stars: Lili Taylor, Pamela Z, Jim Lange, Evan White
Votes: 3,769 | Gross: $0.56M
16. Marley (2012)
PG-13 | 144 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary on the life, music, and legacy of Bob Marley.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Rita Marley, Jimmy Cliff
Votes: 14,497 | Gross: $1.41M
17. Senna (2010)
PG-13 | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
A documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Ayrton Senna, Reginaldo Leme, John Bisignano, Neyde Senna
Votes: 75,865 | Gross: $1.61M
18. Free Solo (2018)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Alex 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.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe
Votes: 77,468 | Gross: $17.54M
19. Hondros (2017)
90 min | Documentary, Biography, War
HONDROS follows the life and career of famous war photographer Chris Hondros by exploring the poignant and often surprising stories behind this award-winning photojournalist's best-known ... See full summary »
Director: Greg Campbell | Stars: Marmar Alhilali, Pancho Bernasconi, Greg Campbell, Chris Hondros
Votes: 484
20. War Photographer (2001)
96 min | Documentary, War
Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.
Director: Christian Frei | Stars: James Nachtwey, Christiane Amanpour, Hans-Hermann Klare, Christiane Breustedt
Votes: 4,304
21. Chasing Ice (2012)
PG-13 | 75 min | Documentary, Biography
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: James Balog, Svavar Jónatansson, Louie Psihoyos, Kitty Boone
Votes: 8,866 | Gross: $1.33M
22. Last Men in Aleppo (2017)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, War
Khaled, Mahmoud and Subhi volunteer with the White Helmets trying to save lives of hundreds of victims in the besieged city of Aleppo during the Syrian Civil War.
Directors: Feras Fayyad, Steen Johannessen | Stars: Khaled Umar Harah, Batul, Mahmoud, Abu Umar
Votes: 3,001 | Gross: $0.01M
23. Darwin's Nightmare (2004)
107 min | Documentary
A documentary on the effect of fishing the Nile perch in Tanzania's Lake Victoria. The predatory fish, which has wiped out the native species, is sold in European supermarkets, while starving Tanzanian families have to make do with the leftovers.
Director: Hubert Sauper | Stars: Elizabeth 'Eliza' Maganga Nsese, Raphael Tukiko Wagara, Dimond Remtulia, Marcus Nyoni
Votes: 5,663 | Gross: $0.20M
24. 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
25. Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters (2012)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
A documentary shot over a decade with unprecedented access to photographer Gregory Crewdson that bares the artist's process.
Director: Ben Shapiro | Stars: Russell Banks, Costanza Theodoli Braschi, Gregory Crewdson, Samantha Ressler
Votes: 629 | Gross: $0.06M
26. Arakimentari (2004)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography
Director: Travis Klose | Stars: Araki, Nobuyoshi Araki, Björk, Richard Kern
Votes: 378
27. Dolce vita africana (2008)
Not Rated | 62 min | Documentary
A documentary portrait of the African photographer Malick Sidibe, and a journey through Malian history inspired by his iconic images. Sidibe's snapshots from the late 50s through to the ... See full summary »
Director: Cosima Spender | Star: Malik Sidibé
Votes: 47
28. Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer (1975)
Not Rated | 59 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary film about the English photographer Eadweard Muybridge.
Directors: Thom Andersen, Fay Andersen, Morgan Fisher | Stars: Dean Stockwell, Eadweard Muybridge
Votes: 351
29. In No Great Hurry: 13 Lessons in Life with Saul Leiter (2013)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
Saul Leiter could have been lauded as the great the pioneer of color photography, but was never driven by the lure of success. Instead he preferred to drink coffee and photograph in his own... See full summary »
Director: Tomas Leach | Star: Saul Leiter
Votes: 260 | Gross: $0.01M
30. Bill Cunningham New York (2010)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A profile of the noted and extraordinarily cheerful veteran New York City fashion photographer.
Director: Richard Press | Stars: Bill Cunningham, Anna Wintour, Michael Kors, Editta Sherman
Votes: 5,670 | Gross: $1.51M
31. Fire at Sea (2016)
114 min | Documentary
Capturing life on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a frontline in the European migrant crisis.
Director: Gianfranco Rosi | Stars: Samuele Pucillo, Mattias Cucina, Samuele Caruana, Pietro Bartolo
Votes: 6,056 | Gross: $0.12M
32. The White Diamond (2004)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
Engineers attempt daring journey above Guyanese rainforest canopy with airship prototype. Adventure fraught with risks, as previous expedition ended tragically. This is a unique story of exploring uncharted jungle from the air.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Graham Dorrington, Dieter Plage, Adrian de Schryver
Votes: 4,954
33. 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: 55,112 | Gross: $8.41M
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