My favourite documentaries
by eagle_owl | created - 27 Jan 2014 | updated - 23 Oct 2016 | PublicIncludes TV series as well as feature films
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1. The Cove (2009)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Using 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.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones, Michael Illiff
Votes: 51,415 | Gross: $0.87M
2. 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: 78,911 | Gross: $4.31M
3. Indie Game: The Movie (2012)
Not Rated | 103 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
Directors: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky | Stars: Jonathan Blow, Brandon Boyer, Renaud Bédard, Anthony Carboni
Votes: 21,439
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: 58,651 | Gross: $2.96M
5. The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
The story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
Director: Brian Knappenberger | Stars: Aaron Swartz, Tim Berners-Lee, Cindy Cohn, Gabriella Coleman
Votes: 18,031 | Gross: $0.05M
6. Touching the Void (2003)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron
Votes: 38,079 | Gross: $4.59M
7. The English Surgeon (2007)
TV-14 | 93 min | Documentary
This documentary offers a glimpse into the life of an English neurosurgeon (Henry Marsh) situated in Ukraine as we are exposed to the overwhelming dilemmas he has to face and the burden he has to carry throughout his profession.
Director: Geoffrey Smith | Star: Henry Marsh
Votes: 757
8. 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: 57,939 | Gross: $2.80M
9. Speed with Guy Martin (2013– )
47 min | Documentary
Motorcycle racer and mechanic Guy Martin undertakes a series of speed-based challenges, exploring the boundaries of physics and learning about the science of speed.
Stars: Guy Martin, Shaun Dooley, David Coulthard, Mike Hopkins
Votes: 232
10. True Appaloosa (2015)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
A horsewoman sets off to find the truth about the origins of the Appaloosa spotted horse.
Director: Conor Woodman
Votes: 77
11. Putin, Russia and the West (2011)
60 min | Documentary
Four-part documentary exploring how Russia has been resurrected by Vladimir Putin.
Stars: Rupert Graves, Condoleezza Rice, Sergei Ivanov, Sergei Prikhodko
Votes: 422
12. You've Been Trumped (2011)
Not Rated | 79 min | Documentary
In this David and Goliath story for the 21st century, a group of proud Scottish homeowners take on celebrity tycoon Donald Trump as he buys up one of Scotland's last wilderness areas to build a golf resort.
Director: Anthony Baxter | Stars: Michael Forbes, Donald Trump, Anthony Baxter, Kevin Brown
Votes: 2,308 | Gross: $0.03M
13. Blackfish (2013)
PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall
Votes: 72,361 | Gross: $2.07M
14. 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: 4,538
15. 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: 75,699 | Gross: $1.61M
16. Penguins: Spy in the Huddle (2013)
TV-G | 177 min | Documentary
Penguins - Spy in the Huddle spends nearly a year in the close company of penguins, deploying 50 spycams to capture as never before the true character of these birds.
Stars: David Tennant, Peter Drost
Votes: 436
17. The Aviatrix (2015)
80 min | Documentary, Adventure, History
In 1928, Lady Heath became the first person to fly solo from Cape Town to London. Eighty-five years later, Tracey Curtis-Taylor sets out in a vintage biplane to retrace her flight. Her ... See full summary »
Director: Annette Porter | Stars: James Bevan, Tracey Curtis-Taylor, Marius Gabriel, Kate Silverton
Votes: 20
18. Last Chance to See (2009–2010)
Documentary
Twenty years after Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine traveled the world in search of some of the most endangered animals, Stephen Fry joins Mark to retrace their journeys.
Stars: Stephen Fry, Mark Carwardine, Batian Craig, Peter Jackson
Votes: 544
19. Point and Shoot (2014)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary
An American sets out with his motorbike to find both adventure and his sense of manhood, leading him on an extraordinary journey he could not have imagined, including fighting in the Libyan Revolution.
Director: Marshall Curry | Stars: Joseph Oliveira, Matt Sager, Matthew Vandyke
Votes: 1,713
20. The Beckoning Silence (2007 TV Movie)
PG | 73 min | Drama
After a mountain climber's severe injuries and near-death accident, he's told he'll never climb again. His recovery left him to confront the question: why, after coming so close to death, did he feel compelled to continue climbing?
Director: Louise Osmond | Stars: Roger Schäli, Simon Anthamatten, Andreas Abegglen, Cyrille Berthod
Votes: 1,393
21. TT3D: Closer to the Edge (2011)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Sport
Motorcycle racers reveal their motivation to participate each year in the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the most dangerous and deadliest event in the sport.
Director: Richard De Aragues | Stars: Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson, John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop
Votes: 6,626
22. The War on Democracy (2007)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Salvador, Bolivia: people's struggle for democracy versus US imperialism in Latin America since the 1950s, backing coups and supporting dictatorships.
Directors: Chris Martin, John Pilger, Sean Crotty | Stars: John Pilger, Philip Agee, Salvador Allende, George Bush
Votes: 2,524
23. 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: 72,849 | Gross: $3.97M
24. Unreported World (2000– )
Documentary, News
Channel 4's acclaimed current affairs documentary strand in which reporters travel around the world uncovering stories overlooked by the world's media.
Stars: Krishnan Guru-Murthy, Marcel Theroux, Seyi Rhodes, Ade Adepitan
Votes: 130
25. HyperNormalisation (2016)
166 min | Documentary
Adam Curtis explains how, at a time of confusing and inexplicable world events, politicians and the people they represent have retreated in to a damaging over-simplified version of what is happening.
Director: Adam Curtis | Stars: Adam Curtis, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Victor Gotbaum
Votes: 7,363
26. Utopia (II) (2013)
112 min | Documentary, History, News
Exploring offenses practiced by popular media, big business, police forces and Governments helping the Australian 225 year campaign of genocide continue against Aboriginal Australians.
Directors: Alan Lowery, John Pilger | Stars: John Pilger, Jon Altman, Pat Anderson, Mal Brough
Votes: 445
27. The Supersizers Go... (2007–2009)
History
A comedienne & a humor writer try their hand at living in different eras. They dress, eat, and live the past. Before and after, their vitals are tested to see how these lifestyles affect their health.
Stars: Giles Coren, Sue Perkins, Roy Marsden, Allegra McEvedy
Votes: 694
28. No End in Sight (2007)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary, War
A comprehensive look at the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war and its occupation of the country.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Campbell Scott, Gerald Burke, Ali Fadhil, Omar Fekeiki
Votes: 8,627 | Gross: $1.43M
29. 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: 5,660 | Gross: $0.20M
30. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (2003)
Unrated | 74 min | Documentary
In April 2002, an Irish film crew is making a documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, when a coup from the opposition is made.
Directors: Kim Bartley, Donnacha O'Briain | Stars: Hugo Chávez, Pedro Carmona, Jesse Helms, Colin Powell
Votes: 2,624
31. Last Days in Vietnam (2014)
Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary, History, War
During the final days of the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. An unlikely group of heroes emerged as Americans and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands.
Director: Rory Kennedy | Stars: Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, Stuart Herrington, Juan Valdez
Votes: 4,095 | Gross: $0.47M
32. Grizzly Man (2005)
R | 103 min | Documentary, Biography
A 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.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog, Carol Dexter
Votes: 61,801 | Gross: $3.17M
33. Garnet's Gold (2014)
75 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama
Follow one extraordinary man's quixotic and recklessly brave adventure in search of hidden treasure, in a belated rite of passage to rediscover the meaning of his life.
Director: Ed Perkins
Votes: 442
34. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Randall Adams, David Harris, Gus Rose, Jackie Johnson
Votes: 25,874 | Gross: $1.21M
35. 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: 85,177 | Gross: $23.81M
36. Terry Pratchett: Facing Extinction (2013)
Documentary
Director: Charlie Russell | Stars: Terry Pratchett, Rob Wilkins
Votes: 41
37. Hot Rocks: Geology of Civilization (2007– )
60 min | Documentary
Dr Iain Stewart tours the Pacific Rim in a bid to discover how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped human history. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides and firestorms cause ... See full summary »
Star: Iain Stewart
Votes: 29
38. 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: 6,103 | Gross: $0.03M
39. Lost in La Mancha (2002)
R | 89 min | Documentary
Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
Directors: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe | Stars: Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges, Tony Grisoni
Votes: 11,996 | Gross: $0.73M
40. Science and Islam (2009– )
Documentary
Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.
Star: Jim Al-Khalili
Votes: 272
41. Sicko (2007)
PG-13 | 123 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Tucker Albrizzi, Tony Benn, George W. Bush
Votes: 76,813 | Gross: $24.54M
42. Why We Fight (2005)
PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary, History, War
Is American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.
Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Gore Vidal, John McCain, Ken Adelman, John Ashcroft
Votes: 10,227 | Gross: $1.44M
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