My Favourite Documentaries
by gsjayakumar | created - 17 Aug 2014 | updated - 14 Oct 2014 | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Ashes and Snow (2005)
62 min | Documentary, Drama
Exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals.
Director: Gregory Colbert | Stars: Patrick Disanto, Laurence Fishburne, Jeanne Moreau, Enrique Rocha
Votes: 4,396
3. 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: 41,000 | Gross: $1.33M
4. Samsara (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Director: Ron Fricke | Stars: Balinese Tari Legong Dancers, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi, Putu Dinda Pratika
Votes: 38,060 | Gross: $2.67M
5. 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: 18,007 | Gross: $3.41M
6. Born to Be Wild (2011)
G | 40 min | Documentary, Short, Adventure
This heartwarming film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them-saving endangered species one life at a time.
Director: David Lickley | Stars: Birute Galdikas, Daphne Sheldrick, Morgan Freeman, Chris Fries
Votes: 3,149 | Gross: $25.89M
7. Earthlings (2005)
95 min | Documentary
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
Director: Shaun Monson | Star: Joaquin Phoenix
Votes: 19,811
8. Food, Inc. (2008)
PG | 94 min | Documentary, News
An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
Director: Robert Kenner | Stars: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Richard Lobb, Vince Edwards
Votes: 52,229 | Gross: $4.42M
9. Home (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, Family
With aerial footage from fifty-four countries, 'Home' is a depiction of how Earth's problems are all interlinked.
Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand | Stars: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Glenn Close, Jacques Gamblin
Votes: 23,053
10. I Am (III) (2010)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary
Director Tom Shadyac speaks with intellectual and spiritual leaders about what's wrong with our world and how we can improve both it and the way we live in it.
Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Tom Shadyac, Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Ray Anderson
Votes: 3,901 | Gross: $1.57M
11. 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: 78,995 | Gross: $4.31M
12. Into the Abyss (2011)
PG-13 | 107 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Conversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Richard Lopez, Michael Perry, Damon Hall
Votes: 17,359 | Gross: $0.22M
13. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)
PG | 81 min | Documentary
A documentary on 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono, his renowned Tokyo restaurant, and his relationship with his son and eventual heir, Yoshikazu.
Director: David Gelb | Stars: Jiro Ono, Yoshikazu Ono, Masuhiro Yamamoto, Daisuke Nakazama
Votes: 38,030 | Gross: $2.55M
14. La Jetée (1962)
Not Rated | 28 min | Short, Drama, Romance
The story of a man forced to explore his memories in the wake of World War III's devastation, told through still images.
Director: Chris Marker | Stars: Étienne Becker, Jean Négroni, Hélène Chatelain, Davos Hanich
Votes: 37,075
15. Life (2009)
TV-G | 43 min | Documentary
David Attenborough's legendary BBC crew explains and shows wildlife all over planet earth. From giving an overview of the challenges facing life to hunting the deep sea and various major evolutionary groups of creatures.
Stars: Oprah Winfrey, David Attenborough, Doug Allan, Roger Munns
Votes: 42,823
16. Life in a Day (2011)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary shot by film-makers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the twenty-fourth of July, 2010.
Directors: Tegan Bukowski, Loressa Clisby, Kevin Macdonald, Hiroaki Aikawa, Natalia Andreadis, Jack Attridge, Cristina Bocchialini, Zillah Bowes, Andrea Dalla Costa, Lisa Cottrell-Bentley, Alejo Crisóstomo, Sócrates Cuadri, Ayman El Gazwy, Shawn Gadberry, Seth Grant, Jane Haubrich, Soma Helmi, Jennifer M. Howd, Clementine Isaac, Aditya Kolli, Gabor Kukucska, Francesco La Regina, Frederic Lumiere, Marek Mackovic, Zuqy Cruz Marquez, Linda Matarasso, Kevin McMahon, Joseph Michael, Joaquin Montalvan, Lilit Movsisyan, Emmanuelle Pickett, Christopher Redmond, Alejandro Romeo, Alaa Sheikh Hassan, Marcus Tedenryd | Stars: Hiroaki Aikawa, Cindy Baer, Teagan Bentley, Ester Brym
Votes: 15,570 | Gross: $0.25M
17. Mythic Journeys (2009)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
Every human asks: who am I? What is my purpose? The answers are in the sustaining allegories of myths from human history. Mythic Journeys reveals how those myths can transform lives into journeys.
Directors: Steven Boe, Whitney Boe | Stars: Mark Hamill, Tim Curry, Lance Henriksen, Steven Aizenstat
Votes: 140
18. Planet Earth (2006)
TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary, Family
A documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, David Attenborough, Nikolay Drozdov, Thomas Anguti Johnston
Votes: 220,375
19. The Human Experience (2008)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary
The story of a band of brothers who travel the world in search of the answers to the burning questions: Who am I? Who is Man? Why do we search for meaning? Their journey brings them into ... See full summary »
Director: Charles Kinnane | Stars: Jeffrey Azize, Clifford Azize, Michael Campo, Matthew Sanchez
Votes: 978
20. 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: 41,513 | Gross: $1.72M
21. Powaqqatsi (1988)
G | 99 min | Documentary, Music
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
Director: Godfrey Reggio | Stars: Christie Brinkley, David Brinkley, Patrick Disanto, Pope John Paul II
Votes: 8,878 | Gross: $0.59M
22. Naqoyqatsi (2002)
PG | 89 min | Documentary, Music
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Director: Godfrey Reggio | Stars: Belladonna, Marlon Brando, Elton John, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Votes: 6,242 | Gross: $0.13M
23. Roving Mars (2005)
G | 40 min | Documentary, Short
Through the eyes of two state-of-the-art rovers, and with NASA scientists at your side, you'll see Mars in a way no one ever has before-direct from the surface of the amazing red planet.
Director: George Butler | Stars: Paul Newman, Steve Squyres, Rob Manning, Charles Elachi
Votes: 1,124 | Gross: $10.40M
24. Bells from the Deep: Faith and Superstition in Russia (1993)
60 min | Documentary
What is faith and religion to Russians after the fall of communism? We get the insight into the Russian Orthodox church as well as different folk and shamanic beliefs.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Anna Hitch, Vissarion, Yuri Yurievich Yurieff
Votes: 1,104
25. Fierce Light: When Spirit Meets Action (2008)
TV-G | 90 min | Documentary
Captures the exciting movement of Spiritual Activism that is exploding around the planet, and the powerful personalities who are igniting it.
Director: Velcrow Ripper | Stars: Krishna Aratna, Joan Baez, Sera Beak, Michael Beckwith
Votes: 133
26. Seven Wonders of the Buddhist World (2011 TV Movie)
74 min | Documentary
In the documentary Bettany Hughes visits 7 sites important to Buddism: Bodh Gaya, India; Bodanath Stupa, Nepal; Temple of The Tooth, Sri Lanka; Wat Pho Temple, Thailand; Angkor Wat, ... See full summary »
Director: Faris Kermani | Stars: Bettany Hughes, Dinar Boontharn, Mario Cee, Ani Choying Dolma
Votes: 124
27. The Blue Planet (2001)
TV-G | 49 min | Documentary
Mammoth series, five years in the making, taking a look at the rich tapestry of life in the world's oceans.
Stars: David Attenborough, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Scoones
Votes: 42,726
28. The Secret (2006 Video)
PG | 90 min | Documentary
Interviews with self-proclaimed authors, philosophers and scientists, with an in-depth discussion of visualizing your goals. The audience is shown how they can learn and use 'The Secret' in their everyday lives.
Director: Drew Heriot | Stars: Bob Proctor, Joe Vitale, John Assaraf, Loral Langemeier
Votes: 14,060
29. To Be and to Have (2002)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Family
A documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher.
Director: Nicolas Philibert | Stars: Georges Lopez, Alizé, Axel Thouvenin, Guillaume
Votes: 8,419 | Gross: $0.78M
30. 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
31. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011)
Not Rated | 161 min | Documentary
A feature length documentary work which presents a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society.
Director: Peter Joseph | Stars: Peter Joseph, Robert Sapolsky, Gabor Maté, Richard Wilkinson
Votes: 18,745
32. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
G | 99 min | Documentary
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Scott Rowland, Stefan Pashov, Doug MacAyeal
Votes: 19,260 | Gross: $0.94M
33. Alone in the Wilderness (2004 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary
In 1968, one man films his attempt to build a cabin and live in the Alaskan wilderness. He goes weeks or months at a time without human contact.
Director: Dick Proenneke | Stars: Dick Proenneke, Bob Swerer Jr., Wendy Ishii, Pamela Guest
Votes: 4,020
34. Long Way Round (2004–2010)
TV-PG | 32 min | Documentary, Adventure
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embark on a grueling quest to motorbike from London to New York. Going east through Europe, Asia and then to Alaska, they experience different cultures and have to overcome the elements and adversity.
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin
Votes: 15,287
35. Long Way Down (2007)
TV-MA | 52 min | Documentary
Two guys take a trip of several months on motorcycles. They travel from the North of Scotland, down through Europe, into Africa, finally winding up in Cape Town, South Africa.
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin
Votes: 6,694
Tell Your Friends