Documentaries to watch
by juanrene93 | created - 04 Oct 2014 | updated - 02 Nov 2014 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 14,111 | Gross: $1.60M
2. At Berkeley (2013)
244 min | Documentary
The University of California at Berkeley, the oldest and most prestigious member of a ten campus public education system, is also one of the finest research and teaching facilities in the ... See full summary »
Director: Frederick Wiseman | Star: Anahid Modrek
Votes: 709 | Gross: $0.01M
3. After Tiller (2013)
PG-13 | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
This thought provoking, sometimes troubling documentary examines the personal and ethical imperatives that drive abortion providers to continue in the face of often dangerous legal and personal harassment.
Directors: Martha Shane, Lana Wilson | Stars: George Tiller, Warren Hern, Leroy Carhart, Susan Robinson
Votes: 1,118 | Gross: $0.07M
4. Inequality for All (2013)
PG | 89 min | Documentary
A documentary that follows former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich as he looks to raise awareness of the country's widening economic gap.
Director: Jacob Kornbluth | Stars: Robert Reich, Conan O'Brien, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin
Votes: 7,016 | Gross: $1.21M
5. God Loves Uganda (2013)
TV-14 | 83 min | Documentary
An account of the American Evangelicals' attempts to indoctrinate their Christian Right beliefs in Uganda.
Director: Roger Ross Williams
Votes: 1,255 | Gross: $0.05M
6. The Sarnos: A Life in Dirty Movies (2013)
Unrated | 100 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary shot at the end of pornographer Joe Sarnos's life, which reveals his attempt to make one last film, as well as his relationship with his wife, Peggy.
Director: Wiktor Ericsson | Stars: Joseph W. Sarno, Peggy Steffans, Michael J. Bowen, John Waters
Votes: 528
7. Finding Vivian Maier (2013)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Mystery
A documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.
Directors: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel | Stars: Vivian Maier, John Maloof, Daniel Arnaud, Simon Amédé
Votes: 15,078 | Gross: $1.51M
8. Bridegroom (2013)
R | 80 min | Documentary
Shane Bitney Crone's plans to marry Tom Bridegroom in California after the same-sex marriage law is passed takes a tragic turn when his partner of six years accidentally dies and Tom's family refuses Shane from attending the funeral.
Director: Linda Bloodworth-Thomason | Stars: Cindy Bitney, David Crone, Jessica Mitchell, Lizzy Mohl
Votes: 4,630
9. Cutie and the Boxer (2013)
R | 82 min | Documentary, Biography
This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.
Director: Zach Heinzerling | Stars: Ushio Shinohara, Noriko Shinohara, Alex Shinohara, Ethan Cohen
Votes: 4,736 | Gross: $0.20M
10. Homegoings (2013)
TV-PG | 51 min | Documentary
Through the eyes of funeral director Isaiah Owens, the beauty and grace of African-American funerals are brought to life. Filmed at Owens Funeral Home in New York City's historic Harlem ... See full summary »
Director: Christine Turner | Star: Isaiah Owens
Votes: 70
11. The Gatekeepers (2012)
PG-13 | 101 min | Documentary, History, War
A documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.
Director: Dror Moreh | Stars: Ami Ayalon, Avraham Shalom, Avi Dichter, Yaakov Peri
Votes: 5,886 | Gross: $2.42M
12. Let the Fire Burn (2013)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
A history of the conflict of the City of Philadelphia and the Black Liberation organization, MOVE, that led to the disastrously violent final confrontation in 1985.
Director: Jason Osder | Stars: Birdie Africa, Ramona Africa, Wilson Goode, William Brown III
Votes: 1,454 | Gross: $0.06M
13. Muscle Shoals (2013)
PG | 111 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary that celebrates Rick Hall, the founder of FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and the signature sound he developed in songs such as "I'll Take You There", "Brown Sugar", and "When a Man Loves a Woman".
Director: Greg 'Freddy' Camalier | Stars: Rick Hall, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Candi Staton
Votes: 4,291 | Gross: $0.70M
14. 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: 17,346 | Gross: $0.22M
15. Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (2013)
Not Rated | 81 min | Documentary
The uncompromising Tony and Emmy Award-winner is showcased both on and off stage via rare archival footage and intimate cinema vérité.
Director: Chiemi Karasawa | Stars: Elaine Stritch, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, James Gandolfini
Votes: 987 | Gross: $0.30M
16. Code Black (2013)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, Drama
A notorious trauma bay in an inner-city E.R. earns its keep as the 'hurt locker of medicine' as new, idealistic and adrenaline-seeking doctors train in an environment akin to a war zone. ... See full summary »
Director: Ryan McGarry | Stars: Danny Cheng, Andrew Eads, Jamie Eng, Luis Enriquez
Votes: 675 | Gross: $0.19M
17. The Overnighters (2014)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Drama
Broken, desperate men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local Pastor risks everything to help them.
Director: Jesse Moss | Stars: Jay Reinke, Andrea Reinke, Alan Mezo, Shelly Schultz
Votes: 2,551 | Gross: $0.11M
18. Rich Hill (2014)
Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Rich Hill intimately chronicles the turbulent lives of three boys living in an impoverished Midwestern town and the fragile family bonds that sustain them.
Directors: Andrew Droz Palermo, Tracy Droz Tragos | Stars: Alyssa Jewell, Andrew Jewell, Elizabeth Jewell, Willie Jewell
Votes: 2,508
19. 20,000 Days on Earth (2014)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Drama, Music
Writer and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth.
Directors: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard | Stars: Nick Cave, Susie Bick, Warren Ellis, Darian Leader
Votes: 11,968 | Gross: $0.28M
20. The Dog (I) (2013)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Adventure, Biography
A documentary portrait of the late John Wojtowicz, whose attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank to finance his lover's gender-reassignment surgery was the real-life inspiration for Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
Directors: Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren | Stars: John Wojtowicz, Carmen Bifulco, Jeremy Bowker, Liz Debbie Eden
Votes: 977 | Gross: $0.04M
21. Tabloid (2010)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Crime
A documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary.
Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Joyce McKinney, Peter Tory, Troy Williams, Jackson Shaw
Votes: 7,280 | Gross: $0.68M
22. The Art of the Steal (2009)
Unrated | 101 min | Documentary
Documentary that follows the struggle for control of Dr. Albert C. Barnes' 25 billion dollar collection of modern and post-impressionist art.
Director: Don Argott | Stars: Julian Bond, David D'Arcy, Richard Feigen, Richard H. Glanton
Votes: 2,492 | Gross: $0.54M
23. Bully (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary
A documentary on peer-to-peer bullying in schools across America.
Director: Lee Hirsch | Stars: Alex Libby, Lona Johnson, Kelby Johnson, Bob Johnson
Votes: 10,543 | Gross: $4.04M
24. How to Survive a Plague (2012)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History, News
The story of two coalitions -- ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) -- whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.
Director: David France | Stars: Peter Staley, Larry Kramer, Iris Long, Bob Rafsky
Votes: 4,355 | Gross: $0.13M
25. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, Crime
A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood, Dick Clay
Votes: 18,134
26. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000 TV Movie)
Unrated | 130 min | Documentary, Crime
The case of the West Memphis Three, its questionable circumstances and the parties involved are followed up years later.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Damien Wayne Echols, Melissa Byers, Norris Deajon, Tim Sullivan
Votes: 9,642
27. Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)
Not Rated | 121 min | Documentary, Crime
A further followup of the case of the West Memphis Three and the decades long fight to exonerate them that finally gained traction with new DNA evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Gary Gitchell, Todd Moore, Dana Moore, Pam Hobbs
Votes: 10,859
28. The Square (2013)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Drama, History
A group of Egyptian revolutionaries battle leaders and regimes, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience.
Director: Jehane Noujaim | Stars: Ahmed Hassan, Khalid Abdalla, Magdy Ashour, Ramy Essam
Votes: 9,401 | Gross: $0.12M
29. The Crash Reel (2013)
Not Rated | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Fifteen years of verite footage show the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, childhood friends who become number one and two in the world leading up to the ... See full summary »
Director: Lucy Walker | Stars: Kevin Pearce, Shaun White, Mason Aguirre, Daniel Amen
Votes: 5,080
30. 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: 14,487 | Gross: $1.41M
31. The House I Live In (2012)
Not Rated | 108 min | Documentary
From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.
Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Eugene Jarecki, David Simon, Shanequa Benitez, William Julius Wilson
Votes: 5,394 | Gross: $0.21M
32. Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)
R | 89 min | Documentary, Comedy, Music
A documentary on Conan O'Brien's comedy tour of the U.S. and Canada after leaving The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009) and severing his relationship with NBC.
Director: Rodman Flender | Stars: Conan O'Brien, Andy Richter, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Vivino
Votes: 6,834 | Gross: $0.27M
33. This Is Not a Film (2011)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
It's been months since Jafar Panahi, stuck in jail, has been awaiting a verdict by the appeals court. By depicting a day in his life, Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb try to portray the deprivations looming in contemporary Iranian cinema.
Directors: Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi | Stars: Jafar Panahi, Igi, Mrs. Gheirat, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb
Votes: 5,644 | Gross: $0.08M
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: 25,913 | Gross: $1.21M
35. 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: 58,666 | Gross: $2.96M
36. 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: 75,748 | Gross: $1.61M
37. Hoop Dreams (1994)
PG-13 | 170 min | Documentary, Drama, Sport
A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
Director: Steve James | Stars: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates, Curtis Gates
Votes: 28,011 | Gross: $7.83M
38. Leave the World Behind (2014)
Unrated | 95 min | Documentary, Music
A music documentary following the last tour of the band Swedish House Mafia in 2012/2013, the film tells a story of friendship and huge success.
Directors: Christian Larson, Robin Hofwander | Stars: Steve Angello, Nikhil Chinappa, Axel Hedfors, Sebastian Ingrosso
Votes: 2,351
39. Red Army (2014)
PG | 84 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of the Soviet Union's famed Red Army hockey team through the eyes of its players.
Director: Gabe Polsky | Stars: Viacheslav Fetisov, Vladislav Tretiak, Scotty Bowman, Vladimir Pozner
Votes: 7,209 | Gross: $0.69M
40. 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: 57,964 | Gross: $2.80M
41. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The history of the independent film company, The Cannon Film Group, Inc..
Director: Mark Hartley | Stars: Sam Firstenberg, David Paulsen, Luigi Cozzi, Menahem Golan
Votes: 5,993
42. The Great Invisible (2014)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary
A documentary on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion as seen through the eyes of oil executives, survivors and Gulf Coast residents who experienced it first-hand and then were left to pick up the pieces while the world moved on.
Director: Margaret Brown | Stars: Meccah Boynton-Brown, Doug Brown, Bob Cavnar, Brent Coon
Votes: 595 | Gross: $0.01M
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