Seriously Important Films & Documentries to Watch / סרטים ודוקומנטרים שחשוב מאוד לראות
This list contains important films. It has full documentaries, feature films, full TV shows, specific TV episodes, and short films as well.
I tried to sort it by the level of importance, with documentaries up front.
Important names: Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Slavoj Žižek, Christopher Hitchens, Adam Curtis, Michael Moore, James Randi, Edward Snowden, Aaron Swartz, Jamal Khashoggi.
I tried to sort it by the level of importance, with documentaries up front.
Important names: Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, Slavoj Žižek, Christopher Hitchens, Adam Curtis, Michael Moore, James Randi, Edward Snowden, Aaron Swartz, Jamal Khashoggi.
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- DirectorSidney LumetStarsHenry FondaLee J. CobbMartin BalsamThe jury in a New York City murder trial is frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict.Why there is a need for critical-thinking before deciding on a verdict on a person's life.
- CreatorCharlie BrookerStarsWunmi MosakuMonica DolanDaniel LapaineFeaturing stand-alone dramas -- sharp, suspenseful, satirical tales that explore techno-paranoia -- "Black Mirror" is a contemporary reworking of "The Twilight Zone" with stories that tap into the collective unease about the modern world.Lots of episodes that represents the way technology is affecting us and our morality.
- CreatorAmir Ben-DavidDoron TsabariStarsGuy RollnikYaron ZelekhaDanny GutwinThe series brings up problems in today's economy in Israel.The problems in Israel's economy, in a nutshell.
- DirectorMark AchbarPeter WintonickStarsNoam ChomskyMark AchbarKarin Aguilar-San JuanA film about the noted American linguist/political dissident and his warning about corporate media's role in modern propaganda.8.5 ~ 9.4
- StarsMa Anand SheelaPhilip ToelkesJane StorkWhen Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.When Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.8.7
- DirectorAdam CurtisStarsAdam CurtisDonald TrumpVladimir PutinAdam 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.8.6
- StarsGilles KepelWilliam KristolMelvin GoodmanA series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.
- DirectorYariv MozerStarsDavid Ben-GurionBased on archive material, the film reveals the final years of Israel's founder, David Ben-Gurion. Excluded from leadership, he allowed himself a hindsight perspective on the Zionist enterprise.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsFaye DunawayWilliam HoldenPeter FinchA television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.Corporation's influence over media over the public.
- DirectorLeigh WhannellStarsLogan Marshall-GreenMelanie VallejoSteve DanielsenSet in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioEmily MortimerMark RuffaloTeddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
- DirectorDror MorehStarsAmi AyalonAvraham ShalomAvi DichterA documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.8.5
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. - DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- CreatorYotam GuendelmanAri PinesMika TimorStarsShila InbarIlana RadaRubi HammerschlagA four part documentary mini-series that examines the mysterious murder case of Tair Rada, an Israeli high-school girl who was found brutally murdered in her school's toilets during an ordinary day.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsJacque FrescoRoxanne MeadowsJohn PerkinsZeitgeist: Addendum attempts to locate the root causes of the pervasive social corruption, while also offering a solution.
- DirectorMel GibsonStarsAndrew GarfieldSam WorthingtonLuke BraceyWorld War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, serving during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
- StarsAdam CurtisLove, power, money, ghosts of empire, conspiracies, artificial intelligence and You. An emotional history of the modern world by Adam Curtis.
- StarsAdam CurtisRobert ReichAnn BernaysA documentary about the rise of psychoanalysis as a powerful means of persuasion for both governments and corporations.
- DirectorRon MyrickGreg FranklinStarsPeter DinklageRuth Ben-GhiatJonathan BrentThrough public relations spin, revisionist history and censorship. Soviet autocrat Joseph Stalin found a certain flexibility with the truth useful.How to create reality.
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixRobert De NiroZazie BeetzDuring the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.How a person that suffers from poverty and mental illness is becoming a justified villain.
- DirectorPeter D. HutchisonKelly NyksJared P. ScottStarsNoam ChomskyAlan GreenspanMalcolm XRenowned academic and author Noam Chomsky elucidates 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to unprecedented inequality and the hollowing out of the American middle class.8.0+
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsFrederick SingerNaomi OreskesJamy Ian SwissA documentary that looks at pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities as they speak about topics like toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and climate change.8.0
- DirectorAdam CurtisStarsGeorge BushGeorge W. BushJoanne HerringAn experimental documentary that explores Saudi Arabia's relationship with the U.S. and the role this has played in the war in Afghanistan.7.7
- StarsJohn NashRobert SpitzerJerome WakefieldThe many ways in which Western notions of personal and political freedom are changing in the 21st Century are explored in this three-part documentary from writer and filmmaker Adam Curtis.
- DirectorJohn PilgerStarsFranklin BlaisdellJames BradleyBruce CumingsFrom award winning journalist John Pilger, reveals what the news doesn't - that the world's greatest military power, the United States, and the world's second economic power, China, both nuclear-armed, may well be on the road to war.
- DirectorTaghi AmiraniStarsRalph FiennesWalter MurchWinston ChurchillTheatrical feature documentary on the story of Operation Ajax, the CIA/MI6 staged coup in 1953 in Iran that overthrew Prime Minister Mossadegh.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJulian AssangeAdrian LamoJohn 'FuzzFace' McMahonA documentary that details the creation of Julian Assange's controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history.
- DirectorBrian KnappenbergerStarsAaron SwartzTim Berners-LeeCindy CohnThe story of programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz, who took his own life at the age of 26.
- DirectorJen SenkoStarsGlenn BeckEric BoehlertDavid BrockAfter her dad shifts his politics from left to right, his daughter tries to understand what happened.
- DirectorBryan FogelStarsJamal KhashoggiOmar AbdulazizIrfan FidanWhen Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world piece together the clues to a murder and expose a global cover up.
- DirectorZiga VircStarsSlavoj ZizekJosip Broz TitoJohn F. KennedyExplores the myth of the secret multi-billion-dollar deal behind America's purchase of Yugoslavia's clandestine space program in the early 1960s.Explores the myth of the secret multi-billion-dollar deal behind America's purchase of Yugoslavia's clandestine space program in the early 1960s.
- DirectorMor LoushyDaniel SivanStarsYussuf Abu-WardaYasser ArafatHanan AshrawiA group of Israelis and Palestinians come together in Oslo for an unsanctioned peace talks during the 1990s in order to bring peace to the Middle East.A group of Israelis and Palestinians come together in Oslo for an unsanctioned peace talks during the 1990s in order to bring peace to the Middle East.
- DirectorDror MorehStarsGamal HelalMartin IndykDaniel KurtzerThe epic behind-the-scenes story of the United States' 30-year effort to secure peace in the Middle East. Recounted from the unique perspective of the American mediators on the frontlines.The epic behind-the-scenes story of the United States' 30-year effort to secure peace in the Middle East. Recounted from the unique perspective of the American mediators on the frontlines.
- DirectorMor LoushyStarsAmos OzCENSORED VOICES combines raw original recordings of Israeli soldiers recounting their fears and doubts following Israel's 1967 Six-Day War, using archival newsreel footage as a stark reminder of how far the region remains from peace.CENSORED VOICES combines raw original recordings of Israeli soldiers recounting their fears and doubts following Israel's 1967 Six-Day War, using archival newsreel footage as a stark reminder of how far the region remains from peace.
- DirectorNadav SchirmanStarsMosab Hassan YousefGonen Ben YitzhakSheikh Hassan YousefThe son of a founding leader in the Palestinian organization, Hamas, becomes a spy for the Israelis.The son of a founding leader in the Palestinian organization, Hamas, becomes a spy for the Israelis.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreJohnny FancelliChristina FancelliTo learn what the USA can learn from other nations, Michael Moore playfully "invades" them to see what they have to offer.To learn what the USA can learn from other nations, Michael Moore playfully "invades" them to see what they have to offer.
- DirectorVikram GandhiStarsVikram GandhiTobyGregA documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.
- DirectorLuke HollandAn urgent portrait of the last living generation of Hitler's Third Reich in never-before-seen interviews raising vital questions about authority, conformity, national identity, and their own roles in the greatest human crimes in history.
- StarsYoram SheftelEli GabayMichael ShakedA Cleveland grandfather is brought to trial in Israel, accused of being the infamous German death camp guard known as Ivan the Terrible.
- DirectorAri FolmanStarsAri FolmanRon Ben-YishaiRonny DayagAn Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.
- DirectorBryan FogelStarsBryan FogelDave ZabriskieDon CatlinWhen Bryan sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller.
- DirectorSophie FiennesStarsSlavoj ZizekPhilosopher Slavoj Zizek examines the hidden themes and existential questions asked by world renowned films.
- DirectorTim WardleStarsRobert ShafranMichael DomnitzHoward SchneiderIn 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.
- DirectorBart LaytonStarsAdam O'BrianNicholas BarclayCarey GibsonA documentary centered on a young man in Spain who claims to a grieving Texas family that he is their 16-year-old son who has been missing for 3 years.
- DirectorRick RowleyStarsJeremy ScahillNasser Al AulaqiSaleha Al AulaqiInvestigative journalist Jeremy Scahill is pulled into an unexpected journey as he chases down the hidden truth behind America's expanding covert wars.
- DirectorCassie JayeStarsCassie JayePaul ElamAttila VinczerThe Red Pill chronicles filmmaker Cassie Jaye's journey following the mysterious and polarizing Men's Rights Movement. The Red Pill explores today's gender war and asks the question "what is the future of gender equality?"
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsTahar RahimNouhe Hamady BariSaadna HamoudMohamedou Ould Slahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.How an unlucky person's circumstances lead him to insane denial of his human-rights.
- DirectorAlan J. PakulaStarsDustin HoffmanRobert RedfordJack Warden"The Washington Post" reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
- DirectorGavin HoodStarsKeira KnightleyMatt SmithMatthew GoodeThe true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
- DirectorRonit ElkabetzShlomi ElkabetzStarsRonit ElkabetzSimon AbkarianGabi AmraniAfter a lukewarm marriage of over twenty years, a woman appeals to her husband's compassion to obtain the desirable divorce document in front of a court, which proves to be more challenging than she would expect.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsTristan HarrisJeff SeibertBailey RichardsonExplores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
- DirectorRob ReinerStarsTom CruiseJack NicholsonDemi MooreMilitary lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
- DirectorPenny MarshallStarsRobert De NiroRobin WilliamsJulie KavnerThe victims of an encephalitis epidemic many years ago have been catatonic ever since, but now a new drug offers the prospect of reviving them.
- DirectorTyler MeasomJustin WeinsteinStarsJames RandiPenn JilletteTellerThe life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing 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.
- DirectorJason ReitmanStarsAaron EckhartCameron BrightMaria BelloSatirical comedy follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain a role model for his 12-year old son.
- DirectorCullen HobackStarsMax SchremsMobyMark ZuckerbergA documentary that exposes what corporations and governments learn about people through Internet and cell phone usage, and what can be done about it ... if anything.
- DirectorScooter DowneyJon du ToitStarsMike CernovichScott AdamsCassie JayeHOAXED is an insider's look at the Fake News phenomenon and the consequences of media misinformation, with interviews from those who have been accused of spreading it themselves.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsBabak AhmadpoorFarhang AkhavanMohammad Reza NematzadehIn this documentary, Kiarostami asks a number of students about their school homework. The answers of some children shows the darker side of this method of education.
- DirectorRory KennedyStarsDonald TrumpMaria BartiromoLester HoltExamining the months since the tragedies, which caused global panic in March 2019 after two new aircrafts crashed within five months, killing 346 people.
- DirectorAli AkbarzadehStarsLawrence LessigTim WuPeter LudlowThe Internet is under attack. This award-winning documentary explores the threat Internet censorship imposes on free speech, innovation, and democracy.
- DirectorMax JosephStarsMax JosephMonica LewinskyJon RonsonA look at public shaming in modern day culture.
- DirectorSébastien LifshitzThe touching portrait of eight-year-old Sasha, who questions her gender and in doing so, evokes the sometimes disturbing reactions of a society that is still invested in a biological boy-girl way of thinking.A.K.A: "Little Girl".
- DirectorOlivia WildeStarsFlorence PughHarry StylesChris PineWhile her husband leaves home everyday to work in a top secret facility, a young 1950s housewife begins to question her life when she notices strange behavior from the other wives in the neighborhood.
- DirectorMaria SchraderStarsZoe KazanCarey MulliganPatricia ClarksonJodi Kantor and Megan Twohey's quest to break the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
- DirectorDuncan TuckerStarsFelicity HuffmanKevin ZegersFionnula FlanaganA transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.
- DirectorPaolo GenoveseStarsGiuseppe BattistonAnna FogliettaMarco GialliniSeven long-time friends meet for dinner. They decide to share their text messages, emails and phone calls. Secrets are unveiled. Harmony trembles.
- DirectorEran RiklisStarsTawfeek BarhomRazi GabareenYaël AbecassisA Palestinian-Israeli boy named Eyad is sent to a prestigious boarding school in Jerusalem, where he struggles with issues of language, culture, and identity.
- DirectorYaron ZilbermanStarsYehuda Nahari HaleviAmitay Yaish Ben OusilioAnat RavnitzkiDetails the year leading to the assassination of Israel's Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995), from the point of view of the assassin.
- DirectorAndy WellsStarsLouis TherouxYair LiebermanDaniel LuriaLouis Theroux visits a small group of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers.
- DirectorRobert Kane PappasStarsVincent BugliosiJeff CohenDennis KucinichA documentary analyzing the role of the modern American media and its effects on democracy.
- DirectorOrit Fouks RotemStarsLiora LeviAseel FarhatOrit SamuelEight women, Arab and Jewish, take part in a video workshop hosted by Rona, young filmmaker. With each camera take, the group dynamic forces the women to challenge their beliefs as they get to know one other.
- DirectorYael MelamedeStarsDan ArielyFrom ticket-fixing in our police departments to test-score scandals in our schools, from our elected leaders' extra-marital affairs to financial schemes undermining our economy, dishonesty seems to be a ubiquitous part of the news. But it's not just true in the headlines - we ALL cheat.
- DirectorLarry WeinsteinStarsRachael Leigh CookMarilyn MonroeFreddie Prinze Jr.Academics, public relations experts, and satirists of various kinds describe the history and nature of propaganda.
- DirectorPiers GarlandStarsTariq AliJulian AssangeNoam ChomskySome see a terrorist - some see a journalist. This is an unparalleled look at the journey of how one man and his mission to empower the world with information became the target of the most powerful government in the world, the United States government. From coder to convict. This is the story of Julian Assange. One man and his fight for a fair trial. One man and his quest for truth.
- DirectorAndrzej CelinskiHanna PolakAIDS, drug abuse, police brutality, and other social ills in post-Soviet Russia.
- DirectorRoss AshcroftStarsDominic FrisbyGillian TettLawrence WilkersonThe modern day Four Horsemen continue to ride roughshod over the people who can least afford it. Crises are converging when governments, religion and mainstream economists have stalled. 23 international thinkers come together and break their silence about how the world really works and why there is still hope in re-establishing a moral and just society. Four Horsemen is free from mainstream media propaganda, doesn't bash bankers, criticize politicians or get involved in conspiracy theories. The film ignites the debate about how we usher a new economic paradigm into the world which, globally, would dramatically improve the quality of life for billions.
- DirectorTony GilroyStarsGeorge ClooneyTilda SwintonTom WilkinsonA law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.
- DirectorEugene JareckiStarsBrian CoxHenry KissingerAnna ChennaultA film about the war crimes of the American diplomat, Henry Kissinger.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsDavid SangerEmad KiyaeiEric ChienA documentary focused on Stuxnet, a piece of self-replicating computer malware that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility, and which ultimately spread beyond its intended target.
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsMark RuffaloAnne HathawayTim RobbinsA corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.How a very corporation can manipulate facts to gain profits.
- DirectorLaura PoitrasStarsEdward SnowdenGlenn GreenwaldWilliam BinneyA documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
- DirectorJohn LundbergRoland DenningKypros KyprianouStarsRobert J. DurantRichard DotyTracy TorméFor over 60 years, the US Air Force and US intelligence services exploited and manipulated beliefs about UFOs and extraterrestrial visits as part of their counter-intelligence programs. Now some of those behind these operations speak out.
- DirectorBen AffleckStarsBen AffleckBryan CranstonJohn GoodmanActing under the cover of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a science fiction film, a CIA agent launches a dangerous operation to rescue six Americans in Tehran during the U.S. hostage crisis in Iran in 1979.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsJoseph Gordon-LevittShailene WoodleyMelissa LeoThe NSA's illegal surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency's employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.
- DirectorHenry JoostAriel SchulmanStarsNev SchulmanAriel SchulmanHenry JoostYoung filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries.
- DirectorNadine LabakiStarsZain Al RafeeaYordanos ShiferawBoluwatife Treasure BankoleWhile serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, a 12-year-old boy sues his parents for neglect.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsChristian BaleAmy AdamsSteve CarellThe story of Dick Cheney, an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that are still felt today.
- DirectorTamara JenkinsStarsKathryn HahnPaul GiamattiGabrielle ReidAn author is undergoing multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant, putting her relationship with her husband on edge.
- DirectorTommy O'HaverStarsMelissa LeoBrandon Mychal SmithJuno TempleThe life of Madelyn Murray O'Hair, the outspoken activist and founder of American Atheists.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsBalinese Tari Legong DancersNi Made Megahadi PratiwiPuti Sri Candra DewiFilmed 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.
- DirectorRod LurieStarsKate BeckinsaleMatt DillonVera FarmigaIn Washington, D.C., a reporter faces a possible jail sentence for outing a CIA agent and refusing to reveal her source.
- DirectorMimi LederStarsKevin SpaceyHaley Joel OsmentHelen HuntA young boy attempts to make the world a better place after his teacher gives him that chance.
- DirectorMichael MadsenStarsCarl Reinhold BråkenhjelmMikael JensenBerit LundqvistA documentary on the safety of nuclear storage.
- What it felt like to live through the collapse of communism and democracy.
- DirectorZiad DoueiriStarsAdel KaramKamel El BashaCamille SalamehAfter an emotional exchange between a Lebanese Christian and a Palestinian refugee escalates, the men end up in a court case that gets national attention.
- StarsJohn PilgerExplores how banks in the First World advance loans to Third World countries and its catastrophic effects on the lifestyles and well-being of the citizens in poorer countries.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.