True Crime Docs
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- StarsJohn DillingerMelvin PurvisPropagandic newsreel commissioned by J. Edgar Hoover to make the FBI's killing of John Dillinger seem more heroic, after a public outcry complained that the government's shooting a man in the back while leaving a movie theatre was cowardly.
- DirectorRobert HendricksonLaurence MerrickStarsBobby BeausoleilMary BrunnerVincent BugliosiDocumentary on Charles Manson and his family. Has a number of insightful interviews with many family members most notably Squeaky and Sandy (Blue and Red). There is also a history of Manson from his birth to the family formation to the Tate/La Bianca murders. Plenty of footage of the family playing at Spahn Ranch.
- DirectorHoward AlkStarsSkip AndrewEdward CarmodyJames DavisA chronicle of Fred Hampton's revolutionary leadership of the Illinois Black Panther Party, followed by an investigation into his assassination at the hands of the Chicago Police Department.
- DirectorCinda FirestoneStarsJohn AndriniHerman BadilloL.D. BarkleyIn 1971, inmates at Attica State Prison seized control of D-yard and took 35 hostages after peaceful efforts for reforms failed. Attica investigates the rebellion and its bloody suppression, revealing institutionalized injustices, sanctioned dishonesty, and abuses of power.
- DirectorAlan RaymondSusan RaymondStarsCharles RydellTony BouzaA documentary about a police precinct in the South Bronx.
- DirectorSheldon RenanStarsChuck RileyEd DorrisThomas NoguchiA documentary of the decline of America. It features footage (most exclusive to this film) from race riots to serial killers and much, much more.
- DirectorChristine ChoyRenee Tajima-PenaStarsLily ChinRonald EbensStarleneThe film recounts the murder of a Chinese-American automotive engineer in a racially motivated hate crime, and how the murderer escaped justice in the court system.
- DirectorDarrell MooreStarsChuck StevensGeorge FletcherBernhard GoetzShows uncensored portions of the highly emotional Dec. 1984 videotaped confession of Bernhard Goetz, known as the "subway vigilante", who opened fire on four teenagers he feared were about to rob him on a New York subway train. Also discusses Goetz's attempted murder trial at which he was subsequently acquitted.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRandall AdamsDavid HarrisGus RoseA film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
- DirectorDennis AndersonStarsMickey DawesLeo T. Gaje Jr.Dean GilmoreA documentary issued to police in the 80's on how to survive edged-based attacks, primarily blades -- with often comical and novel examples.
- DirectorKen AusubelStarsPeter Barry ChowkaMax GailThe saga of Harry Hoxsey is often called "the wildest story in medical history" and could have been written by Mark Twain. In 1924, Harry Hoxsey claimed a cure for cancer, herbal remedies discovered by his great-grandfather. Thousands of patients swore the treatment cured them, but medical authorities branded Hoxsey the worst cancer quack of the 20th century and he was arrested more times than any other man in medical history. By the 1950s, Hoxsey's Texas clinic was the largest private cancer center in the word with branches in 17 states. Two federal courts upheld the therapeutic value of the treatment. Even his arch-nemesis, the AMA, admitted his treatment was effective against some forms of cancer. Although Hoxsey won almost all the battles, finally he lost the war and moved the clinic to Tijuana, Mexico, where it continues to claim an 80% success rate today. The film exposes the overall failure of the War on Cancer, while revealing how yesterday's "unorthodox" treatments are emerging as tomorrow's medicine. It probes other promising unconventional cancer treatments that have also been condemned without investigation, delving deeply into the powerful economic forces behind this suppression.
- DirectorJon AlpertStarsFreddyMichael JandreauRobertDocumentary maker Jon Alpert follows three petty criminals in Newark. Filmed by a hidden camera, the three are stealing, using drugs, getting caught and convicted.
- DirectorGeorge HollidayStarsRodney KingStacey KoonLaurence PowellOn March 3, 1991, in Los Angeles, California, USA, a group of police officers arrested 25-year-old black taxi driver Rodney King. But what must have been a controlled procedure, turned into a brutal abuse of authority, all of which was captured on video from a balcony by a shocked witness, George Holliday. His videotape became viral and the case turned into a worldwide scandal, with deep and unexpected consequences.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsDelbert WardRoscoe WardLyman WardThis compelling documentary details the strange-but-true murder trial of Delbert Ward, accused of the mercy killing of his brother in rural upstate NY. This real-life murder mystery won the Audience Award at Sundance.
- DirectorElkan AllanStarsJeffrey DahmerE. Michael McCannGerald P. BoyleThis documentary uses clips of the trial of Jeffrey Dahmer to tell the individual stories of his murders.
- DirectorJon AlpertNina RosenblumStarsJon AlpertSean BryanJackieA look inside Rikers Island which is a rather unknown place in New York. Many of the inmates and various people working in the law enforcement field are interviewed. We see aftermath of violence, different units, a drug search in one of the prison units, judge visits etc.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsTony BrooksDiana DavisTerry WoodA horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreElaine BlyDan BurnsOn his book tour, Michael Moore exposes more wrongdoing by greedy big businesses and callous politicians around America.
- StarsLarry Gene BellDavid BerkowitzLee BrownFormer FBI agent John Douglas, the inventor of criminal profiling, leads a journey into the minds of the 20th Century's most notorious killers, including Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsDamien Wayne EcholsMelissa ByersNorris DeajonThe case of the West Memphis Three, its questionable circumstances and the parties involved are followed up years later.
- DirectorJean-Xavier de LestradeStarsAnn FinnellPatrick McGuinnessJames WilliamsOscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.
- DirectorArthur GinsbergStarsMark MustoRocco FazzolariRichard KuklinskiRichard Kuklinski was a devoted husband, a loving father...and a ruthless killer. A decade after HBO last visited him in prison, the convicted murderer, who freely admits having whacked more than 100 people in cold blood, takes viewers back inside his cold, calculating mind. In this follow-up to America Undercover's 1992 film The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer, Kuklinski provides all-new insights about his exploits as one of the Mafia's most notorious assassins...and reveals some shocking confessions for a number of previously unsolved murders.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorAndrew JareckiStarsArnold FriedmanJesse FriedmanDavid FriedmanDocumentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldJoan ChurchillStarsAileen WuornosNick BroomfieldTerry Humphreys-SlayNick Broomfield's second documentary about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, focusing on her mental state on death row.
- DirectorArthur GinsbergStarsRichard KuklinskiPark DietzFor the third time, HBO cameras go inside Trenton State Maximum Security Prison--and inside the mind of one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history--in this gripping documentary. Mafia hit man Richard Kuklinski freely admits to killing more than 100 people, but in this special, he speaks with top psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz in an effort to face the truth about his condition. Filled with more never-before-revealed confessions, it's the most chillingly candid Iceman special yet as it combines often-confrontational interview footage between Kuklinski and Dietz with photos, crime reenactments and home movies that add new layers to this evolving and fascinating story.
- DirectorBrent E. HuffmanMost prison documentaries focus on the inmates. This sobering program features guards and prisoners alike, giving the viewer two interpretations of life at Ohio's Warren Correctional Institution. From the smallest detail-how cellmates rig a shabby partition around their toilet-to the cynicism and frontline sociology with which the corrections officers analyze their surroundings, the video clearly elucidates the effects of prolonged monotony and confinement on the human spirit. As one officer puts it, "Eight hours a day, I'm locked up here too."
- DirectorBilly CorbenStarsJon RobertsAl SunshineSam BurstynThe story of how Miami became the cocaine capital of the United States in the early 1980's and the police officers who turned the tide on crime.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsOliver O'GradyThomas DoyleAdamDocumentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.
- DirectorRicki SternAnne SundbergStarsEvelyn JeffersonFred FlaglerJohn Reeves"The Trials of Darryl Hunt" is a feature documentary about a brutal rape/murder case and a wrongly convicted man, Darryl Hunt, who spent nearly twenty years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Both a social justice story and a personally driven narrative, the film chronicles this capital case from 1984 through 2004. With exclusive footage from two decades, the film frames the judicial and emotional response to a chilling crime - and the implications that reverberate from Hunt's conviction - against a backdrop of class and racial bias in the South and in the American criminal justice system. This documentary is the culmination of ten years of research and filming. In 1993, inspired by claims of injustice and police conspiracy, the filmmakers began to shoot in North Carolina. Working from a mix of formats (16mm and 24P video) the film melds the visceral reality of a murder case with first person accounts and cinematic imagery, illuminating perceptions and memories of events as they unfolded for the people closest to this haunting story. This unique look at one man's loss and redemption challenges the assumption that all Americans have the right to unbiased justice. Hunt's story - while one man's personal journey - reflects systemic issues of national concern: cross-racial eyewitness identification, prosecutorial misconduct, inexperienced defense attorneys assigned to capital cases, racial bias in death penalty cases and errors in police procedure. Barry Scheck from The Innocence Project, who worked on Hunt's case for ten years, and Gary Wells, professor and eyewitness expert, offer concrete examples where errors occurred in Hunt's saga and offer future remedies and effective ideas to prevent future "Darryl Hunts." Hunt himself addresses the need for systemic reforms to prevent wrongful convictions, underscoring the haunting reality that Hunt could have been sentenced to death and we would never have known this story.
- DirectorPatty KimChris SheridanStarsTeruaki MasumotoMegumi YokotaSakie YokotaA documentary on a 13-year-old Japanese girl abducted by North Korean spies.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyBrian Keith AllenMoazzam BeggAlex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
- DirectorKevin BoothStarsJoe ArpaioJello BiafraOsama bin LadenWith commentary from soldiers on both sides of the conflict, filmmaker Kevin Booth's incisive documentary wades into the murky waters of the American war on drugs, the longest and costliest war in U.S. history.
- DirectorChris AngelStarsJohn McStravickDavid TayarMike WoodJim Conley, the forensics supervisor of the Anaheim Police, tells the story of a murder investigation in which his knowledge of blood spatter was crucial.
- DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid BagbyA filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA 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".
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsMegan Ambuhl GranerJaval DavisKen DavisErrol Morris examines the incidents of abuse and torture of suspected terrorists at the hands of U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison.
- DirectorBilly CorbenStarsNelson AndreuJorge AyalaGriselda BlancoThe sequel follows cocaine dealer Charles Crosby beginning in 1991 on the inner-city streets of Oakland, California. The story of Griselda Blanco is presented in greater depth.
- DirectorMarina ZenovichStarsAndrew BraunsbergRichard BrennemanDouglas DaltonExamines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary filmmaker Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
- DirectorScott GoldsteinStarsAnthony HopkinsJohn EhrlichmanBarbara GreenspunConvicted gun runner, Las Vegas visionary, crusading newspaper publisher, target of the Watergate burglars, hero of Israel's War of Independence, these are only some the highlights of Hank Greenspun's remarkable life. A previously untold story of a genuine American hero. From his early days working for Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, and his secret life in the underground Haganah, to his public battles with Senator Joseph McCarthy, bigoted casino owners, and the I.R.S., Hank Greenspun was fearless.
- DirectorDon HardyDana NachmanStarsJack CummingsJackie CummingsAllen GraftonThe story of several families who have their lives destroyed when their hometown is whipped into a frenzy by allegations of child molestation.
- DirectorFroi CuestaFrancis DeliaDontay KiddStarsGameThe Game spits the truth about his rise from the streets of Compton on camera and on stage with insights on a chaotic childhood, the drugs, the shootings that almost killed him, the falling out with G-Unit, his infamous beef with 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, and his rebirth as a multi-platinum powerhouse. The Game delivers with previously unseen concert footage, shocking interviews, and original music.
- 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.
- DirectorBarbara BrancaccioJoshua ZemanStarsJoshua ZemanBarbara BrancaccioBill EllisRealizing that the urban legend of their youth has actually come true, two filmmakers delve into the mystery surrounding five missing children and the real-life boogeyman linked to their disappearances.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreWilliam BlackJimmy CarterAn examination of the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsJoyce McKinneyPeter ToryTroy WilliamsA documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary.
- DirectorJohnny ChechitelliStarsEd O'NeillRay 'Boom Boom' ManciniJim CummingsYoungstown, Ohio is a city with a negative reputation. It has been called Steel Town, Crime Town USA & Murder Town Ohio, but these days, residents just call it Ytown. This documentary finally gives the people of Ytown a chance to tell their story of survival and talk about issues such as the fall of the steel industry, the influence of the Italian mafia, corruption, assassinations, an inordinate output of successful professional athletes and every day life in a blue collar town.
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsJesse TempleBrad KatinasDiane SchulerThis documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother?
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogRichard LopezMichael PerryConversations with death row inmate Michael Perry and those affected by his crime serve as an examination of why people - and the state - kill.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsGary GitchellTodd MooreDana MooreA 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.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsTio HardimanAmeena MatthewsToya BateyA year in the life of a city grappling with urban violence.
- DirectorMichael CollinsWhen a teenager from a political family in the Philippines is accused of a double murder, the country's entire judicial system is put to the test after years of alleged corruption.
- DirectorYoav PotashStarsDeborah PeaglerJoshua SafranNadia CostaThe story of the battle to free Debbie Peagler, an incarcerated survivor of brutal domestic violence. Over 20 years in prison cannot crush the spirit of this determined African-American woman, despite the injustices she has experienced, first at the hands of a duplicitous boyfriend who beat her and forced her into prostitution, and later by prosecutors who cornered her into a life behind bars for her connection to the murder of her abuser. Her story takes an unexpected turn two decades later when a pair of rookie land-use attorneys cut their teeth on her case -- and attract global attention to the troubled intersection of domestic violence and criminal justice.
- DirectorGrover BabcockBlue HadaeghStarsTim ColaneriAdrian ThomasExplores a nearly 10-hour interrogation that culminates in a disputed confession, and an intense, high-profile murder trial in New York state. Police video-recordings reveal the complicated psychological dynamic between detectives and their suspect during the long interrogation. Detectives, prosecutors, witnesses, jurors and the suspect himself offer conflicting accounts of exactly what happened in this mysterious and disturbing true-crime documentary.
- 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.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsJason BaldwinDamien Wayne EcholsJessie MisskelleyAn examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three.
- DirectorKen BurnsSarah BurnsDavid McMahonStarsAntron McCrayKevin RichardsonKharey WiseA documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsAmy ZieringKirby DickKori CiocaAn investigative documentary about the epidemic of rape of soldiers within the US military.
- DirectorMatthew CookeStars'Freeway' Ricky RossSusan SarandonDavid SimonTen easy steps show you how to make money from drugs, featuring a series of interviews with drug dealers, prison employees, and lobbyists arguing for tougher drug laws.
- DirectorThymaya PayneStolen Seas presents a chilling exploration of the Somali pirate phenomenon and forces you to rethink everything you thought you knew about pirates. It's November 8th, 2008 and the CEC Future, a Danish-owned merchant ship, is on high alert. Sailing inside the pirate-infested swath of sea between Somalia and Yemen, the ship's captain blinks hard at the radar screen where a light begins to flash. This is it, Nozhkin thinks, and he's right. Machine guns sound on the boat's hull and for two months this 13-man crew will be held at the mercy of Somali pirates, helpless as hostage negotiations threaten their lives and cameras capture every move. The pirates' translator, Ishmael Ali, a single dad who may or may not have stumbled into this controversial role, puts in a call to the shipping magnate's CEO Per Gullestrup demanding an exorbitant 7 million dollars. The shipowner's response is the first of many misfires and communications to come. These two adversaries will have to become unlikely allies as they race against time in an attempt to keep the crew from being killed by their violent captors. Stolen Seas documents the story of 13 powerless men trapped on a ship, and why their captors feel justified in their tyranny. It's the story of a Somali translator who get's in over his head -trying to give his son a chance. With first hand accounts from leading experts on the subject refuting the common misconceptions, Stolen Seas explores theories of what drives a country to piracy, from every point of view. It is a film about a country on the brink, at the mercy of global capitalism in overdrive, and young boys with nothing to loose.
- 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.
- DirectorAl ReinertJohn DeanNellie GonzalezStarsNellie GonzalezMichael MortonJohn Raley'Our procedure has been always haunted by the ghost of the innocent man convicted. It is an unreal dream.' - Justice Learned Hand, 1923. The prospect of unjust imprisonment is a plight both easily imagined and terrifying, and we all wonder how we might fare in such a grim circumstance. No case in modern America illuminates this condition more completely than the story of Michael Morton. In 1986, his young wife was brutally murdered in front of their only child, and he was accused and convicted of the crime, spending a quarter century in Texas prisons. His unreal dream was and is a powerful journey through despair and abandonment to a greater freedom than most of us know, but all can appreciate.
- DirectorRobert MayStarsCharlie BalasavageJoanne BalasavageJustin BodnarKids For Cash is a riveting look behind the notorious judicial scandal that rocked the nation. Beyond the millions paid and high stakes corruption, Kids For Cash exposes a shocking American secret. In the wake of the shootings at Columbine, a small town celebrates a charismatic judge who is hell-bent on keeping kids in line...until one parent dares to question the motives behind his brand of justice. This real life thriller reveals the untold stories of the masterminds at the center of the scandal and the chilling aftermath of lives destroyed in the process - a stunning emotional roller coaster.
- DirectorTheo LoveStarsDavid MahfoodPeggy MahfoodBill ParrIn the buckle of the Bible Belt, 10 churches burn to the ground in just over a month igniting the largest criminal investigation in East Texas history.
- DirectorTiller RussellStarsMike DowdKen EurellWalter YurkiwMeet the dirtiest cop in NYC history. Michael Dowd stole money and dealt drugs while patrolling the streets of 80s Brooklyn.
- 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.
- DirectorBilly CorbenStarsNelson AndreuEdna BuchananRandy ChristmasEnglish In 1980s Miami, cocaine traffickers brought unprecedented violence. This story shows how Miami became the drug, murder and money center of America.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsEvan HenziMichael Egan IIIMark RyanAn investigation into accusations of teenagers being sexually abused within the film industry.
- DirectorNick BroomfieldBarney BroomfieldMarc HoeferlinStarsNick BroomfieldLonnie David Franklin Jr.DonnaNick Broomfield digs into the case of the notorious serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper, who terrorized South Central Los Angeles over a span of twenty-five years.
- DirectorDavid BeilinsonMichael GalinskySuki HawleyStarsNoreen GoschNancy AllenPaul BonacciAn examination into the cold case of the Iowa boy, Johnny Gosch, who disappeared on his paper route 30 years earlier.
- DirectorJoe BerlingerStarsStephen RakesJames 'Whitey' BulgerTommy DonahueA look at James 'Whitey' Bulger, one of the most infamous criminals in American history.
- DirectorGabriel LondonStarsScoot McNairyShea WhighamWhen a legendary escape artist comes up for parole after 30 years behind bars, a chance for freedom must be weighed against his infamous past.
- DirectorBenjamin StatlerStarsDaniel RoebuckSarah ScottAugust EmersonTom Grant, a private investigator once hired by Courtney Love, reveals his take on the death of Kurt Cobain.
- DirectorAndrew JenksStarsKevin CraneChuck EricksonBill FergusonIn 2005, 20-year-old Ryan Ferguson was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, causing his father, Bill, to embark on a 10-year campaign to prove Ryan's innocence.
- DirectorJames D. SolomonJessica RobinsonStarsWilliam GenoveseKitty GenoveseCharles SkollerThe brother of Kitty Genovese investigates the circumstances of her murder and the truth of the story that dozens of locals witnessed the crime and did nothing to intervene.
- DirectorMike DorseyStarsImari WilliamsGreg KadingFrank AlexanderThe inside story behind the Biggie and Tupac murder investigations is laid bare using police case files, taped confessions never before shown on film, and interviews with lead detective Greg Kading and other witnesses.
- DirectorMarc SilverStarsLucia McBathRon DavisMichael David DunnIn 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets, two lives intersected and were forever altered.
- DirectorMarc LevinStarsMichael Levine'Freeway' Ricky RossEric SterlingFREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM tells the story of broken dreams, drug dealers, dirty cops, and government complicity-more compelling than fiction, it's the real story behind America's longest war. This documentary by award-winning filmmaker Marc Levin (SLAM, Mr. Untouchable, Brick City) exposes how the infiltration of crack cocaine destroyed inner-city neighborhoods across the country. At the center of it all is the rise, fall and redemption of Freeway Rick Ross, a street hustler who became the King of Crack, and journalist Gary Webb, who broke the story of the CIA's complicity in the drug war. Featuring exclusive interviews with Freeway Rick Ross, not to be confused with the rapper who took his name Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gary Webb, his source Coral Baca, and wife Susan Webb former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Roberto Juarez drug trafficker Julio Zavala and many more. The real Rick Ross is not a rapper. He's an urban legend in South Central LA, a black godfather figure whom most people have never seen, but know by name and reputation. He's 'Freeway' Rick Ross, the man who stood at the center of the crack epidemic, and whose name has been inextricably linked to the CIA-Contra-Cocaine connection. His story defies all odds and stereotypes and proves that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
- DirectorKim LonginottoStarsBrenda Myers-PowellT.T.KeenaTakes us into a hidden world of prostitution and sexual trafficking through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell.
- DirectorBrad BarberScott ChristophersonStarsRadley BalkoWilliam 'Dub' LawrenceA look at the increasingly militarized state of American police told through the story of "Dub" Lawrence, a former sheriff who established his state's first SWAT team only to see it kill his son-in-law in a standoff 30 years later.
- DirectorArik ReissStarsEthan NadelmannDavid NuttRick Doblin184 countries signed up to fight Richard Nixon's War On Drugs. New Zealand adopted these drug policies and for decades has lead the world in arresting its citizens for cannabis. Now even as the US turns its back on the failed prohibition of marijuana, New Zealand refuses to change its approach. Someone is arrested here for cannabis every thirty minutes - despite the fact that no one has ever died from using it, the war on cannabis has no end in sight. Through cannabis users and growers, police officers, economists, doctors, politicians and scientists, we examine the cause and effect nature of the underground cannabis business - and explain how other jurisdictions have pulled this black market out of the darkness.
- DirectorAva DuVernayStarsMelina AbdullahMichelle AlexanderCory BookerAn in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
- DirectorRod BlackhurstBrian McGinnStarsAmanda KnoxMeredith KercherRaffaele SollecitoAmerican exchange student Amanda Knox is charged with the 2007 death of another student in Italy.
- DirectorEzra EdelmanStarsKareem Abdul-JabbarMike AlbaneseMuhammad AliA chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
- DirectorJon GreenhalghStarsJohn du PontDave SchultzMike GostigianDocumentary filmmaker Jon Greenhalgh examines the life of Dave Schultz, a professional wrestler who was part of 'Team Foxcatcher', funded by multi-millionaire John du Pont.
- DirectorKeith MaitlandStarsMonty MuirViolett BeaneCole Bee WilsonAnimation, testimony, and archival footage combine to relate the events of August 1, 1966 when a gunman opened fire from the University of Texas clock tower, killing 16 people.
- DirectorBonni CohenJon ShenkStarsRobin BourlandDaisy ColemanCharles ColemanA look at the effects that online bullying has on the lives of teenagers and their community.
- DirectorNanfu WangStarsYe HaiyanHuangWang JianfenA human rights activist and filmmaker travels to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused, while being followed by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors.
- DirectorRyan SuffernStarsKate DoyleScott GreatheadFredy PeccerelliFINDING OSCAR is a feature length documentary about the search for justice in the devastating case of the Dos Erres massacre in Guatemala. That search leads to the trail of two little boys who were plucked from a nightmare and offer the only living evidence that ties the Guatemalan government to the massacre.
- DirectorMark BurmanMike CooleySouth Bureau Homicide, set in South Los Angeles, explores the unsung bond created by the homicide detectives of LAPD and the local community's anti-violent-crime activists who together investigate and cope with the persistent menace of homicidal violence that plagues a disproportionately small part of LA.
- DirectorErin Lee CarrStarsJim ArnottDavid BlanchardDee Dee BlanchardIn this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.
- DirectorSkye BorgmanStarsJan BrobergBob BrobergMary Ann BrobergThe twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.
- DirectorJacob LaMendolaStarsTasha BoggsJuan CatalanMelissa CatalanWhen Juan Catalan is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, he builds his case around raw footage from the popular TV show, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000).
- DirectorShawn RechStarsRichard Wershe Jr.Scott M. BurnsteinDana HathawayIn 1980's Detroit, 17 year-old Richard Wershe, Jr. allegedly ran a sophisticated inner-city drug dealing operation. Now, journalists, police, federal agents and hit men are speaking for the first time about the legend of "White Boy Rick."
- DirectorDaniel LindsayT.J. MartinStarsHenry AlfaroDanny BakewellJohn D. BarnettTwenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine that tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.
- DirectorKitty GreenStarsHannah CagwinAeona CruzLiv BagleyIn the months following the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, responses were elicited from her Colorado hometown community, creating a work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime inspired.
- DirectorYance FordStarsYance FordHarvey WalkerKevin MyersWhen filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young Black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey, since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker's brother.
- DirectorBarak GoodmanStarsJanet BeckAlan BergJim BottingDocuments the beliefs and experiences of Timothy McVeigh in the lead-up to his bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, which claimed 168 lives.
- DirectorPat KondelisStarsDave BlissRob FaubionRoshaun ValentineThe background of the 2003 murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy and the attempted, related cover-up of NCAA violations rampant in the Baylor basketball program by Coach Dave Bliss.