Dan Smith's Top 45 Documentaries
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- DirectorJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsTony BrooksDiana DavisTerry WoodA horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
- DirectorJames ErskineStarsGary OldmanRebecca Marie BurnettPaul GascoigneBefore the Premier League and multi-million pound salaries, in England 'football' was a dirty word. The game was in disgrace, the fans, hooligans, the nation, it seemed, were all played out. Then there was Italia '90 - The World Cup - a shot at redemption. But this was no ordinary World Cup and no ordinary time. The manager, Sir Bobby Robson, was under intense media scrutiny, and his team described as 'donkeys'. Yet over six short weeks, through their heroic exploits they united a nation, coming within a heart beat of reaching the World Cup Final. Narrated by Gary Oldman, featuring match action - from Platt's last-gasp winner against Belgium to the silky skills of Gazza and the cool finishing of Linekar - and previously unseen footage, this is the definitive story of England's greatest footballing adventure on foreign soil....so far.
- 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.
- DirectorMalik BendjelloulStarsRodriguezStephen 'Sugar' SegermanDennis CoffeyTwo South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
- DirectorSacha GervasiStarsRobb ReinerSteve 'Lips' KudlowTiziana ArrigoniSince 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.
- DirectorVaughan SivellStarsJoe CalzagheEnzo CalzagheJames Dean BradfieldThe story of the rise to glory of boxer Joe Calzaghe.
- DirectorJames TobackStarsMike TysonMills LaneTrevor BerbickA mixture of original interviews, archival footage, and photographs sheds light on the life experiences of Mike Tyson.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAyrton SennaReginaldo LemeJohn BisignanoA documentary on Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the F1 world championship three times before his death at age 34.
- DirectorMike BrettSteve JamisonStarsLi'atama Amisone Jr.Faiivae Iuli Alex GodinetD'Angelo HerreraThe American Samoa soccer team, deemed "worst in the world", try to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorLeon GastRyan MooreStarsJimmy KimmelSardo MejiaLiam NeesonWorld Champion. Congressman. Father. Manny Pacquiao fights any obstacle that comes his way. As his home country of 100 million people watches his every move, the question now is: what bridge is too far for Manny?
- DirectorJulien TempleStarsPaul CookSteve JonesJohn LydonA film about the career of the notorious punk rock band, the Sex Pistols.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorJane PrestonStarsPaul GascoigneVinnie JonesGary LinekerA feature-length theatrical documentary on the life of Paul Gascoigne, one of the most naturally gifted footballers of all time, delving deep into his psyche, vulnerabilities, fears and triumphs.
- DirectorSebastian DehnhardtStarsLamon BrewsterChris ByrdBernd BönteA documentary encompassing the lives of world heavyweight boxing champions, Vitali & Wladimir Klitschko. The first time in history two brothers have shared all the heavyweight world titles, this film explores their humble beginnings in the Ukraine to their rise to stardom and domination of heavyweight prize fighting.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner HerzogA 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.
- DirectorNicolas EntelStarsJorge Enrique AbelloPablo EscobarSebastian MarroquínNicolas Entel's searing documentary tells the story of Pablo Escobar -- Colombian drug kingpin, murderer and family man -- through the eyes of his son, Sebastian, as well as the sons of two of Escobar's most prominent victims.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- DirectorLeon GastStarsMuhammad AliGeorge ForemanDon KingBoxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorDean DeBloisStarsAmiinaHildur ArsaelsdottirJon Thor BirgissonIn the summer of 2006, Sigur Rós returned home to play a series of free, unannounced concerts for the people of Iceland.
- DirectorLucy WalkerStarsKevin PearceShaun WhiteMason AguirreFifteen 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 Vancouver Winter Olympics, pushing one another to ever more dangerous tricks, until Kevin crashes on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving. As Kevin recovers from his injury, Shaun wins Gold. Now all Kevin wants to do is get on his snowboard again, even though medics and family fear this could kill him. We also celebrate Sarah Burke who crashed in Park City and died January 19, 2012.
- DirectorRobert J. FlahertyStarsAllakariallakAlice NevalingaCunayouIn this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.
- 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.
- DirectorLisanne PajotJames SwirskyStarsJonathan BlowBrandon BoyerRenaud BédardA documentary that follows the journeys of indie game developers as they create games and release those works, and themselves, to the world.
- DirectorSean DonnellyStarsKelly McCormickTiffanyJeff TurnerTwo individuals, Jeff and Kelly, claim to be in love with the 80's pop singer Tiffany.
- DirectorMatthew HeinemanStarsTim FoleyJosé Manuel 'El Doctor' MirelesPaco ValenciaFilmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the state of the ongoing drug problem along the U.S.-Mexican border.
- DirectorJake WestStarsJulian PetleyMarc MorrisAndy NymanA documentary analyzing the furore which so-called "video nasties" caused in Britain during the 1980s.
- DirectorMichael Beach NicholsChristopher K. WalkerStarsRyan SchockHeather CookLee CookWhen a noted white supremacist moves into their town, the residents of Leith, North Dakota do what they can to prevent him from taking control of the municipality.
- 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.
- DirectorAlison KlaymanStarsAi WeiweiDan AiLao AiA documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government.
- DirectorJoshua OppenheimerAnonymousChristine CynnStarsAnwar CongoHerman KotoSyamsul ArifinA 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.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleThe love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsAdolf HitlerHermann GöringMax AmannThe infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
- DirectorLuis BuñuelStarsAbel JacquinAlexandre O'NeillA surrealist film, a pseudo-documentary portrait of Las Hurdes, a remote region of Spain where civilisation has barely developed, showing how the local peasants try to survive without even the most basic utilities and skills.
- 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.
- DirectorDonal MacIntyreGerry EasterStarsSean BeanTamer HassanJamie DorringtonSean Bean (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings series) presents one of the hardest hitting films on football violence ever made.
- DirectorCrystal MoselleStarsMukunda AnguloNarayana AnguloSusanne AnguloConfined in an apartment from a New York housing project, the six Angulo brothers learned everything they know about the world through watching films and spend their time reenacting their favorite movies with intricate homemade costumes.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsAmy WinehouseMitch WinehouseMark RonsonArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsKurt CobainWendy O'ConnorDon CobainAn authorized documentary on the late musician Kurt Cobain, from his early days in Aberdeen, Washington to his success and downfall with the grunge band Nirvana.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsIan HolmJeffrey GoldenJo VukelichA series of grisly events that took place in the state of Wisconsin between 1890 and 1900 is dramatized as reported in the Black River Falls newspaper.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsDavid AlbrittonArvo AskolaJack BeresfordThe document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
- DirectorLuc JacquetStarsMorgan FreemanRomane BohringerCharles BerlingIn the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family.
- DirectorLucien Castaing-TaylorVerena ParavelStarsBrian JannelleAdrian GuilletteArthur SmithA documentary shot in the North Atlantic and focused on the commercial fishing industry.
- DirectorJason FergusonStarsEric CantonaAlex FergusonRyan GiggsA look at the life and legend of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
- DirectorHanns-Bruno KammertönsVanessa NöckerMichael WechStarsRoss BrawnFlavio BriatoreLuca Cordero di MontezemoloThrough exclusive interviews and archival footage, this documentary traces an intimate portrait of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher.
- DirectorDaniel VernonStarsDavid CopelandArthurTalent Chioma Mundy-CastleThis documentary tells the story of the 1999 London bombings that targeted minority communities, and the race to find the far-right extremist behind them.
- DirectorBenjamin HirschStarsFrank BrunoPaul DempseyDon KingAn exploration of the rivalry and relationship between Frank Bruno and Mike Tyson, two heavyweight icons from opposite sides of the Atlantic.
- DirectorSeth KochRick LazesStarsDr. DreLennox LewisMike TysonAn inside look at the career of Lennox Lewis from his rough upbringing to the Olympics and the professional ranks where he established himself as one of the greats in the history of the sport.
- DirectorFranck NatafStarsNicolas AnelkaRoman AbramovichFabrice AbrielBad boy of the French football, arrogant, precocious, misunderstood, scorer, unclassifiable, genius, unmanageable. Despite a having a career of almost 20 years at the highest level, Nicolas Anelka is still hard to define.
- DirectorJoann RandlesStarsMick FoleyStu BennettAdrian StreetA feature length documentary about the inspirational and flamboyant life of a pioneer in professional wrestling.