Best Documentries
A list of documentaries I like and would recommend.
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- DirectorCurt MorganStarsTravis RiceMark LandvikJohn JacksonTwo years in the making, this film gives snowboarder Travis Rice and friends the opportunity to redefine what is possible in the mountains.
- 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.
- DirectorDick ProennekeStarsDick ProennekeBob Swerer Jr.Wendy IshiiIn 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.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsJimmy PageThe EdgeJack WhiteA documentary on the electric guitar from the point of view of three significant rock musicians: The Edge, Jimmy Page, and Jack White.
- DirectorRob StewartStarsRob StewartPaul WatsonErich RitterAn investigation of sharks' importance to ecosystems and humankind's mass destruction of shark species worldwide.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreTucker AlbrizziTony BennA documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.
- 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.
- DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark AlpigerDie-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
- DirectorWard SerrillStarsDarnellia RussellBill ReslerLudacrisA documentary Roosevelt Roughriders, a girls' high-school basketball team in Seattle, and one player's fight to regain her eligibility to play.
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsJacquy PfeifferRegis LazardPhilippe RigollotThe collar awarded to the winners of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Craftsman in France) is more than the ultimate recognition for every pastry chef - it is a dream and an obsession. The 3-day competition includes everything from delicate chocolates to precarious six foot sugar sculptures and requires that the chefs have extraordinary skill, nerves of steel and luck. The film follows Jacquy Pfeiffer, founder of The French Pastry School in Chicago, as he returns to France to compete against 15 of France's leading pastry chefs. The filmmakers were given first time/exclusive access to this high-stakes drama of passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy in the quest to have President Sarkozy declare them one of the best in France.
- DirectorJoseph LevyStarsGrant AchatzCindy BreitbachMike BreitbachA documentary about three unique restaurants and their respective owners.
- DirectorValveStarsBenedict LimClinton LoomisDanil IshutinFollow three professional video game players as they overcome personal adversity, family pressures, and the realities of life to compete in a $1,000,000 tournament that could change their lives forever.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara BoxerA documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsSimon YatesJoe SimpsonBrendan MackeyThe true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.
- DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsLaird HamiltonDarrick DoernerDave KalamaDocumentary detailing the origins and history of surf culture.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorChris PaineStarsMartin SheenTom HanksMel GibsonA documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
- DirectorBrett HarveyStarsAdam ScorgieChris BennettSteve BloomBC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union', Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. With up to 85% of 'BC Bud' being exported to the United States, the trade has become an international issue. Follow filmmaker Adam Scorgie as he demystifies the underground market and brings to light how an industry can function while remaining illegal. Through growers, police officers, criminologists, economists, doctors, politicians and pop culture icons, Scorgie examines the cause and effect nature of the business - an industry that may be profiting more by being illegal.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- 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.
- DirectorSusan SaladoffStarsChuck AllenJudy AllenJay AngoffHow the infamous McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit and similar cases were exploited as part of a right wing crusade to weaken civil justice.
- DirectorBen ShapiroStarsRussell BanksCostanza Theodoli BraschiGregory CrewdsonA documentary shot over a decade with unprecedented access to photographer Gregory Crewdson that bares the artist's process.
- DirectorJeff MalmbergStarsMark HogancampEmmanuel NnejiEdda HogancampDocumentary about Mark Hogancamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. Inspired the movie Welcome to Marwen (2018)
- DirectorSteve HooverStarsRocky BraatSteve HooverAnithaDocumentarian visits best friend in India to see the mutual unconditional love that keeps his buddy bonded to a village hostel housing AIDS-afflicted children.
- DirectorJonah BekhorZach MathStarsSigurður HjartarsonPáll ArasonTom MitchellThirty miles from the Arctic Circle, in the northern Icelandic town of Husavik, stands the Icelandic Phallological Museum - the world's only Penis museum. Over 40 years, the founder and curator has collected every specimen from every mammal except for one elusive penis needed to complete his collection: The Human Specimen. The film follows the curator's incredible, sublimely comic, often shocking quest to complete his eccentric collection, and the two intrepid men who have raised their hands to be the first human donor.
- DirectorWerner HerzogDmitry VasyukovStarsWerner HerzogGennady SolovievAnatoly BlumeiA documentary depicting the life and work of the trappers of Bakhtia, a village in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, where daily life has changed little in over a century.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid BagbyA filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyBrian Keith AllenMoazzam BeggAlex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
- DirectorJason WiseStarsBo BarrettShayn BjornholmDave CaubleFour sommeliers attempt to pass the prestigious Master Sommelier exam, a test with one of the lowest pass rates in the world.
- DirectorJennifer ConradThe Paw Project chronicles the David and Goliath story of a tiny grassroots movement taking on big veterinary corporations in an effort to ban the de-clawing of cats.
- DirectorSuemay OramJackie Osei-TutuStarsBarbara FlynnGeorge AdamsonAnthony BourkeThis documentary tells the heart warming story of Christian, a lion cub purchased from a London department store in the late 60's and successfully released into the African wild three years later. Featuring original archive footage and photographs of Christian's life in London and Kenya, the story is told by all the key players in interviews filmed in 2009.
- DirectorSuzan BerazaStarsJeb BerrierJared BlumenfeldMartin BourqueAn average guy makes a resolution to stop using plastic bags at the grocery store. Little does he know that this simple decision will change his life completely. He comes to the conclusion that our consumptive use of plastic has finally caught up to us, and looks at what we can do about it. Today. Right now.
- DirectorTimothy Greenfield-SandersStarsSunrise AdamsBriana BanksBelladonnaFor a book project, photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders took photographs of 30 stars of adult movies, each pair of photographs in the same pose, clothed and nude. This film records the photo shoots and includes interviews with the performers and commentary from eight writers (and John Waters). The actors and writers discuss economics, nudity and exhibitionism, careers, and private lives.
- DirectorLarry CharlesStarsBill MaherTal BachmanJonathan BouldenBill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
- DirectorSandi ScottStarsTimothy SpallFollows five British teenagers with Tourette's Syndrome as they spend a week in an American summer camp.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRobert McNamaraJohn F. KennedyFidel CastroThe story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.
- DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace InvaderFollowing the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
- DirectorLouise OsmondJerry RothwellStarsTilda SwintonDonald CrowhurstTed HyndsA documentary about the disastrous 1968 round-the-world yacht race.
- DirectorBrett HarveyStarsSnoop DoggJoe RoganRonald ReaganScours the deep-seated roots of this morally induced Marijuana campaign and reveal the fascinating path it has taken to get to where it is today.
- DirectorBen ShapiroStarsRussell BanksCostanza Theodoli BraschiGregory CrewdsonA documentary shot over a decade with unprecedented access to photographer Gregory Crewdson that bares the artist's process.
- StarsRobert DurstAndrew JareckiCharles BagliFilmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.