Must Watch Documentaries
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- 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.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsBuzz AldrinA look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.
- DirectorPetra CostaStarsDilma RousseffLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaMarisa Letícia Lula da SilvaPolitical documentary and personal memoir collide in this exploration into the complex truth behind the unraveling of two Brazilian presidencies.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsThomas AdlamWilliam ArgentJohn AshbyA documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.
- DirectorJörg A. HoppeHeiko LangeKlaus MaeckStarsAndiBela B.Blixa BargeldUnreleased footage captures West Berlin's underground scene in the 1980s, from punk to Love Parade, portraying the city's creative energy before the Berlin Wall fell.
- DirectorJosé PadilhaFelipe LacerdaStarsSandro do NascimentoRodrigo PimentelLuiz Eduardo SoaresOn June 12, 2000, a young man with a gun took the passengers aboard Bus 174 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil hostage. This documentary examines the event itself, the resulting media frenzy, the police response, and the perpetrator's background.
- DirectorMatthew HeinemanStarsTim FoleyJosé Manuel 'El Doctor' MirelesPaco ValenciaFilmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the state of the ongoing drug problem along the U.S.-Mexican border.
- DirectorEmir KusturicaStarsPepe MujicaAn examination of the life, times, and legacy of Uruguay's last president, José "Pepe" Mujica.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsBilly McFarlandJason BellGabrielle BluestoneAn exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre music festival.
- DirectorAsif KapadiaStarsDiego MaradonaDalma MaradonaPeléConstructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centers on the career of celebrated football player Diego Maradona, who played for S.S.C. Napoli in the 1980s.
- DirectorWaad Al-KateabEdward WattsStarsWaad Al-KateabSama Al-KhateabHamza Al-KhateabFOR SAMA is both an intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid BagbyA filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
- 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.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsAlex HonnoldTommy CaldwellJimmy ChinAlex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
- DirectorRichard da CostaAlex ParkinsonStarsDuncan AllcockKjetil Ove AlvestadStuart AndersonA deep sea diver is stranded on the seabed with 5 minutes of oxygen and no hope of rescue. With access to amazing archive this is the story of one man's impossible fight for survival.
- DirectorJustin ScheinDavid MehlmanStarsAndrew HoffmanMichael VenturaMayer VishnerLeft on Purpose is a documentary film about the friendship between an aging anti-war activist who has decided that his last political act will be to take his own life and the filmmaker who is struggling to tell the story.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsEttyChani GetterAri HershkowitzPenetrating the insular world of New York's Hasidic community, focusing on three individuals driven to break away despite threats of retaliation.
- 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.
- DirectorEd PerkinsStarsAndrew CaleyAlex LewisMarcus LewisAfter losing his memory in an accident, Alex Lewis trusts his twin brother, Marcus, to tell him about his past only to discover that he's hiding a dark secret about their childhood.
- DirectorAlberto Saúl Arnaut EstradaOn March 19th 2010, the Mexican government announced the death of two hitmen, armed to the teeth, in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo León. Days later, it was discovered that they were in fact honor students who had been tortured and murdered by the military, who later tried to disappear them in a common grave.
- DirectorMatthew HeinemanStarsAbdelaziz AlhamzaMohamad AlmusariHamoud AlmousaA documentary that follows the efforts of "Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently," a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014. With deeply personal access, this is the story of a brave group of citizen journalists as they face the realities of life undercover, on the run, and in exile, risking their lives to stand up against one of the greatest evils in the world today.
- DirectorGrant GeeStarsRichard BoonAnton CorbijnKevin CumminsA chronological account of the influential late 1970s English rock band.
- DirectorSteven BognarJulia ReichertStarsJunming 'Jimmy' WangRobert AllenSherrod BrownIn post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.
- DirectorMat WhitecrossStarsPaul ArthursChristine BillerMark CoyleOasis's breakthrough years documented into a detailed depiction of the infamous brothers from Manchester forming the band in the early 90's leading up to the legendary performance at Knebworth.
- DirectorJon AlpertLife in Cuba for three struggling families over the course of 45 years, from the cautious optimism of the early 1970s to the harrowing 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union and the 2016 death of Fidel Castro.
- DirectorLucy WalkerKaren HarleyJoão JardimStarsVik MunizOn the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.
- DirectorSamantha FutermanRyan MiyamotoStarsSkylar AstinAnaïs BordierJacques BordierAdopted from South Korea, raised on different continents & connected through social media, Samantha & Anaïs believe that they are twin sisters separated at birth.
- DirectorRory KennedyStarsRichard NixonHenry KissingerStuart HerringtonDuring the final days of the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese forces closed in on Saigon as South Vietnamese resistance crumbled. An unlikely group of heroes emerged as Americans and South Vietnamese took matters into their own hands.
- DirectorJoost VandebrugStarsFlorin HoraAnghelescu Costica NicusorRaluca PahomiNicu, a young homeless boy, is adopted by Bruce Lee, the notorious "King of the Underworld" and goes to live with him in the tunnels underneath Bucharest. As Nicu grows up, he starts to realize that he is not the perfect father.
- 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.
- DirectorPatricio GuzmánStarsGaspar GalazLautaro NúñezLuís HenríquezA documentary about two different searches conducted in the Chilean Atacama Desert: one by astronomers looking for answers about the history of the cosmos, and one by women looking for the remains of loved ones killed by Pinochet's regime.
- DirectorLuke LorentzenStarsJuan OchoaFer OchoaJosue OchoaIn Mexico City's wealthiest neighborhoods, the Ochoa family runs a private ambulance, competing with other for-profit EMTs for patients in need of urgent help.
- DirectorJehane NoujaimStarsAhmed HassanKhalid AbdallaMagdy AshourA group of Egyptian revolutionaries battle leaders and regimes, risking their lives to build a new society of conscience.
- DirectorJuliano Ribeiro SalgadoWim WendersStarsSebastião SalgadoWim WendersLélia Wanick SalgadoThe life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
- DirectorMaria RamosStarsDilma RousseffJair BolsonaroJosé Eduardo CardozoThe Trial documents the trial of Dilma Rousseff, focusing on the defense team, who struggles to prove her innocence against a majority vote by a Congress riddled with corruption. A tale of betrayal and corruption, the film presents Rousseff's personal story: herself imprisoned and tortured by the country's former military dictatorship, she now faces impeachment accused of fiscal crimes. Rousseff declares herself innocent and accuses the right-wing opposition of perpetrating a parliamentary coup d'état. The Trial witnesses how the impeachment triggers a profound political crisis in Brazil. It looks at the collapse of the democratic institutions and at the economic and geopolitical interests at the very heart of this crisis. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at this historical moment. The filmmaker was granted unique access to the defense team, to deputies and senators and to President Rousseff herself. Ramos' technique is wholly observational, without interviews and narrations. The camera captures physical and conversational interactions in private and political spheres while offering viewers a glimpse of the outdoor mass demonstrations.
- DirectorRobert BaharAlmudena CarracedoStarsMaría MartínFrancisco FrancoAdolf HitlerThe Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain's 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice to this day. Filmed over six years, the film follows the survivors as they organize the groundbreaking 'Argentine Lawsuit' and fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity, and explores a country still divided four decades into democracy. Seven years in the making, The Silence of Others is the second documentary feature by Emmy-winning filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar (Made in L.A.). It is being Executive Produced by Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar, and Esther García.
- DirectorAffonso UchoaStarsRafael Dos Santos RochaMaicon FelipeLeonardo FerreiraA man, whose character is based on that of the actor who plays him, contemplates the time he was brutalized by a gang of fake cops into revealing where in his house he had stashed some drugs, which he denied having.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsTristan HarrisJeff SeibertBailey RichardsonExplores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
- DirectorAlastair FothergillJonathan HughesKeith ScholeyStarsDavid AttenboroughMax HughesOne man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.
- DirectorJohn MaloofCharlie SiskelStarsVivian MaierJohn MaloofDaniel ArnaudA 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.
- DirectorBenjamin ReeStarsKarl Bertil-NordlandBarbora KysilkovaØystein SteneAn artist befriends the thief who stole her paintings. She becomes his closest ally when he is severely hurt in a car crash and needs full time care, even if her paintings are not found. But then the tables turn.
- DirectorMaite AlberdiStarsSergio ChamyRomulo AitkenMarta OlivaresA private investigator in Chile hires someone to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.
- DirectorAlejandro Fernández MoujánIt runs in 1896. In the dense Paraguayan jungle a three-year-old girl survives a massacre perpetrated by white settlers on an Aché family. The girl is baptized with the name of Damiana by its captors. Anthropologists of the Museum of Natural Sciences of La Plata in Argentina make it an object of scientific interest within the framework of their racial studies.
- DirectorGianfranco RosiThe story of a hitman for the drug cartels in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
- DirectorKate HorneStarsJesús Abad ColoradoThe Colombian photographer Jesús Abad Colorado looks back into his photographic work portraying the Colombian armed conflict and visits territories affected by it, including San José de Apartadó, Ganada and Bojayá to show the photographs he took to those who appeared in them. He reflects on the horrors of war and the future of peace in Colombia.
- DirectorAnthony GiacchinoStarsColette Marin-CatherineLucie FoubleIn Nazi-occupied France, resistance took courage. Seventy-five years later, facing one's ghosts may take even more.
- DirectorManuel von StürlerStarsCarole NoblancJean-Paul PeguironPascal ÉguisierA 600 kilometre winter trek for 800 sheep, accompanied by 3 donkeys, 4 dogs and led by two shepherds, Pascal and Carole.
- DirectorRaymond DepardonClaudine NougaretStarsRaymond DepardonClaudine NougaretFrancis ApestéguyTravelling alone, internationally acclaimed and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and filmmaker Raymond Depardon spent six years capturing France with a large format camera. This long, solitary road trip provided fertile ground for the creation of an extraordinary travel journal. Depardon revisited important places from his past as a reporter: Chad, Venice and Cannes. Previously unseen footage from his archive has also been added to create an intimate, compelling and revelatory 'Journal de France' - a unique portrait of a country and its landscapes.
- 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.
- DirectorTorquil JonesStarsNirmal PurjaSuchi PurjaKlára KolouchováFearless Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja embarks on a seemingly impossible quest to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks in seven months.
- DirectorAlexander NanauStarsDan Alexandru CondreaLiviu IoluRazvan LutacDirector Alexander Nanau follows a crack team of investigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast health-care fraud that enriched moguls and politicians and led to the deaths of innocent citizens.
- DirectorJRAgnès VardaStarsAgnès VardaJRJeannine CarpentierDirector Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
- 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.
- DirectorAdam WishartStarsRichard KeilGeorge W. BushAndrew Card9/11 from the President's perspective, with exclusive access to information from the one's that had to take decisions during the World Trade Center's attack.
- DirectorMax JabsStarsMax JabsNono KonopkaTwo young friends set off on a 15,000 km bicycle tour around the world for a unique fund-raising campaign - barely knowing what to expect, but with the dream of building a school in Guatemala.
- DirectorJenny PopplewellStarsNickole AtkinsonJim BenemannLuke EppleIn 2018, 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters disappear in Colorado. With the heartbreaking details emerging, the family's story made headlines around the world.
- DirectorCarlos Perez OsorioStarsJuan Manuel Fraire EscobedoAlejandro FraireBlanca EscobedoFollows a mother's tireless crusade to jail her daughter's murderer after Mexico's justice system failed to do so.
- DirectorMatías GueilburtStarsSean BurgosBelen EnguidanosMark LewisThrough revealing interviews, the perpetrators of Argentina's most famous bank robbery detail how, and why, they carried out the spectacular 2006 operation.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorOliver McGarveyStarsJan GreyRupert GreyMojibur Rahman MahirLeading London lawyer and his wife re-define later life by motoring across rural India in their battered 1936 Rolls Royce, to get to a human rights festival in Bangladesh.
- DirectorKarim AïnouzA travel diary filmed on director Karim Aïnouz's first trip to Algeria, the country where his father was born, mixing travel records, home footage, family photographs, historical archives and super-8 footage.
- DirectorSara DosaStarsMiranda JulyKatia KrafftMaurice KrafftIntrepid scientists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded.
- DirectorPatrick KeillerStarsPaul ScofieldJohn MajorNorma MajorAn inspiring tale through London by pictures narrated by Paul Scofield.
- DirectorLaura McGannStarsAlessia ZecchiniStephen KeenanLeigh BakerA champion and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another. Despite different paths taken, they meet at the pinnacle of the free-diving world, experiencing the thrilling rewards and inescapable risks of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.
- DirectorJimmy ChinElizabeth Chai VasarhelyiStarsBancha DuriyapuntApakorn YoukongkaewAnan SurawanA chronicle of the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.
- DirectorMstyslav ChernovStarsMstyslav ChernovEvgeniy MaloletkaLiudmyla AmelkinaAs the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
- DirectorNisha PahujaRanjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
- DirectorMaite AlberdiStarsAugusto GóngoraPaulina UrrutiaGustavo CeratiAugusto and Paulina have been together for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Both fear the day he no longer recognizes her.