100 documentaries to understand the USA
100 different perspectives to understand the culture, the politics, the justice system, the religions and the history of the Americans.
List activity
1.8K views
• 67 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
114 titles
- 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.
- DirectorPeter MillerStarsMartin AbramowitzMaury AllenRebecca AlpertCelebrates the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews.
- DirectorDavid RidgenNicolas RossierStarsMusa Abu-HashhashNidal BarhamNoam ChomskyAbout the life and work of controversial American Jewish academic Norman Finkelstein.
- DirectorRicki SternAnne SundbergStarsJeff BaumanKelly CastineCeleste CorcoranDocumentary about several survivors of the Boston Marathon Bombing which took place April 15, 2013.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael BidellerAndreas BirnbaumTom BrokawDocumentary of 1980's near-launch of a nuclear missile from Arkansas, based on Eric Shlosser's award-winning book of the same name.
- DirectorAngelo J. Guglielmo Jr.StarsTania HeadElia ZedenoGerry BogaczA psychological thriller that goes inside the mind of history's most infamous 9/11 "survivor."
- DirectorPaul AndresenStars2 Live CrewAfromanAnybody KillaDocuments the 2008 Gathering of the Juggalos and focuses on the fan-base of underground hip hop label Psychopathic Records.
- DirectorDeborah S. EsquenaziA documentary that follows the struggle for exoneration of four Latina lesbians who were wrongfully convicted of gang rape against two young girls.
- StarsSteven SpielbergFrancis Ford CoppolaMeryl StreepThe wartime contributions of five prominent Hollywood film directors during World War II are profiled.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- DirectorDylan BankDaniel DiMauroMorgan PehmeStarsRoger StoneDonald TrumpJane MayerA documentary exploring the life and career of notorious Republican dirty trickster and longtime Trump adviser, Roger Stone, who helped create the real estate mogul's political career.
- 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.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsDonald RumsfeldErrol MorrisFormer United States Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, discusses his career in Washington D.C. from his days as a congressman in the early 1960s to planning the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyBrian Keith AllenMoazzam BeggAlex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.
- DirectorMorgan SpurlockStarsMorgan SpurlockDaryl IsaacsChemeeka WalkerWhile examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsJeffrey WrightNick NolteRoy ScheiderArchival footage, animation, and music are used to look back at the eight anti-war protesters who were put on trial following the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsLucille BillingsleyZella GrahamCal HarbertsA documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there.
- DirectorBennett MillerStarsTimothy 'Speed' LevitchTimothy "Speed" Levitch, an eccentric New York City tour bus guide, takes tourists around the island of Manhattan and shares an archive of beautifully distorted information about the city.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsJames BaldwinWilliam F. BuckleyTruman CapoteA feature-length documentary starring Fran Lebowitz, a writer known for her unique take on modern life. The film weaves together extemporaneous monologues with archival footage and the effect is a portrait of Fran's worldview and experiences.
- StarsKeith DavidKatharine PhillipsTom HanksA seven-part series focusing on the many ways in which the Second World War impacted the lives of American families.