Best Documentaries
In my opinion, these are some of the best documentaries out there. No particular order. If there's something you feel is missing, it's most likely because a) I haven't seen it yet (such as Hoop Dreams) or b) I didn't particularly care for it (such as Bowling for Columbine).
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- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsKirby DickKimberly PeirceDarren AronofskyKirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
- DirectorZana BriskiRoss KauffmanStarsKochiAvijit HalderShanti DasTwo documentary filmmakers chronicle their time in Sonagchi, Calcutta and the relationships they developed with children of prostitutes who work the city's notorious red light district.
- DirectorLaura GabbertJustin ScheinStarsColin BeavanMichelle ConlinFollow the Manhattan-based Beavan family as they abandon their high consumption 5th Avenue lifestyle and try to live a year while making no net environmental impact.
- 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.
- DirectorSean FineAndrea NixA personal and vibrant coming of age story about a young artist's determination never to surrender to the bleakness of her surroundings. At 15, Inocente refuses to let her dream of becoming an artist be caged by being an undocumented immigrant forced to live homeless for the last nine years. Color is her personal revolution and its sweep on her canvases creates a world that looks nothing like her own dark past. 'Inocente' is both a timeless story about the transformative power of art and a timely snapshot of the new face of homelessness in America: children. The challenges are staggering, but the hope in her story proves that the hand she has been dealt does not define her, her dreams do.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- 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.
- DirectorHenry Alex RubinDana Adam ShapiroStarsJoe SoaresKeith CavillMark ZupanQuadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.
- DirectorChris PerkelGeorgie RolandStarsJohn LokitisJohn CoddingtonDavid DeKokPortrait of John Lokitis, the youngest of 11 remaining residents of Centralia, Pennsylvania, a town destroyed by an underground mine fire.
- DirectorFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon BrandoDocumentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
- 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.
- DirectorAngela TuckerStarsAlizaAntoniaBarbFacing a sex obsessed culture, a mountain of stereotypes and misconceptions, and a lack of social or scientific research, asexuals - people who experience no sexual attraction - struggle to claim their identity.
- DirectorConstance MarksPhilip ShaneStarsKevin ClashWhoopi GoldbergFrank OzThe Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet - the heart and soul of Elmo - Kevin Clash.
- DirectorGeoffrey O'ConnorStarsLouis TherouxLauren DrainSteve DrainLouis meets the Phelps family, who protest against an America that tolerates homosexuality
- DirectorEmma CooperStarsLouis TherouxLouis visits Coalinga Mental Hospital in California, home to over 500 convicted paedophiles, and spends some time with those undergoing treatment.
- DirectorJamie PickupStarsLouis TherouxJosephine EngelhardtMatt FernandezLouis travels to DLC Warren in New Jersey, an innovative autism school.
- DirectorStuart CabbStarsLouis TherouxApril GaedeBill GaedeLouis Theroux travels to California to meet the man dubbed "the most dangerous racist in America"; Tom Metzger, his family and his publicity manager. Louis also meets 'Prussian Blue' an American white-nationalist preteen musical sibling duo.
- StarsLouis TherouxDavid PaulJ.J. MichaelsLouis Theroux documents some of the US's most bizarre happenings, events and rituals, by getting involved himself.
- DirectorEmma CooperStarsLouis TherouxLauren DrainSteve DrainLouis returns to the Phelps family to find that several members have left the cult, and that they are being sued.
- DirectorDanny HoranStarsLouis TherouxLouis meets parents who have turned to medication to keep their children under control.
- DirectorGeoffrey O'ConnorStarsLouis TherouxBritish documentarian Louis Theroux examines the toll meth has taken on several addicts in Fresno, California.
- DirectorJason MassotStarsLouis TherouxXander CorvusBrad ArmstrongIn 1997, Louis made a documentary on the booming Californian porn industry. In 2012, he returns to find an industry that has been decimated by illegal Internet tube sites.
- DirectorJamie PickupStarsLouis TherouxJoe ExoticJohn ReinkeIn America's heartlands, Louis looks at private collections of tigers and chimpanzees.
- DirectorEmma CooperStarsStuart LinderLouis TherouxLouis Theroux gets under the skin of the plastic surgery patients of Beverly Hills.
- DirectorLarry CharlesStarsBill MaherTal BachmanJonathan BouldenBill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
- DirectorRon FrickeStarsPatrick DisantoA collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsCharles AdamsJonathan AlterRobert BalfanzAn examination of the current state of education in America today.