My Top 100 Documentaries of All Time
by BekaSukhitashvili | created - 02 Oct 2013 | updated - 1 month ago | PublicFind me: https://ka.gravatar.com/rodrigosantoro
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1. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary, Music
A collection of expertly photographed phenomena with no conventional plot. The footage focuses on the relationship between nature, humanity, and technology.
Director: Godfrey Reggio | Stars: Edward Asner, Pat Benatar, Jerry Brown, Johnny Carson
Votes: 41,502 | Gross: $1.72M
2. Home (I) (2009)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, Family
With aerial footage from fifty-four countries, 'Home' is a depiction of how Earth's problems are all interlinked.
Director: Yann Arthus-Bertrand | Stars: Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Glenn Close, Jacques Gamblin
Votes: 23,053
3. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A 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.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,818 | Gross: $0.49M
4. Baraka (1992)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.
Director: Ron Fricke | Star: Patrick Disanto
Votes: 40,998 | Gross: $1.33M
5. Earthlings (2005)
95 min | Documentary
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
Director: Shaun Monson | Star: Joaquin Phoenix
Votes: 19,809
6. Racing Extinction (2015)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Adventure, News
A documentary that follows undercover activists trying to stave off a man-made mass extinction.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Elon Musk, Joel Sartore, Louie Psihoyos, Charles Hambleton
Votes: 8,196
7. Ashes and Snow (2005)
62 min | Documentary, Drama
Exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals.
Director: Gregory Colbert | Stars: Patrick Disanto, Laurence Fishburne, Jeanne Moreau, Enrique Rocha
Votes: 4,394
8. The Salt of the Earth (2014)
PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders | Stars: Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Votes: 23,468 | Gross: $1.34M
9. Planet Earth (2006)
TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary, Family
A documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, David Attenborough, Nikolay Drozdov, Thomas Anguti Johnston
Votes: 220,344
10. The Green Planet (2022)
59 min | Documentary
Dive into a world where a single life can last a thousand years, with David Attenborough. See things no eye has ever seen, and discover the dramatic, beautiful plant life of Earth.
Stars: David Attenborough, Cong Liu, Freek Vonk, Tim Shepherd
Votes: 2,538
11. Before the Flood (2016)
PG | 96 min | Documentary, News
A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems and native communities across the planet.
Director: Fisher Stevens | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ban Ki-moon, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mike Brune
Votes: 28,871
12. From the East (1993)
107 min | Documentary
A look at life in Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Director: Chantal Akerman | Star: Natalia Chakhovskaia
Votes: 950
13. Salt for Svanetia (1930)
TV-14 | 55 min | Documentary
Story of distant mountainous region in Georgia that depicts folklore, lifestyle and daily routines of Svani people, focuses on the scarcity of salt in Svaneti region. Rich with documentary ... See full summary »
Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
Votes: 897
14. Pina (2011)
PG | 103 min | Documentary, Music
A tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Pina Bausch, Regina Advento, Malou Airaudo, Ruth Amarante
Votes: 15,951 | Gross: $3.52M
15. Tarzan's Testicles (2017)
105 min | Documentary
A film about utopias and a metaphoric drama that threads the similar destinies of monkeys and men.
Director: Alexandru Solomon
Votes: 138
16. The Disappearance of My Mother (2019)
94 min | Documentary
A once-iconic fashion model strives to escape the world of images and disappear for good, but her son's determination to make a final film about her sparks an unexpected collaboration and confrontation with the camera's gaze.
Director: Beniamino Barrese | Stars: Benedetta Barzini, Beniamino Barrese, Lauren Hutton, Stephanie DeBaillew
Votes: 412
17. Homework (1989)
86 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
In this documentary, Kiarostami asks a number of students about their school homework. The answers of some children shows the darker side of this method of education.
Director: Abbas Kiarostami | Stars: Babak Ahmadpoor, Farhang Akhavan, Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Abbas Kiarostami
Votes: 1,919
18. Mamacita (2018)
75 min | Documentary
José Pablo promised his extravagant grandmother, Mamacita, to make a film about her life, without knowing that this would lead to revelation of secrets, lies and deceptions affecting 5 generations of a high-society Mexican family.
Director: José Pablo Estrada Torrescano | Stars: José Pablo Estrada Torrescano, Ma. del Carmen Torrescano
Votes: 62
19. Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks (2002)
551 min | Documentary
The impact of the decline of heavy industry on workers and their families in the Tiexi district of Shenyang, China, at the turn of the 21st century, documented unflinchingly by a fly-on-the-wall camera.
Director: Wang Bing
Votes: 1,327
20. The Whale from Lorino (2019)
59 min | Documentary
A film about the clash of two disappearing worlds; Chukchis civilization and the universe of monumental and majestic whales in a story about the paradox of history and a harsh fight for survival.
Director: Maciej Cuske
Votes: 63
21. Honeyland (2019)
Unrated | 89 min | Documentary, Drama
The last female bee-hunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood.
Directors: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov | Stars: Hatidze Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam, Ljutvie Sam
Votes: 19,417 | Gross: $0.82M
22. Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind... See full summary »
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Fini Straubinger, M. Baaske, Elsa Fehrer, Heinrich Fleischmann
Votes: 3,202
23. Whores' Glory (2011)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary
An examination of the lives, needs, troubles, and hopes of prostitutes in Thailand, Bangladesh, and Mexico.
Director: Michael Glawogger | Stars: Emma, Ning, Toh, Wat
Votes: 5,120 | Gross: $0.03M
24. Behemoth (2015)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary
Under the sun, the heavenly beauty of grasslands will soon be covered by the raging dust of mines. Facing the ashes and noises caused by heavy mining , the herdsmen have no choice but to ... See full summary »
Director: Liang Zhao
Votes: 1,212
25. Taming the Garden (2021)
91 min | Documentary
Documentary follows trees that are transported, at great expense and inconvenience, from the coast of the Republic of Georgia to the private garden of that country's former prime minister.
Director: Salomé Jashi
Votes: 720
26. Jadosnuri Mta (2023)
73 min | Documentary
In a crumbling palatial building high in the Georgian mountains, people who are chronically ill with tuberculosis live in complete isolation - until they find out that their unloved home is to be demolished.
Directors: Mariam Chachia, Nik Voigt
Votes: 28
27. Our Daily Bread (2005)
Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary
OUR DAILY BREAD is a wide-screen tableau of a feast which isn't always easy to digest - and in which we all take part. A pure, meticulous and high-end film experience that enables the audience to form their own ideas.
Director: Nikolaus Geyrhalter | Stars: Claus Hansen Petz, Arkadiusz Rydellek, Barbara Hinz, Renata Wypchlo
Votes: 2,690
28. Arirang (2011)
100 min | Documentary, Drama
Documentary on director Kim Ki-Duk looking back at his film career.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Star: Kim Ki-duk
Votes: 1,338
29. Tarr Béla, I Used to Be a Filmmaker (2013)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
An illuminating and extremely rare documentary profile of one of the great filmmakers of our time, Bela Tarr. Filmed during the production of The Turin Horse, his final film, Tarr Bela: I ... See full summary »
Director: Jean-Marc Lamoure | Stars: Erika Bók, Zolt Cholnoky, Kata Czigler, János Derzsi
Votes: 230
30. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020 TV Movie)
PG | 83 min | Documentary, Biography
One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is his witness statement.
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Jonathan Hughes, Keith Scholey | Stars: David Attenborough, Max Hughes
Votes: 34,567
31. Ni tsutsumarete (1992)
40 min | Documentary, Short, Biography
In this autobiographical documentary, filmmaker Naomi Kawase seeks to reach her mother and father who abandoned her at birth.
Director: Naomi Kawase | Stars: Naomi Kawase, Uno Kawase, Kiyonobu Yamashiro
Votes: 238
32. Rupture: A Matter of Life OR Death (2011)
70 min | Documentary
Maryam d'Abo suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage in 2007 and is lucky to be alive. Her experience inspired this film and leads the viewer on a personal journey of recovery, giving a sense of... See full summary »
Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Maryam d'Abo, Nigel Havers
Votes: 13
33. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary
A man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.
Director: Dziga Vertov | Stars: Mikhail Kaufman, Elizaveta Svilova
Votes: 28,001
34. Wonders of the Monsoon (2014)
Documentary
it's about the relief when the monsoon comes to end scorching heat!! the famous dialogue "monsoon is coming" mimicking the GOT dialogue "winter is coming" catches ears
Star: Colin Salmon
Votes: 176
35. Fantastic Fungi (2019)
Not Rated | 81 min | Documentary
Fantastic Fungi is a descriptive time-lapse journey about the magical, mysterious and medicinal world of fungi and their power to heal, sustain and contribute to the regeneration of life on Earth that began 3.5 billion years ago.
Director: Louie Schwartzberg | Stars: Brie Larson, Andrew Weil, Giuliana Furci, Paul Stamets
Votes: 11,550
36. Paris Is Burning (1990)
R | 78 min | Documentary
A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.
Director: Jennie Livingston | Stars: Brooke Xtravaganza, André Christian, Dorian Corey, Paris Duprée
Votes: 17,620 | Gross: $3.78M
37. Cow (I) (2021)
94 min | Documentary
A close-up portrait of the daily lives of two cows.
Director: Andrea Arnold | Star: Lin Gallagher
Votes: 2,312
38. Dead Souls' Vacation (2020)
66 min | Documentary
A once-popular bass player in Tbilisi is now jobless, joyless and crammed into a shoebox-sized one-room apartment with his elderly mother, leaving little space for independence or optimism in this absurd, intimate slice of ex-Soviet life.
Director: Chelidze Keko | Stars: Levan Svanidze, Lamara Svanidze, Inga Mghebrishvili, Gia Toidze
Votes: 23
39. Ulysse (1983)
Not Rated | 22 min | Documentary, Short
Agnès Varda interviews two subjects from a photograph she took 30 years earlier.
Director: Agnès Varda | Stars: Fouli Elia, Ulysse Llorca, Charles de Gaulle, Agnès Varda
Votes: 921
40. Seven Easy Pieces (2007)
93 min | Documentary
About the performing body and how it affects viscerally the people who confronts it, looks at it and participates in the transcendental experience that is its primary affect. The ceremonial... See full summary »
Director: Babette Mangolte | Star: Marina Abramovic
Votes: 72
41. Bjork: Biophilia Live (2014)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Music
Icelandic artist, Björk, performs songs from her eighth album with evocative visuals provided by designers from around the world.
Directors: Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland | Stars: David Attenborough, Björk
Votes: 499 | Gross: $0.13M
42. Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012)
Not Rated | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary that follows the Serbian performance artist as she prepares for a retrospective of her work at The Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Directors: Matthew Akers, Jeff Dupre | Stars: Marina Abramovic, Ulay, Klaus Biesenbach, David Balliano
Votes: 6,475 | Gross: $0.09M
43. Greta Garbo: A Lone Star (2001 TV Movie)
45 min | Documentary, Biography
This great 45 Minute documentary runs through Garbo's life and films in chronological order in an attempt to reveal the 'real' Garbo
Director: Steve Cole | Stars: Lauren Bacall, Melvyn Bragg, Kitty Carlisle, Greta Garbo
Votes: 116
44. Tina (I) (2021)
TV-MA | 118 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Exclusive access to the Grammy Award-winning artist to celebrate her career.
Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin | Stars: Tina Turner, Carl Arrington, Ike Turner, Lejeune Richardson
Votes: 6,346
45. Fuck (2005)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Director: Steve Anderson | Stars: Drew Carey, Billy Connolly, Bill Maher, Reinhold Aman
Votes: 4,354 | Gross: $0.02M
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