favorite documentaries
by skooeys13 | created - 25 May 2012 | updated - 26 May 2013 | Publicso many documentaries not here on IMDB. so i could not include them all.
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1. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005)
PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Daniel Johnston, manic-depressive genius singer/songwriter/artist is revealed in this portrait of madness, creativity and love.
Director: Jeff Feuerzeig | Stars: Daniel Johnston, Mabel Johnston, Bill Johnston, Laurie Allen
Votes: 10,527 | Gross: $0.33M
2. Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
R | 118 min | Documentary, Crime, History
The 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.
Director: Billy Corben | Stars: Jon Roberts, Al Sunshine, Sam Burstyn, Mickey Munday
Votes: 14,089 | Gross: $0.15M
3. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby
Votes: 40,667 | Gross: $0.02M
4. Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Sport
Documentary about the pioneering 1970s Zephyr skating team.
Director: Stacy Peralta | Stars: Sean Penn, Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Jeff Ament
Votes: 13,354 | Gross: $1.29M
5. Project Nim (2011)
PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary
Tells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s.
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Nim Chimpsky, Stephanie LaFarge, Herbert Terrace, Wer LaFarge
Votes: 8,600 | Gross: $0.41M
6. Food, Inc. (2008)
PG | 94 min | Documentary, News
An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
Director: Robert Kenner | Stars: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Richard Lobb, Vince Edwards
Votes: 52,201 | Gross: $4.42M
7. Jesus Camp (2006)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer, Ted Haggard
Votes: 28,773 | Gross: $0.90M
8. The Filth and the Fury (2000)
R | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A film about the career of the notorious punk rock band, the Sex Pistols.
Director: Julien Temple | Stars: Paul Cook, Steve Jones, John Lydon, Glen Matlock
Votes: 6,203 | Gross: $0.61M
9. Life 2.0 (2010)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary
This feature-length documentary follows a group of people whose lives are dramatically transformed by a virtual world -- reshaping relationships, identities, and ultimately the very notion of reality.
Director: Jason Spingarn-Koff | Star: Teasa Copprue
Votes: 958
10. Lost in La Mancha (2002)
R | 89 min | Documentary
Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
Directors: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe | Stars: Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges, Tony Grisoni
Votes: 11,998 | Gross: $0.73M
11. Mountain Gorilla (1992)
40 min | Documentary, Short
Mountain Gorilla takes the viewer to a remote range of volcanic mountains in Rwanda, Africa, described by those who have been there as ""one of the most beautiful places in the world"", and... See full summary »
Director: Adrian Warren | Star: Rebecca Jenkins
Votes: 88
12. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Salvador Allende
Votes: 148,709 | Gross: $21.58M
13. The 11th Hour (I) (2007)
PG | 95 min | Documentary
A look at the state of the global environment including visionary and practical solutions for restoring the planet's ecosystems.
Directors: Leila Conners, Nadia Conners | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kenny Ausubel, Thom Hartmann, Wangari Maathai
Votes: 5,907 | Gross: $0.70M
14. Voices in the Tunnels (2008 Video)
Not Rated | 56 min | Documentary
A group of intrepid filmmakers explore the abandoned subway tunnels beneath New York City in search of the mole people.
Director: Vic David | Stars: Kenny Chery, Vic David, Erik Oberholtzer, Jennifer Toth
Votes: 105
15. 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: 23,046
16. The Bridge (I) (2006)
R | 94 min | Documentary, Drama
Filmmakers 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.
Director: Eric Steel | Stars: Eric Geleynse, Chris Brown, Susan Ginwalla, Caroline Pressley
Votes: 12,211 | Gross: $0.18M
17. Anvil (2008)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Since 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.
Director: Sacha Gervasi | Stars: Robb Reiner, Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, Tiziana Arrigoni, Scott Ian
Votes: 16,839 | Gross: $0.67M
18. Man on Wire (2008)
PG-13 | 94 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
Director: James Marsh | Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix
Votes: 58,663 | Gross: $2.96M
19. Gonzo (2008)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A portrait of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, Joe Cairo, David Carlo
Votes: 8,500 | Gross: $1.25M
20. Woodstock (1970)
R | 184 min | Documentary, History, Music
Oscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.
Director: Michael Wadleigh | Stars: Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Roger Daltrey, Joe Cocker
Votes: 18,454 | Gross: $50.00M
21. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
G | 99 min | Documentary
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Scott Rowland, Stefan Pashov, Doug MacAyeal
Votes: 19,245 | Gross: $0.94M
22. Bukowski: Born into This (2003)
R | 130 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary on Charles Bukowski, author of 'Notes of a Dirty Old Man', 'Love Is a Dog from Hell', and the autobiographical novels, 'Women', 'Hollywood', and 'Post Office'.
Director: John Dullaghan | Stars: Charles Bukowski, Bono, John Bryan, Linda Lee Bukowski
Votes: 3,641 | Gross: $0.30M
23. Life in a Day (2011)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary shot by film-makers all over the world that serves as a time capsule to show future generations what it was like to be alive on the twenty-fourth of July, 2010.
Directors: Tegan Bukowski, Loressa Clisby, Kevin Macdonald, Hiroaki Aikawa, Natalia Andreadis, Jack Attridge, Cristina Bocchialini, Zillah Bowes, Andrea Dalla Costa, Lisa Cottrell-Bentley, Alejo Crisóstomo, Sócrates Cuadri, Ayman El Gazwy, Shawn Gadberry, Seth Grant, Jane Haubrich, Soma Helmi, Jennifer M. Howd, Clementine Isaac, Aditya Kolli, Gabor Kukucska, Francesco La Regina, Frederic Lumiere, Marek Mackovic, Zuqy Cruz Marquez, Linda Matarasso, Kevin McMahon, Joseph Michael, Joaquin Montalvan, Lilit Movsisyan, Emmanuelle Pickett, Christopher Redmond, Alejandro Romeo, Alaa Sheikh Hassan, Marcus Tedenryd | Stars: Hiroaki Aikawa, Cindy Baer, Teagan Bentley, Ester Brym
Votes: 15,562 | Gross: $0.25M
24. Root of All Evil? (2006 TV Movie)
90 min | Documentary
Richard Dawkins' highly critical documentary attacks the pulsing heart of all mainstream religion- faith; with special focus on Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Contains repeated ... See full summary »
Director: Russell Barnes | Stars: Yousef Al-Khattab, Richard Dawkins, Ted Haggard, Richard Harries
Votes: 3,868
25. Children Underground (2001)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary
A profile of homeless Romanian children who were born victims of the nation's reckless population growth policy during its communist era.
Director: Edet Belzberg | Stars: Cristina Ionescu, Mihai Alexandre Tudose, Violeta 'Macarena' Rosu, Ana Turturica
Votes: 2,452
26. William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary
William S. Burroughs: featuring never before seen footage as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues. Born the heir of the Burroughs' adding machine estate, he ... See full summary »
Director: Yony Leyser | Stars: Fred Aldrich, Laurie Anderson, Amiri Baraka, Jello Biafra
Votes: 1,240 | Gross: $0.05M
27. Hubble 3D (2010)
G | 45 min | Documentary
An IMAX 3D camera chronicles the effort of 7 astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Director: Toni Myers | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Scott D. Altman, Megan McArthur, Andrew J. Feustel
Votes: 4,517 | Gross: $52.45M
28. Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place (2011)
R | 107 min | Documentary
A freewheeling portrait of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters' fabled road trip across America.
Directors: Alison Ellwood, Alex Gibney | Stars: Stanley Tucci, Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary, Jim Meskimen
Votes: 1,672 | Gross: $0.15M
29. Earth (2007)
G | 90 min | Documentary
Feature-length version of the documentary TV series Planet Earth (2006), following the migration paths of four animal families.
Directors: Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield | Stars: James Earl Jones, Patrick Stewart, Anggun, Ulrich Tukur
Votes: 14,737 | Gross: $38.05M
30. Back to the Wild (2012 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 44 min | Documentary
Using rare, personal photographs, writings and first person interviews with family, friends and fellow adventurers, Back to the Wild brings to life Christopher McCandless' epic and profoundly tragic journey into the Alaskan wilderness.
Director: Greg Francis | Stars: Heath Brandon, Matt Cannon, Josh Goodman
Votes: 19
31. Sigur Rós: Heima (2007)
97 min | Documentary, Music
In the summer of 2006, Sigur Rós returned home to play a series of free, unannounced concerts for the people of Iceland.
Director: Dean DeBlois | Stars: Amiina, Hildur Arsaelsdottir, Jon Thor Birgisson, Orri P. Dyrason
Votes: 8,333
32. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,883 | Gross: $3.97M
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