Best Documentary

This series takes a deep dive into the human body, exploring its systems and functions in detail. It uses animations and real-world examples to explain how our bodies work and why they sometimes fail.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this Netflix original series is the pinnacle of nature documentary filmmaking. It combines unprecedented cinematography with a critical focus on the impact of clima...

'Wild Africa' is a documentary series that focuses on the wildlife and natural landscapes of Africa. It covers various ecosystems, from savannas to rainforests, providing insights into the continent's...

This groundbreaking documentary explores the life of Tilikum, an orca held in captivity at SeaWorld, and the consequences of keeping such intelligent, social animals in confinement. The film uses inte...

"The 1%" is a documentary that examines the global wealth gap and its effects on society. It explores how economic policies and corporate practices have contributed to the concentration of wealth amon...

Widely considered the greatest concert film ever made, Jonathan Demmes 1984 masterpiece captures Talking Heads at the peak of their creative powers. The film is a masterclass in stage design and perfo...

AlphaGo chronicles the historic 2016 match between Google DeepMind's AI program and Go champion Lee Sedol. It's a compelling narrative showcasing the power of deep learning and reinforcement learning,...

This documentary provides an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the first round of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It follows the physicists who dedicated their lives to findi...

Constructed entirely from archival footage, much of which was previously unreleased, 'Apollo 11' is a visceral, immersive experience of the first moon landing. There is no modern narration or talking-...

This Academy Award-winning short documentary tells the heartwarming story of an indigenous couple in South India who devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant. It is a beautiful explo...

Based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript 'Remember This House,' 'I Am Not Your Negro' is a poignant and deeply personal exploration of race in America. Narrated by Baldwin's voice, the film weav...

This hard-hitting documentary exposes the staggering amount of food that goes to waste globally and the environmental consequences of this inefficiency. Featuring insights from celebrity chefs like An...

This documentary serves as a powerful memoir and urgent call to action from legendary naturalist David Attenborough. He recounts his life's work witnessing the Earth's beauty and documenting its decl...

Prehistoric Planet combines the latest paleontological research with state-of-the-art CGI to bring the dinosaur era to life. It is presented in the style of a traditional nature documentary, making th...

This critically acclaimed documentary unearths lost footage from the 1969 Harlem North Festival, a pivotal event in Black American culture and music. It explores the festival's significance as a celeb...

My Octopus Teacher is a profoundly moving documentary that chronicles a filmmaker's unusual friendship with an octopus in a South African kelp forest. Over a year, Craig Foster develops a deep unders...

This gripping series follows the trial of John Demjanjuk, a retired Cleveland autoworker accused of being 'Ivan the Terrible,' a notorious Nazi death camp guard. The series explores the complexities o...

Released in 2019, 'Fyre' exposes the disastrous Fyre Festival, a fraudulent luxury music festival promoted heavily on social media. Through interviews with organizers, attendees, and journalists, the...

This three-part docuseries explores the mind of Bill Gates as he tackles some of the world's most complex problems, including sanitation, climate change, and disease eradication. While it is a biograp...

Hubble's Cosmic Journey chronicles the incredible 34-year journey of the Hubble Space Telescope, showcasing its pivotal role in revolutionizing our understanding of the universe. The documentary featu...

This delightful and informative documentary investigates the origins of the ubiquitous Chinese-American dish, General Tso's Chicken. Through a mix of historical research and travel, the filmmakers tra...

Night on Earth utilizes revolutionary low-light camera technology to reveal the secret lives of animals after the sun goes down. The series captures behaviors that were previously invisible to human e...

Michael Caine delivers a nuanced performance as a idealistic political science professor thrust into a U.S. Senate race in 'The Candidate.' The film realistically depicts the complexities and compromi...

Chef David Chang takes viewers on a raw, unfiltered journey across the globe to explore how food connects cultures and breaks down barriers. Each episode focuses on a specific dishlike pizza, tacos, o...

Widely regarded as the definitive documentary series on World War II, this 26-episode masterpiece provides a comprehensive look at the conflict. Narrated by Laurence Olivier, it features interviews wi...

This film investigates the U.S. governments use of torture during the War on Terror, focusing on the interrogation of Osama bin Ladens driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan. It exposes the legal and ethical just...

This documentary offers a unique and intimate look into the life and mind of the late comedian Robin Williams. Combining archival footage, interviews, and innovative visual effects, the film explores...

This visually stunning documentary tells the story of Katia and Maurice Krafft, a French volcanologist couple who spent their lives chasing eruptions and capturing some of the most spectacular footage...

Dynasties follows the lives of five of the world's most vulnerable species, focusing on the intense family bonds and power struggles within their groups. By filming over several years, the series capt...

The Battle of Algiers is a visceral, documentary-style recreation of the Algerian struggle for independence from French colonial rule. Its use of non-professional actors and handheld camera work gives...

'The Blue Planet' is a landmark series that explores the world's oceans and their inhabitants. It features stunning underwater footage and in-depth scientific research, providing a comprehensive look...

Joshua Oppenheimers documentary is one of the most chilling and innovative films ever made. He challenges former Indonesian death squad leaders to reenact their crimes in the style of their favorite H...

From the creators of Chef's Table, this series turns its lens toward the vibrant, bustling world of street food. Each episode highlights a different city, focusing on the local vendors who keep tradit...

This French-produced series is renowned for its high-quality restoration of archival footage, much of which was previously unseen. It provides a sweeping, global narrative of World War II, focusing on...

The Last Dance is a ten-part documentary series chronicling the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls season and offering unprecedented access to the team's dynasty years. Featuring interviews with Michael Jordan, Sc...

Coded Bias exposes the hidden biases embedded within AI systems, particularly facial recognition technology. The film follows MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini as she discovers that many facial...

Ava DuVernay's '13th' is a powerful documentary examining the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States. It traces the evolution of systemic racism from slavery to the...

Initially conceived as an exploration of doping in sports, Icarus unexpectedly evolves into a shocking exposé of state-sponsored doping within the Russian Olympic program. Director Bryan Fogel unwitti...

'Crip Camp' tells the story of a groundbreaking summer camp for teenagers with disabilities in the 1970s that helped spark the disability rights movement in the United States. The film uses incredible...

In this 'witness statement,' Sir David Attenborough reflects on his decades of work in natural history and the devastating changes he has observed in the Earth's biodiversity. The film is a powerful,...

Using cutting-edge camera technology, Earth at Night in Color captures the nocturnal lives of animals in full, vibrant color. It provides a completely new way to see the night, revealing behaviors and...

Wild Babies follows the lives of various baby animals as they learn to navigate the challenges of their environments. It is a lighthearted and educational series that is perfect for families. The focu...

Alive Inside chronicles the work of social worker Dan Cohen, who brings personalized music playlists to nursing home residents suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. The film demonstrates the profou...

Wild Wild Country tells the incredible, stranger-than-fiction story of the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon. When a controversial guru and his followers build a utopian city in the desert, they quick...

Narrated by Sigourney Weaver, Secrets of the Whales explores the complex social structures and cultures of whale species. It reveals that whales have their own languages, traditions, and family bonds,...

American Factory (2019, but significant impact in the 2020s) chronicles the clash of cultures when a Chinese company opens a factory in post-industrial Ohio. The film meticulously documents the challe...

This four-part series investigates the 'pizza bomber' case, a bizarre and tragic crime in which a pizza delivery man was forced to rob a bank with a bomb locked around his neck. The series delves into...

This Oscar-nominated documentary follows the life of Hatide Muratova, one of the last wild beekeepers in Europe. Living in a remote village in North Macedonia, she practices a traditional, sustainable...

This documentary follows a group of teenagers at Space Camp as they prepare for a future mission to Mars. It interweaves their stories with interviews from experts and historical footage of NASA's spa...