Best Documentary
Shoah is a 1985 documentary film examining the Holocaust through extended interviews conducted by Claude Lanzmann. The eleven-year production involved filming at locations in Poland, including former extermination camps, and gathering testimonies from survivors, witnesses, and individuals associated...
'Man with a Movie Camera' is a groundbreaking experimental documentary directed by Dziga Vertov in 1929. Utilizing innovative camera techniques and editing, the film presents a fragmented yet compelling portrait of life in Moscow, challenging traditional narrative structures and exploring the possib...
O.J.: Made in America is a five-part 2016 documentary series produced for ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 initiative. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before theatrical releases in New York City and Los Angeles, followed by television broadcasts on ABC and ESPN. It was directed by Ezra Edelman...
Hoop Dreams chronicles the lives of two young basketball players—William Gates and Arthur Agee—in Chicago during the 1990s. The documentary meticulously tracks their aspirations to play college basketball, offering a poignant look at ambition, family, and social circumstance. It’s notable for its ex...
Alain Resnais’s *Night and Fog* (1956) is a profoundly impactful short film examining the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. Utilizing recently liberated archival photographs alongside color footage of Auschwitz and Majdanek, it offers a stark visual record of the camps' conditions. The film...
Sans Soleil, directed by Chris Marker, presents a fragmented exploration of memory’s fallibility. The film combines observational footage with diverse cinematic sources to examine the impact of incomplete recollections on understanding personal and historical narratives. It incorporates music from M...
Harlan County, USA documents the 1973 Brookside Strike involving 180 coal miners and their families protesting against the Eastover Coal Company’s Brookside Mine in Harlan County, Kentucky. The film chronicles this conflict with Duke Power Company. It received an Academy Award for Best Documentary i...
The Up Series documents the lives of seven individuals initially featured in 1964’s *Seven Up!* It is a long-running British documentary project that tracks these subjects over decades, offering a unique longitudinal study of personal development and societal change. The series provides a rare glimp...
This six-part HBO documentary series chronicles the bizarre life and suspected crimes of Robert Durst, a real estate heir implicated in multiple disappearances and murders. The series' brilliance lies in its access to Durst himself, allowing filmmakers to capture his own unraveling and ultimately,...
Ken Burns’s *The Civil War* offers a comprehensive examination of this pivotal period in American history. The 1990 PBS series utilizes extensive archival materials including photographs, personal letters, and detailed narration to explore the causes, course, and consequences of the conflict. It pre...
This visually stunning documentary follows Hatidze Muratova, a Macedonian beekeeper who uses ancient traditions to harvest honey in the remote mountains. 'Honeyland' is more than just a portrait of a unique lifestyle; its a poignant commentary on sustainability, tradition versus modernity, and the d...
Collective is a 2019 documentary examining the aftermath of the 2016 Colectiv nightclub fire in Romania. It details two parallel narratives: investigative reporting into systemic corruption within the Romanian healthcare system and the governmental response to the disaster. The film explores the eve...
Martin Scorsese’s “No Direction Home” chronicles Bob Dylan’s transformative period from 1961 to 1966. The documentary meticulously traces his shift from a folk singer to an electric performer, examining the profound and often controversial impact this change had on music and American culture. Throug...
Our Planet is a groundbreaking nature documentary series that showcases the Earths most incredible habitats and wildlife in stunning detail. Filmed over four years in 50 countries, it utilizes cutting-edge technology to provide unprecedented access to animal behavior and ecosystems. The series highl...
'The Act of Killing' is a deeply unsettling and innovative documentary that confronts perpetrators of the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-68. By asking them to recreate their crimes as if they were making a movie, director Joshua Oppenheimer forces them to confront their actions in a surreal and di...
The Times of Harvey Milk is a 1984 documentary chronicling the life and work of Harvey Milk. Filmed by Rob Epstein and featuring narration from Harvey Fierstein, it premiered at several film festivals before its November 1984 release in San Francisco. The production included original music by Mark I...
20 Days in Mariupol documents the initial period of the Russian invasion of Ukraine through video recorded by director Mstyslav Chernov. The film utilizes footage captured during the first few weeks following the invasion’s commencement. It presents a record of events as experienced by the filmmaker...
No Other Land is a 2024 documentary filmed from 2019-2023 by four directors. The film documents the destruction of a Palestinian community in the West Bank due to an Israeli firing zone declaration and subsequent displacement. It represents an activist collective’s effort toward justice within the I...
For Sama documents the experiences of Waad Al-Kateab and her family amidst the Syrian Civil War. The film follows the couple’s efforts to protect their young daughter, Sama, while navigating conflict as a journalist and Hamza al-Kateab, one of Aleppo's remaining physicians. It portrays their daily l...
Faces Places chronicles a 2017 journey undertaken by Agnès Varda and JR through rural France. The filmmakers documented their work creating monumental portraits of individuals and communities, subsequently installing these images in public locations. This collaborative project resulted in lasting vi...
Marcel Ophuls’s *The Sorrow and the Pity* examines the complex realities of Clermont-Ferrand, France during World War II. The film explores the city's experiences under Vichy rule, revealing a nuanced picture far beyond simple Resistance narratives. It presents accounts from both collaborators and t...
Joshua Oppenheimer’s *The Look of Silence* is a powerful 2014 documentary exploring the aftermath of Indonesia’s 1965 genocide. The film follows an optometrist seeking to expose the complicity of individuals who participated in his brother's murder decades earlier. Through unsettling close-ups and p...
This Netflix docuseries follows the case of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man convicted of murder after previously being exonerated for a sexual assault. 'Making a Murderer' sparked widespread debate about police misconduct, prosecutorial overreach, and the fairness of the American justice system. While...
Ken Burns’ “The Vietnam War” presents a comprehensive documentary series examining this pivotal conflict. The project uniquely integrates perspectives from Americans, North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, and civilians involved. It offers a detailed historical account of the war's origins, progression...
David Maysles' 'Man on Wire' recounts Philippe Petits daring, illegal tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. The film is a thrilling blend of archival footage, interviews, and recreations, capturing the meticulous planning and audacious execution of this incredible...
'Apollo 11' is a breathtaking immersive experience that uses never-before-seen footage and audio recordings to recreate the historic 1969 moon landing. The films meticulous reconstruction of events, combined with its stunning visuals, transports viewers back in time to witness one of humanitys great...
Grizzly Man is a documentary examining the experiences of Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard in Katmai National Park, Alaska. The film incorporates Treadwell’s personal recordings alongside interviews with those familiar with his work and bear experts. It details their interactions with brown bear...
Virunga documents the efforts of park rangers protecting Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo amidst the 2012 M23 Rebellion. The film examines the impact of oil exploration by Soco International within the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which began in April 2014. It premiered at Tr...
The Summer of Soul documentary explores the groundbreaking 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a three-day music celebration featuring iconic Black artists like Nina Simone, James Brown, and Sly & The Family Stone. Newly unearthed concert film footage reveals a vibrant moment in American history showcasi...
“The Gatekeepers” presents a profound examination of Israel’s security apparatus through the recollections of six former heads of Shin Bet. The film compiles decades of interviews revealing the strategies and moral dilemmas faced during the country's most sensitive operations. It offers critical ins...
