The Greatest Documentaries of All Time

Updated December 10, 2020 16.7k votes 2.6k voters 162.6k views351 items

List RulesOnly documentary films - no mockumentaries

List of the best documentary movies of all time, as rated by the Ranker Community. Non-fiction films, or documentaries, were the original form of movie-making, in which a camera was used to simply capture real moments of life being lived. The very ability to record and later show an audience an event was itself a form of entertainment (though these films were called "actuality" films, not documentaries, at first.)

Educational and travel-themed films were also popular during the early days of cinema and the dawn of the 20th Century. Often, faraway lands such as Asia and Africa would be recorded and romanticized for Western European and American audiences.

The 1922 documentary film "Nanook of the North" is still widely viewed today, and is partially credited for introducing the concept of a 'narrative structure' to a non-fiction film. Robert Flaherty was filming 'real' subjects in their environment, but also was staging scenes with them to work better on camera and even building sets that would look better than the actual igloos in which his subjects lived.

Documentary films have also had a central importance in propaganda and politics. Leni Riefenstahl's notorious films on behalf of the German Nazi Party - particularly 1935's "Triumph of the Will" - have remained a startling reminder of the power of film as a medium to enthrall and influence a suggestive audience. Even modern documentaries are still often focused on community organizing, exposing social issues and rallying viewers behind a certain political attitude or opinion. Films like Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and the Al Gore-starring "Inconvenient Truth" are credited with influencing the American political discussion during the George W. Bush era, and in some cases, advocacy films have become intertwined with the causes they depict in the minds of Americans. Not surprisingly, a few of the documentaries listed here are also considered among the best movies of all time - documentary or otherwise.

This list collects all the most important, worthwhile and significant biographical documentaries from over a century of world filmmaking. Be sure to vote up your favorites and, if your #1 biography documentary doesn't appear on the list at all, add it at the bottom of the page.Some of the films on this list are among the best documentary movies on Netflix instant, so be sure to check if you're interested in seeing them.

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Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father
2008
Actors: Kurt Kuenne
Directed by: Kurt Kuenne
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father is a 2008 American documentary conceived and... more
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Grizzly Man
2005
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Grizzly Man is a 2005 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the... more
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The Thin Blue Line
1988
Directed by: Errol Morris
The Thin Blue Line is a 1988 American documentary film by Errol Morris, depicting the story of... more
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Capturing the Friedmans
2003
Directed by: Andrew Jarecki
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS was... more
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#5 of 19 These Documentaries Took A Hard Left Turn And Left Audiences Shocked And Confused#17 of 37 The Best British Documentaries
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Grey Gardens
1975
Directed by: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer
Grey Gardens is a 1975 American documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. Ellen Hovde and... more
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Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
1996
Directed by: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is a 1996 documentary film directed by... more
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#2 of 20 The Best True Crime Documentaries To Watch#75 of 100 The Best Courtroom Drama Movies
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The Cove
2009
Actors: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones
Directed by: Louie Psihoyos
The Cove is a 2009 documentary film that analyzes and questions dolphin hunting practices in... more
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Food, Inc.
2008
Directed by: Robert Kenner
How much do we know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?... more
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March of the Penguins
2005
Actors: Romane Bohringer, Charles Berling, Jules Sitruk
Directed by: Luc Jacquet
March of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film directed and co-written by Luc... more
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Bowling for Columbine
2002
Directed by: Michael Moore
Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 American documentary film written, directed, and narrated by... more
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Hoop Dreams
1994
Actors: William Gates, Arthur Agee, Emma Gates
Directed by: Steve James
Hoop Dreams is a 1994 American documentary film directed by Steve James and written by James... more
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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
2005
Actors: Peter Coyote, Gary Davis, Jeffrey Skilling, Bethany McLean, Kenneth Lay
Directed by: Alex Gibney
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a 2005 documentary film based on the best-selling 2003... more
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Man on Wire
2008
Actors: Paul McGill, Robert Sciglimpaglia, Jr., Joel Ney, Laurence Gates
Directed by: James Marsh
Man on Wire is a 2008 British documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles... more

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The Last Waltz
1978
Actors: Robbie Robertson, Muddy Waters, Neil Young
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
The Last Waltz was a concert by the Canadian rock group the Band, held on American... more
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The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
2007
Directed by: Seth Gordon
The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film. Highlighting the... more
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Koyaanisqatsi
1983
Actors: Lou Dobbs
Directed by: Godfrey Reggio
Koyaanisqatsi, also known as Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, is a 1982 film directed by... more
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The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
2003
Directed by: Errol Morris
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara is a 2003 American... more
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Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmakers's Apocalypse
1991
Directed by: Eleanor Coppola, George Hickenlooper, Fax Bahr
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a 1991 documentary film about the production... more
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Blackfish
2013
Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Blackfish is a 2013 Documentary film written by Eli B. Despres and directed by Gabriela... more
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When We Were Kings
1996
Actors: George Foreman, B.B. King, Don King, George Plimpton
Directed by: Leon Gast
When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous "Rumble... more
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Woodstock
1970
Actors: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Pete Townshend, Jerry Garcia, Keith Moon
Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
Woodstock is a 1970 American documentary of the watershed counterculture Woodstock Festival... more
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Crumb
1994
Actors: Robert Crumb
Directed by: Terry Zwigoff
Crumb is a 1994 documentary film about the noted underground cartoonist Robert Crumb and his... more
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Harlan County, USA
1976
Directed by: Barbara Kopple
Harlan County, USA is a 1976 Oscar-winning documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike",... more

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Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
2006
Directed by: Stanley Nelson Jr.
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple, is a 2006 documentary film made by Firelight... more
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Inside Job
2010
Actors: Matt Damon
Directed by: Charles Ferguson
Inside Job is a 2010 American documentary film, directed by Charles Ferguson, about the... more