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Film Canon | Best Documentary Films


In Order of Excellence

1. The Untold History of the United States - Oliver Stone, Peter Kuznick (2012)
Oliver Stone's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.

2. Born into Brothels - Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman (2004)

Set in Calcutta's notorious red-light district, Born Into Brothels explores the lives of its most vulnerable citizens. 

3. The Weather Underground - Sam Green, Bill Siegel (2002)

The remarkable story of The Weather Underground, radical activists of the 1970s, and of radical politics at its best and most disastrous.

4. The Kid Stays in the Picture - Nanette Burstein, Bret Morgen (2002)

Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans (the film shares the same name as Evans's famous 1994 autobiography).

5. War Photographer - Christian Frei (2001)

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

6. The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers -  Judith Ehrlich, Rick Goldsmith (2009)

"The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider,
armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents,
​decides to challenge an "Imperial" Presidency-answerable to neither Congress,
​the press, nor the people-in order to help end the Vietnam War


7. If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front - Marshall Curry, Sam Cullman (2011)

A rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front,
​the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.'


8. Man on Wire - James Marsh (2008)

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."


9. Waste Land - Lucy Walker, Karen Harley (2010)

An uplifting feature documentary highlighting the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit.

10. An Inconvenient Truth - Davis Guggenheim (2006)

A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide. 

11. Food, Inc. - Robert Kenner (2008)

An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.

12. Gasland - Josh Fox (2010)

It is happening all across America-rural landowners wake up one day to find
​a lucrative offer from an energy company wanting to lease their property. Reason?


13. The Thin Blue Line - Errol Morris (1988)

A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.

14. Inside Job - Charles Ferguson (2010)

Takes a closer look at what brought about the financial meltdown.

15. Finding Vivian Maier - John Maloof, Charlie Siskel (2013)

A documentary on the late Vivian Maier, a nanny whose previously unknown cache of 100,000 photographs
earned her a posthumous reputation as one of the most accomplished street photographers.

16. Minamata: The Victims and Their World - Noriaki Tsuchimoto (1971)

A documentary about the plight of the victims of Minamata disease, which was caused by the ingestion of fish containing abnormal amounts of mercury
released into the sea by a fertilizer factory owned by the Chisso company.

17. Dark Days - Marc Singer (2000)

A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.

18. Where to Invade Next - Michael Moore (2015)

To learn what the USA can learn from other nations, Michael Moore playfully "invades" them to see what they have to offer.


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