Essential Documentaries to understand the world
Documentaries that, in one way or another, attempt to illuminate the truth of what goes on the scenes on the set of the show that we call reality. More to come
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- StarsJames GoldsmithDavid StirlingTiny RowlandThe effects on Britains economic and political power brought by unscrupulous, reckless gamblers from the notorious gambling club in the 60s - the Clermont Club.
- DirectorAdam CurtisStarsAdam CurtisDonald TrumpVladimir PutinAdam Curtis explains how, at a time of confusing and inexplicable world events, politicians and the people they represent have retreated in to a damaging over-simplified version of what is happening.
- StarsJohn NashRobert SpitzerJerome WakefieldThe many ways in which Western notions of personal and political freedom are changing in the 21st Century are explored in this three-part documentary from writer and filmmaker Adam Curtis.
- StarsGeorge BallMilton FriedmanTony BennThe consequences of exploiting technological and political ideas without understanding and concern for the outcome.
- StarsFrancis Richard ConollyGordon ArnoldCharles BrehmThis is one of the only documentaries that actually speaks on the real Secret Societies which for most are still a secret.
- DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh DiemA startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
- DirectorBernhard GuentherThis video sheds light into the nature of love, relationships, the "New Age" movement, reality-creation, quantum physics, objectivity vs. subjectivity and how it all relates to the topics of "conspiracy theories", psychopathy, and the importance of holistic self-work.
- DirectorPamela YatesState of Fear dramatizes the human and societal costs a democracy faces when it embarks on a war against terror, a war potentially without end, all too easily exploited by unscrupulous leaders seeking personal political gain.
- DirectorTim DelmastroStarsJeff BerwickGerald CelenteJonathan EmordLife is about choice. What we eat, what we read, who we elect; every day we make choices that determine how we want to live. But what if these choices are just an illusion?
- DirectorScott NobleStarsMichael AlbertMorris BermannNoam ChomskyHuman Resources is a documentary about Social Control, examining the history, the philosophy and ultimately the pathology of elite power.
- DirectorTroy MillerStarsJohn OliverAndy ZaltzmanIn this stand-up comedy from Comedy Central, British comedian John Oliver discusses global issues, politics, and his childhood.
- DirectorMark AchbarJennifer AbbottStarsMikela JayRob BeckwermertChristopher GoraDocumentary that looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance.
- DirectorChris MartinJohn PilgerSean CrottyStarsJohn PilgerPhilip AgeeSalvador AllendeVenezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Salvador, Bolivia: people's struggle for democracy versus US imperialism in Latin America since the 1950s, backing coups and supporting dictatorships.
- DirectorRelicStarsJiddu KrishnamurtiThe Dalai LamaGeorge CarlinOwned & Operated is a mosaic of the world through the lens of the Internet. Showing our lives as consumers, under the thumbs of privileged individuals and their methods of control. But the world is awakening, and the experience is something outside the normal rules of social interaction, causing excitement in those who are not served by the current system... and fear in those who are pampered by it.
- DirectorBrian SpringerStarsLarry AgranJim BakkerBill BeutelPirated satellite feeds revealing U. S. media personalities' contempt for their viewers.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsNoam ChomskyMichel GondryRichard FeynmanA series of interviews featuring linguist, philosopher and activist Noam Chomsky done in hand-drawn animation.
- DirectorJerry Bruck Jr.StarsI.F. StoneTom WickerA political biography of I.F. Stone that details his approach to the news, his working habits and some of his exposés of government treachery that made his one-man newspaper, I.F. Stone's Weekly, important.
- DirectorMark AchbarPeter WintonickStarsNoam ChomskyMark AchbarKarin Aguilar-San JuanA film about the noted American linguist/political dissident and his warning about corporate media's role in modern propaganda.
- StarsAdam CurtisRobert ReichAnn BernaysA documentary about the rise of psychoanalysis as a powerful means of persuasion for both governments and corporations.
- DirectorDavid Munro
- DirectorWilliam T. StillStarsWilliam T. StillThe Money Masters is a 1996 documentary film that discusses the concepts of money, debt, taxes, and describes their development from biblical times onward.
- StarsJon RonsonAlex JonesJack McLambJournalist Jon Ronson enters the world of conspiracy theorists.
- DirectorAdam CurtisStarsAdam CurtisDonald TrumpVladimir PutinAdam Curtis explains how, at a time of confusing and inexplicable world events, politicians and the people they represent have retreated in to a damaging over-simplified version of what is happening.
- StarsJohn PilgerDemelza Val BakerWendy GillRespected journalist, John Pilger, takes a look at various themes including Vietnam and prisoners on remand.
- DirectorJoao G. AmorimStarsDaniel PinchbeckMaude BarlowAriane Burgess2012: Time For Change is a documentary feature that presents ways to transform our unsustainable society into a regenerative planetary culture. This can be achieved through a personal and global change of consciousness and the systemic implementation of ecological design.
- DirectorMat WhitecrossMichael WinterbottomStarsJanine HuardEwen CameronNaomi KleinAn investigation of "disaster capitalism", based on Naomi Klein's proposition that neo-liberal capitalism feeds on natural disasters, war and terror to establish its dominance.
- StarsOliver HarperKyle WyattA series of episodes of Retrospective and Reviews by the YouTube of Nostalgia, Oliver Harper.
- DirectorRoxanne MeadowsStarsJacque FrescoRoxanne MeadowsA documentary to introduce the aims and proposals of the Venus Project.
- DirectorSlavko MartinovStarsTony BlairLloyd BlankfeinGeorge BushAn anti-western propaganda film about the influences of American visual and consumption culture on the rest of the world, as told from a North Korean perspective.
- StarsPeter JenningsNeil SimonJohn UpdikePeter Jennings hosts this 15 part documentary that chronicles the defining events of the 20th century. Through archive footage and hundreds of interviews the series examines 100 years of American history from the influx of immigrants in 1900 to the late 90s explosion of technology and mass communication.
- DirectorJosh HayesStarsPaul BodenNoam ChomskyChris HedgesFrom the people in the streets, to it's root causes, The Invisible Class will forever change your perception of homelessness in America.
- StarsBryan MageeNoam ChomskyJohn SearleA look at modern western philosophy through interviews with contemporary philosophers.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRobert McNamaraJohn F. KennedyFidel CastroThe story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.
- DirectorMatt GriffinStarsJohn AllsoppDan AppelquistIrene AuWhat Comes Next Is the Future is a documentary film about the web created by Bearded founder Matt Griffin. It is the story of Tim Berners-Lee's creation - how it came to be, where it's been, and where it's going - as told by the people who build it. In the film, Griffin knits together a narrative by mining dozens of conversations with important figures from throughout the web's history including Jeffrey Zeldman, Denise Jacobs, Tim Berners-Lee, Ethan Marcotte, Chris Wilson, Lyza Danger Gardner, Eric Meyer, Irene Au, Alex Russell, Trent Walton, Val Head, Jonathan Snook and many more.
- DirectorAlan LoweryJohn PilgerStarsJohn PilgerStuart EwenMelvin GoodmanThought-provoking documentary on war propaganda: how governments manipulate the facts and how most media let them get away with it.
- StarsJohn BergerAnya BostockEva FigesJohn Berger presents his insights on how people see. Through examples of Art History Berger shows how our very sense of sight has been transformed. By discovering why this is so, according to Berger, "we shall discover something about ourselves."
- StarsOliver StoneAlan ShearmanJim WardOliver Stone 's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.
- DirectorScott NobleStarsMichael AlbertMorris BermannNoam ChomskyHuman Resources is a documentary about Social Control, examining the history, the philosophy and ultimately the pathology of elite power.
- DirectorJames CorbettThis documentary tries to tell you the ww1 as a conspiracy from the start to the end, like you have never heard before.
- 20161h 31mNot Rated7.3 (566)63MetascoreDirectorFred PeabodyStarsI.F. StoneChris HedgesLeslie MoonvesA look at the life and work of American journalist, I.F. Stone, who leads a one-man crusade against government deception.
- DirectorJean-Philippe TremblayStarsKerry ShaleAmy GoodmanJanine JacksonExamines the new media monopoly by corporations in America versus the public battle for truth and democracy.
- DirectorMichael WinterbottomStarsRussell BrandGeraint AndersonBrigitte BardotA look at the growing disparity between different economic classes.
- DirectorScott NobleStarsGeorge BushGeorge W. BushNoam ChomskyPsywar explores the evolution of propaganda and public relations in the United States, with an emphasis on the elitist theory of democracy; and the relationship between war, propaganda, and class.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsElon MuskLawrence KraussLucianne WalkowiczWerner Herzog's exploration of the Internet and the connected world.
- DirectorAlan LoweryJohn PilgerStarsPramoedya Ananta ToerGeorge MonbiotDita SariThe myths of globalisation have been incorporated into much of our everyday language. "Thinking globally" and "the global economy" are part of a jargon that assumes we are all part of one big global village, where national borders and national identities no longer matter. But what is globalisation? And where is this global village? In 2001, John Pilger made 'The New Rulers of the World', a film exploring the impact of globalisation. It took Indonesia as the prime example, a country that the World Bank described as a 'model pupil' until its 'globalised' economy collapsed in 1998. Globalisation has not only made the world smaller. It has also made it interdependent. An investment decision made in London can spell unemployment for thousands in Indonesia, while a business decision taken in Tokyo can create thousands of new jobs for workers in north-east England. This might seem a very natural development if you live in a country like Britain, with its long international history as a trading nation and imperial power. Bringing the world closer together may throw up new opportunities for cultural and economic interaction, but it also exposes us to the negative aspects of life on a shrinking planet, whether it be the threat of global warming, the international traffic in women for sexual exploitation or the spread of AIDS throughout Africa and Asia.
- StarsJoseph CampbellBill MoyersGeorge LucasMythologist Joseph Campbell presents his ideas about comparative mythology and the ongoing role of myth in human society.
- StarsCharlie BrookerTim KeyDoug StanhopeHosted and written by Charlie Brooker, this sardonic series follows and critiques both current news stories and the way television portrays them.
- DirectorCevin SolingStarsRandy CassinghamLaurie A. CoutureShows how American public schools have failed in their mission to provide education, erode the country's democratic foundation by denying the most basic civil rights to youth, and often resemble prisons.
- StarsAdam CurtisStewart BrandAl GoreA series of films about how humans have been colonized by the machines we have built. Although we don't realize it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers.
- StarsAdam CurtisStewart BrandAl GoreA series of films about how humans have been colonized by the machines we have built. Although we don't realize it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers.
- StarsGilles KepelWilliam KristolMelvin GoodmanA series of three documentaries about the use of fear for political gain.
- DirectorSammi Lee DavisStarsMike VanderboeghMatt BrackenDavid CodreaThe truth isn't always comforting, but it's always correct. When the world lines up to lie to you, a documentary like Lies of Omission is a glimmer of hope. We might just have a future we can embrace.
- StarsDavid DimblebyWhen the 20th century opened, Britain dominated world affairs, and America stood on the sidelines. Now their positions are reversed. This is the story of how it happened.
- DirectorAdam CurtisStarsIan HolmIn 1949, at the height of the Cold War, the British and American Governments decided to fight back at the growing Soviet Empire with a secret plan of subversion.
- DirectorJames CorbettThis documentary tries to tell you the ww1 as a conspiracy from the start to the end, like you have never heard before.
- DirectorRobert GreenwaldStarsDaniel EllsbergFranz GaylSeymour HershWar on Whistleblowers: Free Press and the National Security State highlights four cases where whistleblowers noticed government wrong-doing and took to the media to expose the fraud and abuse.
- DirectorPeter JosephStarsChogyam TrungpaJordan MaxwellGeorge CarlinMythology and belief in society today, presenting uncommon perspectives of common cultural issues.
- DirectorAlan LoweryJohn PilgerStarsJohn PilgerStuart EwenMelvin GoodmanThought-provoking documentary on war propaganda: how governments manipulate the facts and how most media let them get away with it.
- StarsMonty DobsonMichael NassaneyAdam KaneJoin Dr. Monty Dobson on the expedition to uncover America's archaeological history. The series follows Monty as he explores archaeological sites along America's ever shifting frontier and uses these sites as touch points to tell America's story. From the first peoples who arrived during the last Ice Age to the archaeology of the Industrial Age, America from the Ground Up. is history like you've never seen it before.
- DirectorIan CraneStarsIan CraneIan R. Crane is one of the most outspoken advocates of Freedom in the world today, giving powerful presentations all across the globe. In this film, Ian uncovers the truth about the Swine Flu Outbreak, the Rumsfeld connection and the manipulated media exposure of the UK members of Parliament expense scandal.
- StarsScott ArmstrongRichard BissellJackson BrowneThis special report by Bill Moyers illustrates and evidences about the contradictions revolving U.S. government when it comes to actually follow and obey the Constitution and its rulings. During the Iran-Contra affair, the White House was giving one appearance that wasn't factual, constantly overruling the most important document of the nation. However, Moyers and guests takes us back to other historical times when the powers in Washington weren't following exactly the Constitution and were doing whatever they wanted to do.
- StarsRichard StrattonTy HurleySam Shoubber"America's War on Drugs" is an immersive trip through the last five decades, uncovering how the CIA, obsessed with keeping America safe in the fight against communism, allied itself with the mafia and foreign drug traffickers.
- DirectorSheldon RenanStarsChuck RileyEd DorrisThomas NoguchiA documentary of the decline of America. It features footage (most exclusive to this film) from race riots to serial killers and much, much more.
- DirectorBarbara-Anne SteegmullerStarsChristy JohnsonMax CarterHarry S. TrumanSuperpower illustrates how the United States has leveraged its position to ensure unilateral world domination through absolute economic and military superiority and government deception.
- CreatorDavid AttenboroughStarsHugh FalkusDavid AttenboroughBarry PaineA documentary series with a broad remit of geography, anthropology, and natural history subjects.
- DirectorTerje ToftenesTruls ToftenesStarsTerje ToftenesEdgar D. MitchellSteven M. GreerOur modern civilization is likely to be confronted with the biggest paradigm shift in the perception of reality ever, and through our productions we wish to bring insight from the forefront of this development.
- DirectorSteve ConnellyJohn PilgerStarsJohn PilgerJohn BoltonReed BrodyA critical documentary about the war on terror since 9-11.
- StarsJohn PilgerJohn Pilger's penetrating film which show the world-wide propaganda surrounding the nuclear arms race. When the two American atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, they were code-named Fat Man and Little Boy, and President Truman announced after the event: The experiment has been an overwhelming success.
- StarsAdam CurtisLove, power, money, ghosts of empire, conspiracies, artificial intelligence and You. An emotional history of the modern world by Adam Curtis.
- DirectorJanet TobiasStarsLarry BrilliantJohn ConnorDecontee DavisUnseen Enemy is a feature-length documentary about the threat of epidemics in the 21st century and what we can do to fight them.
- DirectorBrent Miller Jr.StarsRay BentleyAllen FarmerDouglas HampThrough newly discovered geological and statistical patterns, many believe it can be proven that the Tribulation is about to begin!
- StarsW. Kamau BellRussell PetersMark NykanenW. Kamau Bell travels America and dives into issues in America such as racism, incarceration, and more.
- DirectorEugene JareckiStarsGore VidalJohn McCainKen AdelmanIs American foreign policy dominated by the idea of military supremacy? Has the military become too important in American life? Jarecki's shrewd and intelligent polemic would seem to give an affirmative answer to each of these questions.
- DirectorDavid HooperStarsRoland AngleStephen BaraschGeorge W. BushA deep investigation of 9/11/2001 Wolrd Trade Center attacks made by an ordinary man.
- DirectorRaoul MartinezJoshua van PraagStarsMichael AlbertStanley AronowitzTony BennDo you shape the world or does it shape you? Drawing on leading thinkers from around the world, and with a torrent of mind-expanding ideas and information, THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH will make you think again about what it means to be free.
- DirectorScott OnstottStarsScott OnstottIt is an exploration of great art, architecture, cities and the cosmos.
- StarsPeter JosephDutch MerrickScott DennettA satirical yet serious expression that challenges various cultural phenomena existing today which most of society seem to take for granted.
- StarsBen MakuchBrian KrebsMichael ChertoffTapping into the geopolitics of hacking and surveillance, Ben Makuch travels the world to meet with hackers, government officials, and dissidents to investigate the ecosystem of cyberwarfare.
- DirectorMarc LevinStarsMichael Levine'Freeway' Ricky RossEric SterlingFREEWAY: CRACK IN THE SYSTEM tells the story of broken dreams, drug dealers, dirty cops, and government complicity-more compelling than fiction, it's the real story behind America's longest war. This documentary by award-winning filmmaker Marc Levin (SLAM, Mr. Untouchable, Brick City) exposes how the infiltration of crack cocaine destroyed inner-city neighborhoods across the country. At the center of it all is the rise, fall and redemption of Freeway Rick Ross, a street hustler who became the King of Crack, and journalist Gary Webb, who broke the story of the CIA's complicity in the drug war. Featuring exclusive interviews with Freeway Rick Ross, not to be confused with the rapper who took his name Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gary Webb, his source Coral Baca, and wife Susan Webb former Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff Roberto Juarez drug trafficker Julio Zavala and many more. The real Rick Ross is not a rapper. He's an urban legend in South Central LA, a black godfather figure whom most people have never seen, but know by name and reputation. He's 'Freeway' Rick Ross, the man who stood at the center of the crack epidemic, and whose name has been inextricably linked to the CIA-Contra-Cocaine connection. His story defies all odds and stereotypes and proves that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.
- DirectorLee FulkersonStarsLee FulkersonMatthew LedermanAlona PuldeExamines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
- StarsLouis TherouxTrina WilliamsIsaiah StuckLouis Theroux explores the unusual ways modern America deals with birth, love and death.
- DirectorChris MartinJohn PilgerSean CrottyStarsJohn PilgerPhilip AgeeSalvador AllendeVenezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Chile, Salvador, Bolivia: people's struggle for democracy versus US imperialism in Latin America since the 1950s, backing coups and supporting dictatorships.
- DirectorDavid Munro
- DirectorPatrik WitkowskyStarsGustaf ArrheniusAnna-Klara BrattNoam ChomskyThis is a solid, thought provoking documentary covering a relevant economic topic in-depth. The question of capitalism's grip on the modern world is highly relevant today and the film questions if we should be pushing for a democratic cooperative way of doing business, showing case studies of businesses who are surviving as democracies within a capitalist system.
- StarsJohn PilgerJohn Pilger's penetrating film which show the world-wide propaganda surrounding the nuclear arms race. When the two American atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, they were code-named Fat Man and Little Boy, and President Truman announced after the event: The experiment has been an overwhelming success.
- DirectorCraig AtkinsonStarsRichard BerkJames ComeyDave GrossmanAn account of the increasing use of military weapons and tactics by local law enforcement in the United States, counterpointed with civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri following the shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.
- DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær MagnasonTakes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
- StarsJohn PitmanMichael DeanLucinda LambtonDocumentaries on any possible subject, the only connection being that they last forty minutes.
- DirectorDouglas CohenStarsCorey BurtonAlex FilippenkoPeter WardA rapid-fire history of our world, from the beginning of time as we know it to present day. This two-hour CGI-driven special delves into the key turning points: the formation of earth, emergence of life, spread of man and the growth of civilization--and reveals their surprising connections to our world today.
- DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRobert McNamaraJohn F. KennedyFidel CastroThe story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara.
- DirectorBenjamin KlemaMatt TrogeStarsF. Reed BrownMatt DreierKatie GerardenA girl named Ann receives a mysterious note which leads to her finding an ominous box sitting in the woods. As the week progresses, Ann struggles to retain the normality of her regular life coupled with the growing curiosity surrounding what's inside the box. As Ann's world slowly falls apart, she is faced with her own obsession, forcing her to choose between life as she knows or knowing whats inside the box.
- DirectorPaul PoetStarsJohn RinaldiPaul PoetCaledonia CurryHandmade utopias - a filmic search for the worldwide phenomenon of the micronation movement. Do-it-yourself states that have distanced themselves from the economic and political mainstreaming of globalization. A road movie covering land, water and the wildest realms of the imagination. Simultaneously creative documentary and pulsating cultural portrait, the film traces a new "unplugged" generation - their motives, their anxieties and their dreams. A film that shows how this generation realizes its escapist fantasies in new economic and political forms and how they collide with oppressive everyday realities.
- DirectorAlan LoweryJohn PilgerStarsPramoedya Ananta ToerGeorge MonbiotDita SariThe myths of globalisation have been incorporated into much of our everyday language. "Thinking globally" and "the global economy" are part of a jargon that assumes we are all part of one big global village, where national borders and national identities no longer matter. But what is globalisation? And where is this global village? In 2001, John Pilger made 'The New Rulers of the World', a film exploring the impact of globalisation. It took Indonesia as the prime example, a country that the World Bank described as a 'model pupil' until its 'globalised' economy collapsed in 1998. Globalisation has not only made the world smaller. It has also made it interdependent. An investment decision made in London can spell unemployment for thousands in Indonesia, while a business decision taken in Tokyo can create thousands of new jobs for workers in north-east England. This might seem a very natural development if you live in a country like Britain, with its long international history as a trading nation and imperial power. Bringing the world closer together may throw up new opportunities for cultural and economic interaction, but it also exposes us to the negative aspects of life on a shrinking planet, whether it be the threat of global warming, the international traffic in women for sexual exploitation or the spread of AIDS throughout Africa and Asia.
- StarsWill LymanSarah ChildressPriyanka BoghaniFRONTLINE is investigative journalism that questions, explains and changes our world and American television's top long-form news and current affairs series since 1983
- StarsJason MurphyBrian BrushwoodKent KasperBrian Brushwood made a career thinking like a criminal and now he is here to show us how to avoid people who cheat the system. Also, he will guide us through legal tips and tricks to get ahead in life. One hack at a time.
- StarsJon RonsonAlex JonesJack McLambJournalist Jon Ronson enters the world of conspiracy theorists.