1. Encounter Point
Encounter Point is an 85-minute feature documentary film that follows a former Israeli settler, a Palestinian ex-prisoner, a bereaved Israeli mother and a wounded Palestinian bereaved brother who risk their lives and public standing to promote a nonviolent end to the conflict. Their journeys lead them to the unlikeliest places to confront hatred within their communities.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
2. 10 + 4 (Dah be alaveh chahar)
After casting painter and video artist Mania Akbari as the central figure of his groundbreaking Ten , and then witnessing her outstanding debut as a feature film director in 20 Fingers , Abbas Kiarostami urged her to direct a sequel to the film. In Dah be alaveh Chahar , though, circumstances are different: Mania is fighting cancer. She has undergone surgery; she has lost her hair following chemotherapy and no longer wears the compulsory headscarf; and sometimes she is too weak to drive. So the camera follows her to record conversations with friends and family in different spaces, from the gondola she had famously used in her first feature to a hospital bed.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
3. Qué tal Pascual (Qué tal Pascual)
Pascual Iranzo is a famous and eccentric hairdresser from Barcelona with a unique idea of what it means to cut hair —and stylism— and an even more particular way of understanding the world. At 87 years of age, he maintains his supreme artistic skills and his incredible vitality. Between scissors, friends and cocktails, he is a man who never stops transforming and reinventing himself.
It has an average vote of 5 on TMDB.
4. Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority
In 1965, Patsy Takemoto Mink became the first woman of color in the United States Congress. Seven years later, she ran for the US presidency and was the driving force behind Title IX, the landmark legislation that transformed women’s opportunities in higher education and athletics.
5. Devil's Playground
The Devil's Playground is a fascinating and moving documentary about a little-known aspect of Amish life. Amish are not permitted to join the church until their late teens, and have to do so of their own volition. The film explores Rumspringa, wherein young Amish are given the opportunity to explore the "English" way of life.
It has an average vote of 6.6 on TMDB.
6. By the People: The Election of Barack Obama
By the People: The Election of Barack Obama is a documentary film produced by Edward Norton broadcast in November 2009 on HBO, which follows Barack Obama and various members of his campaign team, including David Axelrod, through the two years leading up to the United States presidential election on November 4th, 2008.
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
7. Passing Quietly Through
A blunt and human encounter between a nurse and an aging man.
8. Another Chance
A short 1983 documentary about an alternative to prison.
9. Lila
A 1980 short about the life and work of 80-year-old practicing psychiatrist Lila Bonner-Miller, who is at once a doctor, a church leader, an artist, a great-grandmother, and a remarkable example to all who know her.
10. Farewell, Herr Schwarz (Schnee von gestern)
A documentary about the outcome of a decision made by a brother and sister in 1945. One missed meeting, two families, and three generations.
It has an average vote of 8.5 on TMDB.
11. Hitler's Hitparade
A compilation of found footage from musicals, home movies, animated shorts, educational films, commercials, and propaganda set against pop music from the Third Reich, Hitler's Hitparade presents audiences with an unprecedented experiential collage of Nazi Germany.
It has an average vote of 6.3 on TMDB.
12. Jazz in Love (Jazz in Love)
Jazz in Love tells the story of Jazz, a young man from Davao whose dream wedding is within reach: his boyfriend of 11 months has proposed. Because no law allows him to get married in the Philippines, he must fly to Germany, his boyfriend's home country, and tie the knot there. One of the things that stand in his way is his inability to speak Deutsch, and to address that he must temporarily relocate to Manila for language lessons. Meanwhile, his parents remain completely unaware of the radical changes that his life is about to undergo.
It has an average vote of 6 on TMDB.
13. Hat Trick
An animated exploration of magic and moon landings, made entirely with behind the scenes stills from pre-digital cinema and NASA simulations.
14. Election Day
Forget the pie charts, color-coded maps and hyperventilating pundits. What's the street-level experience of voters in today's America? In a triumph of documentary storytelling, ELECTION DAY combines eleven stories--all shot simultaneously on November 2, 2004, from dawn until long past midnight--into one. Factory workers, ex-felons, harried moms, Native American activists and diligent poll watchers, from South Dakota to Florida, take the process of democracy into their own hands. The result: an entertaining, inspiring and sometimes unsettling tapestry of citizens determined on one fateful day to make their votes count.
15. The Horror of It All
A collection of film clips from horror movies and interviews with the actors and directors who made them.
It has an average vote of 8 on TMDB.
16. Diana de Santa Fe (Diana de Santa Fe)
Walking the dark, invisible passageways hidden behind Bogotá’s bright neon lights, Diana, a transgender woman becomes a crucial catalyst of the Zona Especial de Servicios de Alto Impacto . ZESAI is a social policy experiment intended to promote social integration by legalizing sex work within the residential neighborhood of Santa Fe.
17. Cyber-Seniors
A humorous and heartwarming documentary feature, CYBER-SENIORS chronicles the extraordinary journey of a group of senior citizens as they discover the world of the Internet through the guidance of teenage mentors. Their exploration of cyberspace is catapulted to another level when 89 year-old Shura decides to create a YouTube cooking video. A spirited video competition for the most “views" evolves as the cyber-seniors’ hidden talents and competitive spirits are revealed. CYBER-SENIORS provides insight into the wonderful things that can happen when generation gaps are bridged, proving you are never too old to get "connected."
It has an average vote of 6.8 on TMDB.
18. Salesman
This documentary from Albert and David Maysles follows the bitter rivalry of four door-to-door salesmen working for the Mid-American Bible Company: Paul "The Badger" Brennan, Charles "The Gipper" McDevitt, James "The Rabbit" Baker and Raymond "The Bull" Martos. Times are tough for this hard-living quartet, who spend their days traveling through small-town America, trying their best to peddle gold-leaf Bibles to an apathetic crowd of lower-middle-class housewives and elderly couples.
It has an average vote of 7.2 on TMDB.
19. Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror
Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror is a television documentary film that premiered on the Canadian cable network Space on February 25, 2009. The hour-long documentary examines the experiences, motivations and impact of the increasing number of women engaged in horror fiction, with producers Donna Davies and Kimberlee McTaggart of Canada's Sorcery Films interviewing actresses, film directors, writers, critics and academics. The documentary was filmed in Toronto, Canada; and in Los Angeles, California and New York City, New York in the US.
It has an average vote of 7.6 on TMDB.
20. Manufacturing Dissent
"Michael Moore doesn't like documentaries. That's why he doesn't make them." A documentary that looks to distinguish what's fact, fiction, legend, and otherwise as a camera crew trails Michael Moore as he tours with his film, Fahrenheit 9/11.
It has an average vote of 5.4 on TMDB.