Top Documentaries

2018 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerCrime + PunishmentA group of brave NYPD officers risk it all to expose the truth about illegal quota practices in police departments.AmazonFree SoloAlex Honnold attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb El Capitan.AmazonMinding the GapThree young men bond together to escape volatile families in their Rust-Belt hometown. As they face adult responsibilities, unexpected revelations threaten their decade-long friendship.AmazonRBGThe exceptional life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon.AmazonThree Identical StrangersIn 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're...

2017 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerAbacus: Small Enough to JailA small financial institution called Abacus becomes the only company criminally indicted in the wake of the United States' 2008 mortgage crisis.AmazonBrimstone & GloryEcstatic ritual, danger and the absolute beauty of fireworks.AmazonEric Clapton: A Life in 12 BarsA look at the life and work of guitarist Eric Clapton, told by those who have known him best, including BB King, Jimi Hendrix, and George Harrison.AmazonFaces PlacesDirector Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.AmazonHell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISISA look at the current state of Syria amidst war and chaos in 2017, featuring stories of survival and observations ...

2016 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerDe PalmaA documentary about writer and director Brian De Palma.AmazonGleasonAfter he is diagnosed with ALS, former professional football player Steve Gleason begins making a video diary for his unborn son, as he, his wife, and their friends and family work to raise money for ALS patients as his disease progresses.AmazonLife, AnimatedA coming of age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.AmazonMiss Sharon Jones!Miss Sharon Jones: Dreams never expire but sometimes they are deferred. Miss Sharon Jones follows the talented and gregarious soul singer of the Grammy nominated R&B band "Sharon Jones and ...AmazonO.J.: Made ...

2015 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerAmyArchival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.AmazonBest of Enemies: Buckley vs. VidalA documentary on the series of televised debates in 1968 between liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley.AmazonListen to Me MarlonA documentary that utilizes hundreds of hours of audio that Marlon Brando recorded over the course of his life to tell the screen legend's story.AmazonThe Black Panthers: Vanguard of the RevolutionThis documentary tells the rise and fall of the Black Panther Party, one of the 20th century's most alluring and controversial organizations that captivated the world's attention for nearly 50 years.AmazonThe DiplomatTHE ...

2014 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerArt and CraftWhen one of the most prolific art forgers in US history is finally exposed, he must confront the legacy of his 30-year con.AmazonJodorowsky's DuneThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.AmazonKeep on Keepin' OnA documentary that follows jazz legend Clark Terry over four years to document the mentorship between Terry and 23-year-old blind piano prodigy Justin Kauflin as the young man prepares to compete in an elite, international competition.AmazonLast Days in VietnamDuring the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to ...

2013 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries Winner20 Feet from StardomBackup singers live in a world that lies just beyond the spotlight. Their voices bring harmony to the biggest bands in popular music, but we've had no idea who these singers are or what lives they lead, until now.AmazonAfter TillerAfter the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas in 2009, there are a limited number of doctors left in the country who provide third-trimester abortions for women. AFTER TILLER moves...AmazonCasting ByThe surprising, never-before-told tale of the indispensable yet unsung Casting Director - Iconoclasts whose keen eye, exquisite taste and gut instincts redefined Hollywood.AmazonStories We TellA film that excavates layers of myth and memory to find the elusive truth at the core of a f...

2012 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerAi Weiwei: Never SorryA documentary that chronicles artist and activist Ai Weiwei as he prepares for a series of exhibitions and gets into an increasing number of clashes with the Chinese government.AmazonDetropiaA documentary on the city of Detroit and its woes, which are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base.AmazonOnly the YoungA documentary on three teenagers living in a small desert town in Southern California.AmazonSearching for Sugar ManMalik BendjelloulTwo South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.AmazonThe GatekeepersA documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency ...

2011 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerBorn to Be WildThis heartwarming film documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them-saving endangered species one life at a time.AmazonBuckAn examination of the life of acclaimed 'horse whisperer' Buck Brannaman, who recovered from years of child abuse to become a well-known expert in the interactions between horses and people.AmazonGeorge Harrison: Living in the Material WorldFilmmaker Martin Scorsese examines the life of musician George Harrison, weaving together interviews, concert footage, home movies and photographs.AmazonParadise Lost 3: PurgatoryJoe BerlingerA further followup of the case of the West Memphis Three and the decades long fight to exonerate them that finally gain...

2019 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerAmerican FactoryEnd 2008, GM closes a plant in Ohio. A Chinese billionaire/Fuyao Glass buys the plant 2014 and invests in auto glass production. There are 2000 jobs there by late 2016. USA meets PRChina.AmazonApollo 11A look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.AmazonMaidenThe story of Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, who became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989.AmazonRolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin ScorseseIn an alchemic mix of fact and fantasy, Martin Scorsese looks back at Bob Dylan's 1975 Rolling Thunder Revue tour and a country ripe for reinvention...

2009 National Board of Review - Top Documentaries WinnerBurma VJ: Reporting from a Closed CountryUsing smuggled footage, this documentary tells the story of the 2007 protests in Burma by thousands of monks.AmazonCrudeJoe BerlingerThe story of lawsuit by tens of thousands of Ecuadorans against Chevron over contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon.AmazonFood, Inc.An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.AmazonGood HairChris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles.AmazonThe CoveUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.AmazonThe Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel...