Top 100 Documentary Movies of 2024
- 1
The Other Shore: The Diana Nyad Story
October 20, 2023This epic sports documentary follows 60-year-old legendary athlete Diana Nyad as she emerges from a three-decade retirement attempting to become the first perso...
- 2
Roger Waters the Wall
December 1, 2015Roger Waters, co-founder and principal songwriter of Pink Floyd, fuses the epic and the personal in Roger Waters The Wall, a concert film that goes well beyond ...
- 3
Come Out in Jesus Name
March 13, 2023Following a startling chain of events, the most controversial pastor in America, Greg Locke, took a 180-degree turn from his mainstream religious traditions and...
- 4
As It Happened: Iwo Jima
August 4, 2020In the final year of World War 2 one of the most dramatic battles took place on the volcanic island of Iwo Jima, Japan. This dramatic documentary features the s...
- 5
Only the Dead
December 31, 2021When the invasion of Iraq ended no one knew what was to come. In the midst of the celebrations, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the most vicious of Al Qaeda leaders, laid...
- 6
McConkey
October 5, 2013“McConkey” is a heartfelt examination of the legacy one athlete left to the progression of his sports, and the path he paved to conquer his dreams. Shane Mc...
- 7
Anselm
December 8, 2023In ANSELM, Wim Wenders creates a portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one of the most innovative and important painters and sculptors of our time. Shot in 3D and 6K-resol...
- 8
Finding Vivian Maier
March 28, 2014Who is Vivian Maier? Now considered one of the 20th century's greatest street photographers, Vivian Maier was a mysterious nanny who secretly took over 100,000 ...
- 9
Beyond Utopia
November 28, 2023Winner of the 2023 Sundance U.S. Documentary Audience Award, Madeleine Gavin’s Beyond Utopia — both a real-life thriller and an eye-opening documentary — ...
- 10
Stop Making Sense
September 29, 2023The greatest concert film of all time, "Stop Making Sense" brings to the screen Talking Heads at Hollywood's Pantages Theater in December 1983: David Byrne, Tin...
- 11
Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same
October 26, 1976This unique rock concert film experience captures the essence of Led Zeppelin, one of the most exciting and durable rock bands of all time. Filmed during the gr...
- 12
Paris is Burning
June 9, 1990Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New Y...
- 13
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music (Director's Cut)
March 26, 1970"Woodstock," the concert, gave voice to the spirit of a generation, offering the world a three-day microcosm of the turbulent '60s, set to the music of the era'...
- 14
The Fog of War
December 19, 2003The Fog of War is a 20th century fable, a story of an American dreamer who rose from humble origins to the heights of political power. Robert S. McNamara was bo...
- 15
Immediate Family
December 15, 2023Now In Theaters. Following in the footsteps of legendary 1960’s session musicians The Wrecking Crew, musicians Leland Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Russ Kunkel, and...
- 16
Eagles: History of the Eagles
January 1, 2013The History of the Eagles is a 2-part documentary about one of the biggest rock bands in history. Following them from their earliest musical memories to rock s...
- 17
Conor McGregor: Notorious
November 14, 2017Conor McGregor is the biggest star in the history of Mixed Martial Arts. Filmed over the course of 4 years, Notorious is the exclusive, all access account of Co...
- 18
Hendrie
March 15, 2024Hendrie is a feature documentary on the legendary talk-radio comic legend Phil Hendrie, who influenced a legion of great comedic minds through his innovative an...
- 19
Mad Props
February 23, 2024Tom Biolchini, an avid movie prop collector, knew why he loved collecting props from his favorite films. But, like any collector, everyone is different. Curious...
- 20
Back In Time
October 21, 2015The documentary film Back in Time is, at its heart, a look at the very real impact the Back to the Future movies have had on our culture. What was once a little...
- 21
Maynard
May 4, 2018The Obama before Obama, in 1973 at 35 years old, Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. became first black Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia (home of the Confederate south) and g...
- 22
Ariel Phenomenon
December 25, 2022Ariel Phenomenon explores a close encounter event, witnessed by over sixty schoolchildren in Zimbabwe. More than twenty-five years later, the incident is still ...
- 23
Show Me the Father
September 10, 2021An inspiring, emotional journey, the first documentary from the creators of War Room features amazing, true stories.
- 24
It Might Get Loud
August 14, 2009Rarely can a film penetrate the glamorous surface of rock legends. It Might Get Loud tells the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of ele...
- 25
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
June 8, 2018From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom), Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America's favorite neighbor:...
- 26
Kedi
February 10, 2017Hundreds of thousands of cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely. For thousands of years, they’ve wandered in and out of people’s lives, becoming an ess...
- 27
Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America
February 21, 2017Musician Daryl Davis has an unusual hobby. He's played all over the world with legends like Chuck Berry and Little Richard, but it's what Daryl does in his free...
- 28
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
November 20, 2007The award-winning documentary about the fascinating and harrowing making of Apocalypse Now, one of the most celebrated films in American cinema.
- 29
Apollo 11 (2019)
March 1, 2019From director Todd Douglas Miller (Dinosaur 13) comes a cinematic event 50 years in the making. Crafted from a newly discovered trove of 65mm footage, and more ...
- 30
American Gospel: Christ Alone
January 15, 2019Does Christianity mean Christ + the American dream? American Gospel examines how the prosperity gospel (the Word of Faith movement) has distorted the gospel mes...
- 31
One Direction: This Is Us
August 30, 2013Follows the UK boy band One Direction for a year as they embark on a world tour.
- 32
Enduring Faith: The Story of Native American Catholics
December 7, 2021This film explores the legacy of faith among Native Americans and inspires greater awareness of wrongs inflicted by unjust government policies and how Native Am...
- 33
Welcome to Macintosh
April 6, 2008The first documentary of its kind to mix history, criticism and an unapologetic revelry of all things Apple into a movie experience. The film explores the early...
- 34
Marley
September 1, 2020Born into poverty in rural Jamaica, Bob Marley became a prophet for the world's oppressed, preaching peace, love, and understanding with a universal language - ...
- 35
Inside Job
October 8, 2010Academy Award® Winner for Best Documentary Feature "INSIDE JOB" from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, Charles Ferguson (No End In Sight), comes Inside Job, t...
- 36
Happy Happy Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story
August 14, 2020In the early 1990s, the animated show Ren & Stimpy broke ratings records and was a touchstone for a generation of fans and artists. Creator John Kricfalusi was ...
- 37
Bob Marley: Roots of the Man
January 16, 2018Robert Nesta Marley, known across the globe as Bob Marley, was the first and debatably only superstar ever to emerge from the third world. He rose from eager ru...
- 38
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
April 11, 2022Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson join filmmaker Chris Columbus and other esteemed cast members across all eight Harry Potter films as they travel ...
- 39
Free Solo
September 28, 2018A stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free solo climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream:scaling the face of the world’s ...
- 40
The Plot Against the President
January 27, 2021The true story of how Congressman Devin Nunes uncovered the operation to bring down the President of the United States. Following the book The Plot Against the ...
- 41
The Alpinist
November 2, 2021As the sport of climbing turns from a niche pursuit to mainstream media event, Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces,...
- 42
Kiss the Ground
June 20, 2020Narrated by and featuring Woody Harrelson, Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and groundbreaking film that reveals the first viable solution to our climate crisis....
- 43
The Inventor: Out For Blood in Silicon Valley
March 18, 2019Riveting look at the now-defunct company Theranos and its enigmatic founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, whose ambition to revolutionize blood testing through biot...
- 44
Three Identical Strangers
June 29, 2018Three Identical Strangers tells the astonishing true story of three men who make the chance discovery, at the age of 19, that they are identical triplets, separ...
- 45
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago
February 27, 2013Following the journeys of six modern-day pilgrims as they cope with blisters, exhaustion, and loneliness, “Walking the Camino” explores the universal themes...
- 46
In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50
October 22, 2022What began as a movie about the notorious rock group King Crimson and Robert Fripp mutated into something very different to a standard music documentary - a dar...
- 47
Michael Jackson's This Is It
October 28, 2009Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts at London’s...
- 48
We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song
January 28, 1985On January 28, 1985, as famine devastated the African continent, a stellar roster of musical talent entered a recording studio in Los Angeles, CA, to make a rec...
- 49
Above Majestic
October 30, 2018On September 10th 2001 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that $2.3 trillion dollars could not be accounted for within Department of Defense expendi...
- 50
Forks Over Knives
May 2, 2011What has happened to us? Despite the most advanced medical technology in the world, we are sicker than ever by nearly every measure. Two out of every three...
- 51
The Lost Century: And How to Reclaim It
June 6, 2023A century of illegal UFO secrecy has cost humanity hundreds of years of spiritual, cultural and technological development. Dr. Steven Greer presents "The Lost C...
- 52
Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story
March 26, 2024Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story is the definitive, never-before-told story of perhaps the greatest bodybuilder of all time, Phil Heath. Plagued by injuri...
- 53
The El Duce Tapes
October 9, 2019In the early 90s, aspiring filmmaker (and General Hospital co-star) Ryan Sexton lugged a giant camcorder into some of the seediest clubs and filthiest apartment...
- 54
One Six Right
July 22, 2016An exhilarating documentary film that celebrates the unsung hero of aviation— the local airport — by tracing the life, history, and struggles of an airport ...
- 55
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
March 9, 2012JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI is the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, considered by many to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. He is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro,...
- 56
The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young
December 8, 2015Every year, 40 international runners descend upon a small town in Tennessee to test their mental and physical limits against the Barkley Marathons. Devised as a...
- 57
The Secret
February 1, 2007The Secret. It has been passed throughout the ages, traveling through centuries… to reach you. This is the secret to everything – joy, health, money, relati...
- 58
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
December 30, 2015Join best-selling author Michael Pollan (Food Rules, The Botany of Desire) on a fascinating journey to answer the question: What should I eat to be healthy? Cut...
- 59
The Biggest Little Farm
May 10, 2019The Biggest Little Farm chronicles the eight-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harv...
- 60
Leaving Neverland: Part 2
March 4, 2019When allegations of abuse by Michael Jackson involving young boys surfaced in 1993, many found it hard to believe that he could be guilty of such unspeakable ac...
- 61
Catfish (2010)
September 17, 2010In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sensed a story unfolding as they began to film the life of Ariel’s brother, Nev. They had no idea that...
- 62
Korengal
September 9, 2014Korengal picks up where Restrepo left off; the same men, the same valley, the same commanders, but a very different look at the experience of war. Korengal expl...
- 63
Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project
November 15, 2019For over 30 years, Marion Stokes obsessively and privately recorded American television news twenty-four hours a day. A civil rights-era radical who became fabu...
- 64
Lil Peep: Everybody's Everything
November 15, 2019Musician Lil Peep was on the verge of mainstream success when he died of a drug overdose at 21 years old. Dubbed the future of emo by Pitchfork, Peep managed to...
- 65
Jodorowsky's Dune
March 21, 2014The tale of Jodorowsky and his Dune is a fascinating trip through creativity and imagination, a story about the relentless pursuit of a dream, and the necessity...
- 66
A Wicked Eden
December 2, 2022Some strands of feminism believe that all pornographic material is designed to subjugate women and that all sex workers are inherently exploited by the dominant...
- 67
Bisping
March 21, 2022Michael Bisping is one of the biggest personalities the UFC has ever known and the obstacles he faced to become UFC Middleweight Champion are unmatched. More th...
- 68
Jackass Forever
February 4, 2022Older but not wiser, Johnny Knoxville and the crew are back for the most unbelievably outrageous jackass yet. Brace yourself as they reach new levels of immatur...
- 69
Meru
August 14, 2015Rising 21,000 feet above the sacred Ganges River, the Shark’s Fin on Mount Meru is the ultimate test in the high-stakes world of big-wall climbing. The "anti-...
- 70
Transition
March 26, 2024Australian journalist and filmmaker, Jordan Bryon, gains incredible access to a Taliban unit during the fall of Afghanistan. The country’s transition coincide...
- 71
American Experience: The Boys of '36
August 2, 2016In 1936, nine boys from the University of Washington took the rowing world and a nation by storm, when their eight-oar crew team captured the gold medal at the ...
- 72
Restrepo
June 27, 2010Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for documentary, RESTREPO chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Ko...
- 73
The Ghost Army
May 21, 2013The Ghost Army was officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. From June 1944 to March 1945 it staged 20 battlefield deceptions, beginning in Norm...
- 74
JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass
March 8, 2022Thirty years after acclaimed director Oliver Stone’s first examination of the JFK assasination, Stone reassess the horrific event that shaped a generation and...
- 75
God & Country
February 16, 2024From Director Dan Partland and producer Rob Reiner, "God & Country" looks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only our constitu...
- 76
Joan Baez I Am a Noise
October 6, 2023Joan Baez I Am A Noise is an unusually intimate psychological portrait of legendary musician and activist Joan Baez. Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditi...
- 77
The Aristocrats
September 2, 2005This documentary about the world's funniest dirty joke features over 100 stand-up and performing comedians discussing and telling the joke. Since the joke, whic...
- 78
Madonna Truth or Dare
May 10, 1991Madonna: Like you've never seen her before. This movie reveals her as she really is, on stage and off--den mother to her family of dancers, sex goddess to her m...
- 79
After Death
October 27, 2023After Death is a gripping film that explores the afterlife based on real near-death experiences, conveyed by scientists, authors, and survivors. From the New Yo...
- 80
Facing Nolan
May 24, 2022Nolan Ryan is emblazoned onto our sub-conscience. Images of him pitching with a jersey covered in blood, 7 no-hitters, the all-time strikeout record, and the ic...
- 81
Leaving Neverland: Part 1
March 4, 2019When allegations of abuse by Michael Jackson involving young boys surfaced in 1993, many found it hard to believe that he could be guilty of such unspeakable ac...
- 82
Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working With Time
March 7, 2002In the timeless tradition of films like Winged Migration and Koyaanisqatsi, the theatrical phenomenon RIVERS AND TIDES depicts the magical relationship between ...
- 83
It Ain't Over
May 12, 2023Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is one of baseball's greatest. He amassed ten World Series rings, 3 MVP awards and 18 All-Star Game appearances. He caught the only ...
- 84
Fantastic Fungi
October 11, 2019When so many are struggling for connection, inspiration and hope, Fantastic Fungi brings us together as interconnected creators of our world. Fantastic Fungi...
- 85
Transmedium: Fastmovers & USOs
March 5, 2024Transmedium UFOs, often viewed as ocean based USOs, have long fascinated Navy personnel. Join us for an in-depth exploration of USO history with former Navy Chi...
- 86
Head Games
September 21, 2012From Oscar nominated director Steve James ("Hoop Dreams") comes this revealing documentary about the concussion crisis in sports. Athletes and parents share the...
- 87
The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story
November 17, 2020For millions of children and adults, the Nickelodeon Network is synonymous with growing up. In just a few years, the channel grew from a small local channel to ...
- 88
American Gospel: Christ Crucified
April 7, 2020The gospel message of 'Christ crucified' has always been offensive. In our culture it is common for preachers to soften the offense of the cross, and the attrib...
- 89
Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew
March 26, 2024Handle With Care chronicles the rise, fall and rebirth of The Notic, an upstart streetball collective from Canada in the early 2000s. While their creative baske...
- 90
The Russian Five
March 22, 2019The Detroit Red Wings worked to finally break their decades long Stanley Cup drought by extracting players from the Soviet Union, and in the process, changed th...
- 91
Heartworn Highways
February 5, 2021In the mid-‘70s, filmmaker James Szalapski documented the then-nascent country music movement that would become known as “outlaw country.” Inspired, in pa...
- 92
Searching for Sugar Man
July 27, 2012SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN tells the incredible true story of Rodriguez, the greatest ‘70s rock icon who never was. After being discovered in a Detroit bar, Rodr...
- 93
Occupied City
December 25, 2023The past collides with our precarious present in Academy Award winner Steve McQueen's bravura documentary Occupied City, informed by the book Atlas of an Occupi...
- 94
Ferrari: Race to Immortality
July 24, 2018The 1950s. Emergence of the iconic Scuderia Ferrari in the Formula One World Championship and deadliest decade in motor racing history. As cars pushed the limit...
- 95
Let the Fire Burn
October 2, 2013In the astonishingly gripping Let the Fire Burn, director Jason Osder has crafted that rarest of cinematic objects: a found-footage film that unfurls with the t...
- 96
The Last Ocean
February 20, 2013The Ross Sea Antarctica is the most pristine stretch of ocean on Earth. Scientists describe it as our last 'living laboratory', a place that can teach us about ...
- 97
Genesis: Paradise Lost
June 22, 2018Genesis: Paradise Lost brings the first chapter of the Bible to life! Using stunning visual effects, epic orchestration, and the latest scientific and historica...
- 98
Trixie Mattel: Moving Parts
December 3, 2019Trixie Mattel charmed audiences and judges as the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. But the grind of performing and the pressure of the title proves that ...
- 99
The Monk and the Gun
February 9, 2024As the isolated and peaceful Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan prepares to become the world’s youngest democracy, a Buddhist lama sends his disciple on a journey ac...
moviesrankings.com rankings of the top 100 best documentary movies of 2024 and all time. Lists of documentary films and award winners to help you figure out what to watch now.