Time Out's 70 Best Documentaries of All Time

Time Out's definitive ranking of the greatest documentary films ever made, from groundbreaking cinéma vérité to powerful modern exposés.

17 films

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1h57m

Jagal: The Act of Killing

2012•1h57m•★7.7TMDB

In a country where killers are heroes, death squad leader Anwar Congo and his friends reenact their roles in the 1965–66 Indonesian genocide. “I have not come across a documentary as powerful, surreal, and frightening in a decade.” - Werner Herzog

Jagal: The Act of Killing

2012•1h57m•★7.7TMDB

1h19m

Nanook of the North

1922•1h19m•★7.1TMDB

The 1922 film depicts the lives of the Inuit people in northern Quebec, illustrating their survival techniques in a harsh climate.

Nanook of the North

1922•1h19m•★7.1TMDB

1h8m

Man with a Movie Camera

1929•1h8m•★7.8TMDB

Six reels of film capture Soviet citizens in Moscow, Kiev, and Odessa during the late 1920s, focusing on their daily activities without actors or intertitles.

Man with a Movie Camera

1929•1h8m•★7.8TMDB

1h43m

Grizzly Man

2005•1h43m•★7.5TMDB

Over 100 hours of footage recorded by Timothy Treadwell documents his interactions with grizzly bears before he and his girlfriend were killed by one in 2003.

Grizzly Man

2005•1h43m•★7.5TMDB

Crumb

1994•2h•★7.5TMDB

78-rpm blues records from the 1920s and '30s are a passion for Robert Crumb, who shares his views on art and consumer culture in candid interviews.

Crumb

1994•2h•★7.5TMDB

1h40m

13th

2016•1h40m•★7.8TMDB

The United States, with 5% of the world's population, accounts for 25% of the world's prisoners, reflecting a significant issue of mass incarceration.

13th

2016•1h40m•★7.8TMDB

2h54m

Hoop Dreams

1994•2h54m•★7.6TMDB

William Gates and Arthur Agee navigate the challenges of high school basketball at St. Joseph High School in Illinois while pursuing their dreams of professional careers.

Hoop Dreams

1994•2h54m•★7.6TMDB

1h34m

Man on Wire

2008•1h34m•★7.4TMDB

1,350 feet above the ground, Philippe Petit performs an illegal high-wire act between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974.

Man on Wire

2008•1h34m•★7.4TMDB

1h47m

Capturing the Friedmans

2003•1h47m•★7.1TMDB

In 1984, a magazine of child pornography sent to Arnold Friedman led to an investigation that accused him and his son Jesse of sexually abusing multiple children.

Capturing the Friedmans

2003•1h47m•★7.1TMDB

1h40m

For Sama

2019•1h40m•★8.2TMDB

Five years of conflict in Aleppo are documented through the eyes of a journalist and mother raising her daughter amid the Syrian Civil War.

For Sama

2019•1h40m•★8.2TMDB

1h26m

Koyaanisqatsi

1983•1h26m•★7.9TMDB

Urban life in the United States contrasts sharply with natural landscapes, revealing the effects of technology on society and the environment through visuals and Philip Glass's music.

Koyaanisqatsi

1983•1h26m•★7.9TMDB

1h36m

The Battle of Chile (1/3)

1975•1h36m

Political turmoil in Chile during the early 1970s is examined, highlighting President Salvador Allende's modernization efforts and the U.S. influence leading to his 1973 coup.

The Battle of Chile (1/3)

1975•1h36m

1h33m

I Am Not Your Negro

2017•1h33m•★7.7TMDB

James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript, "Remember This House," reflects on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.

I Am Not Your Negro

2017•1h33m•★7.7TMDB

2h3m

Fahrenheit 9/11

2004•2h3m•★7.1TMDB

Michael Moore critiques the Bush administration's response to the September 11 attacks, linking Saudi business ties to the Patriot Act and the Iraq invasion.