Political Documentaries

Michael Moore's 2009 documentary 'Capitalism: A Love Story' examines the role of corporate greed and deregulation in the financial crisis of 2008.

Ava DuVernay directed the 2016 documentary '13th', which examines the history of racial inequality in the United States, from slavery to mass incarceration.

Joshua Oppenheimer's 2012 documentary 'The Act of Killing' explores the Indonesian genocide of 1965-1966 through interviews with perpetrators of the violence.

Nanfu Wang's 2018 documentary 'One Child Nation' examines the impact of China's one-child policy, which was implemented from 1979 to 2015.

Werner Herzog's 1974 documentary 'The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser' explores the life and work of the German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, who was known for her propaganda films during the Nazi era.

Waad al-Kateab directed the 2019 documentary 'For Sama', which offers a personal account of the Syrian civil war from the perspective of a young mother living in Aleppo.

Frederick Wiseman's 1968 documentary 'High School' offers an intimate look at the inner workings of a New York City public high school.

Amy Berg's 2015 documentary 'Captive' investigates the disappearance of three young women in Cleveland, Ohio, and their subsequent captivity by Ariel Castro.

Errol Morris's 1988 documentary 'The Thin Blue Line' explores the case of Randall Dale Adams, who was wrongly convicted of murder in Texas and later exonerated.

Bryan Fogel directed the 2017 documentary 'Icarus', which investigates the Russian doping scandal in the Olympics and the role of Grigory Rodchenkov, the former director of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory.

Ken Burns's 1990 documentary 'The Civil War' offers a comprehensive look at the history of the United States Civil War.

Laura Poitras's 2013 documentary 'Citizenfour' explores the surveillance programs of the United States government and the revelations of Edward Snowden.

Agnès Varda's 1985 documentary 'Vagabond' explores the lives of female strippers in Los Angeles.

Davis Guggenheim directed the 2006 documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth', which examines the dangers of climate change and features former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

Gianfranco Rosi's 2020 documentary 'Notturno' explores the lives of Syrian refugees in Jordan and the impact of the Syrian civil war.