Jump to Content

FilmRise : Documentary Movies - Sort: Most Popular

Amy Renner Amy Renner

Jun. 4, 2023

Filter menu Filters Showing 1-10 of 10 movies

In 1976, during the hottest summer on record, Star Wars was shot in suburban North London. Nobody involved had any idea how big the film would become, many couldn't even remember the title.

Yet for the bit-part actors and extras, their faces hidden in masks and helmets, this seemingly insignificant job would go on to color their lives even four decades later.

ELSTREE 1976 is a portrait of a cross-section of these people; from the man inside the most iconic villain in film history to the guy whose character was completely cut from the final film. It tells the stories of their lives and explores the eccentric community they have formed, traveling the world, signing autographs for fans.

Documentary

72%

28%
ADVERTISEMENT
Limited

Reveals the untold story of Nicholas Sand and Tim Scully, the unlikely duo at the heart of 1960s American drug counter-culture. United in a utopian mission to save the planet through the consciousness-raising power of LSD, these underground chemists manufactured a massive amount of acid, including the gold standard for quality LSD, ‘Orange Sunshine,’ all while staying one step ahead of the Feds.

NR Documentary 1 hr, 41 mins

  • 2

50%

50%

In a forgotten massacre during Guatemala’s decades-long civil war, a young boy was spared, only to be raised by one of the very soldiers who killed his family. Nearly 30 years after the tragedy, it will take a dedicated team—from a forensic scientist to a young Guatemalan prosecutor—to uncover the truth and bring justice to those responsible… by finding the missing boy named Oscar.

NR Documentary 1 hr, 34 mins

  • 3

73%

27%

Follows the Cinderella story of Dutch immigrant Harry deLeyer and his transformative relationship with a broken down Amish plow horse –named Snowman – that he rescued off a slaughter truck bound for the glue factory. In less than two years, Harry and Snowman would go on to win the triple crown of show jumping, beating the nation’s blue bloods and traveling the world together as they became the media darlings of the 1950s and 60s. Their chance meeting at a Pennsylvania horse auction saved them both and crafted a friendship that would last a lifetime, as told by 86-year-old Harry firsthand.

Drama Documentary 1 hr, 24 mins

  • 2.5

82%

18%
ADVERTISEMENT

Launched in 1981 by three friends in a Houston diner, Compaq Computer set out to build a portable PC to take on IBM, the world’s most powerful tech company. Many companies had tried cloning the industry leader’s code, only to be trounced by IBM and its high-priced lawyers. SILICON COWBOYS explores the remarkable David vs. Goliath story, and eventual demise, of Compaq, an unlikely upstart who altered the future of computing and helped shape the world as we know it today.

Documentary 1 hr, 16 mins

  • 1.5

55%

45%

A captivating crime documentary about the heist one of the most valuable paintings of the 20th century, Willem de Kooning's "Woman-Ochre," which was brazenly cut from its frame in 1985 while hanging at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. 32 years later, the painting was found hanging in the New Mexico home of an eccentric married couple with a keen eye for great works but a very unconventional method of collecting them.

Drama Documentary

  • 5

75%

25%
ADVERTISEMENT

In 1985, recent film school graduate Will Allen became a member of The Buddhafield, a Los Angeles area spiritual group. Also acting as the group’s official videographer, he began to document their activities, which centered on the mysterious leader they called Michel, or The Teacher. Over time, the group’s dark side began to surface as total devotion turned to paranoia, until finally, unexpected truths about their enlightened leader were revealed – all in front of Allen’s camera. This incredible, 22-year archive of video footage became the basis for Holy Hell. Now, for the first time since he left the group, Allen turns the camera on himself and asks fellow ex-cult members to come to terms with their past and the unbelievable deceit they experienced

NR Documentary 1 hr, 50 mins

  • 3.3

44%

56%

Follows three Air Force whistle-blowers who have been distressed over their participation in the killing of faceless people in foreign countries.

Documentary

  • 4

50%

50%
Los Angeles New York

At a remote Mojave Desert high school extraordinary educators believe that empathy and life skills, more than academics, give at-risk students command of their own futures. This coming-of-age drama watches education combat the crippling effects of poverty in the lives of these so-called “bad kids.”

Documentary 1 hr, 31 mins

  • 1

81%

19%

As a pioneer of integrative medicine, veterinarian Dr. Marty Goldstein has been called everything from "maverick" to "miracle-worker." Attracting four legged patients from around the world, Dr. Goldstein's practice, Smith Ridge Veterinary Center, provides holistic treatment for animals after other vets have given up hope. Director Cindy Meehl ("Buck"), goes behind the scenes at Smith Ridge to capture the full drama of "Dr. Marty" and his colleagues' life-changing commitment to wellness and the astounding results they achieve. Filmed over a 2½ year period, Meehl's unobtrusive camera highlights the vulnerability of her subjects - canine and human - while tracking each animal's progress.

NR Documentary 1 hr, 41 mins

  • 3

75%

25%

More to Explore

Find and discover more on Movie Insider and across the web.

30-Day Free Trial

Watch thousands of movies 24/7 on Amazon Prime.

Go now
Production Listings

Find and discover movies filming now.

Go now