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2020 : Documentary Movies - Sort: Most Popular

Amy Renner Amy Renner

Dec. 10, 2022

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Limited VOD / Digital

DEAR SANTA shines a light on the 100-year-old ‘Operation Santa’ Program of the United States Postal Service. Each year, hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa arrive at Post Offices around the country. Through Operation Santa, the USPS makes it possible for the public to safely adopt these letters and make children’s dreams come true. The film invites audiences along for the magic of this massive endeavor. Traveling the country, much like Santa does on Christmas Eve, the film focuses on select ‘Operation Santa’ Centers: some in metropolitan areas and others in small towns where the Post Office is the heart of the community.

NR Documentary 1 hr, 24 mins

  • 3

92%

8%
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Limited VOD / Digital

GUNDA chronicles the unfiltered lives of a mother pig, a flock of chickens, and a herd of cows with masterful intimacy. Using stark, transcendent black and white cinematography and the farm's ambient soundtrack, Master director Victor Kossakowsky invites the audience to slow down and experience life as his subjects do, taking in their world with a magical patience and an other worldly perspective. GUNDA asks us to meditate on the mystery of animal consciousness, and reckon with the role humanity plays in it. Executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix.

G Drama Documentary 1 hr, 33 mins

  • 3.7

67%

33%

A raw and emotionally revealing look at Taylor Swift; following one of the most iconic artists of our time as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice.

Documentary Music

84%

16%

A woman is like the ocean: a true force of nature. SHE IS THE OCEAN follows nine extraordinary women, scattered across all corners of the globe. But they are united by the same sea, and their love for these waters is matched only by their dedication to preserve and protect them. A journey of both natural beauty and human empathy, SHE IS THE OCEAN is the story of powerful women with depths unknown.

Documentary

  • 4

57%

43%
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In this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.

PG-13 Documentary 1 hr, 29 mins

57%

43%

Six ambitious student actors audition for the prestigious August Wilson Monologue Competition, culminating in a riveting final round on Broadway.

PG-13 Documentary 1 hr, 30 mins

75%

25%
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It’s tragic that in the world’s wealthiest country, 4.2 million teenagers are homeless. Former Navy veteran and homeless youth, director Rotimi Rainwater shows viewers the realities of life on the streets as he travels the country to shine a light on the epidemic of youth homelessness in America. With the help of celebrities and politicians who have been homeless themselves or advocates of the repressed, this film takes a large scale issue down to a very personal level.

Documentary

  • 2.5

52%

48%

The Fight is an inspiring, emotional insider look at how these important battles are fought and the legal gladiators on the front lines fighting them. Directors Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres capture the rollercoaster ride of the thrill and defeat in these deeply human battles. When a mother is separated from her child, a soldier is threatened to lose his career, a young woman’s right to choose is imperiled at the pleasure of a government official, and the ability to exercise our basic right to vote is threatened, the consequences can be devastating to us and to future generations. The Fight celebrates the unsung heroes who fiercely work to protect our freedoms.

PG-13 Documentary 1 hr, 36 mins

  • 1

14%

86%

Jerusalem-born trauma expert Ofra Bloch forces herself to confront her personal demons in a journey that takes her to Germany, Israel and Palestine. Set against the current wave of fascism and anti-Semitism sweeping the globe, AFTERWARD delves into the secret wounds carried by victims as well as victimizers, through testimonies ranging from the horrifying to the hopeful.

Documentary

  • 2

44%

56%

Billie Holiday had one of the greatest voices of all time and changed the face of American music. She was a woman of breath-taking talent and global popularity while also stirring controversy. She started a notable rebellion singing “Strange Fruit” which exposed the realities of Black life in America and earned her powerful enemies. Raw, emotional and brutally honest, Billie is filled with never-before-heard interviews from musical greats like Charles Mingus, Tony Bennett, Sylvia Syms and Count Basie.

Documentary Music 1 hr, 36 mins

52%

48%

City of Joel follows an ultra-orthodox Hasidic sect as they wage a turf war with their secular neighbors. 50 miles north of New York City, the Satmar sect has thrived in a 1.1 square mile religious haven called Kiryas Joel, or City of Joel, for over 40 years. With some of the highest rates of marriage, birth, and religious observance in the US, their success has come at a price, as Kiryas Joel is no longer big enough to hold its 22,000 members. When a plan is created to double the size of the village to keep up with its growth, their secular neighbors fight back, believing that the expansion will disrupt their lives, harm the environment, and tilt the balance of local political power. With unprecedented access, the documentary presents people on all sides of a conflict - from religious zealots to dissidents, from rabbis to people who doubt their own faith as they struggle to find their place in the City of Joel.

NR Documentary 1 hr, 23 mins

  • 4.6

21%

79%

Echo is a youngster who can't quite decide if it's time to grow up and take on new responsibilities-or give in to her silly side and just have fun. Dolphin society is tricky, and the coral reef that Echo and his family call home depends on all of its inhabitants to keep it healthy. But Echo has a tough time resisting the many adventures the ocean has to offer.

G Family Documentary 1 hr, 18 mins

  • 4.3

74%

26%

Documentary about Herb Alpert’s personal and creative journey with interviews with Questlove, Sting and Bill Moyers. Alpert has sold over 72 million records and co-founded A&M Records.

Documentary Music

  • 1

75%

25%

A fascinating, in-depth look at the legacy of revolutionary sixties Hollywood trendsetter Jay Sebring, JAY SEBRING….CUTTING TO THE TRUTH follows Sebring’s meteoric rise as a cultural icon and his untimely murder at the hands of the Manson family. This documentary feature is an illuminating portrait of Sebring, the long-forgotten artist, designer, and entrepreneur who created a billion-dollar Men’s hair & fashion industry and defined iconic Hollywood styles for men. The documentary traces Sebring’s life from his humble Michigan roots to his meteoric rise as a groundbreaking trendsetter and further examines the facts and myth leading up to the fateful night on Cielo Drive and the endless media reports on the murders that followed.

Documentary 1 hr, 31 mins

  • 4

83%

17%

The story of three resilient women (Lin, Tina and Deborah) fighting for the survival of their families and the education of their children against the overwhelming forces of domestic political instability, international political hypocrisy and the crushing poverty caused by both. ​

Documentary

  • 1

0%

100%

No one was prepared for the success of Fifty Shades of Grey. Originally written in 2010 as a piece of Twilight fan fiction and posted online, it eventually sold over 100 million copies, taking erotica mainstream. But women didn't only read erotica in large numbers; they also wrote it. In the aftermath of Fifty Shades a cottage industry emerged around self-published romance novels. Once women who worked forty-hour-a-week jobs, living paycheck-to-paycheck, many of them are now New York Times bestselling authors with their own merchandise lines and die-hard fans.

NR Documentary 1 hr, 22 mins

  • 5

67%

33%

When the sun goes down, a new world awakes. New technology reveals wonders of the planet in a completely new light. Across the globe we discover a hidden side to the world's greatest landscapes and animals.

Documentary

  • 2

100%

0%

Detailing an incredible true story involving gangsters, strippers, and live bears serving beer on a hockey rink, Red Penguins tells the wild forgotten true story of capitalism and opportunism run amok in Moscow. Shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the famed Red Army hockey team formed a joint venture that redefined what was possible in the new Russia. Eccentric marketing whiz, Steve Warshaw, is sent to Moscow and tasked to transform the team into the greatest show in Russia, attracting some of the biggest names in Hollywood and advertising along the way. He takes the viewer on a bizarre journey highlighting a pivotal moment in U.S.-Russian relations during a lawless era when oligarchs made their fortunes and multiple murders went unsolved.

NR Sports Documentary 1 hr, 20 mins

  • 2.5

50%

50%

A secretive, high-tech gerrymandering initiative launched 10 years ago threatens to undermine our democracy. Slay the Dragon follows everyday people as they fight to make their votes matter.

PG-13 Documentary 1 hr, 41 mins

  • 1

31%

69%

What do a farmer in Kansas, a laid-off factory worker in Ohio, and an Uber driver in Florida have in common? All three are resourceful, positive thinkers who strive to adapt and thrive despite dehumanizing forces at play in the American economy. As the film’s heroes face these roadblocks with courage, certain ideals remain sacred: family, love, and staying strong in the face of adversity. Lush cinematography galvanizes a sense of place and, as the narrative unfolds, the intimacy with the characters results in an emotionally rich observational drama. Ultimately, THE DISRUPTED reveals a collective American experience of financial challenge, family resilience, and the quest for the purpose and dignity of work.

NR Documentary

  • 2.3

71%

29%

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