Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Encyclopedia
The Academy Award
for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary film
s.
s are listed below by the award year (that is, the year they were released under the Academy's rules for eligibility). In practice, due to the limited nature of documentary distribution, a film may be released in different years in different venues, sometimes years after production is complete.
From 1943 there were two separate documentary categories (features and short films)
, Roger & Me
, Touching The Void
, Hoop Dreams
, The Interrupters
, Fahrenheit 9/11
and Waiting For Superman
. (see below). The controversy over Hoop Dreams was enough to force the Academy Awards to change their documentary voting system.
For example, Grizzly Man
, a documentary strong enough to appear on many critics' top 10 lists was not nominated, and did not even make the Academy's internally distributed top 15 list. Grizzly Mans exclusion was later revealed to be the result of an Academy rule disqualifying documentary films that are constructed entirely out of archive footage. However, Grizzly Man included new interviews and other footage shot exclusively for the film.
Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11
, at the time the highest grossing documentary film ever made, was ineligible because Moore had opted to have it played on television prior to the 2004 Election. Conversely, the 1982 winner Just Another Missing Kid
, directed by John Zaritsky
, was created by editing together footage he originally shot for the Canadian investigative journalism TV show The Fifth Estate
.
Although documentaries are eligible for the Academy Award for Best Picture
, none have yet earned a nomination.
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s.
Winners and nominees
Following the Academy's practice, filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s are listed below by the award year (that is, the year they were released under the Academy's rules for eligibility). In practice, due to the limited nature of documentary distribution, a film may be released in different years in different venues, sometimes years after production is complete.
1940s
In 1942, there was one Documentary category and four winners.- 1942
- The Battle of MidwayThe Battle of MidwayThe Battle of Midway is a 1942 American documentary film short directed by John Ford. It is a montage of color footage of the Battle of Midway with voice overs of various narrators, including Donald Crisp, Henry Fonda, and Jane Darwell...
- Kokoda Front Line!
- Moscow Strikes BackMoscow Strikes BackMoscow Strikes Back is a Soviet war documentary about Battle of Moscow made in October 1941 – January 1942 directed by Leonid Varlamov and Ilya Kopalin.In USSR film was awarded the Stalin Prize....
- Prelude to WarPrelude to WarPrelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra’s Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Office of War Information and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II...
- The Battle of Midway
From 1943 there were two separate documentary categories (features and short films)
- 1943 - Desert VictoryDesert VictoryDesert Victory is a 1943 film produced by the British Ministry of Information, documenting the Allies' North African campaign against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps. This documentary traces the struggle between General Erwin Rommel and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, from the...
- Baptism of FireBaptism of FireBaptism of Fire is a 1943 documentary film starring Elisha Cook Jr. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Battle of RussiaThe Battle of RussiaThe Battle of Russia is the fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, and the longest film of the series.The film begins with an overview of previous failed attempts to conquer Russia: by the Teutonic Knights in 1242 , by Charles XII of Sweden in 1704 The Battle of Russia is...
- Report from the AleutiansReport from the AleutiansReport From the Aleutians is a 47-minute documentary propaganda film produced by the U.S. Army Signal Corps about the Aleutian Islands Campaign during World War II...
- War Department ReportWar Department ReportWar Department Report is a 1943 documentary film directed by Oliver Lundquist. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Baptism of Fire
- 1944 - The Fighting LadyThe Fighting LadyThe Fighting Lady is a documentary/propaganda film produced by the U.S. Navy.The plot of the film revolves around the life of seamen on board an anonymous aircraft carrier. Because of war time restrictions, the name of the aircraft carrier was disguised as "the Fighting Lady"; afterwards the...
- Resisting Enemy Interrogation
- 1945 - The True GloryThe True GloryThe True Glory was a 1945 co-production of the US Office of War Information and the British Ministry of Information, documenting the victory on the Western Front, from Normandy to the collapse of the Third Reich. Although many individuals contributed to the film, British director Carol Reed is...
- The Last BombThe Last BombThe Last Bomb was a 1945 propaganda film mainly concerning the conventional phase of the bombing of Japan in 1945. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Last Bomb
- 1946 - none given
- 1947 - Design for DeathDesign for DeathDesign for Death is a 1947 documentary film that won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was based on a shorter U.S. Army training film, Our Job in Japan, that had been produced in 1945-1946 for the soldiers occupying Japan after World War II...
- Journey Into MedicineJourney Into MedicineJourney Into Medicine is a 1947 documentary film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The World Is RichThe World Is RichThe World Is Rich is a 1947 documentary film directed by Paul Rotha. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Journey Into Medicine
- 1948 - The Secret LandThe Secret LandThe Secret Land is a 1948 documentary film about an American expedition code-named "Operation High Jump" to explore Antarctica. It won the Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:...
- The Quiet OneThe Quiet OneThe Quiet One is a 1948 American documentary film directed by Sidney Meyers. The documentary chronicles the rehabilitation of a young, emotionally disturbed African-American boy; it contains a commentary written by James Agee, and narrated by Gary Merrill...
- The Quiet One
- 1949 - Daybreak in UdiDaybreak in UdiDaybreak in Udi is a 1949 documentary film directed by Terry Bishop. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Plot:It is 1949, and colonial Nigeria is undergoing an identity crisis. There is a clash between the progressive, educated elements of society - those who desire...
- Kenji Comes HomeKenji Comes HomeKenji Comes Home is a 1949 documentary film produced by Paul F. Heard. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Kenji Comes Home
1950s
- 1950 - The Titan: Story of MichelangeloThe Titan: Story of MichelangeloThe Titan: Story of Michelangelo is a 1950 documentary film. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.The film was a re-edited version of a German/Swiss film of 1938 originally titled Michelangelo: Life of a Titan, directed by Curt Oertel. The re-edited version put a new English...
- With These HandsWith These HandsWith These Hands is a 1950 documentary film directed by Jack Arnold. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Produced by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, the film used actors to recreate the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire and compare working conditions...
- With These Hands
- 1951 - Kon-TikiKon-Tiki (film)Kon-Tiki is a Norwegian documentary about the Kon-Tiki expedition led by Norwegian explorer and writer Thor Heyerdahl in 1947, released in 1950. The movie, which was directed by Thor Heyerdahl and edited by Olle Nordemar, received the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 24th Academy...
- I Was a Communist for the FBII Was a Communist for the FBII Was a Communist for the FBI is the name of a series of stories written by Matt Cvetic that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The stories were later turned into a best-selling book, an American espionage thriller radio series and motion picture in the early 1950s.The story follows Cvetic, who...
- I Was a Communist for the FBI
- 1952 - The Sea Around UsThe Sea Around Us (film)The Sea Around Us is a 1953 documentary film directed by Irwin Allen and released by RKO. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was based on the Rachel Carson book of the same name.-External links:...
- The HoaxtersThe HoaxtersThe Hoaxters is a 1952 documentary film written by Herman Hoffman, about the threat posed by communism to the American way of life. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Marilyn Erskine - Narrator...
- NavajoNavajo (film)Navajo is a 1952 documentary film directed by Norman Foster. It was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography.-Cast:* Hall Bartlett - Indian School Counselor* John Mitchell - Grey Singer* Sammy Ogg - Narrator...
- The Hoaxters
- 1953 - The Living DesertThe Living DesertThe Living Desert is a 1953 American nature documentary film which shows the everyday lives of the animals of the desert of the southwestern United States. The movie was written by James Algar, Winston Hibler, Jack Moffitt and Ted Sears. It was directed by Algar, with Hibler as the narrator...
- The Conquest of EverestThe Conquest of EverestThe Conquest of Everest is a 1953 British documentary film directed by George Lowe about various expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- A Queen Is CrownedA Queen Is CrownedA Queen Is Crowned is a 1953 British documentary film written by Christopher Fry. The film documents the 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, with a narration of events by Sir Laurence Olivier...
- The Conquest of Everest
- 1954 - The Vanishing PrairieThe Vanishing PrairieThe Vanishing Prairie was a 1954 documentary film by Walt Disney. The theme music was given a set of lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George. It rechristened as "Pioneer's Prayer" in Westward Ho, the Wagons!, a western film about pioneers on the Oregon Trail....
- The Stratford AdventureThe Stratford AdventureThe Stratford Adventure is a 1954 documentary film about the founding of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, directed by Morten Parker. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Michael Bates - Himself...
- The Stratford Adventure
- 1955 - Helen Keller in Her StoryHelen Keller in Her StoryHelen Keller in Her Story is an American biographical documentary about Helen Keller made in 1954.It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1955. It starred Helen Keller and used extensive footage of her visits/remembrances of Dwight Eisenhower, Martha Graham and others...
(also known as The Unconquered)- CrèvecoeurCrèvecoeur (film)Crèvecoeur Crèvecoeur Crèvecoeur (also known as (Heartbreak Ridge) is a 1955 documentary film directed by Jacques Dupont. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The plot revolves around French troops fighting under the United Nations Command in the Korean War....
- Crèvecoeur
- 1956 - The Silent WorldThe Silent WorldThe Silent World is a 1956 French documentary film co-directed by the famed French oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and a young Louis Malle. The Silent World is noted as one of the first films to use underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color...
- Where Mountains FloatWhere Mountains FloatWhere Mountains Float is a 1955 documentary film directed by Bjarne Henning-Jensen. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Naked Eye
- Where Mountains Float
- 1957 - Albert SchweitzerAlbert Schweitzer (film)Albert Schweitzer is a German biographical documentary made in 1957, directed by Jerome Hill. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 1957.-Cast:* Fredric March - Voice of Albert Schweitzer* Albert Schweitzer - Himself...
- On the BoweryOn the BoweryOn the Bowery is a 1956 American documentary film directed by Lionel Rogosin. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- ToreroTorero (film)Torero is a 1956 Mexican documentary film directed by Carlos Velo about Mexican bullfighter Luis Procuna. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature...
- On the Bowery
- 1958 - White Wilderness
- Antarctic CrossingAntarctic CrossingAntarctic Crossing is a 1958 documentary film directed by George Lowe. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Hidden WorldThe Hidden WorldThe Hidden World is a 1958 American documentary film produced by Robert Snyder. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Psychiatric NursingPsychiatric NursingPsychiatric Nursing is a 1958 documentary film directed by Lee R. Bobker. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Antarctic Crossing
- 1959 - Serengeti Shall Not DieSerengeti Shall Not DieSerengeti Shall Not Die is a 1959 German documentary film written and directed by Bernhard Grzimek.His son, the cinematographer Michael Grzimek, died on-location during the filming of the documentary when a plane he piloted collided with a vulture....
- The Race for SpaceThe Race for SpaceThe Race for Space is a 1959 documentary film directed by David L. Wolper. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Esther Goddard - Herself - Interviewee* Holger N. Toftoy - Himself - Interviewee...
- From Generation to GenerationFrom Generation to GenerationFrom Generation to Generation is a 1959 short documentary film produced by Edward F. Cullen. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
- The Race for Space
1960s
- 1960 - The Horse with the Flying TailThe Horse with the Flying TailThe Horse with the Flying Tail is a 1960 American documentary film by Walt Disney Pictures, that won the Best Documentary award at the 33rd Academy Awards...
- Rebel in ParadiseRebel in ParadiseRebel in Paradise is a 1960 documentary film produced by Robert D. Fraser. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Rebel in Paradise
- 1961 - Sky Above and Mud BeneathSky Above and Mud BeneathSky Above and Mud Beneath is a 1961 French documentary film. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Herve de Maigret - Himself* William Peacock - Narrator...
, directed by Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau- La grande olimpiadeThe Grand OlympicsThe Grand Olympics is a 1961 Italian documentary film, directed by Romolo Marcellini, made in 1961. It was nominated as Best Documentary Feature at 34th Academy Awards in 1961. -Plot:...
, directed by Romolo MarcelliniRomolo MarcelliniRomolo Marcellini was an Italian film director and screenwriter. He directed 22 films between 1937 and 1969.-External links:...
- La grande olimpiade
- 1962 - Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf HitlerBlack Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf HitlerBlack Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler is a 1962 documentary directed by Louis Clyde Stoumen, depicting the rise and fall of Nazi Germany.It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1962.-External links:...
- AlvoradaAlvorada (film)Alvorada is a 1962 German documentary film directed by Hugo Niebeling. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival....
- Alvorada
- 1963 - Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the WorldRobert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the WorldRobert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel With the World is a 1963 American documentary film directed by Shirley Clarke and starring Robert Frost.It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1963....
- Le Maillon et la chaîneThe Link and the ChainThe Link and the Chain is a 1963 French documentary film directed by Jacques Ertaud. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Yanks Are Coming
- Le Maillon et la chaîne
- 1964 - World Without SunWorld Without SunWorld Without Sun is a 1964 French documentary film directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. The film was Cousteau's second to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, following The Silent World in 1956.-Plot:...
- 14-1814-1814-18 is a 1963 French documentary film directed by Jean Aurel. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Alleman
- The Finest HoursThe Finest HoursThe Finest Hours is a 1964 documentary film about Winston Churchill, directed by Peter Baylis. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* George Baker - Lord Randolph * Faith Brook - Lady Randolph...
- Four Days in NovemberFour Days in NovemberFour Days in November is a 1964 American documentary film directed by Mel Stuart about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.The film includes Dallas radio and television coverage of:...
- 14-18
- 1965 - The Eleanor Roosevelt StoryThe Eleanor Roosevelt StoryThe Eleanor Roosevelt Story is a 1965 American biographical documentary film directed by Richard Kaplan.It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1965. -External links:...
- The Battle of the Bulge... The Brave RiflesThe Battle of the Bulge... The Brave RiflesThe Battle of the Bulge... The Brave Rifles is a 1965 documentary film produced by Laurence E. Mascott. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Forth Road BridgeThe Forth Road BridgeThe Forth Road Bridge is a 1965 British documentary film directed by Gordon Lang about the Forth Road Bridge. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Let My People Go: The Story of IsraelLet My People Go: The Story of IsraelLet My People Go: The Story of Israel is a 1965 documentary film directed by Marshall Flaum. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1965 and won the United Nations Award in 1961 from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts...
- Mourir à MadridTo Die in MadridTo Die in Madrid is a 1963 French documentary film directed by Frédéric Rossif. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* John Gielgud - Narrator * Irene Worth - Co-Narrator...
- The Battle of the Bulge... The Brave Rifles
- 1966 - The War GameThe War GameThe War Game is a 1965 television documentary-style drama depicting the effects of nuclear war on Britain. Written, directed, and produced by Peter Watkins for the BBC's The Wednesday Play anthology series, it caused dismay within the BBC and in government and was withdrawn from television...
- The Face of a GeniusThe Face of a GeniusThe Face of a Genius is a 1966 documentary film produced by Alfred R. Kelman. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Helicopter CanadaHelicopter CanadaHelicopter Canada is a 1966 Canadian documentary film directed by Eugene Boyko. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.Filmed in CinemaScope, the film was made for international distribution during the Canadian centennial...
- The Really Big FamilyThe Really Big FamilyThe Really Big Family is a 1966 documentary film directed by Alexander Grasshoff. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Le Volcan interditLe Volcan interditLe Volcan interdit is a 1966 French documentary film directed by Haroun Tazieff. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Face of a Genius
- 1967 - The Anderson PlatoonThe Anderson PlatoonThe Anderson Platoon is a documentary feature by Pierre Schoendoerffer about the Vietnam War. Two decades later, a sequel was released as Reminiscence.-Background:...
- FestivalFestival (1967 film)Festival! is a 1967 American documentary film about the Newport Folk Festival, directed by Murray Lerner.Filmed over the course of three festivals at Newport , the film features performances by Johnny Cash, Joan Baez & Peter Yarrow, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, Odetta, Bob Dylan,...
- HarvestHarvest (film)Harvest is a 1967 documentary film produced by Carroll Ballard. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.The film portrays the American farm and farmer at harvest time, beginning in Texas with the first cutting of winter wheat, and following the season north to the...
- A King's StoryA King's StoryA King's Story is a 1965 British documentary film directed by Harry Booth about the life of King Edward VIII, from his birth until abdication in 1936. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- A Time for BurningA Time for BurningA Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side. The film was directed by San Francisco filmmaker...
- Festival
- 1968 - Journey into SelfJourney into SelfJourney Into Self a documentary film introduced by Stanley Kramer, produced by Bill McGaw and directed by Tom Skinner. The film portrays a 16-hour group-therapy session of eight well-adjusted people who have never met before, led by psychologists Richard Farson and Carl Rogers...
- Note: At the 41st Awards ceremony on April 14, 1969, Young Americans was announced as the winner of the Documentary Feature Oscar. On May 7, 1969, it was revealed that the film had played in October 1967, which rendered it ineligible for a 1968 Award. The first runner-up, Journey Into Self, was awarded the statuette on May 8, 1969.
- A Few Notes on Our Food ProblemA Few Notes on Our Food ProblemA Few Notes on Our Food Problem is a 1968 documentary film directed by . It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Legendary ChampionsLegendary ChampionsLegendary Champions is a 1968 documentary film written and directed by Harry Chapin featuring old boxers in action. There are many scenes that show the boxers outside the ring, including some that are the only ones of their kind. Several early boxers, John L. Sullivan for example, are shown in the...
- Other VoicesOther Voices (1970 film)Other Voices is a 1970 documentary film directed by David H. Sawyer. The film follows Dr. Albert Honig, one of the most controversial Doctors of his era, as he demonstrates various techniques he has employed in his treatment of comatose and catatonic patients.It was nominated for an Academy Award...
- 1969 - Arthur Rubinstein – The Love of Life
- Before the Mountain Was MovedBefore the Mountain Was MovedBefore the Mountain Was Moved is a 1970 documentary film produced by Robert K. Sharpe. The film portrays the struggle by the inhabitants of Raleigh County, West Virginia, to preserve their land from the ravages of strip mining, and their efforts to pass state legislation to this end. It was...
- In the Year of the PigIn the Year of the PigIn the Year of the Pig is a 1968 American documentary film about the origins of the Vietnam War, directed by Emile de Antonio. It was nominated for an Academy award for best documentary....
- Olimpiada en MéxicoThe Olympics in MexicoThe Olympics in Mexico is a 1969 Mexican documentary film directed by Alberto Isaac. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Wolf MenThe Wolf MenThe Wolf Men is a 1969 documentary film produced by Irwin Rosten. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Before the Mountain Was Moved
1970s
- 1970 - WoodstockWoodstock (film)Woodstock is a 1970 American documentary on the Woodstock Festival that took place in August 1969 at Bethel in New York. Entertainment Weekly called this film the benchmark of concert movies and one of the most entertaining documentaries ever made...
- Erinnerungen an die ZukunftChariots of the Gods (film)Chariots of the Gods is a 1970 West German documentary film directed by Harald Reinl. It is based on Erich von Däniken's book Chariots of the Gods?, a book that theorizes extraterrestrials impacted early human life...
(Released in English language version under title "Chariots of the Gods?") - Jack JohnsonJack Johnson (film)Jack Johnson is a 1970 documentary film directed by Jim Jacobs about the boxer Jack Johnson. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
- Say GoodbyeSay Goodbye (film)Say Goodbye is a 1971 documentary film about the relationship between man and nature, directed by David H. Vowell. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Erinnerungen an die Zukunft
- 1971 - The Hellstrom ChronicleThe Hellstrom ChronicleThe Hellstrom Chronicle is an American film released in 1971 which combines elements of documentary and science fiction to present a gripping depiction of the Darwinian struggle for survival between humans and insects. It was conceived and produced by David L...
- Alaska Wilderness LakeAlaska Wilderness LakeAlaska Wilderness Lake is a 1971 documentary film produced by Alan Landsburg. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Le chagrin et la pitiéThe Sorrow and the PityThe Sorrow and the Pity is a two-part 1969 documentary film by Marcel Ophüls about the French Resistance and collaboration between the Vichy government and Nazi Germany during World War II. The film uses interviews with a German officer, collaborators, and resistance fighters from...
- On Any SundayOn Any SundayOn Any Sunday is a 1971 American documentary feature about motorcycle sport, directed by Bruce Brown. It was nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for Documentary Feature....
- RaRa (film)Ra is a 1972 documentary film directed by Lennart Ehrenborg and Thor Heyerdahl about the expeditions organised by Thor Heyerdahl in 1969 and 1970 in attempt to cross Atlantic on papyrus boats...
- Alaska Wilderness Lake
- 1972 - MarjoeMarjoeMarjoe is a 1972 American documentary film produced and directed by Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan about the life of evangelist Marjoe Gortner. It won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.- Story:...
- Bij de beesten afApe and Super-ApeApe and Super-Ape is a 1972 Dutch documentary film directed by Bert Haanstra. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-About the film:...
- Malcolm XMalcolm X (1972 film)Malcolm X is a 1972 American documentary film directed by Arnold Perl. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- MansonManson (film)Manson is a 1973 documentary film directed by Robert Hendrickson and Laurence Merrick. It deals with the "Manson family" and has many interviews with the members of the group, including Charles Manson, "Squeaky" Fromme, and Sandra Good...
- The Silent RevolutionThe Silent RevolutionThe Silent Revolution is a 1972 documentary film. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Bij de beesten af
- 1973 - The Great American CowboyThe Great American CowboyThe Great American Cowboy is a 1973 documentary film by Kieth Merrill. The film, which won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, is about the battle between two rodeo stars for the world championship: veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne.-External links:* at the Internet Movie...
- Always a New BeginningAlways a New BeginningAlways a New Beginning is a 1974 documentary film directed by John D. Goodell, about the founding and operation of The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Journey to the Outer LimitsJourney to the Outer LimitsJourney to the Outer Limits is a 1973 documentary film directed by Alexander Grasshoff. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Schlacht um BerlinBattle of Berlin (film)Battle of Berlin is a 1973 German documentary film directed by Franz Baake and Jost von Morr. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Walls of FireWalls of FireWalls of Fire is a 1971 documentary film directed by Herbert Kline and Edmund Penney. Narrated by Ricardo Montalbán, this documentary examines the history of Mexican murals and their artists. Among the works examined are those by José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros...
- Always a New Beginning
- 1974 - Hearts and MindsHearts and Minds (film)Hearts and Minds is a 1974 American documentary film about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Davis. The film's title is based on a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson: "the ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there"...
- Antonia: A Portrait of the WomanAntonia: A Portrait of the WomanAntonia: A Portrait of the Woman is a 1974 documentary about symphony conductor Antonia Brico, including her struggle against gender bias in her profession. The film was directed by Judy Collins and Jill Godmilow...
- The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern ArtThe Challenge... A Tribute to Modern ArtThe Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art is a 1974 American documentary film directed by Herbert Kline. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The 81st BlowThe 81st BlowThe 81st Blow is a 1974 Israeli documentary film directed by Haim Gouri. The film covers the oppression of Jews under the Nazis and features rare historical footage of concentration camps. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature. The title is derived from a comment by a...
- The Wild and the BraveThe Wild and the BraveThe Wild and the Brave is a 1974 documentary film directed by Eugene S. Jones. The film portrays the conflicts that arise when a black man replaces a white chief warden in Uganda. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman
- 1975 - The Man Who Skied Down EverestThe Man Who Skied Down EverestThe Man Who Skied Down Everest is a documentary about Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese alpinist who skied down Mt. Everest in 1970. The film was produced by Canadian film maker Budge Crawley. Miura skied 6,600 feet in 2 minutes and 20 seconds and fell 1320 feet down the steep Lhotse face from the Yellow...
- The California ReichThe California ReichThe California Reich is a 1975 documentary on a group of Neo-Nazis in San Francisco, California and Tracy, California, USA. They are members of the National Socialist White People's Party a US Nazi party started by George Rockwell. The film received a nomination in 1976 by the Academy Awards for...
- Fighting for Our LivesFighting for Our Lives (film)Fighting for Our Lives is a 1975 documentary film produced by Glen Pearcy. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Incredible MachineThe Incredible Machine (film)The Incredible Machine is a 1975 documentary film directed by Irwin Rosten and Ed Spiegel. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. E. G. Marshall narrated the film, which was produced by Rosten, together with Dennis B...
- The Other Half of the Sky: A China MemoirThe Other Half of the Sky: A China MemoirThe Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir is a 1975 documentary film directed by Shirley MacLaine and Claudia Weill. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:*...
- The California Reich
- 1976 - Harlan County, USAHarlan County, USAHarlan County, USA is an Oscar-winning 1976 documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" or "Bloody Harlan", an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, Kentucky in 1973...
- Hollywood on TrialHollywood on TrialHollywood on Trial is a 1976 documentary film directed by David Helpern. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Walter Bernstein - Himself* Alvah Bessie - Himself* Lester Cole - Himself...
- Off the EdgeOff the EdgeOff the Edge is a 1976 documentary film directed by Michael Firth. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.The film features backcountry skiing, extreme skiing and hang gliding in the Southern Alps. Despite being classed as a documentary, it does have some semblance of a...
- People of the WindPeople of the WindPeople of the Wind is a 1976 documentary film about the Bakhtiari people, produced by Anthony Howarth and David Koff. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm LowryVolcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm LowryVolcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry is a 1976 Canadian documentary film about writer Malcolm Lowry. Written and directed by Donald Brittain and John Kramer, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Hollywood on Trial
- 1977 - Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? is a 1977 documentary film about Dorothy and Bob DeBolt, an American couple who have adopted 14 children, some of whom are severely disabled war orphans...
- The Children of Theatre StreetThe Children of Theatre StreetThe Children of Theatre Street is a 1977 documentary film directed by Robert Dornhelm. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Angelina Armeiskaya as Herself* Michaela Cerna as Herself* Galina Mezenzewa as Herself...
- High Grass CircusHigh Grass CircusHigh Grass Circus is a 1976 Canadian documentary film co-directed by Tony Ianzelo and Torben Schioler, exploring 24 hours in the life of the Royal Brothers' traveling circus. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Homage to Chagall: The Colours of LoveHomage to Chagall: The Colours of LoveHomage to Chagall: The Colours of Love is a 1977 Canadian documentary film directed by Harry Rasky. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Union MaidsUnion MaidsUnion Maids is a 1976 documentary film directed by Jim Klein, Julia Reichert and Miles Mogulescu. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Children of Theatre Street
- 1978 - Scared Straight!Scared Straight!Scared Straight! is a 1978 documentary directed by Arnold Shapiro. Narrated by Peter Falk, the subject of the documentary is a group of juvenile delinquents and their three-hour session with actual convicts...
- Mysterious Castles of ClayMysterious Castles of ClayMysterious Castles of Clay is a 1978 film about a termite colony; filmed in Kenya by film-makers Joan and Alan Root, and narrated by Orson Welles. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- RaoniRaoniRaoni is a 1978 French documentary film directed by Jean-Pierre Dutilleux and Luiz Carlos Saldanha on the life of Raoni Metuktire. The film portrays issues surrounding the survival of the indigenous Indian tribes of north central Brazil. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary...
- Le vent des amoureuxThe Lovers' WindThe Lovers' Wind is a 1978 French documentary film directed by Albert Lamorisse about the landscape of Iran. Lamorisse was killed in a helicopter crash while filming the documentary, during a helicopter-tour of Iran. His widow completed the film, based on his production notes, and released the...
- With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency BrigadeWith Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency BrigadeWith Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade is a 1979 documentary film directed by Lorraine Gray. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Mysterious Castles of Clay
- 1979 - Best BoyBest Boy (film)Best Boy is a 1979 documentary made by Ira Wohl. The film achieved high critical acclaim, and won many awards including the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1979....
- Generation on the WindGeneration on the WindGeneration on the Wind is a 1979 documentary film produced by David Vassar. The film is a character study centered on a rag tag group of young artists, mechanics and environmental activists who...
- Going the DistanceGoing the Distance (1979 film)Going the Distance is a 1979 Canadian documentary film directed by Paul Cowan about the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Killing Ground
- The War at HomeThe War at Home (1979 film)The War at Home is a documentary film about the anti-war movement in the Madison, Wisconsin area during the time of the Vietnam War. It combines archival footage and interviews with participants that explore the events of the period on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus...
- Generation on the Wind
1980s
- 1980 From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in ChinaFrom Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in ChinaFrom Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China is a 1980 documentary film about Western culture breaking into China produced and directed by Murray Lerner. It portrays the famous violinist and music teacher Isaac Stern as the first American musician to collaborate with the China Central Symphony Society...
directed by Murray LernerMurray LernerMurray Lerner is an Academy Award-winning American documentary and experimental film director and producer.1967 saw the release of the film Festival...
- AgeeAgee (film)Agee is a 1980 documentary film directed by Ross Spears, about the writer James Agee. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* James Agee - Himself * Mia Agee - Herself* Mae Burroughs - Herself...
- The Day After TrinityThe Day After TrinityThe Day After Trinity is a 1980 documentary film directed and produced by Jon H. Else in association with KTEH public television in San Jose, California. The film tells the story of J...
- Front LineFront Line (1981 film)Front Line is a 1981 documentary film directed by David Bradbury. It follows the career of Tasmanian-born combat cameraman Neil Davis , particularly his time in South Vietnam and Cambodia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Yellow Star – The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933-45
- Agee
- 1981 GenocideGenocide (film)Genocide is a 1982 documentary by Arnold Schwartzman concerning the Holocaust. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
directed by Arnold Schwartzman- Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban OdysseyAgainst Wind and Tide: A Cuban OdysseyAgainst Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey is a 1981 documentary film about the Mariel boatlift, which was first broadcast on PBS the week of June 1, 1981. Written by John Brousek, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Brooklyn Bridge
- Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen CaldicottEight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen CaldicottEight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott is a 1981 documentary film directed by Mary Benjamin. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- El Salvador: Another VietnamEl Salvador: Another VietnamEl Salvador: Another Vietnam is a 1981 documentary film directed by Glenn Silber. This political documentary illustrates the turbulent history of El Salvador from the 1920s-1970s, and the role of the U.S. government in that history. As the title suggests, the presence of U.S...
- Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey
- 1982 Just Another Missing KidJust Another Missing KidJust Another Missing Kid is a 1981 documentary film about the search for a missing teenager directed by John Zaritsky. Eric Wilson had left his native Ottawa in July 1978 in a Volkswagen camper on a trip to Boulder, Colorado. Somewhere in Nebraska he disappeared. The movie traces how his family...
directed by John ZaritskyJohn ZaritskyJohn Zaritsky is a Canadian documentarian film maker. He was the recipient of an Academy Award in 1982 for his documentary Just Another Missing Kid. He also won a Cable Ace Award in 1987 for Rapists: Can They be Stopped, a Golden Gavel Award from the American Bar Association for My Husband is...
- A Portrait of GiselleA Portrait of GiselleA Portrait of Giselle is a 1982 documentary film, produced by Joseph Wishy and directed by Muriel Balash. It features Patricia McBride and Anton Dolin along with famous ballerinas who danced the role of Giselle in the past....
- After the AxeAfter the AxeAfter the Axe is a 1982 Canadian drama film about executive firings, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* James B. Douglas - Biff Wilson* Janine Manatis - Wife...
- Ben's MillBen's MillBen's Mill is a 1982 documentary film directed by Michel Chalufour and John Karol. The film portrays how the energy from the river is used to drive the multitudes of leather belts used to drive the various machines. The film focuses on the steps one man, Ben, uses to make one of his white pine...
- In Our WaterIn Our WaterIn Our Water is a 1982 documentary film directed by Meg Switzgable, about a family in South Brunswick, New Jersey who discover their drinking water is contaminated by a nearby landfill. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- A Portrait of Giselle
- 1983 He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' is a 1983 documentary film directed by Emile Ardolino about Jacques D'Amboise, a noted former American ballet star who had dancing roles in such films as Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Carousel, and who later became a New York dancing instructor...
directed by Emile ArdolinoEmile ArdolinoEmile Ardolino was an American film director, choreographer, and producer, best known for his films Dirty Dancing and Sister Act .-Biography:...
- Children of DarknessChildren of DarknessChildren of Darkness is a 1983 documentary film produced by Ara Chekmayan and Richard Kotuk. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- First ContactFirst Contact (documentary)First Contact is a 1983 documentary by Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson which recounts the discovery of a flourishing native population in the interior highlands of New Guinea in 1930 in what had been thought to be an uninhabited area. It is based on the book of the same name by the same authors...
- The Profession of ArmsThe Profession of Arms (1983 film)The Profession of Arms is a 1983 Canadian documentary film directed by Michael Bryans and Tina Viljoen. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Seeing RedSeeing Red (film)Seeing Red is a 1983 documentary film directed by Jim Klein and Julia Reichert. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.- Plot :...
- Children of Darkness
- 1984 The Times of Harvey MilkThe Times of Harvey MilkThe Times of Harvey Milk is an American documentary film that premiered at The Telluride Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and then on November 1, 1984 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco...
directed by Rob EpsteinRob EpsteinRob Epstein, also credited as Robert P. Epstein, is a director, producer, writer and editor. Epstein has won two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature for the films The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt....
and Richard Schmiechen- High SchoolsHigh Schools (film)High Schools is a 1984 documentary film produced and directed by Charles Guggenheim. It is based on Ernest L. Boyer's book, High School, and was filmed on location in seven American high schools. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:*The film is...
- In the Name of the People
- MarleneMarlene (1984 film)Marlene, also known in Germany as Marlene Dietrich - Porträt eines Mythos is a 1984 documentary film made by Maximilian Schell about the legendary film star Marlene Dietrich...
- Streetwise
- High Schools
- 1985 Broken Rainbow directed by Maria Florio and Victoria Mudd
- The Mothers of Plaza de MayoThe Mothers of Plaza de MayoThe Mothers of Plaza de Mayo is a 1985 Argentine documentary film directed by Susana Blaustein Muñoz and Lourdes Portillo about the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Soldiers in HidingSoldiers in HidingSoldiers in Hiding is a 1985 documentary film directed by Malcolm Clarke. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Statue of Liberty
- Unfinished BusinessUnfinished Business (1985 film)Unfinished Business is a 1985 documentary film directed by Steven Okazaki which centered on Min Yasui, an attorney from Oregon, Gordon Hirabayashi, a Quaker college student in Washington, and Fred Korematsu, a San Francisco welder and how their lives were affected by Japanese American internment...
- The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo
- 1986 - (tie): Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've GotArtie Shaw: Time Is All You've GotArtie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got is a 1986 documentary film about clarinetist Artie Shaw. It was written, directed and narrated by Brigitte Berman. It won Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, tying with Down and Out in America....
and Down and Out in AmericaDown and Out in AmericaDown and Out in America is a 1986 Academy Award-winning documentary film that critiques Reaganomics by showing examples of poverty in the United States. It won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, tying with Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got....
- Chile: Hasta Cuando?Chile: When Will It End?Chile: When Will It End? is a 1986 Australian documentary film produced by David Bradbury. The film portrays the brutal dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Witness to ApartheidWitness to ApartheidWitness to Apartheid is a 1986 documentary film directed by Sharon I. Sopher. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Written by Sharon I. Sopher and Peter Kinoy, the film also won a Cine Golden Eagle. The filmmaker, Sharon I. Sopher, also won an Emmy Award for its...
- Chile: Hasta Cuando?
- 1987 The Ten-Year LunchThe Ten-Year LunchThe Ten-Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table is a 1987 American documentary film about the Algonquin Round Table, a floating group of writers and actors in the "Roaring Twenties" in New York City, which included great names such as Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, George S....
- Eyes on the PrizeEyes on the PrizeEyes on the Prize is a 14-hour documentary series about the African-American Civil Rights Movement. The series was produced in two-stages: Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954–1964 consists of the first six episodes covering the time period between the Brown v. Board decision and...
- Hellfire: A Journey from HiroshimaHellfire: A Journey from HiroshimaHellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima is a 1986 documentary film directed by John Junkerman. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Radio BikiniRadio BikiniRadio Bikini is a 1988 American documentary film directed by Robert Stone. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 1988 for Best Documentary Feature....
- A Stitch for TimeA Stitch for TimeA Stitch for Time is a 1987 documentary film directed by Nigel Noble. The film documents the making of the National Peace Quilt. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Eyes on the Prize
- 1988 Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus BarbieHôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus BarbieHôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie is a 1988 documentary film directed by Marcel Ophüls about the life of Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie...
- The Cry of Reason: Beyers Naude – An Afrikaner Speaks Out
- Let's Get LostLet's Get Lost (film)Let's Get Lost is an American documentary film about the turbulent life and career of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker written and directed by Bruce Weber...
- Promises to KeepPromises to Keep (film)Promises to Keep is a 1988 documentary film produced by Ginny Durrin. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Who Killed Vincent Chin?Who Killed Vincent Chin?Who Killed Vincent Chin? is a 1987 documentary film directed by Christine Choy and Renee Tajima-Peña about the death of Vincent Chin. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- 1989 Common Threads: Stories from the QuiltCommon Threads: Stories from the QuiltCommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt is a 1989 documentary film that tells the story of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman with a musical score written and performed by Bobby McFerrin, the film focuses on several people who are represented by panels in the Quilt,...
- Adam Clayton PowellAdam Clayton Powell (film)Adam Clayton Powell is a 1989 documentary film directed by Richard Kilberg about the civil rights leader. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Crack USA: County Under SiegeCrack USA: County Under SiegeCrack USA: County Under Siege is a 1989 documentary film directed by Vince DiPersio and Bill Guttentag. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- For All MankindFor All MankindFor All Mankind is a 1989 documentary film documenting the Apollo missions of NASA. It was directed by Al Reinert.Music for the film was originally composed in 1983 by Brian Eno and released as an album entitled Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks...
- Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl WarrenSuper Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl WarrenSuper Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren is a 1989 documentary film directed by Bill Jersey about Chief Justice Earl Warren. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The cast included Gregory Peck, Robert Bork, William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, and Arthur Miller....
- Adam Clayton Powell
1990s
- 1990 American DreamAmerican Dream (film)American Dream is a cinéma vérité documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple and co-directed by Cathy Caplan, Thomas Haneke, and Lawrence Silk....
directed by Barbara KoppleBarbara KoppleBarbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two...
Berkeley in the SixtiesBerkeley in the Sixties is an award-winning documentary film by Mark Kitchell. The film features Mario Savio, Todd Gitlin, Joan Baez, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Huey Newton, Allen Ginsberg, Gov. Ronald Reagan and the Grateful Dead... - Building BombsBuilding BombsBuilding Bombs is a 1991 documentary film produced and directed by Mark Mori and Susan J. Robinson. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It dealt with environmental contamination and worker safety issues at the Savannah River Site nuclear materials processing center...
- Forever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln BrigadeForever ActivistsForever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade is a 1990 documentary film by Connie Field and Judith Montell that shares interviews with seven American veterans of the Spanish Civil War who fought for the Loyalist cause during the war and went on to live lives of...
- Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's JourneyWaldo Salt: A Screenwriter's JourneyWaldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey is a 1990 documentary film directed by Eugene Corr. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- 1991 In the Shadow of the StarsIn the Shadow of the StarsIn the Shadow of the Stars is a 1991 documentary film about the San Francisco Opera. It depicts the lives of the various members of the chorus, rather than the big name stars.The film won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
directed by Allie Light and Irving Saraf- Death on the JobDeath on the JobDeath on the Job is a 1991 documentary film directed by Bill Guttentag. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Doing Time: Life Inside the Big HouseDoing Time: Life Inside the Big HouseDoing Time: Life Inside the Big House is a 1991 documentary film directed by Alan Raymond. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945 is a 1992 documentary film directed by Hava Kohav Beller. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:...
- Wild by LawWild by LawWild by Law: The Rise of Environmentalism and the Creation of the Wilderness Act is a 1991 documentary film produced by Lawrence Hott and Diane Garey. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Death on the Job
- 1992 The Panama DeceptionThe Panama DeceptionThe Panama Deception is a 1992 documentary film that won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film is critical of the actions of the US military during the 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States, covering the conflicting reasons for the invasion and the depicting of the US...
directed by Barbara Trent and David Kasper- Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn HookerChanging Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn HookerChanging Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker is a 1992 documentary film directed by Richard Schmiechen. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Fires of KuwaitFires of KuwaitFires of Kuwait is a 1992 documentary film directed by David Douglas. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It played in Imax theatres. The film was the winner of the 2005 Hall of Fame Award from Giant Screen Cinema Association....
- Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War IILiberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War IILiberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II is a 1992 documentary film directed by Bill Miles. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Music for the Movies: Bernard HerrmannMusic for the Movies: Bernard HerrmannMusic for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann is a 1992 documentary film directed by Joshua Waletzky. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Cast:* Elmer Bernstein - Himself* Claudine Bouché - Herself* Royal S...
- Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker
- 1993 I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary SchoolI Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary SchoolI Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School is a 1993 documentary film about the pupils at Stanton Elementary School, an inner city school in Philadelphia.The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
directed by Susan Raymond- The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. PeterThe Broadcast Tapes of Dr. PeterThe Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter is a 1993 documentary film produced by Arthur Ginsberg. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film is based upon the video diary of Peter Jepson-Young, better known as "Dr. Peter", which documented his life as a person with AIDS....
- Children of Fate
- For Better or For WorseFor Better or For Worse (film)For Better or For Worse is a 1993 feature-length documentary film produced by David Collier. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Plot:...
- The War RoomThe War RoomThe War Room is a 1993 American documentary film about Bill Clinton's campaign for President of the United States during the 1992 presidential election.-Background:...
- The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter
- 1994 Maya Lin: A Strong Clear VisionMaya Lin: A Strong Clear VisionMaya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision is a 1994 documentary film made by Freida Lee Mock about the life of American artist Maya Lin, whose best-known work is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C....
directed by Freida Lee MockFreida Lee MockFreida Lee Mock is a filmmaker, credited with producing films about a wide variety of historical and contemporary subjects. She is a co-founder of the American Film Foundation with Terry Sanders....
- Complaints of a Dutiful DaughterComplaints of a Dutiful DaughterComplaints of a Dutiful Daughter is a 1994 documentary film directed by Deborah Hoffmann. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- D-Day RememberedD-Day RememberedD-Day Remembered is a 1994 documentary film directed by Charles Guggenheim. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Freedom on My MindFreedom on My MindFreedom on My Mind is a 1994 documentary film about the efforts to register African-American voters in 1960s Mississippi and the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature...
- A Great Day in HarlemA Great Day in Harlem (film)A Great Day in Harlem is a 1994 documentary film directed by Jean Bach about the photograph of the same name. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter
- 1995 Anne Frank Remembered directed by Jon BlairJon BlairJon Blair is a South African born writer, producer and director of documentary films, drama and comedy who has lived in England and the United States ever since he was drafted into the South African army in the late 1960s...
- The Battle Over Citizen KaneThe Battle Over Citizen KaneThe Battle Over Citizen Kane is a 1996 documentary about the clash between newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst and actor/writer/director Orson Welles over Welles' 1941 motion picture Citizen Kane, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.The Battle Over Citizen Kane...
- Hank Aaron: Chasing the DreamHank Aaron: Chasing the DreamHank Aaron: Chasing the Dream is a 1995 documentary film directed by Michael Tollin. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Small WondersSmall WondersSmall Wonders is a 1995 documentary film directed by Allan Miller. The film follows a music teacher in East Harlem who teaches underprivileged children how to play the violin. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Troublesome Creek: A MidwesternTroublesome Creek: A MidwesternTroublesome Creek: A Midwestern is a 1995 documentary by filmmakers Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher. The film explores the family farm crisis through the story of Jordan's own family, as they take extraordinary measures to save their Iowa farm....
- The Battle Over Citizen Kane
- 1996 When We Were KingsWhen We Were KingsWhen We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire on October 30, 1974.The film features a number of celebrities, including James Brown, Jim...
directed by Leon GastLeon GastLeon Gast is an American documentary film director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His documentary When We Were Kings depicting the iconic heavyweight boxing match termed The Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman won the 1996 Academy Award for Documentary Feature and...
- The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld StoryThe Line King: The Al Hirschfeld StoryThe Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story is a 1996 American documentary film directed by Susan Warms Dryfoos about the artist Al Hirschfeld. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Mandela
- Suzanne Farrell: Elusive MuseSuzanne Farrell: Elusive MuseSuzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse is a 1996 documentary film directed by Anne Belle about the ballerina Suzanne Farrell. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American PressTell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American PressTell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press is a 1996 documentary film directed by Rick Goldsmith about the author and critic George Seldes. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:*...
- The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story
- 1997 The Long Way HomeThe Long Way Home (1997 film)The Long Way Home is a 1997 documentary film directed by Mark Jonathan Harris. It depicts the plight of Jewish refugees after World War II that contributed to the creation of the State of Israel....
directed by Mark Jonathan HarrisMark Jonathan HarrisMark Jonathan Harris is an American documentary filmmaker probably best known for his films Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport and The Long Way Home...
- Ayn Rand: A Sense of LifeAyn Rand: A Sense of LifeAyn Rand: A Sense of Life is a 1997 American documentary film written, produced, and directed by Michael Paxton. Its focus is on novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand, the author of the bestselling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, who promoted her philosophy of Objectivism through her books,...
- Colors Straight UpColors Straight UpColors Straight Up is a 1997 documentary film directed by Michèle Ohayon about the non-profit organization Colors United, which teaches drama to inner city youth. The film depicts the creation of a musical called Watts Side Story. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- 4 Little Girls4 Little Girls4 Little Girls is a 1997 American historical documentary film about the 1963 murder of four African-American girls during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was directed by Spike Lee and nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Documentary".The incident...
- Waco: The Rules of EngagementWaco: The Rules of EngagementWaco: The Rules of Engagement is a 1997 documentary directed by William Gazecki about the conflict in 1993 between the Branch Davidians, a non-mainstream Christian group led by David Koresh, and the FBI. It was nominated for an Academy Award....
- Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life
- 1998 The Last DaysThe Last DaysThe Last Days is a documentary, directed by James Moll and produced by June Beallor and Kenneth Lipper in 1998. Steven Spielberg was one of the executive producers, in his role as founder of the Shoah Foundation. The film tells the the stories of five Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust...
directed by James MollJames MollJames Moll is a film director and producer.His company, Allentown Productions, has been based at Universal Studios since 1994, primarily producing film and television projects focused on stories of non-fiction....
- The DancemakerThe DancemakerThe Dancemaker is a 1998 documentary film directed by Matthew Diamond about the career of choreographer Paul Taylor. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Farm: Angola, U.S.A.
- Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the TruthLenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the TruthLenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth is a 1998 documentary film directed by Robert B. Weide about the comedian Lenny Bruce. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film was narrated by Robert De Niro....
- Regret to InformRegret to InformRegret to Inform is a 1998 documentary film directed by Barbara Sonneborn. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature....
- The Dancemaker
- 1999 One Day in SeptemberOne Day in SeptemberOne Day in September is a 1999 documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald examining the 5 September 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany...
by Kevin MacDonaldKevin MacDonald (director)Kevin Macdonald is a Scottish director, best known for his films One Day in September, State of Play, The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void.-Personal life:...
- Buena Vista Social ClubBuena Vista Social Club (film)Buena Vista Social Club is a documentary film by Wim Wenders about the music of Cuba. It is named for a danzón that became the title piece of the album Buena Vista Social Club.-Synopsis:...
- Genghis BluesGenghis BluesGenghis Blues is a documentary film directed by Roko Belic. It centers on the journey of blind American singer Paul Pena to the isolated Asian nation of Tuva due to his interest in Tuvan throat singing....
- On the Ropes
- Speaking in StringsSpeaking in StringsSpeaking in Strings is a 1999 documentary film directed by Paola di Florio. The film is based on the life of Italian-born violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, and it received a nomination for Best Feature Documentary Film at the 72nd Academy Awards....
- Buena Vista Social Club
2000s
- 2000: Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the KindertransportInto the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the KindertransportInto the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport is a 2000 documentary film directed by Mark Jonathan Harris and narrated by Judi Dench. It tells the story of the kindertransport, an underground railroad that saved the lives of over 10,000 Jewish children...
– Mark Jonathan HarrisMark Jonathan HarrisMark Jonathan Harris is an American documentary filmmaker probably best known for his films Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport and The Long Way Home...
and Deborah OppenheimerLegacy (2000 film)Legacy is a 2000 documentary film directed by Tod Lending. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.The movie tracks 3 different generations of a family in Chicago that lives in the ghettos. Their lives change, however, after a life-altering event - the murder of a family...
– Tod Lending - Long Night's Journey into DayLong Night's Journey into DayLong Night's Journey Into Day is a 2000 American documentary film about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-Apartheid South Africa. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-External links:...
– Deborah Hoffmann and Frances ReidFrances Reid (director)Frances Reid is an American filmmaker, producer and cinematographer known for her documentaries. She has been in filmmaking for 3 decades. In 1994, she was nominated alongside director Dee Mosbacher for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.... - Scottsboro: An American TragedyScottsboro: An American TragedyScottsboro: An American Tragedy is a 2001 American documentary film directed by Daniel Anker and Barak Goodman. The film is based on one of the longest-running and most controversial courtroom pursuits of racism in American history, which led to nine black teenaged men being wrongly convicted of...
– Daniel Anker and Barak Goodman - Sound and FurySound and FurySound and Fury is a documentary film released in 2000 about two American families with young deaf children and their conflict over whether or not to give their children cochlear implants, surgically implanted devices that may improve their ability to hear but may threaten their deaf identity...
– Josh Aronson and Roger Weisberg
- 2001: Murder on a Sunday Morning (Un coupable idéal)Murder on a Sunday MorningMurder on a Sunday Morning is a documentary film by French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. Its subject is the Brenton Butler case, a criminal case in which a fifteen-year-old boy was wrongfully accused of murder...
– Jean-Xavier de LestradeJean-Xavier de LestradeJean-Xavier de Lestrade is a French writer, director and producer of films and television series.Lestrade was born in Mirande, Gers, in southwestern France...
and Denis PoncetChildren UndergroundChildren Underground is a 2001 documentary film directed by Edet Belzberg.Homeless children are the casualties of Romania's recent history. In an effort to increase the nation's work force, former communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu outlawed contraception and abortion in 1966. Thousands of unwanted...
– Edet BelzbergEdet Belzberg- Biography :Belzberg received a B.A. in 1991 from the University of Colorado, Boulder and an M.A. in 1997 from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University. She received the Columbia University School of Journalism's John M... - LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of CottonLaLee's Kin: The Legacy of CottonLaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton is a 2001 American documentary film directed by Deborah Dickson, Susan Frömke and Albert Maysles. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 74th Academy Awards.-Content:...
– Deborah Dickson and Susan Frömke - PromisesPromises (film)Promises is a 2001 documentary film that examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspectives of seven children living in the Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Israeli neighborhoods of Jerusalem....
– B.Z. Goldberg and Justine ShapiroJustine ShapiroJustine Shapiro is one of several main hosts of the Pilot Productions travel/adventure series Globe Trekker . Shapiro is known for her commentary and critique of countries visited... - War PhotographerWar PhotographerWar Photographer is a documentary by Christian Frei about the photographer James Nachtwey. As well as telling the story of an iconic man in the field of war photography, the film addresses the broader scope of ideas common to all those involved in war journalism, as well as the issues that they...
– Christian FreiChristian FreiChristian Frei is a Swiss filmmaker. He is mostly known for his two films War Photographer and The Giant Buddhas . Both deal with topics and themes more or less linked to war and intolerance....
- 2002: Bowling for ColumbineBowling for ColumbineBowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, directed, produced, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Michael Moore suggests are the causes for the Columbine High School massacre and other acts of violence with guns...
– Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
and Michael DonovanDaughter from DanangDaughter from Đà Nẵng is a 2002 documentary film about an Amerasian, Heidi Bub , born on December 10, 1968, in Danang in southern Vietnam, one of the children brought to the United States from Vietnam in 1975 during "Operation Babylift" at the end of the Vietnam War.Heidi's father was an American...
– Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco - Prisoner of ParadisePrisoner of ParadisePrisoner of Paradise is a 2003 Canadian documentary film directed by Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender. The film tells the true story of Kurt Gerron, a German-Jewish cabaret and film actor in the 1920s and 1930s who was sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp where he was commanded to write...
– Malcolm ClarkeMalcolm ClarkeMalcolm Clarke was a British composer, and a member of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop for 25 years from 1969 to 1994.Clarke proved somewhat controversial when he joined the workshop, due to his views that Radiophonic music should be, in his words, "fine art," a philosophy that was not shared by...
and Stuart Sender - SpellboundSpellbound (documentary)Spellbound is a 2002 documentary that was directed by Jeffrey Blitz. The film follows eight competitors in the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Documentary Feature; Yana Gorskaya's editing won the ACE Eddie award for best editing of documentary...
– Jeffrey BlitzJeffrey BlitzJeffrey Blitz is an American film director, producer and screenwriter from Ridgewood, New Jersey. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his 2002 documentary, Spellbound and he won the Dramatic Directing Prize at the Sundance Film Festival for his 2007 film, Rocket Science.Blitz won the 2009...
and Sean WelchSean WelchSean Welch was the bassist for The Beautiful South and previously roadie for The Housemartins.During his childhood, he played in a number of school bands, but unlike many budding musicians he was dismissed for his lack of musical skill... - Winged Migration (Le peuple migrateur)Le Peuple MigrateurWinged Migration , is a 2001 documentary film directed by Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats and Jacques Perrin, who was also one of the writers and narrators, showcasing the immense journeys routinely made by birds during their migrations....
– Jacques PerrinJacques PerrinJacques Perrin is a French actor and filmmaker. He is occasionally credited as Jacques Simonet. Simonet was his father's name and Perrin his mother's.-Life and career:...
- 2003: The Fog of WarThe Fog of WarThe Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara as well as illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfare...
– Errol MorrisErrol MorrisErrol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
and Michael WilliamsMichael Williams (film producer)Michael Williams is a film producer. He won an Academy Award for Documentary Feature for the documentary The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara in 2004. He also won an Emmy Award in 2004 for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which he created...
BalserosBalseros is a 2002 Spanish documentary co-directed by Carlos Bosch and Josep Maria Domènech about Cubans leaving during the Período Especial after the financial support of the former USSR stopped...
– Carlos Bosch and Josep Maria Domenech - Capturing the FriedmansCapturing the FriedmansCapturing the Friedmans is a documentary film directed by Andrew Jarecki. It focuses on the 1980s investigation of Arnold and Jesse Friedman for child molestation...
– Andrew JareckiAndrew JareckiAndrew Jarecki is an American filmmaker, musician, and entrepreneur. He is best known for Capturing the Friedmans, which won eighteen international prizes including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the New York Film Critics Circle award, and was nominated for an Academy...
and Marc Smerling - My ArchitectMy ArchitectMy Architect: A Son's Journey is a 2003 documentary film about the American architect Louis Kahn. Kahn led an extraordinary career and left three families behind when he died of a heart attack in a Penn Station bathroom....
– Nathaniel KahnNathaniel KahnNathaniel Kahn is an American filmmaker. His documentaries My Architect — about his father, the famous architect Louis Kahn — and Two Hands were nominated for Academy Awards....
and Susan R. Behr - The Weather UndergroundThe Weather UndergroundThe Weather Underground is a 2002 documentary film based on the rise and fall of the American radical organization The Weathermen. Using much archive footage from the time as well as interviews with the Weathermen today, the film constructs a linear narrative of the militant organization.The film,...
– Sam GreenSam GreenSam Green is a San Francisco-based documentary filmmaker. His film, The Weather Underground, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004, broadcast nationally on PBS, and included in the Whitney Biennial.- Life :...
and Bill Siegel
- 2004: Born into BrothelsBorn into BrothelsBorn into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids is a 2004 American documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Kolkata's red light district...
– Ross Kauffman and Zana BriskiZana BriskiZana Briski is a photographer and filmmaker best known as the director of Born into Brothels, the 2004 winner of the Academy Award for Documentary Feature...
The Story of the Weeping CamelThe Story of the Weeping Camel is a 2003 German docudrama distributed by ThinkFilm. It was released internationally in 2004. The movie was directed and written by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni. The plot is about a family of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi desert trying to save the life of a...
– Byambasuren DavaaByambasuren DavaaByambasuren Davaa, really Davaagiin Byambasüren , is a Mongolian film maker currently residing in Germany....
and Luigi Falorni - Super Size MeSuper Size MeSuper Size Me is a 2004 American documentary film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, an American independent filmmaker. Spurlock's film follows a 30-day period from February 1 to March 2, 2003 during which he eats only McDonald's food...
– Morgan SpurlockMorgan SpurlockMorgan Valentine Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and journalist best known for the documentary film Super Size Me... - Tupac: ResurrectionTupac: ResurrectionTupac: Resurrection is a 2003 documentary about the life and death of rapper Tupac Shakur. The film, directed by Lauren Lazin and released by Paramount Pictures, is narrated by Tupac Shakur himself. The film was in theaters from November 16, 2003 to December 21, 2003...
– Karolyn Ali and Lauren LazinLauren LazinLauren Lazin is an award-winning filmmaker whose first feature film, Tupac: Resurrection was nominated for a 2005 Academy Award. Her follow-up film, I'm Still Here: Real Diaries of Young People Who Lived During the Holocaust was nominated for two 2006 Emmy Awards, and was named Best Documentary by... - Twist of FaithTwist of FaithTwist of Faith is a 2004 American documentary film directed by Kirby Dick about a man who confronts the Catholic Church about the abuse he suffered as a teenager. The film was produced for the cable network HBO and screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival...
– Kirby DickKirby DickKirby Dick is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for directing documentary films. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature for directing Twist of Faith...
and Eddie SchmidtEddie SchmidtEddie Schmidt is a documentary filmmaker, writer/producer, commentator, activist, and satirist. He is best-known for producing and shooting the Oscar nominated Twist Of Faith , producing, co-writing, and shooting the irreverent This Film Is Not Yet Rated , and producing the Emmy-nominated,...
- 2005: March of the Penguins (La marche de l'empereur)March of the PenguinsMarch of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica...
– Luc JacquetLuc JacquetLuc Jacquet is a French film director from Paris. He wrote and directed the movie March of the Penguins, which won an Oscar for best documentary feature in 2005. His current film is called The Fox And the Child...
Darwin's NightmareDarwin's Nightmare is a 2004 French-Belgian-Austrian documentary film written and directed by Hubert Sauper, dealing with the environmental and social effects of the fishing industry around Lake Victoria in Tanzania. It premiered at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, and was nominated for the 2006...
– Hubert SauperHubert SauperHubert Sauper is a documentary filmmaker best known for the highly controversial Darwin's Nightmare which was nominated for an Academy Award.... - Enron: The Smartest Guys in the RoomEnron: The Smartest Guys in the RoomEnron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a 2005 documentary film based on the best-selling 2003 book of the same name by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, a study of one of the largest business scandals in American history...
– Alex GibneyAlex GibneyAlex Gibney is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, Esquire magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time."...
and Jason KliotJason KliotJason Kliot is an American independent movie producer based in New York. Kliot emerged with the American indie wave of the 90s, producing alongside his wife and business partner Joana Vicente. In 1995 Kliot and Vicente associate produced Todd Solondz's feature debut, Welcome to the Dollhouse,... - MurderballMurderball (documentary)Murderball is a 2005 American documentary film about tetraplegic athletes with partial arm function who play wheelchair rugby. It centers on the rivalry between the Canadian and U.S. teams leading up to the 2004 Paralympic Games. It was directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro, and...
– Henry Alex RubinHenry Alex RubinHenry-Alex Rubin studied film at Phillips Academy, Andover and Columbia University. The son of a French mother and American father Henry-Alex Rubin studied film at Phillips Academy, Andover and Columbia University. The son of a French mother and American father Henry-Alex Rubin studied film at...
and Dana Adam ShapiroDana Adam ShapiroDana Adam Shapiro is an American film director, best known for his directorial work on the 2006 Academy Award nominated documentary Murderball.-Career:... - Street FightStreet Fight (film)Street Fight is a documentary by filmmaker Marshall Curry, chronicling Cory Booker's 2002 campaign against Sharpe James for mayor of Newark, New Jersey...
– Marshall CurryMarshall CurryMarshall Curry is a documentary filmmaker. His first feature-length film, Street Fight, was nominated for an Academy Award and a News and Documentary Emmy. His second film, Racing Dreams, won Best Documentary and was runner up for the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2009...
- 2006: An Inconvenient TruthAn Inconvenient TruthAn Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
– Davis GuggenheimDavis GuggenheimPhilip Davis Guggenheim is an Academy Award-winning American film director and producer. His credits as a producer and director include Training Day, The Shield, Alias, 24, NYPD Blue, ER, Deadwood, and Party of Five and the documentaries An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for 'Superman...
Deliver Us from Evil (2006 film)Deliver Us from Evil is a documentary film directed by Amy J. Berg which tells the true story of Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady, who admitted to having molested and raped approximately 25 children in Northern California between the late 1970s and early 1990s...
– Amy BergAmy J. BergAmy J. Berg is an American film maker, known best for her Academy Award-nominated document film Deliver Us from Evil about the sex abuse cases in Roman Catholic Church and an abusive native Irish priest Oliver O'Grady...
and Frank DonnerFrank DonnerFrank Donner was a civil liberties lawyer, author and the director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Project on Political Surveillance...
and Matthew CookeMatthew Cooke (filmmaker)Matthew Cooke was the producer and editor of the Oscar–nominated documentary Deliver Us from Evil and writer, director, editor and actor on Fuel TV's Stupidface. He produced Adrian Grenier's 2010 HBO documentary Teenage Paparazzo which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival... - Iraq in FragmentsIraq in FragmentsIraq in Fragments is a documentary feature directed by James Longley. Longley shot the film in Digital Video on a Panasonic DVX100 miniDV camcorder. The film premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film is also a part of the Iraq Media Action Project film collection. It was nominated for...
– James LongleyJames Longley (filmmaker)- Career :His work includes the documentary, Gaza Strip, released in 2002. His production, Iraq in Fragments, presents a view of Iraq and Iraqis during the first two years of Iraq war. It was awarded three jury awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for...
and Yahya Sinno - Jesus CampJesus CampJesus Camp is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing about a charismatic Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers learning and practicing their prophetic gifts and being taught that they can "take back America for Christ." According to the...
– Heidi Ewing and Rachel GradyRachel GradyRachel Grady is a film director involved in producing the documentary films Jesus Camp, The Boys of Baraka, and 12th and Delaware. She is the daughter of James Grady.- Jesus Camp :... - My Country, My CountryMy Country, My CountryMy Country, My Country is a 2006 documentary film. Filmmaker Laura Poitras spent over eight months alone in Iraq filming this documentary. The film shows life in Iraq for average Iraqis under U.S. occupation. Poitras focuses primarily on Dr...
– Jocelyn Glatzer and Laura PoitrasLaura PoitrasLaura Poitras is a documentary film director and producer.Her 2006 film My Country, My Country was nominated for an Oscar.Her 2010 film The Oath won the "Excellence in Cinematography Award for U.S...
- 2007: Taxi to the Dark SideTaxi to the Dark SideTaxi to the Dark Side is a 2007 documentary film directed by American filmmaker Alex Gibney, and produced by Eva Orner and Susannah Shipman, which won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature...
– Alex GibneyAlex GibneyAlex Gibney is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, Esquire magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time."...
and Eva OrnerEva OrnerEva Orner is an Australian film producer. Her works include Untold Desires , Strange Fits of Passion Eva Orner (born 1969) is an Australian film producer. Her works include Untold Desires (winner of Best Documentary at the Australian Film Institute Awards, the Logie Awards and the Australian Human...
No End in SightNo End in Sight is a 2007 documentary film about the American occupation of Iraq. The film marks the directorial debut of Academy Award winning documentary film producer Charles H. Ferguson. The film premiered January 22, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film opened in limited release...
– Charles FergusonCharles H. FergusonCharles Henry Ferguson is the founder and president of Representational Pictures, Inc., director and producer of No End In Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq and Inside Job , which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary...
and Audrey MarrsAudrey MarrsAudrey Marie Marrs is a film producer and the Chief Operating Officer of Representational Pictures, Inc., and producer of No End in Sight, which is her first film. It won a Special Jury Prize for documentaries at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. She and Charles H... - Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime ExperienceOperation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime ExperienceOperation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Richard E. Robbins, which portrays the lives and experiences of American combat soldiers who have been to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.-Production:...
– Richard RobbinsRichard E. RobbinsRichard E. Robbins is an American filmmaker and documentarian, who has produced and directed several documentaries for ABC and PBS. The most notable is Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, which puts forward the perspective of American troops returning home from service in Iraq... - SickoSickoSicko is a 2007 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film investigates health care in the United States, focusing on its health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The movie compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S...
– Michael MooreMichael MooreMichael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
and Meghan O'Hara - War/DanceWar/DanceWar/Dance is a 2007 American documentary film written and directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine and produced by Shine Global's Susan MacLaury, a professor at Kean University, and Albie Hecht...
– Sean FineSean FineSean Fine is a documentary filmmaker whose War/Dance about child soldiers was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2007.- Biography :...
and Andrea Nix
- 2008: Man on WireMan on WireMan on Wire is a 2008 British documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. It is based on Philippe Petit's book, To Reach the Clouds, recently released in paperback with the new title...
– Simon Chinn and James MarshJames Marsh (director)James Marsh is a film director known for directing the cult film Wisconsin Death Trip starring Marcus Monroe and Sir Ian Holm. He won 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for directing Man on Wire....
Nerakhoon (The Betrayal)The Betrayal — Nerakhoon is a 2008 documentary film directed by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath. It is about an immigrant from Laos living in New York. The film centres on the families flight from Laos after the United States Secret War in Laos and the difficulty of assimilating into...
– Ellen KurasEllen KurasEllen Kuras ASC is an American cinematographer and director. She has collaborated several times with directors Michel Gondry and Spike Lee.-Filmography:*"Public Speaking" *Away We Go...
and Thavisouk PhrasavathThavisouk Phrasavath-Achievements:Thavisouk Phrasavath is a New York-base Lao-American film director/editor, writer and visual artist.Thavisouk Phrasavath is a 2008 Academy Award and Film Independent Spirit Award Nominated Filmmaker... - Encounters at the End of the WorldEncounters at the End of the WorldEncounters at the End of the World is an American documentary film by Werner Herzog completed in 2007. The film studies people and places in Antarctica...
– Werner HerzogWerner HerzogWerner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
and Henry KaiserHenry Kaiser (musician)Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer.Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "first generation" of American free improvisers.-Biography:His grandfather was the... - The GardenThe Garden (2008 film)The Garden is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy. It tells the story of the now demolished South Central Farm; a community garden and urban farm located in Los Angeles, California. The Garden details the plight of the farmers who organized and worked on the farm...
– Scott Hamilton Kennedy - Trouble the WaterTrouble the WaterTrouble the Water is a 2008 documentary film produced and directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, producers of Fahrenheit 9/11. Trouble the Water is a redemptive tale of a couple surviving failed levees, bungling bureaucrats, and their own troubled past and a portrait of a community abandoned long...
– Carl DealCarl DealCarl Deal is a New York–based documentary filmmaker. He is producer and director of the film Trouble the Water as well as producer for several of Michael Moore's films including Capitalism: A Love Story, Bowling for Columbine, and Fahrenheit 9/11.-Career:...
and Tia LessinTia LessinTia Lessin is a New York-based documentary filmmaker. Tia is the director and producer of Trouble the Water , and producer of several of Michael Moore's films including Capitalism: A Love Story, Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine.-Career:...
- 2009: The Cove – Louie PsihoyosLouie PsihoyosLouis Psihoyos is an American photographer and documentary film director known for his still photography and contributions to National Geographic. Psihoyos, a licensed scuba-diver, has become increasingly concerned with bringing awareness to underwater life...
- Burma VJBurma VJBurma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country is a 2008 documentary film directed by Anders Østergaard. It follows the September 2007 uprisings against the military regime in Burma. Some of it was filmed on hand-held cameras, and the footage was smuggled out of the country...
– Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller - Food, Inc.Food, Inc.Food, Inc. is a 2008 American documentary film directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner. The film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding that agribusiness produces food that is unhealthy, in a way that is environmentally harmful and abusive of both animals and...
– Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein - The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon PapersThe Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon PapersThe Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers is a 2009 documentary film directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith...
– Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith - Which Way HomeWhich Way HomeWhich Way Home is a 2009 documentary film directed by Rebecca Cammisa. The film follows several children who are attempting to get from Mexico to the United States. Cammisa received a Fulbright Scholar Grant to make the documentary in 2006. The film premiered on HBO on August 24, 2009.-External...
– Rebecca Cammisa
- Burma VJ
2010s
- 2010: Inside JobInside Job (film)Inside Job is a 2010 documentary film about the late-2000s financial crisis directed by Charles H. Ferguson. The film is described by Ferguson as being about "the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry and the consequences of that systemic corruption." In five...
– Charles H. FergusonCharles H. FergusonCharles Henry Ferguson is the founder and president of Representational Pictures, Inc., director and producer of No End In Sight: The American Occupation of Iraq and Inside Job , which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary...
and Audrey MarrsAudrey MarrsAudrey Marie Marrs is a film producer and the Chief Operating Officer of Representational Pictures, Inc., and producer of No End in Sight, which is her first film. It won a Special Jury Prize for documentaries at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. She and Charles H...
- Exit Through the Gift ShopExit Through the Gift ShopGuetta happily accepts the assignment, adopting the name "Mr. Brainwash", putting up street art in the city and six months later, re-mortgaging his business to afford renting copious equipment and a complete production team to create pieces of art under his supervision...
– BanksyBanksyBanksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
and Jaimie D'Cruz - GaslandGaslandGasland is a 2010 American documentary film written and directed by Josh Fox. The film focuses on communities in the United States impacted by natural gas drilling and, specifically, a stimulation method known as hydraulic fracturing.-Synopsis:...
– Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic - RestrepoRestrepo (film)Restrepo is a 2010 documentary film about the Afghanistan war, directed by American journalist Sebastian Junger and British/American photojournalist Tim Hetherington....
– Tim HetheringtonTim HetheringtonTimothy Alistair Telemachus Hetherington was a British-American photojournalistwith work that "ranged from multi-screen installations, to fly-poster exhibitions, to handheld device downloads." He was best known for the documentary film Restrepo , which he co-directed with Sebastian Junger; the...
and Sebastian JungerSebastian JungerSebastian Junger is an American author, journalist and documentarian, most famous for the best-selling book The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea, his award-winning chronicle of the war in Afghanistan in the 2010 movie Restrepo, and his 2010 book War.-Background:Junger was born... - Waste LandWaste Land (film)Waste Land is a 2010 documentary directed by Lucy Walker, João Jardim and Karen Harley. The film documents two years of work of Brazilian contemporary modern artist Vik Muniz in creating art with the cooperation of scavengers of recyclables working at Jardim Gramacho, one of the world's largest...
– Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley
- Exit Through the Gift Shop
Controversies
Many critically acclaimed documentaries are not nominated. Examples include The Thin Blue LineThe Thin Blue Line (documentary)
The Thin Blue Line is a 1988 documentary film by Errol Morris, depicting the story of Randall Dale Adams, a man convicted and sentenced to die for a murder he did not commit. Adams' case was reviewed and he was released from prison approximately a year after the film's release.-Synopsis:The film...
, Roger & Me
Roger & Me
Roger & Me is a 1989 American documentary film directed by Michael Moore. Moore portrays the regional negative economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's summary action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan, costing 30,000 people their jobs at the time and economically...
, Touching The Void
Touching the Void (film)
Touching the Void is a 2003 documentary film based on the book of the same name by Joe Simpson about Simpson's and Simon Yates' disastrous and near fatal attempt to climb the 6,344 metre Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.-Outline:...
, Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams is a 1994 documentary film directed by Steve James, with Kartemquin Films. It follows the story of two African-American high school students in Chicago and their dream of becoming professional basketball players....
, The Interrupters
The Interrupters
The Interrupters is a 2011 documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films, that tells the story of three violence interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed...
, Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
and Waiting For Superman
Waiting for Superman
Waiting for "Superman" is a 2010 documentary film from director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott. The film analyzes the failures of American public education by following several students through the educational system, hoping to be selected in a lottery for acceptance into charter...
. (see below). The controversy over Hoop Dreams was enough to force the Academy Awards to change their documentary voting system.
For example, Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man is a 2005 American documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life and death of bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell. The film consists of Treadwell's own footage of his interactions with grizzly bears before he and his girlfriend were killed and eaten by a bear...
, a documentary strong enough to appear on many critics' top 10 lists was not nominated, and did not even make the Academy's internally distributed top 15 list. Grizzly Mans exclusion was later revealed to be the result of an Academy rule disqualifying documentary films that are constructed entirely out of archive footage. However, Grizzly Man included new interviews and other footage shot exclusively for the film.
Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
, at the time the highest grossing documentary film ever made, was ineligible because Moore had opted to have it played on television prior to the 2004 Election. Conversely, the 1982 winner Just Another Missing Kid
Just Another Missing Kid
Just Another Missing Kid is a 1981 documentary film about the search for a missing teenager directed by John Zaritsky. Eric Wilson had left his native Ottawa in July 1978 in a Volkswagen camper on a trip to Boulder, Colorado. Somewhere in Nebraska he disappeared. The movie traces how his family...
, directed by John Zaritsky
John Zaritsky
John Zaritsky is a Canadian documentarian film maker. He was the recipient of an Academy Award in 1982 for his documentary Just Another Missing Kid. He also won a Cable Ace Award in 1987 for Rapists: Can They be Stopped, a Golden Gavel Award from the American Bar Association for My Husband is...
, was created by editing together footage he originally shot for the Canadian investigative journalism TV show The Fifth Estate
The fifth estate
the fifth estate is a Canadian television newsmagazine, which airs on the English language CBC Television network. The name is a play on the fact that the media are sometimes referred to as the Fourth Estate, and was chosen to highlight the program's determination to go beyond everyday news into...
.
Although documentaries are eligible for the Academy Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Picture
The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
, none have yet earned a nomination.