Top 100 Documentary Movies/TV Shows of All Time

100 titles that travel well across time — a personal watchlist for top 100 documentary movies/tv shows of all time.

#TopMovies#TopTV#BestMovies#BestTV#GreatestFilms#GreatestTV#MostImportantMovies#MostImportantTV#MustWatch#OTTWatch#CantMiss#Watchlist#100-Documentary-Tv-Shows
#PosterTitle
1 Chelovek s kino-apparatomaka Man with a Movie Camera(1929)
Movie | Documentary | Russia
2 Planet Earth(2006)
TV | Documentary, Family | UK, Canada | English
3 Vals Im Bashiraka Waltz with Bashir(2008)
Movie | Documentary, Animation | Israel, France | Hebrew, Arabic
4 Searching for Sugar Man(2012)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | Sweden, UK | English, Spanish
5 Haxanaka H xan(1922)
Movie | Documentary, Fantasy | Sweden, Denmark | Swedish, Danish
6 Cosmos(1980)
TV | Documentary | USA, UK | English
7 CM101MMXI Fundamentals(2013)
Movie | Documentary, Comedy | Turkey | Turkish
8 Nuit et brouillardaka Night and Fog(1956)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France | French
9 20 Days in Mariupol(2023)
Movie | Documentary, War | Ukraine, USA | Russian, Ukrainian
10 Nanook of the North(1922)
Movie | Documentary | France, USA | English
11 The World at War(1973)
TV | Documentary, History | UK | English, German
12 The Last Dance(2020)
TV | Documentary, Biography | USA | English
13 Planet Earth II(2016)
TV | Documentary | UK, Germany | English, French
14 Shoah(1985)
Movie | Documentary, History | France | German, Hebrew
15 L'arrivee d'un train a La Ciotataka The Arrival of a Train(1896)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France
16 La marche de l'empereuraka March of the Penguins(2005)
Movie | Documentary, Family | France, USA | French, English
17 Apocalypse: La 2eme guerre mondialeaka Apocalypse: The Second World War(2009)
TV | Documentary, History | France | French
18 Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii(1972)
Movie | Documentary, Music | Belgium, Germany | English
19 Triumph des Willensaka Triumph of the Will(1935)
Movie | Documentary, History | Germany | German
20 The Salt of the Earth(2014)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | France, Italy | French, English
21 Medena zemjaaka Honeyland(2019)
Movie | Documentary, Drama | North Macedonia, USA | Serbo-Croatian, Serbian
22 No Other Land(2024)
Movie | Documentary, News | Palestine, Norway | Arabic, English
23 Olympia 1. Teil - Fest der Volkeraka Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations(1938)
Movie | Documentary, Sport | Germany | German, English
24 Las Hurdesaka Land Without Bread(1933)
Movie | Documentary, Short | Spain | French
25 Berlin - Die Sinfonie der Grossstadtaka Berlin: Symphony of Metropolis(1927)
Movie | Documentary | Germany | German
26 Flugtaka Flee(2021)
Movie | Documentary, Animation | Denmark, France | Spanish, Danish
27 Buena Vista Social Club(1999)
Movie | Documentary, Music | Germany, USA | English, Spanish
28 The Dawn Wall(2017)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | Austria, USA | English
29 Black Hawk Down(1997)
Movie | Documentary | zUnknown
30 Jodorowsky's Dune(2013)
Movie | Documentary | France, USA | English, Spanish
31 Endless Corridor(2014)
Movie | Documentary, History | Lithuania | English
32 I Am Not Your Negro(2016)
Movie | Documentary, History | France, USA | English, French
33 F for Fake(1973)
Movie | Documentary | France, Iran | English, French
34 Top Gear(1978)
TV | Documentary, Talk-Show | UK | English
35 Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schonheitaka Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty(1938)
Movie | Documentary, Sport | Germany | German
36 A propos de Niceaka Propos de Nice(1930)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France
37 Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey(2014)
TV | Documentary | USA | English
38 The Look of Silence(2014)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | Denmark, Indonesia | Indonesian
39 La sortie de l'usine Lumiere a Lyonaka Leaving the Factory(1895)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France
40 Bowling for Columbine(2002)
Movie | Documentary, Crime | USA, Canada | English
41 Colectivaka Collective(2019)
Movie | Documentary, Crime | Romania, Luxembourg | Romanian, English
42 CMYLMZ(2008)
Movie | Documentary, Comedy | Turkey | Turkish
43 The Silence of Swastika(2021)
Movie | Documentary, History | India | Hindi
44 Microcosmos : le peuple de l'herbeaka Microcosmos(1996)
Movie | Documentary | France, Switzerland | French
45 Le peuple migrateuraka Winged Migration(2001)
Movie | Documentary | France, Germany | English, French
46 Sahebs Who Never Left - Part 1: The Origins(2022)
Movie | Documentary, Short | India | Hindi
47 Ilha das Floresaka Isle of Flowers(1989)
Movie | Documentary, Short | Brazil | Portuguese
48 Koyaanisqatsi(1982)
Movie | Documentary, Music | USA | Hopi
49 Le sang des betesaka Blood of the Beasts(1949)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France | French
50 Soupconsaka The Staircase(2004)
TV | Documentary, Crime | France | English
51 Sans soleil(1983)
Movie | Documentary, Drama | France | French, Japanese
52 Inside Job(2010)
Movie | Documentary, Crime | USA | English
53 Visages villagesaka Faces Places(2017)
Movie | Documentary, Adventure | France | French
54 Ibelinaka The Remarkable Life of Ibelin(2024)
Movie | Documentary, Animation | Norway | English, Norwegian
55 Bir Tat Bir Doku(1999)
Movie | Documentary, Comedy | Turkey | Turkish
56 Home(2009)
Movie | Documentary, Family | France | French, English
57 Stop Making Sense(1984)
Movie | Documentary, Music | USA | English, French
58 The Thin Blue Line(1988)
Movie | Documentary, Crime | USA | English
59 My Octopus Teacher(2020)
Movie | Documentary, Drama | South Africa | English
60 Free Solo(2018)
Movie | Documentary, Adventure | USA | English
61 The Cove(2009)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | USA, Japan | English, Japanese
62 Life(2009)
TV | Documentary | UK, USA | English
63 Woodstock(1970)
Movie | Documentary, History | USA | English
64 Le chagrin et la pitieaka The Sorrow and the Pity(1969)
Movie | Documentary, History | Switzerland, Germany | French
65 Dont Look Backaka Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back(1967)
Movie | Documentary, Music | USA | English
66 Clarkson's Farm(2021)
TV | Documentary, Comedy | UK | English
67 Senna(2010)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | UK, France | English, Portuguese
68 Bo Burnham: Inside(2021)
Movie | Documentary, Comedy | USA | English
69 Blackfish(2013)
Movie | Documentary, Drama | USA | English, Spanish
70 Sicko(2007)
Movie | Documentary, Drama | USA | English, French
71 Man on Wire(2008)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | UK, USA | English, French
72 Pina(2011)
Movie | Documentary, Music | Germany, France | German, French
73 Les glaneurs et la glaneuseaka The Gleaners & I(2000)
Movie | Documentary | France | French
74 Etre et avoiraka To Be and to Have(2002)
Movie | Documentary, Family | France | French
75 Regenaka Rain(1929)
Movie | Documentary, Short | Netherlands | Dutch
76 BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - Seoul: Live Viewing(2022)
Movie | Documentary, Music | zUnknown
77 Sigur Ros: Heimaaka Sigur R s: Heima(2007)
Movie | Documentary, Music | Iceland | English, Icelandic
78 Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinskiaka My Best Fiend(1999)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | Germany, UK | German, English
79 Khaneh siah astaka The House Is Black(1963)
Movie | Documentary, Short | Iran | Persian
80 Rabindranath Tagore(1961)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | India | English, Bengali
81 Grizzly Man(2005)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | USA | English
82 Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father(2008)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | USA | English
83 The Blue Planet(2001)
TV | Documentary | UK, USA | English
84 Kedi(2016)
Movie | Documentary | Turkey, USA | Turkish
85 Human(2015)
Movie | Documentary | France | English, French
86 Waste Land(2010)
Movie | Documentary | Brazil, UK | Portuguese, English
87 Moonage Daydream(2022)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | USA, Germany | English
88 Lektionen in Finsternisaka Lessons of Darkness(1992)
Movie | Documentary, War | Germany, France | German, Arabic
89 The Last Waltz(1978)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | USA | English, Middle English
90 Koose Munisamy Veerappan(2023)
TV | Documentary, Crime | India | Kannada, Telugu
91 Taris, roi de l'eauaka Taris(1931)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France | French
92 Passage de Venus(1874)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France
93 Repas de bebeaka Baby's Meal(1895)
Movie | Documentary, Short | France
94 Exit Through the Gift Shop(2010)
Movie | Documentary, Comedy | UK, France | English, French
95 Citizenfour(2014)
Movie | Documentary, Biography | UK, Germany | English, Portuguese
96 Bandon Mein Tha Dum!(2022)
TV | Documentary, Sport | India | Hindi
97 Fahrenheit 9/11(2004)
Movie | Documentary, Drama | USA | English, Arabic
98 Food, Inc.(2008)
Movie | Documentary, News | USA | English
99 Sachinaka Sachin - A Billion Dreams(2017)
Movie | Documentary, Sport | India | Hindi
100 Ram Ke Naam(1992)
Movie | Documentary | India | Hindi

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Updated November 29, 2025 · FlickRatings