iTunes Top Documentary Movies

Sleeping Dog

Investigative journalist Jeremy Corbell emerges as a key figure in a dangerous fight to uncover the truth about UAPs, driven by rare access and knowledge few possess. As his pursuit deepens, so do the risks of exposing what was never meant to be seen.

© 2026 Midnightbrew Productions

Michael Jackson's This Is It

Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts at London’s O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June 2009, this film was produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson’s THIS IS IT captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his planned final London shows.

© 2009 The Michael Jackson Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

A father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this AI insanity. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist is a hand-made, eye-opening documentary about the most powerful technology humanity has ever created…and what's at stake if we get it wrong.

© 2026 Focus Features LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Hoop Dreams

Two ordinary inner-city kids dare to dream the impossible—professional basketball glory—in this epic chronicle of hope and faith. Filmed over a five-year period, Hoop Dreams follows young Arthur Agee and William Gates as they navigate the complex, competitive world of scholastic athletics while striving to overcome the intense pressures of family life and the realities of their Chicago streets. The Criterion Collection is proud to present this landmark documentary chronicling two remarkable families who challenge the American dream.

© 1994 Kartemquin Educational Films. All rights reserved.

Riefenstahl

Leni Riefenstahl was Nazi Germany's preeminent filmmaker and one of its key propagandists. Yet from the end of WWII until her death, she denied her close ties with Hitler and claimed ignorance of the Holocaust. This chilling new documentary draws on never before seen documents from Riefenstahl's estate, uncovering fragments of her biography and placing them in an extended historical context.

Restrepo

Winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for documentary, RESTREPO chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. The movie focuses on 15 soldiers based at "Outpost Restrepo," named after a platoon medic killed early in the deployment. Filmed by author Sebastian Junger ("War") and award-winning photographer Tim Hetherington, RESTREPO takes viewers on their own 90-minute deployment, without comment or agenda. This is war, full stop. A National Geographic Entertainment release.

© 2010 National Geographic Entertainment

Lorne

An unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at Lorne Michaels, the man who built Saturday Night Live, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show's most iconic cast members and writers.

© 2026 Focus Features LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom), Won't You Be My Neighbor? takes an intimate look at America's favorite neighbor: Mister Fred Rogers. A portrait of a man whom we all think we know, this emotional and moving film takes us beyond the zip-up cardigans and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and into the heart of a creative genius who inspired generations of children with compassion and limitless imagination.

© 2018 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

Grey Gardens

Meet Big and Little Edie Beale—high-society dropouts, mother and daughter, reclusive cousins of Jackie O.—thriving together amid the decay and disorder of their ramshackle East Hampton mansion. An impossibly intimate portrait and an eerie echo of the Kennedy Camelot, Albert and David Maysles’s 1976 Grey Gardens quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen.

© 1976, 2001 Maysles Films Inc.

Paris is Burning

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, Paris Is Burning offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion “houses,” from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women—including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza—Paris Is Burning brings it, celebrating the joy of movement, the force of eloquence, and the draw of community.

© 1990 Jennie Livingston and Off White Productions

The Alpinist

As the sport of climbing turns from a niche pursuit to mainstream media event, Marc-André Leclerc climbs alone, far from the limelight. On remote alpine faces, the free-spirited 23-year-old makes some of the boldest solo ascents in history. Yet, he draws scant attention. With no cameras, no rope, and no margin for error, Marc-André's approach is the essence of solo adventure. Intrigued by these quiet accomplishments, veteran filmmaker Peter Mortimer (The Dawn Wall) sets out to make a film about Marc-André. But the Canadian soloist is an elusive subject: nomadic and publicity-shy, he doesn't own a phone or car and is reluctant to let the film crew in on his pure vision of climbing. As Peter struggles to keep up, Marc-André's climbs grow bigger and more daring. Elite climbers are amazed by his accomplishments, while others worry that he is risking too much. Then, Marc-André embarks on a historic adventure in Patagonia that will redefine what is possible in solo climbing. The Alpinist is an intimate documentary of a visionary climber who follows the path of his own passion, despite the heaviest of possible consequences.

© 2021 Red Bull Media House. All Rights Reserved.

Natchez

“Natchez” captures an unsettling clash between history and memory in a small Mississippi town; a layered mosaic of people contending with the weight of the past in a place where it is always present. Equal parts amusing and disturbing, we journey through an antebellum tourist destination at a crossroads as it grapples with a deeply troubled history that is so thoroughly ingrained in its present, we’re left to wonder if it’s actually past at all.

© 2025 Natchez Film, LLC

Marc by Sofia

Sofia Coppola captures the genius and singular universe of iconic American designer Marc Jacobs.

© 2025 Somewhere Else, LLC and This Machine Filmworks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music (Director's Cut)

"Woodstock," the concert, gave voice to the spirit of a generation, offering the world a three-day microcosm of the turbulent '60s, set to the music of the era's greatest rock performers. "Woodstock," the film, captures it all, now with more than 40 minutes of added material and masterfully remixed sound. This Academy Award-winner for Best Documentary Feature shows in spectacular detail how and why the legendary "Summer of Love" festival was an historical event, and now features additional interviews, memorable footage and, of course, more of the music that brought this "happening" together. The Hollywood Reporter calls this "inspiring and dramatic... With the terrific new sound, gorgeous new prints and overall high quality of filmmaking, the entire film feels as fresh and vital as when it first burst on the scene in 1970." This ground-breaking documentary also offered an early career boost to a young Martin Scorsese ("GoodFellas," "The Aviator"), who served as an editor and assistant director. In 1996, the film was inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

© 1994 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

When We Were Kings

In 1974, Leon Gast traveled to Africa to film Zaïre 74, a music festival planned to accompany an unprecedented sports spectacle: the Rumble in the Jungle, in which late-career underdog Muhammad Ali would contend with the younger powerhouse George Foreman for the boxing heavyweight championship title—“a fight between two blacks in a black nation, organized by blacks,” as a Kinshasa billboard put it. When the main event was delayed, extending Ali’s stay in Africa, Gast wound up amassing a treasure trove of footage, observing the wildly charismatic athlete training for one of the toughest bouts of his career while basking in his role as black America’s proud ambassador to postcolonial Africa. Two decades in the making, WHEN WE WERE KINGS features interviews with Norman Mailer and George Plimpton that illustrate the sensational impact of the fight, rounding out an Academy Award–winning portrait of Ali that captures his charm, grace, and defiance.

© 1996 DASFILMS Ldt. All rights reserved.

Complicated (2025)

Children suffering from a complex, mysterious illness that is difficult to diagnose. As doctors dismiss their symptoms and parents keep pushing for help, some mothers are accused of medical child abuse, and risk losing custody.

© 2025 Open Eye Pictures

Hearts of Darkness

The award-winning documentary about the fascinating and harrowing making of Apocalypse Now, one of the most celebrated films in American cinema.

© 1991 ZM Productions. All Rights Reserved.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin

2026 Academy Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature, this riveting first-person exposé of Russia's wartime student indoctrination program is told through the eyes of a small-town primary school teacher who dared to challenge the program and expose the truth.

No One Cares About Crazy People

A deep dive into the crisis & chaos of mental illness. Blends intimate storytelling & broad reportage. Offers a gripping, fearless portrait of families navigating unimaginable challenges. A rare combination of artistry, emotional depth & social urgency.

© 2025 Crazy People Productions LLC

Apollo 11 (2019)

A look inside NASA's most celebrated mission, the one that first put men on the moon, making Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin household names.

© 2018 Moon Collectors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Prince: Sign O' the Times

A concert film with theatrical staging, featuring live performances by Prince and his band.

©1987 Purple Films Company

Mole Man

Mole Man follows Ron, a 66-year-old autistic man who has spent the last five decades building a 50-room structure in his parents' backyard. Using no nails or mortar, Ron instead creates perfectly balanced structures from scavenged materials he finds in the woods outside his Western Pennsylvania home. When Ron's father passes away, leaving him living alone with his 90-year-old mother, Ron's siblings are left to figure out what's best for Ron - who has never been officially diagnosed with autism - when his mother can no longer care for him. In an effort to find the money to keep Ron in his home, his friends team up in search of a mythical mansion Ron insists lays abandoned in the forest. But will they be able to find it? And, more importantly, does it even exist? This is the story of an extraordinary life, a family, and the beauty of thinking differently.

© 2017 Tongal, Inc.

Goodnight, Sugarbabe: The Killing of Vera Jo Reigle

The discovery of the mutilated body of a mentally challenged young mother begins a journey into madness that is so unbelievable that the mastermind behind the crime ultimately got away with murder.

© 2012 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Hearts and Minds

A startling and courageous film, Peter Davis’s landmark 1974 documentary Hearts and Minds unflinchingly confronted the United States’ involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it. Using a wealth of sources—from interviews to newsreels to footage of the conflict and the upheaval it occasioned on the home front—Davis constructs a powerfully affecting picture of the disastrous effects of war. Explosive, persuasive, and wrenching, Hearts and Minds is an overwhelming emotional experience and the most important nonfiction film ever made about this devastating period in history.

© 1974 RAINBOW PICTURES CORP. All rights reserved.

Salesman

A landmark American documentary, Salesman captures in vivid detail the bygone era of the door-to-door salesman. While laboring to sell a gold-embossed version of the Good Book, Paul Brennan and his colleagues target the beleaguered masses—then face the demands of quotas and the frustrations of life on the road. Following Brennan on his daily rounds, the Maysles discover a real-life Willy Loman, walking the line from hype to despair.

© 1968, 2001 Maysles Films Inc. All rights reserved.

Missing 411: National Parks Washington State

Washington State follows investigator David Paulides as he examines a series of unexplained disappearances in and around Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park, where hikers, climbers, and experienced outdoorsmen vanish without tracks, scent trails, or clear cause. Through interviews with families, witnesses, and search personnel, the film contrasts known environmental dangers—severe weather, terrain, and hypothermia—with unsettling anomalies. Some of these include aircraft debris fields, unusual patterns in search failures, eyewitness encounters, and reported aerial phenomena dating back to the 1946 Curtis Commando crash and the dawn of the modern UFO era. As grief-stricken families search for closure and investigators compare evidence against established profile points, the documentary challenges viewers to consider whether these cases can be explained by nature alone—or if something unknown operates within the wilderness.

© 2026 NABS LLC

The Act of Killing (Director's Cut)

Filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer examines a country where Indonesian death squad leaders are celebrated as heroes, challenging them to reenact their real-life mass-killings. With documentary titans Werner Herzog and Errol Morris as Executive Producers.

© 2013 Final Cut For Real

The Last Waltz (1978)

On Thanksgiving Day, 1976, The Band gave its farewell concert at Winterland in San Francisco. On hand to help say goodbye to this influential rock group were some of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 1960s and '70s. This film is not only a vibrant documentary of that historic evening, but also a commentary on the rock world at the time. Most of the picture is concert footage of The Band and their guest performers -- highlighted by interviews with members of the group, who eloquently articulate their personal involvement in the history of rock and roll.

© 1978 The Last Waltz Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

F for Fake

Trickery. Deceit. Magic. In Orson Welles’s free-form documentary F for Fake, the legendary filmmaker (and self-described charlatan) gleefully engages the central preoccupation of his career—the tenuous line between truth and illusion, art and lies. Beginning with portraits of world-renowned art forger Elmyr de Hory and his equally devious biographer, Clifford Irving, Welles embarks on a dizzying cinematic journey that simultaneously exposes and revels in fakery and fakers of all stripes—not the least of whom is Welles himself. Charming and inventive, F for Fake is an inspired prank and a searching examination of the essential duplicity of cinema.

© 1975 Les Films de L'Astrophore.

Free Solo

A stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free solo climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream:scaling the face of the world’s most famous rock — the 3,200-foot El Capitan in Yosemite National Park — without a rope. Renowned filmmakers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin capture the death-defying climb with exquisite artistry and masterful, vertigo-inducing camerawork.

© 2018 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.

American Sasquatch: Man, Myth or Monster

American Sasquatch: Man, Myth, or Monster takes audiences on a groundbreaking investigation into one of the world’s greatest mysteries. Created by former police detective and best-selling author of the Missing 411 series, Dave Paulides, the film combines cutting-edge science with gripping storytelling — from quantum physics and advanced DNA analysis to the insights of PhD researchers and respected institutions. With startling evidence that blurs the line between folklore and reality, viewers are invited to confront compelling facts that may forever change how we see the legendary hairy biped.

© 2025 Lab 9 Films

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

One of the most important artists of our era, Ryuichi Sakamoto has had a prolific career spanning over four decades. From techno-pop stardom to Oscar-winning film composer, the evolution of his music has coincided with his life journeys. Following Fukushima, Sakamoto became an iconic figure in Japan’s social movement against nuclear power. As Sakamoto returns to music following a cancer diagnosis, his haunting awareness of life crises leads to a resounding new masterpiece. 'Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda' is an intimate portrait of both the artist and the man.

© 2017 MUBI

Dogtown and Z-Boys

This award-winning, thrilling story is about a group of discarded kids who revolutionized skateboarding and shaped the attitude and culture of modern day extreme sports. Featuring old skool skating footage, exclusive interviews and a blistering rock soundtrack, DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS captures the rise of the Zephyr skateboarding team from Venice's Dogtown, a tough "locals only" beach with a legacy of outlaw surfing.

© 2001 Vans, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MegaDoc

A raw, fly-on-the-wall documentary about Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-long journey in creating his self-financed passion project, MEGALOPOLIS. The bold and unrelenting epic returns in Mike Figgis’ portrait of Coppola’s creative process– weaving together archival material, unfiltered cast interviews, and a close-up view of how the legendary filmmaker drew from Roman history, political allegory, and his own singular vision to shape the world of Megalopolis. This isn’t a record of a production on the brink, it’s a personal memoir unfolding in real time.

© 2024 Elliefilm Megadoc LLC, All Rights Reserved

Koyaanisqatsi

A motion picture essay which takes a revealing and shocking look at modern life and its imbalances. The first film in a trilogy which was followed by Powaqqatsi.

© 1983 Institute For Regional Education. All Rights Reserved.

Amazing Grace (2018)

A documentary presenting the live recording of Aretha Franklin's album Amazing Grace at The New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.

© Copyright Amazing Grace Movie LLC MMXV

Eagles: History of the Eagles

The History of the Eagles is a 2-part documentary about one of the biggest rock bands in history. Following them from their earliest musical memories to rock superstardom, and then from their breakup to reunion. This film details everything; the highs and lows, all told from the band members’ themselves – in their own words.

© 2013 EPC, LLC

The Imposter

Unforgettable, chilling and emotional, The Imposter tells the gripping true story of a Texan boy who went missing in 1994 and was miraculously found three and a half years later thousands of miles away in southern Spain. Despite glaring inconsistencies in his physical appearance, the boy's family brought their long-lost "son" home to restart his life in Texas. Questions soon arise: how could the Barclay’s blonde, blue-eyed son have returned with darker skin and eyes? How could his personality and even accent have changed so dramatically? Truth soon proves stranger than fiction as the real story emerges. Universally critically acclaimed and nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance FilmFestival, this is a jaw-dropping story about the lies we want to believe and the truths we choose to construct.

© 2012 Imposter Pictures LTD

Pumping Iron

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in this documentary about the 100 days leading up to the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest. Five-time former champion Schwarzenegger is pitted against shy newcomer Lou Ferrigno (TV's "The Incredible Hulk") in a showdown that is as mental as it is physical. With psychological warfare, intense determination, trash-talking, and the easy charm that would later catapult Schwarzenegger to stardom, PUMPING IRON changed the world of bodybuilding forever and launched both men's careers.

© 1976 White Mountain Films. All Rights Reserved.

Diving Into the Unknown

Four Finnish cave divers face their worst nightmare when two of their friends drown deep inside an underwater cave in Norway. When the official recovery operation is called off by the Norwegian and British authorities after being deemed too risky, the friends set out on a secret mission to retrieve the bodies themselves. Diving Into the Unknown isn't just the dramatic story of a life-threatening mission. It is also a story about unconditional friendship that truly runs deep. While each member of the team has years of experience exploring dangerous deep-sea caves, together they are about to face the biggest challenge of their lives.

© 2016 Under Exclusive License to Signature Entertainment Ltd.

Close-Up

Internationally revered Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami has created some of the most inventive and transcendent cinema of the past thirty years, and Close-up is his most radical, brilliant work. This fiction-documentary hybrid uses a sensational real-life event--the arrest of a young man on charges that he fraudulently impersonated the well-known filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf--as the basis for a stunning, multilayered investigation into movies, identity, artistic creation, and existence, in which the real people from the case play themselves. With its universal themes and fascinating narrative knots, Close-up has resonated with viewers around the world.

© 1990 Farabi Cinema Foundation

Three Identical Strangers

Identical triplets become separated at birth and adopted by three different families.

© 2018 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

The Sorrow and the Pity

From its first release at an underground theater in Paris, this account of France's occupation under Nazi regime has been acclaimed as one of the most moving and influential films ever made. Director Marcel Ophuls interviewed the residents of Clermont-Ferrand who remembered the occupation, as well as government officials, writers, farmers, artists, and German veterans. Here, in their own words, is the story of how ordinary citizens and leaders alike behaved under military siege. Originally refused by French TV, the film garnered international success and acclaim – including an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary – while shattering the myth of an undivided and universally resistant France under the Vichy government. A triumph of on-the-ground filmmaking, 'The Sorrow and the Pity' remains gripping, appalling, and exhilarating for its transparent view upon humanity.

© 2023 Kino Lorber

The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

Success. Scandal. Sex. Tragedy. Infamy. Robert Evans knew them all, and in this provocative and compelling documentary, he reveals how one of the greatest winning streaks in Hollywood history almost destroyed him. From his early acting days to his stellar rise as head of production at Paramount and involvement in a well-publicized cocaine sting, Evans’ meteoric career reveals the moviemaking industry during one of its most glamorous and scandal-filled periods. As the man who made possible Rosemary’s Baby and The Godfather series, Evans was a tastemaker in a town that alternately loved and loathed him.

© 2002 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

Inside Job

Academy Award® Winner for Best Documentary Feature "INSIDE JOB" from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker, Charles Ferguson (No End In Sight), comes Inside Job, the first film to expose the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. The global financial meltdown, at a cost of over $20 trillion, resulted in millions of people losing their homes and jobs. Through extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists, Inside Job traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia. Inside Job was made on location in the United States, Iceland, England, France, Singapore and China.

© 2010 Sony Pictures Classics Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Streetwise

Seattle, 1983. Taking their camera to the streets of what was supposedly America’s most livable city, filmmaker Martin Bell, photographer Mary Ellen Mark, and journalist Cheryl McCall set out to tell the stories of those society had left behind: homeless and runaway teenagers living on the city’s margins. Born from a LIFE magazine exposé by Mark and McCall, STREETWISE follows an unforgettable group of at-risk children—including iron-willed fourteen-year-old Tiny, who would become the project’s most haunting and enduring figure, along with the pugnacious yet resourceful Rat and the affable drifter Dewayne—who, driven from their broken homes, survive by hustling, panhandling, and dumpster diving. Granted remarkable access to their world, the filmmakers craft a devastatingly frank, empathetic portrait of lost youth growing up far too soon in a world that has failed them.

© ANGELIKA T SELAH. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Corey Feldman vs the World

With unprecedented access, this wild documentary film embeds with Corey Feldman as he mounts a surreal rock tour with a band of lingerie-clad "angels". The tour goes horribly awry, forcing Feldman to confront his long-held allegations about Hollywood abuse and his own darkest secrets.

© 2025 Subjective Films, LLC

Blackfish

Killer whales are beloved, majestic, friendly giants, yet infamous for their capacity to kill viciously. Blackfish unravels the complexities of this dichotomy, employing the story of the notorious performing whale Tilikum, who — unlike any orca in the wild — has taken the lives of several people while in captivity. Blackfish expands on the discussion of keeping such intelligent creatures in captivity.

© 2013 Our Turn Productions, LLC

1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture

1946 is a feature documentary that follows the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible. It chronicles the discovery of never-before-seen archives at Yale University which unveil astonishing new revelations, and casts significant doubt on any biblical basis for LGBTQIA+ prejudice.

© 2022 Quest For Biblical Truth, llc

Among Neighbors

In a film that political extremists in Poland have attempted to ban, hand-drawn animation brings the past to life as an eyewitness to murder and a survivor of genocide reveal their nation's darkest secret.

© 2025 Headfirst Arts & Media, Inc.