Films

Many documentaries, including not only recent releases but also classics from previous decades, are easily available as DVDs or streaming online, through vendors such as Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, Intelliflix, and/or through distributor websites, including the channels on which they aired (such as PBS, or National Geographic, and the National Film Board of Canada). Please do not use pirate sites.

Through the web, readers will likely be able to find official information about specific films, including press kits, teachers’ guides, and public engagement plans. This is especially true for theatrically released documentaries. Otherwise, be careful of web-based information about films and filmmakers. IMDB, for example, is a user-generated site, and as such the information it contains may not be accurate, complete, or up to date. Wikipedia, for the same reasons, is not necessarily a reliable source.

Transcripts and other useful materials are available online for many documentaries that have been shown on U.S. public television, including American Experience (a historical series, www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/), Nova (science, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/), and Frontline (current affairs, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/). These can be especially useful as a reference while watching and analyzing story and structure.

The following titles include only producing, directing, writing, and editing credits when available; executive producer, co-editors, cinematographers, and the many other people critical to a film’s successful completion and impact aren’t listed here due to space.

20 Feet from Stardom: Produced by Caitrin Rogers and Gil Friesen; directed by Morgan Neville; edited by Jason Zeldes and Kevin Klauber.

Bad Voodoo’s War: Produced, directed, and written by Deborah Scranton. Co-produced by P.H. O’Brien and Seth Bomse; edited by Seth Bomse.

Balseros: Produced by Loris Omedes; directed by Josep Ma Doménech and Carles Bosch; scripts by David Trueba and Carles Bosch; edited by Ernest Blasi.

Betty Tells Her Story: Produced, directed, and edited by Liane Brandon. This film is distributed by New Day Films, www.newday.com/films/Betty_Tells_Her_Story.html.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution: Produced by Laurens Grant; directed by Stanley Nelson; edited by Aljernon Tunsil.

Blackfish: Produced by Manuel V. Oteyza; directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite; edited by Eli Despres.

Blue Vinyl: Produced by Daniel B. Gold, Judith Helfand, and Julia D. Parker; directed by Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold; edited by Sari Gilman.

Born into Brothels: Produced and directed by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski; edited by Nancy Baker and Ross Kauffman.

Bowling for Columbine: Produced, directed, and written by Michael Moore; additional producers, Kathleen Glynn, Jim Czarnecki, Charles Bishop, and Michael Donovan; edited by Kurt Engfehr.

The Boys of Baraka: Produced and directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; edited by Enat Sidi.

A Brief History of Time: Produced by David Hickman, Gordon Freedman, and Kory Johnston; directed by Errol Morris; edited by Brad Fuller .

Building the Alaska Highway: Produced and directed by Tracy Heather Strain; co-produced, written, and edited by Randall MacLowry.

Cadillac Desert: Hours 1–3 produced, directed, and written by Jon Else; based on Marc Reisner’s book Cadillac Desert; hour 4 produced and directed by Linda Harrar; based on Sandra Postel’s book Last Oasis.

Campaign (Senkyo): Directed, shot, and edited by Kazuhiro Soda.

Citizenfour: Produced by Mathilde Bonnefoy, Laura Poitras, and Dirk Wilutsky; directed by Laura Poitras; edited by Mathilde Bonnefoy.

City of Cranes: Produced by Samantha Zarzosa; directed by Eva Weber; edited by Emiliano Battista and Ariadna Fatjó-Vilas.

The Civil War: Produced by Ken Burns and Ric Burns; directed by Ken Burns; written by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ric Burns, with Ken Burns; edited by Paul Barnes, Bruce Shaw, and Tricia Reidy.

Control Room: Produced by Hani Salama and Rosadel Varela; directed by Jehane Nounaim; edited by Julia Bacha, Lilah Bankier, and Charles Marquardt.

The Cove: Produced by Fisher Stevens and Paula DuPré Pesmen; directed by Louie Psihoyos; written by Mark Monroe; edited by Geoffrey Richman.

Culloden: Produced, written, and directed by Peter Watkins; edited by Michael Bradsell.

Daughter from Danang: Produced by Gail Dolgin; directed by Gail Dolgin and Vicente Franco; edited by Kim Roberts.

The Day After Trinity: J. Robert Oppenheimer & The Atomic Bomb: Produced and directed by Jon Else; written by David Peoples, Janet Peoples, and Jon Else; edited by David Peoples and Ralph Wikk.

The Donner Party: Produced by Lisa Ades and Ric Burns; directed and written by Ric Burns; edited by Bruce Shaw.

Earth Made of Glass: Produced and written by Reid Carolin and Deborah Scranton; directed by Deborah Scranton; edited by Seth Bomse.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Produced by Alex Gibney, Jason Kliot, and Susan Motamed; directed and written by Alex Gibney; edited and co-produced by Alison Ellwood.

The Execution of Wanda Jean: Produced by Liz Garbus and Rory Kennedy; directed by Liz Garbus.

Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years (hours 1–6): Produced by Orlando Bagwell, Callie Crossley, James A. DeVinney, and Judith Vecchione; edited by Daniel Eisenberg, Jeanne Jordan, and Charles Scott; series writer, Steve Fayer; executive producer, Henry Hampton.

Eyes on the Prize: America at the Racial Crossroads (hours 7–14): Produced and directed by (in alphabetical order) Sheila Bernard, Carroll Blue, James A. DeVinney, Madison Davis Lacy, Jr., Louis J. Massiah, Thomas Ott, Samuel Pollard, Terry Kay Rockefeller, Jacqueline Shearer, and Paul Stekler; edited by Lillian Benson, Betty Ciccarelli, Thomas Ott, and Charles Scott; series writer, Steve Fayer; executive producer, Henry Hampton.

Gimme Shelter: Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin; edited by Ellen Giffard, Robert Farren, Joanne Burke, and Kent McKinney.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson: Produced by Alex Gibney and Graydon Carter, with Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Alison Ellwood, and Eva Orner; directed by Alex Gibney; screenplay by Alex Gibney, from the words of Hunter S. Thompson; edited by Alison Ellwood.

Grizzly Man: Produced by Erik Nelson; directed and narrated by Werner Herzog; edited by Joe Bini.

Harlan County, U.S.A .: Produced and directed by Barbara Kopple; edited by Nancy Baker, Mirra Bank, Lora Hays, and Mary Lampson.

Hoop Dreams: Produced by Frederick Marx, Steve James, and Peter Gilbert; directed by Steve James; edited by Frederick Marx, Steve James, and Bill Haugse.

Human Remains: Produced, directed, written, and edited by Jay Rosenblatt.

I’ll Make Me a World (series): Produced by Betty Ciccarelli, Denise Greene, Sam Pollard, and Tracy Heather Strain; edited by Betty Ciccarelli, David Carnochan, and Eric Handley; series writer, Sheila Curran Bernard; series producer, Terry Kay Rockefeller; co-executive producer Sam Pollard; executive producer, Henry Hampton.

Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust. Produced by Daniel Anker and Ellin Baumel; co-produced by Susan Kim; directed by Daniel Anker; edited by Bruce Shaw.

An Inconvenient Truth: Produced by Lawrence Bender, Scott A. Burns, and Laurie David; directed by Davis Guggenheim; edited by Jay Lash Cassidy and Dan Swietlik.

Iraq for Sale: Produced by Sarah Feeley, Jim Gilliam, Robert Greenwald, and Devin Smith; directed by Robert Greenwald; edited by Carla Gutierrez and Sally Rubin.

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple: Produced and directed by Stanley Nelson; co-produced by Noland Walker; teleplay by Marcia Smith and Noland Walker; story by Marcia Smith; edited by Lewis Erskine.

The Kidnapping of Ingrid Betancourt: Produced and directed by Victoria Bruce and Karin Hayes; edited by Geof Bartz, Karin Hayes, and Victoria Bruce.

Kurt & Courtney: Produced by Nick Broomfield, Michele d’Acosta, and Tine van den Brande; directed by Nick Broomfield; edited by Mark Atkins.

Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton: Produced by Susan Froemke; directed by Susan Froemke and Deborah Dickson, with Albert Maysles; edited by Deborah Dickson.

Man on Wire: Produced by Simon Chinn; directed by James Marsh; based on the book To Reach the Clouds by Philippe Petit; edited by Jinx Godfrey.

March of the Penguins: Produced by Yves Darondeau, Christophe Lioud, and Emmanuel Priou; directed by Luc Jacquet; narration written by Jordan Roberts; based upon the story by Luc Jacquet; based upon the screenplay by Luq Jacquet and Michel Fessler; edited by Sabine Emiliani.

Mental (Seishin): Directed, shot, and edited by Kazuhiro Soda.

Miss America: Produced by Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg; directed by Lisa Ades; written by Michelle Ferrari; edited by Toby Shimin.

The Multiple Personality Puzzle: Produced by Holly Barden Stadtler and Eleanor Grant; directed by Holly Barden Stadtler; written by Eleanor Grant; edited by Barr Weissman.

The Murder of Emmett Till: Produced and directed by Stanley Nelson; written by Marcia A. Smith; edited by Lewis Erskine.

Murderball: Produced by Jeffrey Mandel and Dana Adam Shapiro; directed by Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro; edited by Geoffrey Richman.

My Architect: Produced by Susan Rose Behr and Nathaniel Kahn; directed, written, and narrated by Nathaniel Kahn; edited by Sabine Krayenbühl.

New York: A Documentary Film: Produced by Lisa Ades and Ric Burns; directed by Ric Burns; co-directed by Lisa Ades; written by Ric Burns and James Sanders; edited by Li-Shin Yu, Edward Barteski, David Hanswer, and Nina Schulman.

Nobody’s Business: Produced, directed, and edited by Alan Berliner.

Peace: Directed, produced, shot, and edited by Kazuhiro Soda.

A Place of Our Own: Produced and directed by Stanley Nelson; written by Stanley Nelson and Marcia Smith; edited by Sandra Christie and Helen Yum.

Recording The Producers: A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks: Produced by Susan Froemke and Peter Gelb; directed by Susan Froemke; co-directed and edited by Kathy Dougherty.

Roger & Me: Produced, directed, and written by Michael Moore; edited by Wendy Stanzler and Jennifer Beman.

Shelter Dogs: Produced by Heidi Reinberg and Cynthia Wade; directed by Cynthia Wade; edited by Geof Bartz.

Sing Faster: The Stagehands’ Ring Cycle: Produced, directed, and written by Jon Else; edited by Deborah Hoffman and Jay Boekelheide.

Skateistan: To Live and Skate in Kabul. Produced by Orlando von Einsiedel and Louis Figgis; directed by Orlando von Einsiedel; edited by Peta Ridley.

Slavery by Another Name: Produced and directed by Sam Pollard; written by Sheila Curran Bernard; edited by Jason Pollard.

So Much So Fast: Produced, written, and directed by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan; edited by Jeanne Jordan.

Sound and Fury: Produced by Roger Weisberg; directed by Josh Aronson; edited by Ann Collins.

Southern Comfort: Produced, directed, written, and edited by Kate Davis.

Spellbound: Produced by Sean Welch and Jeffrey Blitz; directed by Jeffrey Blitz; edited by Yana Gorskaya.

The Square: Produced by Karim Amer; directed by Jehane Noujaim; edited by Pedro Kos, Muhamed el Manasterly, Christopher De La Torre, Pierre Haberer, and Stefan Ronowiscz.

Standard Operating Procedure: Produced by Errol Morris and Julie Bilson Ahlberg; directed by Errol Morris; edited by Andy Grieve, Steven Hathaway, and Dan Mooney.

Super Size Me: Produced by Morgan Spurlock and The Con; directed and written by Morgan Spurlock; edited by Stela Georgieva and Julie “Bob” Lombardi.

The Sweetest Sound: Produced, directed, and edited by Alan Berliner.

Taxi to the Dark Side: Produced by Alex Gibney, Eva Orner, and Susannah Shipman; directed and written by Alex Gibney; edited by Sloane Klevin.

The Thin Blue Line: Produced by Mark Lipson; directed and written by Errol Morris; edited by Paul Barnes.

Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern: Produced, written, and directed by Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher; edited by Jeanne Jordan.

Virunga: Produced by Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara; directed by Orlando von Einsiedel; edited by Masahiro Hirakubo.

Waltz with Bashir: Produced by Ari Folman, Serge Lalou, Yael Nahlieli, Gerhard Geixner, and Roman Paul; directed and written by Ari Folman; edited by Nili Feller.

The War Tapes: Produced by Robert May and Steve James; directed by Deborah Scranton; edited by Steve James and Leslie Simmer.

The Way We Get By: Produced by Gita Pullapilly; directed, written, and edited by Aron Gaudet.

When the Levees Broke: Produced by Spike Lee and Sam Pollard; directed by Spike Lee; supervising editor, Sam Pollard; edited by Sam Pollard, Geeta Gandbhir, and Nancy Novack.

Why We Fight: Produced by Eugene Jarecki and Susannah Shipman; directed and written by Eugene Jarecki; edited by Nancy Kennedy.

Winged Migration: Produced by Christophe Barratier and Jacques Perrin; directed by Jacques Perrin; written by Stéphane Durand and Jacques Perrin; edited by Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte.

Wisconsin Death Trip: Produced by Maureen A. Ryan and James Marsh; directed and written by James Marsh; edited by Jinx Godfrey; adapted from the book Wisconsin Death Trip by Michael Lesy.

Workingman’s Death: Produced by Erich Lackner, Mirjam Quinte, and Pepe Danquart; directed and written by Michael Glawogger; edited by Monica Willi and Ilse Buchelt.

Vietnam: A Television History: Produced by Judith Vecchione, Elizabeth Deane, Andrew Pearson, Austin Hoyt, Martin Smith, and Bruce Palling; edited by Eric W. Handley, Carol Hayward, Ruth Schell, Eric Neudel, Glen Cardno, Paul Cleary, Mavis Lyons Smull, and Daniel Eisenberg; chief correspondent, Stanley Karnow; executive producer, Richard Ellison.

Yosemite: The Fate of Heaven: Produced and directed by Jon Else; written by Michael Chandler and Jon Else; edited by Michael Chandler; executive produced and narrated by Robert Redford.