Curated documentary playlists

Check out Paula Froehle’s playlist (CMP Co-Founder and CEO)

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MARINA ABRAMOVIĆ: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT by Matthew Akers

Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present (2010) - "I initially avoided this film because I have an aversion to performance art. (I spent way too much time with performance artists in art school.) But Marina's work is so visceral, direct, emotional—admirable and kind of frightening. A really powerful doc." (Amazon Prime)

WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? by Liz Garbus

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015) - "A beautiful film made of almost exclusively archival material. You really get to see the musical genius and tortured soul that was Nina Simone." (Netflix)

KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK by Brett Morgen

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) - "Visually beautiful storytelling using Kurt Cobain's drawings, writings, and music. You really understand how tortured he was and how tragic his loss was." (H ulu)

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP by Banksy

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) - "An extremely fun documentary about street art, obsession, and Banksy. The question is: Is it a mockumentary? Is the artist pulling a fast one on us? Who's in cahoots with him and who isn't?" (Amazon Prime)

ART AND CRAFT by Sam Cullman & Jennifer Grausman

Art and Craft (2014) - "It's the story of a forger of fine art—but he's not doing it for financial reasons. My favorite docs tend to be about eccentric characters because they tend to make us think we know who they are when we really don't. And that's what makes this special." (Amazon Prime)

SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-GIANG by Kevin Macdonald

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-qiang (2016) - "Just a beautiful documentary about the artist Cai Guo-qiang and his quest to create a ladder made of fireworks that goes to the sky. And it's not just about creating a spectacular piece of art from gunpowder, it's about memorializing his 100-year-old grandmother whom he adored." (Netflix)

MAN ON WIRE by James Marsh

Man on Wire (2008) - "Speaking of crazy things in the sky! This is absolutely my favorite documentary. It contains one of the most incredible moments I've ever seen on film, and what happens after that is both a surprise and a revelation about human beings' ability to do something so spectacular." (Amazon Prime)

FINDING VIVIAN MAIER by John Maloof & Charlie Siskel

Finding Vivian Maier (2013) - "Vivian Maier was a phenomenal street photographer, but she was unknown until someone found troves of unprocessed film and negatives at a garage sale. Through processing this enormous cache of film, you have to wonder why she wasn't known until after her death. She did all this and didn't tell anyone. It's a really good doc." (Amazon Prime)

CUTIE AND THE BOXER by Zachary Heinzerling

Cutie and the Boxer (2013) - "An absolutely wonderful film that's cut by one of my favorite editors, David Teague. Just an eccentric portrait of this Japanese couple, both artists. Yes, it's about the art, but it's also about the chaos and sacrifice that comes with a 40-year marriage." (Amazon Prime)

THE WOODMANS by C. Scott Willis

The Woodmans (2010) - "Francesca Woodman was a very gifted photographer who took her own life at 23. This is a complicated doc—not quite a biopic—that explores the emotional landscape of an artist. The fine line between genius & madness or art & depression." (Amazon Prime)

AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY by Alison Klayman

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012) - "A doc about China's (and the world's?) most famous international artist and dissident. It's a testament to the power of art to effect social change." (Amazon Prime)

Check out Steve Cohens playlist (CMP Co-Founder and Board Chairman)

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TOWER by Keith Maitland

Tower (2016) - "An unbelievable, chilling chronicle of the first serial sniper this country has seen—and such an innovative use of animation to reconstruct the scenes." (Amazon Prime)

NOTES ON BLINDNESS by James Spinney and Peter Middleton

*Notes on Blindness (2016) - "A beautiful poignant doc that celebrates the human condition. The filmmakers adapted a book about the loss of sight and used the text to visualize the journey into blindness. Phenomenal." (Netflix)

THE IMPOSTER by Bart Layton

*The Imposter (2012) - "It's almost like a mystery-documentary hybrid. Lots of twists and turns!" (Amazon Prime)

SUPERHEROES by Michael Barnett

Superheroes (2011) - "A really funny, heartwarming doc about these eccentric people who dress up like superheroes to go out and help folks. They're wacky, but it's a sympathetic story." (Amazon Prime)

ROMEO IS BLEEDING by Jason Zeldes

*Romeo Is Bleeding (2017) - "Oh wow, a real gem—it never got a lot of hype. It's the story of a teacher in a racially divided town who helps his students find their voices through spoken word. Amazing character studies and incredible spoken word performances." (Amazon Prime)

MISS AMERICANA by Lana Wilson

Miss Americana (2020) - "I was fortunate enough to catch this at Sundance. Phenomenally made by Morgan Neville." (Netflix)

NIGHT SCHOOL by Andrew Cohn

*Night School (2016) - "Oh my god, another small one that CMP funded! Amazing character sketches of people trying to survive and make their world a little better." (Amazon Prime)

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN by Malik Bendjelloul

Searching for Sugar Man (2012) - "A classic doc about the search for this folk-rock singer who became a sensation in South Africa. He became an apartheid hero and never knew it, since he went off-grid. Extraordinary." (Netflix)

20 FEET FROM STARDOM by Morgan Neville

20 Feet from Stardom (2013) - "An Oscar-winner! It's an iconic doc about the unsung heroes of music who backed up some of the greatest bands of the last century. Look out for the scene where they record the backing vocals to 'Gimme Shelter'—chills." (Netflix)

WILD WILD COUNTRY by Maclain Way & Chapman Way

Wild Wild Country (2018) - "If you're looking for something episodic, it's a phenomenal doc with lots of twists and turns." (Netflix)

MEET THE PATELS by Geeta Patel

*Meet the Patels (2014) - "A very funny doc by a brother-sister team from a traditional Indian family. A wonderful movie—their first and only—that never got the visibility it should have." (YouTube)

Check out Anthony Kaufmans playlist (Doc10’s highly esteemed Programmer)

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THE KING by Eugene Jarecki

The King (2018) - Is Elvis Presley a metaphor for the rise—and fall—of America? In his latest provocative nonfiction salvo, award-winning filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger, Why We Fight, The House I Live In) goes on a musical road trip in Elvis' 1963 Rolls Royce to chart the American dream, both its lofty ambitions and its bloated corruption. (YouTube)

HAIL SATAN? by Penny Lane

Hail Satan? (2019) - A wickedly funny and rousing tribute to first amendment rights, Hail Satan? chronicles The Satanic Temple, a five-year-old rabble-rousing organization that's more like a gang of political pranksters than devil-worshipping cultists. (Hulu, Amazon Prime)

CASTING JONBENET by Kitty Green

Casting JonBenet (2017) - A sly and stylized exploration of the world's most sensational child-murder case, this docu-fiction hybrid examines how this crime and its resulting mythologies have shaped the attitudes and behavior of successive generations of parents and children. Called "brilliant," "audacious," and "utterly magnificent" (The Guardian) and "a biting indictment of our age of true-crime tragedy-tainment" (Rolling Stone). (Netflix)

BISBEE '17 by Robert Greene

Bisbee '17 (2018) - A lyrical and haunting journey through America's past and present, Bisbee '17 revisits the infamous Bisbee Deportation fo 1917, during which 1,200 striking miners in this small Arizona town were violently removed from their homes and transported in freight cars to the middle of the desert. (Amazon Prime)

MIKE WALLACE IS HERE by Avi Belkin

Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) - This "sharp, propulsive and brilliantly assembled portrait" (Indiewire) focuses on pioneering 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace, infamously known for asking the tough, probing questions others were afraid to ask. (Hulu, Amazon Prime)

THE OTHER SIDE OF EVERYTHING by Mila TurajliÄ

The Other Side of Everything (2018) - A probing inquiry into the responsibility of each generation to fight for their future and winner of the top prize at the world's largest documentary film festival, this widely acclaimed film is an "engrossing" (Variety) and "wryly humorous" (The Hollywood Reporter) family portrait that "beautifully intertwines the very personal with the painfully political" (Filmmaker Magazine). (Amazon Prime)

OBIT by Vanessa Gould

Obit. (2017) - Called "engaging and lively" (The Hollywood Reporter) and "the perfect documentary with morbid wit and fearless curiosity" (The Upcoming), Obit. is a smart and savvy celebration of human achievements and the storytellers who sum up their lives with flair and precision. (Amazon Prime)

PRESENTING PRINCESS SHAW by Ido Haar

Presenting Princess Shaw (2016) - Samantha Montgomery is committed to her dream of singing stardom. Although she seems destined to a life of anonymity, a world-renowned Israeli musician and mash-up artist is about to transform her into an online sensation. Called "astounding and thoroughly inspirational" (Variety) and "sweet and surprising" (MTV). (Amazon Prime)

TROPHY by Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau

Trophy (2017) - Is big game hunting a murderous sport or one of the keys to saving endangered species? This is the controversial question at the core of this sprawling, complex and beautifully photographed look at the tensions that exist between wildlife conservation and the global hunting industry. (Netflix)

UNCERTAIN by Anna Sandilands and Ewan McNicol

Uncertain (2016) - An atmospheric and "hauntingly evocative" (The Hollywood Reporter) journey into the American South, Uncertain is a visually striking and fascinatingly vivid portrait of redemption and survival set in Uncertain, Texas. (Amazon Prime)