---
title: 'Top 10 Documentaries That Everyone NEEDS To See At Least Once'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=jrfG5OvE6fc'
video_id: 'jrfG5OvE6fc'
date: 2026-07-01
duration_sec: 870
---

# Top 10 Documentaries That Everyone NEEDS To See At Least Once

> Source: [Top 10 Documentaries That Everyone NEEDS To See At Least Once](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jrfG5OvE6fc)

## Summary

This video presents a curated list of the top 10 documentaries that everyone should watch at least once, covering a range of important, entertaining, and well-made non-fiction films. From thrilling stunts and deep dives into subcultures to historical horrors and groundbreaking experiments, each entry offers a unique and valuable viewing experience. The list aims to highlight documentaries that have made significant contributions to the format and offer profound insights into society, history, and human nature.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to the List** [0:00] — The video introduces its countdown of the top 10 documentaries everyone should see at least once, focusing on important, entertaining, or well-made non-fiction films.
- **10. Man on Wire** [0:36] — James Marsh's documentary tells the thrilling story of Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers. The film uses interviews with co-conspirators to build a compelling, nail-biting narrative that won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
- **9. Grizzly Man** [2:19] — Werner Herzog's documentary chronicles the life of wildlife enthusiast Timothy Treadwell using his own footage. It offers intimate moments with bears and takes a dire turn with details of his death, questioning the human-nature relationship.
- **8. Woodstock** [3:39] — This film documents the famous 3-day 1969 music festival, capturing iconic performances from Jefferson Airplane to Jimi Hendrix. It serves as an essential time capsule of 1960s music and counterculture, despite being a financial disaster.
- **7. Hoop Dreams** [4:51] — Director Steve James follows two prospective basketball players over several years, delving into the sacrifice and determination needed to become a great athlete. The film becomes a beloved movie about perseverance, dreams, and society.
- **6. The Thin Blue Line** [6:01] — Errol Morris's groundbreaking documentary explores cracks in the criminal justice system by examining the wrongful imprisonment of Randall Adams. Using reenactments and painstaking research, the film helped lead to Adams' freedom and expanded documentary storytelling.
- **5. Paris Is Burning** [7:04] — This documentary takes a comprehensive look at the ballroom scene in New York City, revealing the lives of major players in the LGBT+ community. It provides an important statement on marginalized communities and serves as a joyful expression of life and art.
- **4. 13th** [8:09] — Ava DuVernay uses the 13th Amendment as a foundation to argue for civil rights and criminal justice reform. The film conveys a compelling thesis on the lingering effects of slavery in America and encourages engagement with the prison system and mass incarceration.
- **3. Night and Fog** [9:20] — Alan Resnais's film, created a decade after WWII, uses archived materials and new footage from concentration camps to present an unflinching look at the Holocaust. In only 32 minutes, it provides a brutally honest lesson on one of history's darkest chapters.
- **2. Man with a Movie Camera** [10:30] — Dziga Vertov's experimental film is a pioneering achievement in camera and editing techniques. It presents everyday life in Russia through whirlwind montages, compelling audiences to look deeper into human routines and work habits.
- **Honorable Mentions** [11:12] — The video highlights several other important documentaries: 'Harlan County USA' (coal miners' strike), 'An Inconvenient Truth' (climate change), 'Free Solo' (Alex Honnold's El Capitan ascent), 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi' (sushi chef dedication), and 'Bowling for Columbine' (gun culture).
- **1. The Act of Killing** [12:58] — Joshua Oppenheimer's documentary examines the Indonesian genocide by having the killers reenact their crimes in the style of their favorite movie genres. It becomes a profound statement on violence, as the perpetrators gleefully recall and then start to question their own actions.

### Conclusion

The list concludes that 'The Act of Killing' is the most important documentary on the list, offering a profound and unique look at violence and humanity. The video encourages viewers to explore these films for their deep insights into society, history, and the human condition.

## Transcript

10 years later this is what happened and
here's the melting from 2005 welcome to
watch Mojo and today we're counting down
our picks for the top 10 documentaries
that everyone should see at least once
what does it cost to put one of these
things together ACC for this list we'll
be looking at the most important
entertaining or well-made non-fiction
films that are worth your time these
movies should be viewed by anyone that
loves true stories from Zeitgeist
favorites to challenging investigations
and everything in between did we forget
your favorite documentaries let us know
in the comments
below number 10 man on wire James
Marsh's documentary is the thrilling
story of a performer with a dream with
all my might I I go day and night I note
things and I I fill the exercise books
with all those notes and little doodling
and and I look at what commercial
vehicle go underneath for Freight
delivery I go in I find a way that lunch
time to disguise myself in 1974 Philipe
PTI ascended the World Trade Center and
tight rope walked between the Twin
[Music]
[Music]
Towers his dramatic journey and
preparation serve as a compelling tale
of a death-defying stunt hearing from a
variety of co-conspirators each
interview provides further context as to
the many close calls that almost
prevented the maneuver what if the God
is still around what if he's toying with
us waiting for us to make the slightest
movement before he pounces on us we must
wait P's Charming demeanor and
courageous spirit guide the nail-biting
plot along with an infectious energy
winning the Oscar for best documentary
feature man on wire redefines the format
with all the entertainment of a high
stakes robbery to refuse to uh taper
yourself to rules to refuse your own
success to refuse to repeat yourself to
see every day every year every every
idea as a as a true Challenge and then
you are going to live your life on the
tight rope number nine Grizzly Man it is
the old bear one who is struggling for
survival and an aggressive one at that
who is the one that you must be very
careful of wner OG's documentary
Chronicles the life of wildlife
Enthusiast Timothy Treadwell using
footage from Treadwell's own camera
Herzog assembles the man's life through
a collection of filmed memories
Treadwell's obsession with wild animals
especially Bears plays out through
intimate moments between him and nature
all right you lay there I'm going to go
off with your girlfriend don't beat me
up over it I'm I'm cool I'm cool I'm
respectful the entire story takes a dire
turn as details of the subject's death
come to light in one of the more
jaw-dropping points of the film herzog's
delicate Direction allows his hero to
speak for himself and makes viewers
question the complex relationship
between humans and the natural world and
I promise you I promise the gly people I
will be back I will be
back and I thank the animals for keeping
me safe and for inspiring me I thank
them so very
much
goodbye Cave of Forgotten Dreams
features the filmmaker exploring a
another worthy subject but this
particular project provokes even more
thought and discussion number eight
Woodstock you
know this is the most outrageous
spectacle I've ever witnessed ever
Woodstock follows the famous 3-day Music
Festival that changed popular culture in
1969 cameras capture the various
performers that graced the concert stage
from Jefferson Airplane to Jimmy
Hendrick the film also observes the
crowds and behind the scenes efforts
that kept the show going filmmakers
accumulated miles of footage from the
multi-day event editing it into an
essential Time Capsule for 1960s music
this is the largest group of people ever
assembled in one
place we have had no
idea that there would be this size group
and because of that you've had quite a
few inconveniences as far as water and
food and so forth it both features some
of the more iconic performances in music
history and encompasses the Nexus point
of an entire generation the Time Capsule
set the tone for music documentaries for
years to come as well as being a rich
tapestry of the counterculture was this
a financial success from the point of
you the Fells will put it on sort of a
financial disaster number seven hoop
dreams hoop dreams fearlessly takes the
time to stick with its subjects for an
extended period over the course of
several years director Steve James
follows two prospective basketball
players as they make their way through
school I will bet you a steak dinner in
4 years you'll be hand from him I don't
you know anything about along the way
the project delves into the sacrifice
and determination needed to become a
great athlete James and his crew
entrenched themselves in these players
lives absorbing details about their
family life and personalities that are
as compelling as any fiction film so you
just barely getting by
again no you you got to say that but you
are you've been barely getting by all
along now you going to have to do better
than that if you want to go to Alabama
or any other school while they didn't
become household names on the court
William and Arthur became stars of a
Beloved movie about perseverance dreams
and Society at large that's why when
somebody say man you know when you get
to the NBA don't forget about me and all
that stuff I should say them well if I
don't make it what you don't forget
about me number six the thin Blue Line
director Errol Morris's groundbreaking
statement The Thin Blue Line explores
the cracks in the criminal justice
system of course in the instance of a
person who did not commit the crime
naturally they're not going to show much
remorse examining the wrongful
imprisonment of Randall Adams the film
utilizes reenactments to question the
evidence of his case the filmmaker has a
knack for putting you right into a
situation as if you were really there
all these years later it's easy to see
Morris's contributions to the format
great expanded to the confines of a
documentary he got to thinking well hey
I didn't do that and I've been saying
that I did and I'm in over my head now
so I better tell him what really
happened employing painstaking research
the movie helped Adams's case and
eventually led to his freedom he draws
the viewer in with exceptional
storytelling that makes every scene feel
like a fictional crime Thriller were you
surprised that the police blamed
him I didn't blame him
number five Paris is burning Paris is
burning like many of the best
documentaries boldly explores and
observes a subculture to inform the
general public the society they foot
going to a football game basketball
that's their entertainment you know a
ball is ours we prepare for a ball in
the case of this movie the filmmaker
takes a comprehensive look at the
ballroom scene in New York City
interviews reveal the lives of major
players in the movement describing their
lives as artists in the LGBT EQ plus
Community this is White
America and when it come to the
minorities especially
black we as a people for the past 400
years is the greatest example of
behavior modification in the history
many of the balls showcase the
tremendous talent and one-of-a-kind
performance skills of the various
members providing an important statement
on the lives of marginalized communities
paris's burning is also a joyful
expression of life and art you don't
have to bend the whole
world I think it's better to just enjoy
it number four
13th Ava duvar uses the 13th Amendment
as the foundation for an engaging
argument for civil rights and Criminal
Justice Reform the 13th Amendment says
that hey except for criminals everybody
else is free well now if you're
criminalized that doesn't apply to you
encapsulating a vast array of historical
information the director manages to
convey a compelling thesis for the
lingering effects of slavery in America
an impressive slate of interviews guide
the viewer through a richly told lesson
about the ongoing racial divide in the
country it's about
rehumanizing us as a people and us right
as a people du's talent for storytelling
allows her to construct a film that
never feels heavy-handed impenetrable or
boring instead of pushing viewers away
the director encourages them to engage
with the material and Come Away with a
better understanding of the prison
system and mass incarceration in the US
prison
Industries have gotten so big that very
difficult now to try and do away with
them too much money out there too many U
lawmakers that support it because
they're being lobbied so the Public's
got to stand up and take it back it'll
never get done if they don't number
three night and fog a decade after World
War II French filmmaker Alan Renee
created this documentary in memory of
those lost in the
[Music]
Holocaust he put together archived
materials from the' 40s and ju deposed
it with new footage from the
concentration camps in the ' 50s taking
an unflinching look at the horrors of
concentration camps rain reveals the
extent of the violence perpetrated at
aitz and
miden this haunting film presents a
vital lesson about the crimes the Nazis
committed against their victims in only
32 minutes this short film presents a
brutally honest look at one of History's
darkest chapters
number two man with a movie camera ziga
vertov's man with a movie camera ranks
highly among both documentary and
experimental films its pioneering use of
camera and editing techniques makes it
one of the first great achievements in
film making displaying the early
advancements Russians made regarding
Cinema vertov's vision of everyday life
in his country comes together in
worldwind montages and engrossing
Landscapes there's no clear-cut story
but the end sequence of images make a
case for a narrative that transcends a
beginning middle and end the non-fiction
Adventure compels audiences to look
deeper into the routines and work habits
that make us all human before we unveil
our top pick here are a few honorable
mentions Harland County USA the
compelling tale of coal miners striking
against a corrupt company in Kentucky
that we get a grievance procedure that
has the right to strike in it so that we
can fight the companies and win our
grievances an inconvenience Truth Al
Gore's detailed climate change
presentation began a new wave of
environmentalism this is what would
happen to the sea level in
Florida this is what would happen to San
Francisco
Bay a lot of people live in these areas
free solo filmmakers Trace Alex hanon's
dramatic and nail-biting Ascent of El
Capitan that is way too gnarly my god
did it Jiro Dreams of Sushi this
profound documentary explores the
lifelong dedication of a sushi chef to
his
[Music]
craft bowling for Coline with humor and
Humanity Michael Moore tackles gun
culture in America after Coline Mr
hasson one more thing this is who she is
or
was this is her Mr Please Don't Leave Mr
hon please take a look at her this is
the girl before we continue be sure to
subscribe to our Channel and ring the
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them if you're on your phone make sure
you go into settings and switch on your
notifications number one The Act of
Killing
[Music]
for Joshua Oppenheimer directs this
examination of the Indonesian genocide
with a much different concept than a
traditional documentary allowing The
Killers to do the talking the filmmaker
asks them to reenact their crimes in the
style of their favorite movie genres
what begins as an intriguing experiment
ends up becoming one of the more
profound statements on violence ever put
to film Oppenheimer watches the
perpetrators both gleefully recall their
crimes and then start to question them
among the more important projects of its
kind The Act of Killing brings to light
Indonesian history as well as a much
larger statement on the corruption of
humanity check out these other clips
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