Best Documentaries

I love watching documentaries because I always learn something interesting. It might be about the ingredients in fast food, an incredible art collection in Central Pennsylvania or the strife of US soldiers in Afghanistan.

The introduction of inexpensive film-making technology has led to a proliferation of documentary films. Because they are so inexpensive to make, documentaries are usually easily accessible through free legal means on the internet, cable TV and other sources. The filmmaker usually wants to get their message out in front of a wide audience so these are mostly non-profit endeavors. However, there have also been some extremely successful for-profit documentaries, such as Bowling for Columbine and Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Documentaries come in lot of shapes and sizes, such as war documentaries, political, social and art documentaries, to name just a few types. PBS, the BBC and National Geographic have been long-time producers of documentary movies, but in recent years the number of documentary producers has exploded. Some of the best documentaries are being produced by first time filmmakers looking to highlight a subject and create a name for themselves.

The greatest documentaries are entertaining while also conveying their message and the films on this best documentaries list definitely fill that bill. We asked our members at Rankography movies to rank the best documentaries across all genres. This top ten list is derived from the blended average of all those rankings. While you have probably heard of most of the documentaries on this list, you can discover great lesser known films on the full list.

If you want to browse the full list of top documentaries or others individual rankings, click through to the best documentaries category on Rankography.



All rights reserved. Copyright 2011 Rankography