Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated April 18, 2025
Waiting for Lightning
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsDanny Way's passion for skateboarding would one day bring him and his creation, a ramp of dangerous proportions, to the height of fame. This documentary captures pro skater Way as he attempts to jump the Great Wall of China.
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Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsGet an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Usain St. Leo Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who's widely regarded as the fastest man in the world and became a legend at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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Ken Burns: Baseball
1994 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsAward-winning documentarian Ken Burns takes a swing at a unique and much-loved aspect of life in the United States: baseball. Burns chronicles the sport's signature people, places and events as well as a deep-rooted relationship to American culture.
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The New and Improved DX
2007 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsTriple H and Shawn Michaels created the WWE's popular faction D-Generation X, also known as DX. This program follows DX from its formation to the wild skits, promos and wrestling matches as members wreak havoc on "RAW" and Mr. McMahon's WWE.
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The Short Game
2013 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsEight grade-school golfers must navigate parents, coaches, and their own pint-sized rivals as they compete in a junior-level championship at the prestigious Pinehurst golf course in North Carolina.
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Ken Burns: The West
1996 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsHistorian and Oscar nominee Ken Burns and his talented team mine vintage photographs, music, maps, letters, newspapers and more to bring to life the struggles and challenges Americans faced in the 19th century as they embarked on westward expansion.
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Zeitgeist: The Movie
2007 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsPeter Joseph explores the controversial links between organized religion, the global financial markets and the international power structure in this thought-provoking documentary that probes several well-known conspiracy theories.
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GasLand
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn this Oscar-nominated documentary, director Josh Fox journeys across America to examine the negative effects of natural-gas drilling, from poisoned water sources to kitchen sinks that burst into flames to unhealthy animals and people.
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Woody Allen: A Documentary
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIconic and influential director-writer-comedian Woody Allen granted unprecedented access for this in-depth profile of his award-winning career and controversial personal life. Highlights include interviews with collaborators and noted film critics.
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The Big Fix
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsWhile turning their cameras on the devastating 2010 oil spill that pumped 779,037,744 liters of crude oil and other contaminants into the Gulf of Mexico, filmmakers Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell unearth a stunning stream of corruption.
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Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn his directorial debut, Ice-T interviews dozens of other rap and hip-hop artists, including Mos Def, Eminem and Dr. Dre, about their creative processes. Focusing on the craft rather than the bling, Ice-T also documents the music's history.
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Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us?
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis film documents the surprising importance of the lowly honeybee, describing how bees' pollinating activities play a crucial role in the food chain and how recent catastrophic "colony collapses" could interrupt global food production.
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How To Survive a Plague
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis passionate documentary focuses on the grass-roots crusade in the 1980s and '90s to speed up efforts at developing treatments for the HIV virus. The film follows AIDS activists to Washington, where they challenge the government to act.
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Terms And Conditions May Apply
2013 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThrough interviews with technology thought leaders and futurists -- including Mark Zuckerberg, Orson Scott Card and Margaret Atwood -- this timely documentary examines the erosion of privacy in the digital age.
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All.I.Can.
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBreathtaking cinematography and astonishing feats of skiing come together in this visual essay on climate change and the fragility of the Earth. The film captures the world's great skiiers amongst the natural majesty of Morocco, Greenland and more.
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Ken Burns: The West
1996 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsHistorian and Oscar nominee Ken Burns and his talented team mine vintage photographs, music, maps, letters, newspapers and more to bring to life the struggles and challenges Americans faced in the 19th century as they embarked on westward expansion.
Details about Ken Burns: The West
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFrom 1967 to '75, a film crew aimed cameras at major figures in the Black Power movement, creating hours of footage that remained unreleased for decades. In clips, Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton and Angela Davis discuss the movement's evolution.
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Inside Job
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis sobering, Oscar-winning documentary presents in comprehensive, cogent detail the pervasive and deep-rooted Wall Street corruption that led to the global economic meltdown of 2008.
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Woody Allen: A Documentary
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIconic and influential director-writer-comedian Woody Allen granted unprecedented access for this in-depth profile of his award-winning career and controversial personal life. Highlights include interviews with collaborators and noted film critics.
Details about Woody Allen: A Documentary
Katy Perry: Part of Me
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsPop star Katy Perry is captured on and offstage in this revealing diary of her California Dreams Tour, featuring her Los Angeles performances. The film shares the air of glamour and fun that radiates from this talented and unique artist.
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Craigslist Joe
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsSetting out to explore whether America still has a sense of community where people help each other through hard times, 29-year-old Joseph Garner spends a month depending on the goodness of Craigslist posters for his survival.
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Hiroshima: BBC History of World War II
2005 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis fascinating documentary recounts the world's first nuclear attack and examines the alarming repercussions. Covering a three-week period from the New Mexico test blast to dropping the bomb on Hiroshima, the program chronicles America's political gamble and the planning for the momentous event. Archival film, dramatizations and special effects take viewers aboard the &NFi;Enola Gay&NFi_; and inside the exploding bomb.
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Moto 4: The Movie
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsMoto 4 dig deeps to find what pushes the top riders -- including seasoned champs Chad Reed and Ryan Dungey and rising stars Eli Tomac or Ken Roczen -- to keep elevating the sport of motocross.
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The Central Park Five
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis piercing documentary examines the case of five teenagers, all African-American or Latino, who were convicted of the brutal rape of a white woman in Central Park in 1989. Years later, the confession of the real rapist set the jailed men free.
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The Electric Daisy Carnival Experience
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsMore than 150 of the world's top electronic music artists and 200,000 festival-goers gathered for two amazing nights in Southern California. Experience this extraordinary musical and visual feast for yourself through this electrifying program.
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