Top 10 Best Documentary Films of All Time

Claude Lanzmann's nine-and-a-half-hour masterpiece on the Holocaust, composed entirely of survivor and witness testimonies, remains an unparalleled document.

Steve James's three-hour documentary following two Chicago high school basketball players over four years is cited as one of the greatest films — in any genre.

D.A. Pennebaker's portrait of Bob Dylan's 1965 UK tour invented the modern music documentary and captured Dylan at the peak of his powers.

Asif Kapadia's devastating portrait of Amy Winehouse won the Academy Award for Best Documentary and drew 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Joshua Oppenheimer's disturbing and extraordinary film has Indonesian death squad leaders re-enact their mass killings in cinematic genres of their choice.

Andrew Jarecki's portrait of a Long Island family torn apart by child abuse allegations is a masterclass in ambiguity and the unreliability of memory.

Robert Flaherty's groundbreaking portrait of Inuit life is considered the first feature-length documentary film and shaped the entire genre.

Raoul Peck's Oscar-nominated exploration of James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript on race in America resonates urgently with contemporary events.

Michael Moore's debut feature about General Motors' devastation of Flint, Michigan launched his career and redefined polemical documentary filmmaking.

Claude Lanzmann's nine-and-a-half-hour masterpiece on the Holocaust, composed entirely of survivor and witness testimonies, remains an unparalleled document.

Steve James's three-hour documentary following two Chicago high school basketball players over four years is cited as one of the greatest films — in any genre.

D.A. Pennebaker's portrait of Bob Dylan's 1965 UK tour invented the modern music documentary and captured Dylan at the peak of his powers.

Asif Kapadia's devastating portrait of Amy Winehouse won the Academy Award for Best Documentary and drew 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Joshua Oppenheimer's disturbing and extraordinary film has Indonesian death squad leaders re-enact their mass killings in cinematic genres of their choice.

Andrew Jarecki's portrait of a Long Island family torn apart by child abuse allegations is a masterclass in ambiguity and the unreliability of memory.

Robert Flaherty's groundbreaking portrait of Inuit life is considered the first feature-length documentary film and shaped the entire genre.

Raoul Peck's Oscar-nominated exploration of James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript on race in America resonates urgently with contemporary events.

Michael Moore's debut feature about General Motors' devastation of Flint, Michigan launched his career and redefined polemical documentary filmmaking.