documentary films

The vaquita, the world's smallest whale, is near extinction as its habitat is destroyed by Mexican cartels and Chinese mafia, who harvest the swim bladder of the totoaba fish, the "cocaine of the sea." Environmental activists, Mexican navy and undercover investigators are fighting back against this illegal multi-million-dollar business.

Science documentaries about various topics.

Saynatakuna is an ethnographic film. It tells the story of the mask makers and dancers during the festival of the Virgen del Carmen in Paukartambo, Cuzco. The dancers reinterpret their history and socio-political forces that drive them to perform their rituals of magic and resistance. The 18 dance troupes reenact and satirize the different ethnic groups that passed through Paukartambo since the beginning of time. They connect and tell a story of the past, the present, and the future wearing hand-made colorful masks and intricate beaded costumes.

POV, a cinema term for "point of view," is television's longest-running showcase for independent non-fiction films. Since 1988, POV has presented more than 300 of the best, boldest, and most innovative documentaries to PBS audiences across the country.

The origin story behind one of Broadway's most beloved musicals, Fiddler on The Roof, and its creative roots in early 1960s New York, when "tradition" was on the wane as gender roles, sexuality, race relations and religion were evolving.

Eleven major filmmakers from Europe, Asia and America talk about Akira Kurosawa and explore some ways on which he influenced their own work.

A documentary that shows the production of Ran and discusses the film techniques of Kurosawa himself.

An exploration of the various Native American nations and their fall to the European conquerors.

A documentary film about the Amazon Forest deforestation and its implication not only to the human rights of Indigenous and traditional peoples who live there, but also to the entire planet's ecosystem.

This four-part docu-series explores the legalization of sports gambling and its evolving impact on the gambling community. It chronicles professional gamblers, bookies, oddsmakers and documents effects of legalization through their eyes.

Narrated by Jeremy Irons, this definitive account tells of the heart-rending human rights tragedy in 1992 when hundreds of Azerbaijanis were massacred after Armenians stormed the city of Khojaly.

Constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centers on the career of celebrated football player Diego Maradona, who played for S.S.C. Napoli in the 1980s.

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the state of the ongoing drug problem along the U.S.-Mexican border.

In the Kenyan bush, a small-time ivory dealer fights to stay on top while forces mobilize to destroy his trade. When he turns to his younger cousin, a conflicted wildlife ranger who hasn't been paid in months, they both see a possible lifeline.

Animation, testimony, and archival footage combine to relate the events of August 1, 1966 when a gunman opened fire from the University of Texas clock tower, killing 16 people.

Explores the furthest reaches of the internet and the people who frequently use it, providing a revealing and cautionary look inside a vast cyber netherworld.

Documentary covering a Stax Records-sponsored all-day concert at the 1972 Watts Summer Festival with performances by Stax Records artists such as Isaac Hayes, Rufus Thomas, The Staples Singers, and more.

The gritty, thrilling story of local militias and uneasy allies who banded together to liberate Iraq's second-largest city of 1.3 million people from ISIS in 2017.

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine that tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.

The Siberian tiger is one of Earth's rarest and most elusive animals, with as few as 300 remaining. It is so rare, more scientists have been to space than have seen one in the wild. In this series, Liz Bonnin, a former tiger biologist herself, travels to the frozen forests of the Russian Far East to help a team of scientists studying these big cats. Their goal is to uncover the hidden world of these mysterious predators, determine why they are declining and what can be done to save them.

A powerful documentary - shot from March 11th, 2011 through March 2015 - that sheds some light on what really happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plant after the 2011 earthquake and the tsunami that followed.

A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.

A diverse coalition of activists rises to defend an ancient forest from logging in Warner Creek, within Oregon's Willamette National Forest. They block a logging access road and fend off state police.

A rare behind-the-curtain look at the Earth Liberation Front, the radical environmental group that the FBI calls America's 'number one domestic terrorist threat.'