Civil Rights Documentaries

13th

Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the USt, focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with African-Americans.

20 Feet From Stardom

Filmmaker Morgan Neville shines a long-overdue spotlight on the hit-making contributions of longtime backup singers like Darlene Love and Merry Clayton.

26.2 to Life

This deeply moving film follows the maximum-security detainees training to run a marathon. It’s a troubling portrait of masculinity, but one which offers hope.

3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets

Filmmaker Marc Silver uses the shooting death of black teenager Jordan Davis to examine Florida's `Stand Your Ground' self-defense law.

Attica

This unnervingly vivid dive into the 1971 uprising sheds new light on the enduring violence and racism of the prison system and highlights the need for reform 50 years later.

Before Stonewall

This documentary investigates cultural perceptions of homosexuality before the riot, looking back on previous decades, in regard to conflicts with police and censorship.

Between a Frock and a Hard Place

This is the story of how a low-budget Australian film changed the course of history by bringing a celebration of gay culture to the world that continues to resonate 20 years on.

Black Box Diaries

A documentary that follows 25-year-old journalist Shiori Ito’s courageous investigation of her own sexual assault in 2015 and attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

Filmmaker Stanley Nelson examines the rise of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s and its impact on civil rights and American culture.

Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali

This joint portrait of two icons floats on stunning archival images and stings with questions of what might have been.

Bobby Kennedy for President

This four-part documentary series weaves together rare and exclusive footage of attorney general, U.S. senator, and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s.

Bowling for Columbine

Michael Moore explores the circumstances that lead to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and, more broadly, the proliferation of guns and the high homicide rate in America.

Brothers on the Line

At the height of the Great Depression, the Reuthers are among a small band of trade unionists that take a stand against oppressive working conditions in the auto factories.

The Central Park Five

Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon examine a 1989 case of five teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of raping a woman.

Citizen Ashe

Filmmakers Rex Miller and Sam Pollard chronicle Arthur Ashe's many contributions to the sport of tennis and his human rights activism.

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, igniting a landmark movement.

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson

Filmmakers re-examine the 1992 death of transgender legend Marsha P. Johnson, who was found floating in the Hudson River.

Disclosure

An eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender.

Dying To Tell

War reporters talk candidly about the traumas they have witnessed and the losses they can never recover from as they risk their lives to keep the world informed.

The Extraordinary Life of April Ashley

From wartime Liverpool slums to London's high society, the epic story of the model, dancer, and transgender pioneer who changed Britain.

For Sama

A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria.

Girl Rising

Stories of nine girls from developing countries, showing how they are overcoming great obstacles to obtain an education and change their fates.

The Hard Stop

The police killing of Mark Duggan in London, 2011, ignited the worst civil unrest in recent British history and made headlines around the globe.

The Hunting Ground

An exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families.