Top Documentary Movies of 2011 Online
Explore the world around you with the best documentary movies of 2011 online. From thought-provoking stories to groundbreaking explorations, these films offer unique insights into real-life events and issues. Watch the top documentary movies of 2011 online and expand your knowledge with captivating true stories.
The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby (2011)
0
A personal exploration into the life of America's controversial former CIA Director told through the eyes of his wife and filmmaker son, Carl. Through extraordinary events in twentieth century history, this consummate soldier/spy stood at the center of the Agency's most clandestine activities and operations. The film reveals the 'cover life' of this CIA operative, who followed orders and took on the dirtiest assignments until the Nixon Administration ordered him to 'stonewall' Congress about the CIA's past abuses, but he refused. This film reveals why, for the first time, he could not obey.
Carl Panzram: The Spirit of Hatred and Vengeance (2011)
- 0
The true story of lifelong criminal and serial killer, Carl Panzram who wrote his autobiography for a jail guard in 1928. Carl Panzram was a lifelong prisoner and a hate-filled serial killer. Brutalized in and out of various U.S. state prisons during 20th century America, Panzram unleashed a rampage of revenge that resulted in over 20 murders and countless acts of violent sodomy. A single act of kindness, by prison guard Henry Lesser, sparked a friendship that eventually influenced Panzram to write his autobiography. In 1930, Panzram was hanged for killing a laundry foreman at Leavenworth prison.
Mama Africa (2011)
- 0
Miriam Makeba was one of the first African musicians who won international stardom and whose music was always anchored in her traditional South African roots. Miriam Makeba was forced into exile in 1959. She sang for John F. Kennedy, performed with Harry Belafonte and Nina Simone, was married to Hugh Masekela and also Stokely Carmichael. Her life was tumultuous. She always stood for truth and justice. She fought for the oppressed most importantly for black Africans, as a campaigner against apartheid. She died November 2008 after a concert in Italy. Mika Kaurismäki's documentary, traces fifty years of her music and her performing life.
The Big Fix (2011)
- 0
On April 22, 2010 the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig run by BP sunk into the Gulf of Mexico, creating the worst oil spill in history. Two documentarians set out to find the root cause of it all…
Bombay Beach (2011)
- 0
Bombay Beach is one of the poorest communities in southern California located on the shores of the Salton Sea, a man-made sea stranded in the middle of the Colorado desert that was once a beautiful vacation destination for the privileged and is now a pool of dead fish. Film director Alma Har'el tells the story of three protagonists. Together these portraits form a triptych of manhood in its various ages and guises...
Girl Model (2011)
- 0
A documentary on the modeling industry's 'supply chain' between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S., told through the experiences of the scouts, agencies, and a 13-year-old model.
The Captains (2011)
- 0
The Captains is a feature-length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (2011)
- 0
The strange history of the now abandoned American 1993-bill, «Don't ask, don't tell» where sexual orientation was a "non-talk" policy in the American forces, leading to 13.368 getting kicked out before 2011.
Jackass 3.5 (2011)
- 0
Johnny Knoxville of 'Jackass' releases unused material of stunts, tricks, antics and shenanigans shot during the production of 'Jackass 3D' that didn't make it into the film, as well as the hilarious outtakes.
Something Ventured (2011)
- 0
Apple. Intel. Genentech. Atari. Google. Cisco. Stratospheric successes with high stakes all around. Behind some of the world's most revolutionary companies are a handful of men who (through timing, foresight, a keen ability to size up other people, and a lot of luck) saw opportunity where others did not: these are the original venture capitalists. All were backing and building companies before the term 'venture capital' had been coined: companies that led to the birth of biotechnology and the spectacular growth in microprocessors, personal computers and the web. SOMETHING VENTURED uncovers the ups and downs of the building of some of the
Erasing Hate (2011)
- 0
In this hour, MSNBC goes inside the world of Bryon Widner, a former skinhead "pit bull", as he undergoes painful treatments to remove the physical representation of the hate he had exhibited to the world for more than half his life. Erasing Hate is produced by Bill Brummel Productions. MSNBC broadcast a forty-four-minute television version of the film in 2011. A feature-length film version, approximately ninety minutes, is available for theatrical, international broadcast, streaming and educational distribution.
Carbon Nation (2011)
- 0
An optimistic (and witty) discovery of what people are already doing, what we as a nation could be doing and what the world needs to do to prevent (or at least slow down) the impending climate crisis.
Persecution Blues: the Battle for the Tote! (2011)
- 0
In 2010, the iconic Tote Hotel – last bastion of Melbourne’s vibrant music counterculture – was forced to close by unfair laws. Filmed over 7 years, “Persecution Blues” depicts the struggle of more than 20,000 fans – and the bands who inspire them – to preserve their history and protect their future, and puts the audience on the front line of an epic-scale culture war.
The Lifeguard (2011)
- 0
Mauricio, a lifeguard on a Chilean beach, considers himself to be a model of efficiency and professionalism. His colleagues, however, think otherwise, and speculate on why he never goes into the water. Maite Alberdi's visually gorgeous feature documentary debut has the intensity of a short story; beginning as a quirky character study of lifeguards and beachgoers, it becomes something altogether darker and more shocking when events take a dramatic turn.
Sound It Out (2011)
- 0
A portrait of the last surviving vinyl record shop in Teesside, North East England, at a time when independent record shops were closing in the UK at a rate of one every three days. A distinctive, funny and intimate film about men, the North and the irreplaceable role music plays in our lives. High Fidelity with a Northern Accent.
Through the Weeping Glass: On the Consolations of Life Everlasting (Limbos & Afterbreezes in the Mütter Museum) (2011)
- 0
A documentary on the subject of the collections of books, instruments and medical anomalies at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia and the Mutter Museum housed there. This short film represents the first to be made by the internationally recognized Quay Brothers in the United States. While not a stop-motion animation film, a form for which the Quays are best known, the entire film is vibrantly constructed and 'animated'. Musical score by composer Tim Nelson and voice-over provided by Derek Jacobi.
On the Shoulders of Giants (2011)
- 0
The story of the Harlem Rens: the greatest basketball team you never heard of.
Something Ventured (2011)
- 0
Apple. Intel. Genentech. Atari. Google. Cisco. Stratospheric successes with high stakes all around. Behind some of the world's most revolutionary companies are a handful of men who (through timing, foresight, a keen ability to size up other people, and a lot of luck) saw opportunity where others did not: these are the original venture capitalists. All were backing and building companies before the term 'venture capital' had been coined: companies that led to the birth of biotechnology and the spectacular growth in microprocessors, personal computers and the web. SOMETHING VENTURED uncovers the ups and downs of the building of some of the
The Woodmans (2011)
- 0
The story of a family that suffers a tragedy, but perseveres and finds redemption through each other and their work - making art.
The Girls in the Band (2011)
- 0
THE GIRLS IN THE BAND tells the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, groundbreaking journeys from the late 1930s to the present day.
Programming the Nation? (2011)
- 0
Programming the Nation? takes an encompassing look at the history of subliminal messaging in America. According to many authorities, since the late 1950s subliminal content has been tested and delivered through all forms of mass-media including Hollywood filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock and William Friedkin. Even our modern military has been accused of these practices in the "war on terror" against soldiers and civilians both abroad and at home. With eye-opening footage, revealing interviews, humorous anecdotes, and an array of visual effects, the film categorically explores the alleged usage of subliminals in advertising, music, film,
Two Years at Sea (2011)
- 0
Inspired by the themes of Knut Hamsun’s ‘Pan’, Ben Rivers ventures deep into the remote forests of Aberdeenshire to document the routine of Jake Williams - a man seen in all seasons, living reclusively, surviving frugally, and passing the time with strange projects.
Clarkson: Powered Up (2011)
- 0
I’m in the South of France. My base? The high-tech testing ground for Formula One Circuit Paul Ricard. My mission? To find find my favourite car of the year. There's a pair of Ferraris, the V12, 6.3 litre FF and the 458. There’s the UK challenger to the 458, McLaren’s MP4-12C. The latest gizmo-laden Nissan GTR, Porsche's GT2 RS, the 570-horsepower Lamborghini Performante and the fun BMW 1M. Helping me are The Stig and Formula One new boy, Karun Chandhok. I look into the future, in the shape of the hybrid-engined Mugen Honda CR-Z, And there are blasts from the past as well. The beautiful Eagle Speedster a modern twist on the iconic, timeless
Day Is Done (2011)
- 0
A poetic but also wryly humorous study of the selfish artist trying to play the indifferent God, but ending up revealing himself as all too human.
Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon (2011)
- 0
A behind-the-scenes look at the rise of the American rock band, Kings of Leon.
13 Hours That Saved Britain (2011)
- 0
In this documentary, experts dissect the Battle of Britain, which took place on Sept. 15, 1940 — a day that determined the fate of the nation.
Special Flight (2011)
- 0
Switzerland still carries out special flights, where passengers, dressed in diapers and helmets, are chained to their seats for 40 hours at worst. They are accompanied by police officers and immigration officials. The passengers are flown to their native countries, where they haven't set foot in in up to twenty years, and where their lives might be in danger. Children, wives and work are left behind in Switzerland. Near Geneva, in Frambois prison, live 25 illegal immigrants waiting for deportation. They are offered an opportunity to say goodbye to their families and return to their native countries on a regular flight, escorted by
Darwin (2011)
- 0
Nick Brandestini is a filmmaker based in Zurich, Switzerland. His first documentary, Return to Florence (2006), about a small group of young American and British artists studying classical methods at an unconventional school in Florence, screened at numerous film festivals across North America, winning several awards. His next documentary, H.R. Giger's Sanctuary (2007), about the renowned and reclusive artist, H.R. Giger, most famous as the creator of Ridley Scott's “Alien”, was an official selection at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians (2011)
- 0
Follow the rise of the largest and most well-funded blackjack team in America -- made up entirely of card-counting, churchgoing Christians. The players don't see blackjack as a sin; they take from casinos and give to their families and churches.
The Heart of Auschwitz (2011)
- 0
This documentary tells the tale of 20 Auschwitz prisoners who risked their lives in order to make a book in the shape of a heart to give to Fania, a fellow prisoner, for her 20th birthday on December 12, 1944.
9/11: Stories in Fragments (2011)
- 0
How do you grasp an event as enormous as September 11? At the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, you start small: A briefcase, a Blackberry, a victim's sweatshirt, and a hero's nametag. Simple objects that tell personal stories, recounted in the donors' own words. Stories from New York, the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA remind us that the legacy of 9/11 is not fear -- it's friendship, courage, and ordinary people pushed by extraordinary circumstances.
Britain's Most Fragile Treasure (2011)
- 0
Historian Dr Janina Ramirez unlocks the secrets of a centuries-old masterpiece in glass. At 78 feet in height, the famous East Window at York Minster is the largest medieval stained-glass window in the country and it was the creative vision of a single artist - a mysterious master craftsman called John Thornton, one of the earliest named English artists. The East Window of York Minster is far more than a work of artistic genius, it is a window onto the medieval world and the medieval mind - telling us who were once were and who we still are, all preserved in the most fragile medium of all.
Pink Floyd: Whatever Happened to Pink Floyd? The Strange Case of Waters and Gilmour (2011)
- 0
This film traces the path Floyd took after the recording of the Animals album - an era when cracks in the band first started to show - and brings the strange story of the group and the intense relationship between Waters and Gilmour right up to date with the unexpected collaboration of these two maverick musicians at a 2010 charity event. Featuring numerous interviews.
The Pirate Tapes (2011)
- 0
Exposing piracy in Somalia from the inside out, The Pirates Tapes follows Mohamed Ashareh, a young Somali-Canadian, as he travels to Somalia in hopes of joining an active pirate cell. Armed only with a hidden camera, Mohamed works his way into a cell run by a ruthless warlord, Jama Donyal, and is assigned to his first hijacking mission. When things take an unexpected turn, Mohamed finds himself on the run from the law with the danger of execution looming.
Bob and the Monster (2011)
- 0
Six years in the making, this documentary film follows outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest, through his life-threatening struggle with addiction, to his transformation into one of the most influential and controversial drug counselors in the US today. BOB AND THE MONSTER crafts contemporary footage, animation and compelling interviews with archival performances and personal videos from Bob's past to reveal the complex layers of this troubled, but hopeful soul. Testimony from his peers, including Courtney Love, Anthony Kiedis and Flea add texture, but it's the depth of Bob's music, interwoven throughout the film, that illuminates this
Scream: The Inside Story (2011)
- 0
In 1996, the horror master Wes Craven unleashed Scream, a slasher movie aimed at a whole new generation of teenage movie-goers.
Empire Me: New Worlds Are Happening! (2011)
- 0
Handmade utopias - a filmic search for the worldwide phenomenon of the micronation movement. Do-it-yourself states that have distanced themselves from the economic and political mainstreaming of globalization. A road movie covering land, water and the wildest realms of the imagination. Simultaneously creative documentary and pulsating cultural portrait, the film traces a new "unplugged" generation - their motives, their anxieties and their dreams.
An Inconvenient Tax (2011)
- 0
An Inconvenient Tax is a 2010 documentary film produced by Life Is My Movie Entertainment. The film explores the history of the income tax in the United States and the causes of its many complexities.
Koran by Heart (2011)
- 0
In this 80-minute documentary, three 10-year-old children leave their native countries to participate in one of the Islamic world’s most famous competitions, a test of memory and recitation known as The International Holy Koran Competition. Up against much older students, these youngsters have committed the 600 pages of the Koran to memory, and will put their skills to the test before the elite of the world’s Muslim community in Cairo, Egypt. In the midst of this intense international competition, the three young competitors –two boys from Senegal and Tajikistan, and one girl from the Maldives – face uncertain futures at home, as they are
How to Live Forever (2011)
- 0
Director Mark Wexler embarks on a worldwide trek to investigate just what it means to grow old and what it could mean to really live forever. But whose advice should he take? Does 94-year-old exercise guru Jack LaLanne have all the answers, or does Buster, a 101-year-old chain-smoking, beer-drinking marathoner? What about futurist Ray Kurzweil, a laughter yoga expert, or an elder porn star? Wexler explores the viewpoints of delightfully unusual characters alongside those of health, fitness and life-extension experts in this engaging new documentary, which challenges our notions of youth and aging with comic poignancy. Begun as a study in
Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World (2011)
- 0
This ninety-minute film takes audiences on an epic journey across nine countries and over 1,400 years of history. It explores themes such as the Word, Space, Ornament, Color and Water and presents the stories behind many great masterworks of Islamic Art and Architecture. Narrated by Academy Award winning performer Susan Sarandon, this dazzling documentary reveals the variety and diversity of Islamic art. It provides a window into Islamic culture and brings broad insights to the enduring themes that have propelled human history and fueled the rise of world civilization over the centuries
The Pig Farm (2011)
- 0
The life and murders of one of the worst serial killers in history, Robert Pickton who went unchallenged for decades.
Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star (2011)
- 0
In this follow-up to 'Afghan Star,' filmmaker Havana Marking returns to Afghanistan to check in on infamous contestant Setara from the popular Afghan talent show of the same name. The film looks at where Setara is now and the impact that her controversial performance has had on her life and her country, including ever-present threats to her safety.
Ancient Astronauts: The Gods from Planet X (2011)
- 0
Jason Martell and Tom Van Flandern lecture about Planet X, ancient astronauts at the 2008 Central Coast Science-UFO Symposium.
Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis (2011)
- 0
It will surprise few to discover that star of stage and screen Jerry Lewis has sought to amuse others since he was five years old. Since that early age, audiences split their sides watching his wacky antics, whilst wannabe comics aspired to his prolific career, from his solo work to his double act with Dean Martin. Indeed, many of his famous fans share stories of affection and admiration for the now 86-year-old performer and filmmaker in Gregg Barson’s documentary. Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Eddie Murphy and Jerry Seinfeld are among those waxing lyrical about Lewis’ particular brand of genius, and his place in the annals of
Thrive: What on Earth Will it Take? (2011)
- 0
An unconventional documentary that lifts the veil on what's really going on in our world by following the money upstream - uncovering the global consolidation of power in nearly every aspect of our lives. Weaving together breakthroughs in science, consciousness and activism, THRIVE offers real solutions, empowering us with unprecedented and bold strategies for reclaiming our lives and our future.
Just Do It: A Tale of Modern-day Outlaws (2011)
- 0
The world of environmental direct action has been a secretive one, until now. With unprecedented access, Emily James spent over a year embedded in activist groups such as Climate Camp and Plane Stupid, documenting their clandestine activities. Torpedoing the tired cliches of the environmental movement, Just Do It introduces you to a powerful cast of mischievous and inspiring characters who put their bodies in the way. They super-glue themselves to bank trading floors, blockade factories and attack coal power stations en-masse all despite the very real threat of arrest. Their adventures will entertain, illuminate and inspire.
Gettysburg (2011)
- 0
An examination of the Battle of Gettysberg on both the personal and strategic level.
Grinders (2011)
- 0
With a new baby and wife to support, out-of-work filmmaker Matt Gallagher tries his hand - and some would say, luck at playing poker for a living.
Limelight (2011)
- 0
A film about Peter Gatien, the owner of legendary New York nightclubs like Limelight, The Tunnel and the Palladium. The film documents his rise and fall from the 1980s through the 1990s.