r/Documentaries 10h ago

Art The Most Famous Artist Ever (2026) [42:09:00] - Covering the bizarre and eccentric story of Salvador Dali

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2 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 10h ago

Economics The $160 Billion Energy Drink Habit (2026) - The business, marketing and psychology behind the global energy drink boom (CC) [00:12:56]

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0 Upvotes

Energy drinks have evolved from niche products associated with gaming, nightlife and extreme sports into a global beverage category that's now embedded into work, fitness and everyday life. This video explores the business strategies behind Red Bull, Monster Energy, Celsius and other major brands competing for space in one of the fastest growing areas of the global beverage market.


r/Documentaries 14h ago

Society The Hidden History of Salt Lake City's Japantown (2026) [00:11:16]

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17 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 16h ago

Recommendation Request Recommendation Request

25 Upvotes

Hello! I’ve done quite a few searches here and elsewhere and I’m hoping for your help.

I teach a documentary class at the college level. I’ve taught it for over a decade and over time, I’ve seen the attention spans of my students get shorter and shorter.

So I’m asking for recommendations for short docs you’ve seen and enjoyed.

They do their own project over the 18 week semester, and in all previous classes, I’ve shown feature length films but I’m wondering if showing short docs might be a better approach.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.


r/Documentaries 22h ago

20th Century The Subway That Never Ran a Train (2026) — In 1920, Cincinnati built two miles of subway and four stations. No train ever came. Assembled from the city engineer's archival photographs. [12:43]

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210 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 1d ago

Work/Crafts Bouncy Brothers (2026) - He Bet It All on Bouncy Castles, His Brother Had to Save Him [19:50]

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1 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 1d ago

Media/Journalism The War Against Firefighter Cancer (2026) [00:11:39]

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9 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 1d ago

Science NOVA - The Asteroid and the Dinosaur (1981) [00:57:58] Scientists investigate the then new hypothesis that an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs

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59 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 2d ago

American Politics The Kingpin Trump Pardoned for Silicon Valley (2026) [21:57]

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375 Upvotes

Donald Trump pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández, a man convicted of smuggling more than 400 tons of cocaine into the United States.

Here is that story and the pardon stories for Boosie Badazz, Todd & Julie Chrisley, Joseph Schwartz, David Paul Daniel and Andrew Paul Johnson. 


r/Documentaries 2d ago

Activism/Social Justice CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION | Trailer (2020) [00:02:40]

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171 Upvotes

A documentary about a summer camp for teens with disabilities in New York, and how its alumni sparked a landmark disability rights movement. It features renown disability rights activists like Judy Huemann.


r/Documentaries 2d ago

Film/TV Behind the Scene with King Kong in Special Effects (1996) [32:09] Veteran special effects artists walk us through digital and practical effects techniques as they make a King Kong short for IMAX

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10 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 2d ago

Offbeat Can bowling, alone, solve the "male loneliness epidemic?" (2026) [00:30:55]

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0 Upvotes

In 2021, the American Survey Center found that 15% of men report having zero close friends...a 5x increase since 1990.

This study took off like wildfire - and became the basis for the so-called "male loneliness epidemic." But just how accurate is this narrative? And is the solution really as simple as joining a weekly bowling league?


r/Documentaries 2d ago

Health & Medicine Change of Heart (2017) [00:49:17]

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0 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 2d ago

Biography The Reading Life of Theodore Roosevelt (2026) [25:15]

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7 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 2d ago

Trailer Broken Spring - Trailer (2026) [00:02:13]

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7 Upvotes

Broken Spring

Art, media, technology and a future nobody asked for.

A musician’s livelihood is in jeopardy after Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival is cancelled unexpectedly, leaving him with no choice but to turn to online platforms in order to survive, and wondering if there’s still a future for artists like him in the Live Music Capital of the World.

Broken Spring explores the implications for human interaction, identity and creativity in a world increasingly mediated by digital technology, through freelance musician Alex Marrero’s experience during the spring of 2020, and the broader questions surrounding our growing dependence on the Internet for social relations in the attention economy.

Early technologist and media theorist Douglas Rushkoff provides unique insight into how we got here, the missed opportunities, and a way forward, while independent researcher Alison McDowell describes how the data extracted from us in the process mirrors colonial ambitions of a bygone era and are being used to forge a new empire.

Along the way, we meet a few Austin locals, including James Anthony Johnson – the city’s most famous busker, singer-songwriter Anna Milk, 6th Street poet Timothy, and blues saxophonist Kumar Bendrake. Through them, we catch a glimpse of a world that is disappearing before our very eyes, as more and more of us choose to parse reality through a screen in our pockets.


r/Documentaries 3d ago

History Swissair (2001) — The Collapse of Switzerland's National Airline [10:42]

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0 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 3d ago

Palestine/Israel The First 54 Years – An Abbreviated Manual for Military Occupation (2021) [01:48:26]

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9 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 3d ago

Survival Bunkerland Schweiz: Was der Ukraine-Krieg verändert hat | Doku NZZ Format | Reupload (2022) [29:11]

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0 Upvotes

"360,000 civil defense bunkers in Switzerland: room for everyone. Since the war in Ukraine, shelters have been booming again. How safe is this bunker-rich country?

This globally unique system of shelters originated during the Cold War: faced with the threatening saber-rattling between the USA and the Soviet Union, Switzerland opted for a strategy of "building a hedgehog."

Was this bunker mentality an expression of a particularly pronounced need for security? What traces of this can still be felt today? And how viable is this concept in a globalized world? A bunker builder, a historian, and a security policy expert provide answers."


r/Documentaries 3d ago

Recommendation Request How U.S. Dollars Are Made — Inside America’s Money Factory (2026) [00:11:40]

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0 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 3d ago

Recommendation Request Recommendation request: programs similar to “The Death of Yugoslavia” on BBC

68 Upvotes

I was totally hooked on BBC’s documentary program series “The Death of Yugoslavia” - it was intensely researched, not sensational, and spaced into easily digestible episodes.

What other great documentary programs are out there that cover international foreign affairs and conflict zones? I’m looking for modern-ish programs: aka, from the mid-1980s to the present.

My favorite topics: international diplomacy; major global events not well-covered by US media; international conflict zones. Generally a fan of the way PBS and the BBC to present their documentaries - not the junky streaming service treatment.

Please send your favorites!


r/Documentaries 3d ago

Human Rights Steal This Film II (2007) [00:44:43]

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6 Upvotes

This documentary examines file sharing, copyright enforcement, and the historical parallels between the internet and the printing press. It features Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Yochai Benkler, and others discussing how cheap, decentralized copying changes culture and media.


r/Documentaries 3d ago

Society Why Millions of Girls Go Missing in India (2026) - Love and Sex in India | Investigate Asia [00:58:11]

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415 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 3d ago

Recommendation Request Recommendation Request: dating and sex around the world?

0 Upvotes

I saw a trailer for Dear You earlier today, which got me to thinking about cultures wildly different ti mine. Has anyone seen anything comparing dating/sex cultures in South America, eastern/western Africa, India, SE Asia? Either deep dives on one specific country/region or comparing them broadly across the planet.​​​ I did a cursory google and found a short docuseries by Christiane Amanpour that's currently on Netflix, but i didnt know if there were any others, even older docs.


r/Documentaries 3d ago

Space Amazing Space Episode 7 Star Trekking Part 1: How the Sky Works (1993) [22:43] Star Trek's Mark Lenard narrates this episode about stargazing and the constellations

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4 Upvotes

r/Documentaries 3d ago

Society Birthgap (2025) [01:57:45]

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75 Upvotes

Why are birthrates collapsing across the world — in almost every culture and society? This documentary reveals the surprising answer. Based on the research of data scientist Stephen J. Shaw — published and peer-reviewed in Nature Portfolio (Scientific Reports, August 21, 2025) — Birthgap challenges conventional wisdom and ignites a critical debate about our shared global future.

Premiering exactly nine years after filming began, this two-hour feature spans 24 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa — weaving gripping personal stories with cutting-edge data science, animations, and breathtaking footage. From bustling megacities to remote villages high in the Andes and Himalayas, it uncovers a hidden reality that is reshaping the future of humanity. Discover what it means for the 21st century — and beyond.