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CineRank

Best Documentary Movies of All Time

This collection ranks 79,513 Documentary movies. The list is ranked using a weighted combination of audience ratings, vote volume and popularity data, so movies with only a handful of votes never outrank widely acclaimed films. At the top of the list is David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.

79,513 qualifying moviesRanked using a weighted combination of ratings, vote volume and popularity data

  6. 406

    African Cats

    2011· 1h 29m· en

    7.3256
  17. 417

    Bus 174

    2002· 1h 58m· pt

    7.3145
  19. 419

    Dancer

    2016· 1h 25m· en

    7.371
  20. 420

    It's Time

    2024· 50m· en

    —0
  22. 422

    Live Aid

    1985· 16h 0m· en

    7.952
  32. 432

    Marley

    2012· 2h 24m· en

    7.5279
  34. 434

    Humor Me

    2024· 25m· en

    —0
  36. 436

    Tomorrow

    2015· 1h 58m· fr

    7.8280
  41. 441

    Cover-Up

    2025· 1h 57m· en

    7.147
  46. 446

    Valley Uprising

    2014· 1h 39m· en

    7.796

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Frequently asked questions

How many qualifyingmovies are in this list?

79,513 movies with real rating data match this collection.

How are these movies ranked?

By a weighted score combining audience ratings, vote volume and popularity. Movies with very few votes are statistically shrunk toward the global average, so they cannot dominate the top of the list.

Which movie is ranked #1?

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet currently holds the top position in this collection.

How often is this list updated?

Rankings are recalculated whenever the underlying movie data changes.