Best Documentary Films 2024
It’s that time of year where I list a number of documentary films I’ve enjoyed watching this year (some of which came out before 2024).
This year I was fortunate to win the international Filmmaker of the Year award from Pro Moviemaker Magazine so I’ll start with a few of the winning films I made with Jay Goldmark for Goldmark Films
Akiko Hirai: 'Mark of the Pot' - Goldmark Films
Filmmaker of the Year Award winning documentary. Vanity Fair hails her as a "Ceramicist Extraordinaire," and in this captivating feature documentary, we delve into the remarkable life and work of Akiko Hirai, one of the world's leading potters. Filmed at her London studio, the documentary provides an intimate look at the artistic process of this extraordinary talent.
Sid's Curious Kingdom - Goldmark Films
RTS Award Nominated Film and Filmmaker of the Year Award winning documentary. Sid Burnard was born in Brighton in 1948. Introduced to the art of beach combing by his Romany grandmother, Sid learnt to appreciate the beauty of nature from an early age. His time at Bristol Guild of Applied Arts gave him a profound understanding of visual arts and crafts and allowed him to put his personal vision into practice. He is now based in Wales, where the flotsam and jetsam from the nearby sea is his only source of materials. Working with found objects, nothing is changed - simply introduced to one another. Sid’s driftwood pieces, usually birds, boats or mythical beasts, are bursting with passion, integrity and his unique and wonderful humour.
John Allen: Woven England | Goldmark Films
Filmmaker of the Year Award winning documentary. John Allen is without doubt one of world’s great textile designers. Now approaching his 90th year he is equally at home working with the weavers of Tibet, the luxury brand Loewe or as an educationalist.
The Stones And Brian Jones - BBC iPlayer
The Stones and Brian Jones examines the musical creativity of Jones, the secret to the band's success, through candid interviews with all the essential performers and previously unreleased archive. The film was produced by Kyle Gibbon who I’ve worked with in the past. Great guy
World War II: From The Frontlines Netflix
Through vividly enhanced archival footage and voices from all sides of the conflict, this docuseries brings WWII to life like never before. BAFTA winner John Boyega ("Star Wars," “The Woman King”) narrates this new exploration of the war's definitive moments.
American Symphony- Netflix
It’s 2022 and musician Jon Batiste is at the peak of his music career while also embarking on his most ambitious challenge - composing an original symphony. In the midst of this meteoric rise, Batiste’s wife - best-selling author Suleika Jaouad - learns that her long-dormant cancer has returned. AMERICAN SYMPHONY is an intimate portrait of two artists and the healing power of love and creativity.
Timebomb Y2K - Now TV
HBO Original Documentary that examines the 1999 doomsday computer glitch and explores how modern life has been dramatically transformed by the digital revolution.
Six Nations Full Contact Netflix
From the producers of Formula 1: Drive to Survive, this series takes you behind-the-scenes of the high-intensity world of Europe's greatest rugby tournament, as the best teams battle each other for the prestigious trophy.
Slammed : The 80s - BBC iPlayer
Documentary series charting the rise of the Wales rugby team. It’s the 1980s, and as the legends of the 70s retire, a new generation of rugby stars must be found. But Wales is entering one of the darkest decades in its history – can a hero emerge to lead Wales to victory?
The Pez Outlaw - Netflix
This incredible fish-out-of-water story follows the adventures of Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan man, who boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable Pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of debt and finally be able to quit his job of 25 years. Steve becomes the hero of his own adventure, smuggling the rarest of goods into the U.S. and making millions in the process. It was all magical, until his arch-nemesis, The Pezident decided to destroy him.
Storyville Songs of Earth : BBC iplayer
From Writer & Director Margreth Olin. SONGS OF EARTH - IN THEATERS NOW. Please check local listings. A majestic visual symphony for the big screen. The filmmaker’s father is our guide, bringing us through Norway’s most scenic valley. He grew up where generations have lived alongside nature to survive. The sounds of the earth harmonize in this breathtaking journey. Executive produced by Liv Ullmann and Wim Wenders.
Chernobyl The Lost Tapes : Now TV
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes, which takes a deep-dive behind the 1986 disaster of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Watch never before seen footage and get real-life accounts of the horrific accident.
Ronnie O’Sullivan The Edge of Everything : Prime Video
Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything explores one of the world’s most successful and unique sporting stars as he faces personal challenges and the pressure of success.
Vatican Girl - Netflix
The disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi has been the most mysterious case occurred inside the Vatican walls since 1983. Between falsified evidence and alleged tracks, the director Mark Lewis (former author of “Don’t F**k with Cats”) analyzes what we know so far in this new Netflix original docu-series.
The Space Shuttle That Fell To Earth- BBC iPlayer
In 2003, Space Shuttle Columbia breaks apart in the skies above America. The astronauts’ families and Nasa staff share personal stories of the launch, unfolding disaster and fallout. As Nasa prepares Space Shuttle Columbia for its 28th mission, excitement and trepidation build amongst the astronauts and their families as they count down to launch. This programme hears from the seven astronauts - a mixture of veterans and rookies - and their families as they train for an awe-inspiring journey of a lifetime.
Einstein and the Bomb - Netflix
Einstein and The Bomb is a feature documentary which explores Albert Einstein’s complex relationship with Hitler, Germany, the atom bomb and its devastating aftermath in Japan. With a mix of archive and dramatisations, the film will explore key points in Einstein’s life, and how his work changed the course of history forever. Everything Einstein says in the film is taken from words he said or wrote in his life, bringing us close to the greatest mind of the 20th century as he faces the greatest evil the world has ever known.
The Bloody Hundredth - Apple TV +
Produced by Playtone-Amblin and narrated by Tom Hanks, the hour-long documentary spotlights the true stories of the characters and real-life airmen featured in “Masters of the Air” including John Egan, Gale Cleven, Harry Crosby, Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal, Frank Murphy, Alexander Jefferson, Richard Macon, as well as veterans John “Lucky” Luckadoo, Robert Wolf, and many others. From the shock of Pearl Harbor to VE Day,
Three Minutes A Lengthening - BBC iPlayer
So long as we are watching history, history is not over. Three minutes of footage, shot by David Kurtz in 1938, are the only moving images remaining of the Jewish inhabitants of Nasielsk, Poland before the Holocaust. Three Minutes: A Lengthening explores the human stories hidden within the celluloid.
Camden - Disney +
Set in London's beating heart of music, "Camden" reveals the untold stories of how the lives and careers of some of the world’s most iconic artists were influenced by this corner of the city.
Steve Martin- Apple TV +
Steve Martin is one of the most beloved and enigmatic figures in entertainment. STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces dives into his extraordinary story from two distinct points of view, with companion documentaries that feature never-before-seen footage and raw insights into Steve’s personal and professional trials and triumphs. “Then” chronicles Steve Martin’s early struggles and meteoric rise to revolutionize standup before walking away at 35. “Now” focuses on the present day, with Steve Martin in the golden years of his career, retracing the transformation that led to happiness in his art and personal life.
D Day Secrets Of The Frontline Hero’s - Channel 4
Eighty years on from World War II and the heroic D-Day Normandy landings, the story of the filmmakers who immortalised the terrible events of that fateful summer with memorable photos and film
Jim Henson - Disney +
"Jim Henson Idea Man" takes us into the mind of this singular creative visionary, from his early years puppeteering on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show, and beyond. Featuring unprecedented access to Jim's personal archives, Howard brings us a fascinating and insightful look at a complex man whose boundless imagination inspired the world.
Federal:Twelve Days - Prime Video
Federer: Twelve Final Days is a feature-length documentary chronicling the final 12 days of Roger Federer’s professional tennis career. Originally a home video never intended for public viewing, the film captures Federer at his most vulnerable and candid self, as he says goodbye to a game and the fans that shaped his life for the last two decades. The film will feature interviews from legendary rivals and friends Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.
Storyville- Cops 71: The Lost Lionesses - BBC iPlayer
Told by the pioneering women who participated in it and built from archive unseen for fifty years, this is the extraordinary story of the 1971 Women’s Football World Cup, a tournament witnessed by record crowds that has been written out of sporting history — until now.
D-Day The Unheard Tapes - BBC iPlayer
The invasion of Nazi-occupied France relived through powerful eyewitness recordings. Young actors who resemble the interviewees at the time of the war lip-sync the original testimony.
Dairy: Olympic Superstar - BBC iPlayer
Daley Thompson takes an epic journey to places - both emotionally and psychologically - he has never gone before, all of which tell the story of the complex man behind one of the greatest all-round athletes the world has ever seen.
Featuring a unique cast of characters, including Seb Coe, his former nemesis and now friend Jurgen Hingsen, and legendary American decathlete Caitlyn Jenner.
An Impossible Project - Prime Video
In a world dominated by zeroes and ones, eccentric scientist Florian "Doc" Kaps endeavors to protect the future of analog and inspire people to connect with “real” things. His crusade begins with an impossible mission: to save the last Polaroid factory.
Tehachapi - Masterclass
World-renowned artist JR’s photo murals have made global headlines and gotten him arrested. In his documentary, “Tehachapi,” the Oscar-nominated filmmaker explores whether art can speak to humanity in the darkest of places and, ultimately, change the world. Hear the stories of incarcerated men, and learn how art can transform you.
Storyville- Beyond Utopia - BBC iPlayer
A suspenseful look at the lengths people will go to gain freedom, #BeyondUtopia follows various individuals as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind; a family of five — including small children and an elderly grandmother — embarking on a treacherous journey across the Yalu River and into the hostile mountains of China; and a man of God on a mission to help these desperate souls. Leaving their homeland is fraught with danger — severe punishment if caught and possibly even execution — as well as potential exploitation by unscrupulous brokers. Family members who remain behind also may face retribution. Yet these individuals are driven to take the risk. Gripping, visceral, and urgent, Madeleine Gavin’s film embeds the viewer with these family members as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or-death stakes. The result is a singular, illuminating, and unforgettable experience.
Storyville - Bad Press - BBC iPlayer
An enthralling, edge-of-your-seat nail biter that unfurls with the energy and suspense of a political thriller, BAD PRESS is a timely and unprecedented documentary about the battle for freedom of the press in the Muscogee Nation.
Storyville - Dogs Of War - BBC iPlayer
A Storyville documentary that tells the untold story of a seemingly ordinary Englishman who spent more than 40 years as a mercenary, fighting other people’s wars for money.
The Territory - Disney Plus
The Territory, from director Alex Pritz, provides an immersive on-the-ground look at the tireless fight of the Indigenous Uru-eu-wau-wau people against the encroaching deforestation brought by farmers and illegal settlers in the Brazilian Amazon.
Lomu The lost Tapes - Discovery +
Jonah Lomu shares his extraordinary story. Featuring never-before-seen footage, he describes the traumas around his childhood and how he escaped a life of gang violence to become the most iconic rugby player on the planet.
Endurance - Disney Plus
In a legendary feat of leadership and perseverance, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton kept his crew of 27 men alive for over a year despite the loss of their ship in frigid pack ice. Over a century later, a team of modern-day explorers sets out to find the sunken ship. From National Geographic Documentary Films and directed by Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Natalie Hewit, ENDURANCE tells the inspiring stories of these two landmark expeditions, bound by their shared grit and determination.
Music By John Williams - Disney Plus
Meet the man behind the music that changed our lives.
Art and craft - Prime Video
Mark Landis uses his incredible forgery skills to duplicate masterpieces of art and donate them to assorted museums and galleries.
Beach Boys - Disney Plus
Get ready for an endless summer of fun, fun, fun with “The Beach Boys,” the all-new documentary streaming exclusively on Disney+ beginning May 24, 2024. And be sure to check out the trailer and key art out today and share them with your readers!
Last of the sea women - Apple TV +
Their way of life is in danger of disappearing. From Producer Malala Yousafzai, Director Sue Kim, and A24 comes The Last of the Sea Women, a breathtaking look at the lives of the Haenyeo -- the sea women of South Korea’s Jeju Island.
Beatles 64 - Disney Plus
Journey back to 1964 and experience Beatlemania like never before. From producer Martin Scorsese and director David Tedeschi,
Of A Lifetime - YouTube (North Face Channel)
“Of a Lifetime” a film by Jérôme Tanon, is a celebration of discovery, adventure and the passing of the torch to the next generation against the backdrop of Antarctica.