documentary

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Risk is the precursor to Oscar-winning Snowden documentary Citizenfour, the director's muddled but fascinating take on Julian Assange

Preview

Exclusive 

Major international documentary festival returns to the ICA

Features

Here's our pick of the last few months' best documentaries – 2016's late surprises and 2017's early successes, from Life, Animated to The Eagle Huntress

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Who is Sergei Polunin? Dancer documentary shows him to be more of an unhappy adolescent than fast-living playboy

In the Know

TV 

A century of Windsor history unveiled in this new Channel 4 series exploring the intimate lives of the royal family

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Produced by Shia LaBeouf, documentary LoveTrue takes fragmented approach to its subject

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

New documentary Tower, about the 1966 University of Texas tower shootings, uses animation to impressive effect

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

With her scrapbook documentary Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson has made a stirring montage of the 21st Century

In the Know

TV 

Celebrate the lives of Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds and their mother-daughter relationship with the Sky Atlantic documentary Bright Lights

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Investigative with the feel of a cyber-thriller sends a clear-cut message, if a lengthy one

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

The Eagle Huntress documentary is a visually breathtaking and sociologically important bit of filmmaking

Interview

The documentary Life, Animated – 2016's most moving true story – is in cinema's now. We talk to director Roger Ross Williams and author Ron Suskind

Must See

For finale Episode 6, Planet Earth 2 explores the urban jungles that we call home – and reveals the other animals that make their home there

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Life, Animated is an autism documentary about how Owen Suskind learnt to relate to the world via Disney films

Features

Things to do 

With Planet Earth II, David Attenborough presented the flora and fauna of the natural world. Here are the ones worthy of shiny prizes

Must See

For Episode 5, Planet Earth 2 takes us to the wide open plains, where most of the animals are nomads

Must See

For Episode 4, Planet Earth 2 shows us around the world's most arid terrain – and reveals some of its scariest inhabitants

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Young female criminals tell their stories in the Starless Dreams documentary, a short powerful film by Iranian director Mehrdad Oskouei

Must See

With Episode 3, Planet Earth 2 gives us its most incredible moments yet

Interview

Planet Earth II is the most talked about television series on our screens this winter. We speak to the executive producer of the series, Michael Gunton.

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Gimme Danger, the Iggy and the Stooges documentary, is one of two Jim Jarmusch films out this month, with Paterson being released next week

Features

With the second episode of Planet Earth II, David Attenborough takes us higher...

Preview

Cinema 

UK's first documentary cinema shines a light on The Lives of Others around the world in this compelling series of films

Features

Kings, rappers and schemers: the gender-blind casting on stage and screen helping to redress male dominance in the industry

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

New Art for a New World brings the artists of the Russian Avant-Garde to life in this entrancing art historical documentary

Preview

Cinema 

For the best Korean films, 2016 has November's Korean Film Festival

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Richard Linklater documentary Dream is Destiny takes a look at the work of this unconventional filmmaker, from Slacker to Boyhood

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Do you like Werner Herzog movies? Have you seen 'Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe? Do you know how weird this guy is? His Lo and Behold documentary is no exception

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

This powerful documentary about Sonita Alizadeh is not just an Afghanistan documentary but a rap film, also covering women's rights and the migrant crisis

Features

From hunting down Tom Cruise to feeling sorry for penguins, here are some of the finest moments courtesy of Werner Herzog – masterclasses in absurd humour

Preview

Cinema 

Icebergs, again. But this time, it's not Titanic. According to Leonardo DiCaprio, movies can change the world. At least, that's the hope for his climate change documentary

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

In this new film by Patrick Shen, documentary takes on the peacefulness of meditation in this immersive viewing experience