i don’t watch a lot of documentaries but these are ones i remember finding really informarive
crip camp is an AMAZING documentary about the disability rights movement in the US. like seriously so good. covers a bunch of history i never knew before i watched it, like the capitol crawl or when the Black Panthers helped bring food to activists during a 504 sit-in. i was also really lucky to see a talk with Judy Heumann and and James LeBrecht not long after i saw the film, which was very cool
also, it’s FREE ON YOUTUBE! so everyone should see it. i linked it
other documentaries i can think of: 13th (about mass incarceration and racism) is really good. as is homegrown (about the Jan 6 insurrection), which just came out. both are pretty heavy and very informative; well-made but with different styles
Feb 5, 2025
Related Recs
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Can't recommend highly enough the following docs:
The Gilded Age
The origins of big business and billionaire money in politics start here. Warning: watching this documentary will strangely feel like watching a special news report about what's happening today.
The Eugenics Crusade
A morbidly fascinating and critical watch. I had no idea Eugenics was basically as American as apple pie for like..most of the early 20th century? The chilling story of how when a 'good' idea (the desire for a healthier, stronger human race) meets bad science + racism + ableism + homophobia, surprise surprise, you get Nazis.
American Coup: Wilmington 1898
Stoking fears of “Negro Rule,” self-described white supremacists used intimidation and violence to destroy Black political and economic power and overthrow Wilmington, North Carolina’s democratically-elected government in 1898. Black residents were murdered and thousands were banished. The story of what happened in Wilmington was suppressed for decades until descendants and scholars began to investigate. Today, many of those descendants — Black and white — seek the truth about this intentionally buried history.
The little-known story of this deadly race massacre and carefully orchestrated insurrection in North Carolina’s largest city — the only coup d’état in the history of the US.
Jan 29, 2025
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here are some favorites off the top of my head..
Zabardast: i'm partial to climbing/expedition docs, but this one is especially good. a travel diary of a group of voyagers exploring the remote lands of Pakistan to freeride ski down its mountains.
Night Fog: very heartbreaking look at WWII concentration camps
Dark Days: documents the lives of the homeless people living in the tunnels underneath New York City, without being intrusive or voyeuristic
Don't Look Back: self-explanatory (Minnesota's sweetheart)
Dec 13, 2024
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in-depth documentary about the US far right following three different men from before the 2020 election through to the January 6th insurrection (quite literally—they went and filmed there in person). the filmmakers began work on the film in 2018 and started filming in 2020. it’s really interesting, and certainly very relevant today!
also. about half of the showings have Q&As moderated by other filmmakers and activists - tonight’s q&a w the filmmakers (7:30 showing) will be moderated by Laura Poitras (Citizenfour, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed)
go see it! (this is in NYC, but i believe they are bringing it elsewhere)
Dec 7, 2024
Top Recs from @marxinista
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being traditionally cool is really quite boring and iterative, and it’s actually very cool and sexy to geek out about something you like or share bits of knowledge on a topic you’re passionate about
Aug 17, 2024
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i had it for a little over a year until i was like wow this is actually terrible! i genuinely think it has negatively impacted society by ruining people’s attention spans, having a horrific algorithm, and most of all by the most mind-numbing or outright harmful trends -
fake words that people now use IRL (“unalive”), trad wife tiktok, shein hauls, body-focused fitness vids that encourage fatphobia and unhealthy habits, shallow political/feminist theory and queer discourse, “alpha male” podcaster tiktok, encouraging overconsumption in general, trends ruining local spots or niche things… the list goes on
Aug 17, 2024
a million times cooler than the lackluster “sleek” tech color palette used today
Feb 22, 2025