Take a scroll through any major streaming service, and there's little debate that currently, there is an emerging golden age of documentaries. Perhaps the craving for docs is an extension of a generation's obsession with reality television, insatiable information intake, or the advent of the camera phone making all things documented. Or, maybe it's just because nothing beats a true story.
With a single earnest look, documentaries can capture the raw, instantaneous essence of humanity that even perfectly structured feature narratives often miss. They offer us the opportunity to walk in someone else's shoes for a few hours, even if that path is halfway around the world. These 30 documentaries can open minds and hearts to gripping stories that someone might have never seen, had a filmmaker not considered capturing it. And, in some cases, these documentaries have actually sparked real world change.
