On a regular basis we are placated by commercials to satisfy our craving to know which bathroom tissue is the most absorbent; debates 'infomercials' assuaging our fears over which vice-presidential candidate has the best dentist; and reality-shows that comfort our 'at least I am not as bad as...' need; there is an inescapable reality occurring right under our propagandized nose (as we noted here). Economic Reason has gathered together the Top 15 'reality' economic documentaries - so turn-on, tune-in, and drop-out of the mainstream for a few hours...

Originally posted at Economic Reason blog,

1. Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis – Directed by Martin Borgs

Based on the book “Financial Fiasco” by Johan Norberg this documentary depicts When the world’s financial bubble blew, the solution was to lower interest rates and pump trillions of dollars into the sick banking system. The solution is the problem, that’s why we had a problem in the first place. Featured guests; Peter Schiff, Gerald Celente, Dennis Hannon. ~46 min.

2. 97% Owned - Directed by Peter Joseph

97% owned presents serious research and verifiable evidence on the troubling issues facing our economic and financial system. This documentary provides a UK-perspective, however, its inner workings of Central Banks and the Money creation process are virtually the same concept all around the world. ~2:10 hr.



3. Money as Debt 1, Directed by Paul Grignon

Todays money is a new form of slavery, and distinguishable from the old simply by the fact that it is impersonal, there is no human relation between master and slave. Debt- government, corporate and household has reached astronomical proportions. Where does all this money come from? How could there BE that much money to lend? The answer is…there isn’t. Today, MONEY IS DEBT. If there were NO DEBT there would be NO MONEY. ~ 47 min.





4. Money As Debt 2, Directed by Paul Grignon

Bailouts, stimulus packages, debt piled upon debt…Where will it all end? How did we get into a situation where there has never been more material wealth & productivity and yet everyone is in debt to bankers. ~1:16 hr.







5. Money As Debt 3, Directed by Paul Grignon

This third and final movie in the Money as Debt trilogy presents a comprehensive picture of how “money” could work in the future. It is a blueprint full of surprising specifics for creating a whole new system applied with technologies that exist right now. Money as Debt. ~1:02 hr.







6. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of The World by Niall Ferguson

Based on the book, The Ascent of Money:This documentary provides a financial History of the World by a Harvard professor, Niall Ferguson‘s. It examines the long history of money, credit, and banking. ~4:30 hr.



7. Fiat Empire – Why the Federal Reserve Violates the U.S. Constitution, Directed by Matrixx Entertainment Corporation

A good documentary about the federal reserve in the United States. Most people believe that this bank is government owned but it is not. ~58 min.







8. Money, Banking, and The Federal Reserve System, Produced by Ludwig von Mises Institute

Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson understood The Monster. But to most Americans today, Federal Reserve is just a name on the dollar bill. They have no idea of what the central bank does to the economy, or to their own economic lives; of how and why it was founded and operates; or of the sound money and banking that could end the statism, inflation, and business cycles that the Fed generates. ~ 42 min.

9. The Crash Of 1929 – Produced by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer

By 1929, Charles Mitchell, President of the National City Bank (which would become Citibank), had popularized the idea of selling stock and high yield bonds directly to smaller investors. Mitchell and a very small group of bankers, brokers, and speculators manipulated the stock market, grew wealthy and helped create the economic boom of that fabulous decade. ~1 hr.

10. Enron, The Smartest Guys In The Room, Directed by Alex Gibney

Believed by some accusers to be the most egregious corporate malefactors in American history — are about to go on trial for pillaging their company and devaluing its stock, leaving thousands of employees and investors holding the bag while they absconded with millions. ~ 1:49 hr.



11. MeltDown – The Secret History of the Global Financial Collapse – by Doc Zone

Doc Zone has traveled the world – from Wall Street to Dubai to China – to investigate The Secret History of the Global Financial Collapse. Meltdown is the story of the bankers who crashed the world, the leaders who struggled to save it and the ordinary families who got crushed. ~44 min.







12. The Take – by Avi Lewis

We heard rumors of a new kind of economy emerging in Argentina. With hundreds of factories closing, waves of workers were locking themselves inside and running the workplaces on their own, with no bosses. ~ 1:20 min.

13. The Money Masters, Directed Bill Still

The Money Masters is a 3 1/2 hour non-fiction, historical documentary that traces the origins of the political power structure that rules our nation and the world today. ~ 3:30 hr.



14. I.O.U.S.A – Directed by Patrick Creadon

I.O.U.S.A. is a 2008 American documentary directed by Patrick Creadon. The film focuses on the shape and impact of the United States national debt. The film features Robert Bixby, director of the Concord Coalition, and David Walker, the former U.S. Comptroller-General, as they travel around the United States on a tour to let communities know of the potential dangers of the national debt. The tour was carried out through the Concord Coalition, and was known as the “Fiscal Wake-Up Tour.” From Wikipedia. ~ 45min.

15. The Last Days Of Lehman Brothers

Drama inspired by the real events that took place on the weekend of 12 September 2008 – when the Lehman Brothers went to the wall. ~59 min.

