The 25 Documentaries That Most Inspire Other Doc Filmmakers

Cinema Eye Honors, the organization that hosts the documentary community’s very own awards show has for several years asking its members what documentary films most inspire them.

Earlier this week, Cinema Eye released the list to The Wrap, where Cinema Eye co-founder AJ Schnack (the director of “Caucus” and “Kurt Cobain: About a Son”) said, “For the last few years we’ve been asking eligible directors to tell us

what films inspire them, to help guide us to the films we should

consider for our Legacy Award. The list is always interesting, and it changes a little bit

each year – so as we were thinking about this year, we thought, why

don’t we actually release the list to show what films are foremost in

filmmakers’ minds from one year to the next?”

Take a look at The Wrap’s full coverage of the list here.



“American Movie” / Chris Smith (1999)

“Bowling for Columbine” / Michael Moore (2002)

“Brother’s Keeper” / Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (1992)

“Burden of Dreams” / Les Blank (1982)

“Capturing the Friedmans” / Andrew Jarecki (2003)

“Crumb” / Terry Zwigoff (1994)

“Don’t Look Back” / D A Pennebaker (1967)

“F for Fake” / Orson Welles (1973)

“The Fog of War” / Errol Morris (2003)

“Gimme Shelter” / Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin (1970)

“Grey Gardens” / Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer (1975)

“Grizzly Man” / Werner Herzog (2005)

“Harlan County, USA” / Barbara Kopple (1976)

“Hearts and Minds” / Peter Davis (1974)

“Hoop Dreams” / Steve James (1994)

“Man WIth a Movie Camera” / Dziga Vertov (1929)

“Night and Fog” / Alain Resnais (1955)

“Salesman” / Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin (1968)

“Sans Soleil” / Chris Marker (1983)

“Sherman’s March” / Ross McElwee (1985)

“Shoah” / Claude Lanzmann (1985)

“The Thin Blue Line” / Errol Morris (1988)

“Titicut Follies” / Frederick Wiseman (1967)

“The War Room” / Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker (1993)

“When We Were Kings” / Leon Gast (1996)

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