The best Martin Luther King’s documentary movies

Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King

15/01/1929- 04/04/1968
We present our ranking of the best Martin Luther King’s movies. Do you love cinema? Or are you looking for a movie of your favorite actor to watch tonight? Surely you have some to see or that you did not know yet about Martin Luther King.
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13th

13th
8.2/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 07/10/2016
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

The Corporation

The Corporation
8/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 10/09/2003
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it.

Naqoyqatsi

Naqoyqatsi
6.4/10
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro
7.9/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 03/02/2017
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

Capitalism: A Love Story

Capitalism: A Love Story
7.4/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 06/09/2009
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
Michael Moore comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Unitedstatians (and by default, the rest of the world).

Chasing Trane

Chasing Trane
7.3/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 14/04/2017
  • Character: Self - Civil Rights Activist (archive footage)
An account of the life of the brilliant jazz musician John Coltrane (1926-67), a gifted saxophonist, an extraordinarily talented thinker whose original, avant-garde work has impacted and influenced people all over the world. A story about music's ability to entertain, inspire and transform.

Reel Injun

Reel Injun
7.5/10
The evolution of the depiction of Native Americans in film, from the silent era until today, featuring clips from hundreds of movies and candid interviews with famous directors, writers and actors, Native and non-Native: how their image on the screen transforms the way to understand their history and culture.

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
8.4/10
A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star.

Hesburgh

Hesburgh
8/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 26/04/2019
  • Character: Himself (archive footage)
He counseled presidents and popes, served on corporate boards and infuriated Richard Nixon. He was one of the only friends to whom Ann Landers turned for advice. During his 35 years as president of the University of Notre Dame, Theodore Hesburgh became one of the most influential and inspiring people of the 20th century.

The House I Live In

The House I Live In
7.9/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 05/10/2012
  • Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
In the past 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer, and destroyed impoverished communities at home and abroad. Yet drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong, and what can be done?

Uncle Tom

Uncle Tom
8.2/10
In a collection of intimate interviews with some of America's most provocative black conservative thinkers, Uncle Tom takes a unique look at being black in America. Featuring media personalities, ministers, civil rights activists, veterans, and a self-employed plumber, the film explores their personal journeys of navigating the world as one of America's most misunderstood political and cultural groups: The American Black Conservative. In this eye-opening film from Director Justin Malone and Executive Producer Larry Elder, Uncle Tom examines self-empowerment, individualism and rejecting the victim narrative. Uncle Tom shows us a different perspective of American History from this often ignored and ridiculed group.

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
8.2/10
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where segregation and Jim Crow laws were disgracefully applied.

The War at Home

The War at Home
7.6/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryWar
  • Release: 01/12/1979
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
Documentary film about the anti-war movement in the Madison, Wisconsin area during the time of the Vietnam War. It combines archival footage and interviews with participants that explore the events of the period on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus.

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis

King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
8.2/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 24/03/1970
  • Character: Self
A 1970 American documentary film biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., presented in the form of newsreel footage and segments of recordings by Dr. King, framed by celebrity narrators, including Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ruby Dee, James Earl Jones, Clarence Williams III, Burt Lancaster, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, Harry Belafonte, The movie was produced by Richard Kaplan and Ely Landau.

4 Little Girls

4 Little Girls
7.8/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 09/07/1997
  • Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school. It was a crime that shocked the nation--and a defining moment in the history of the civil-rights movement. Spike Lee re-examines the full story of the bombing, including a revealing interview with former Alabama Governor George Wallace.

Death Scenes 2

Death Scenes 2
4.9/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryHorror
  • Release: 01/01/1992
  • Character: Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
DEATH SCENES II continues the exploration into the dark recesses of violence and rage that ended in such heinous crimes as the Manson Family's assault on society. You'll see the gruesome aftermath of mob reprisals, public executions and international terrorism. DEATH SCENES II uniquely ushers the brave and curious into a spellbinding trip through the reality that is our world today.

Imminent Threat

Imminent Threat
6.4/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 04/09/2015
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
A look at the War on Terror and the threat it's causing to our civil liberties and political discourse. Academy Award nominee James Cromwell presents Janek Ambros' directorial debut. The feature doc tackles the War on Terror's impact on civil liberties and the strange coalition it's creating between the progressive left and libertarian right. The doc examines the NSA, drones, the war on journalism and other encroachments on civil liberties started by the Bush era and expanded by the Democratic establishment.

August 28: A Day in the Life of a People

August 28: A Day in the Life of a People
6.1/10
Documentary film on events that happened on August 28th in African-American history, shown at the Smithsonian African-American History Museum.

Mike Wallace Is Here

Mike Wallace Is Here
7.4/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 26/07/2019
  • Character: Self (archive footage)
For over half a century, 60 Minutes' fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world's most influential figures. Relying exclusively on archival footage, the film interrogates the interrogator, tracking Wallace's storied career and troubled personal life while unpacking how broadcast journalism evolved to today’s precarious tipping point.

MLK/FBI

MLK/FBI
7/10
  • Genre: Documentary
  • Release: 26/07/2021
  • Character: Self (archival footage)
Based on newly declassified files, the film explores the US government’s surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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