Foreign Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated March 31, 2023
Usain Bolt: The Fastest Man Alive
2012 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsGet an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Usain St. Leo Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter who's widely regarded as the fastest man in the world and became a legend at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
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Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsStop-motion animation pioneer Ray Harryhausen inspired a generation of directors and special effects experts, as this documentary illustrates. The film presents Harryhausen's collection of prop models, as well as rare experimental footage.
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Bruce Lee, The Legend
1977 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsFrom his humble Hong Kong childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom, Bruce Lee led an interesting life as a martial arts legend. Listen to intimate recollections by friends and students like Steve McQueen, James Coburn and many others.
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Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsVenerated documentarian Werner Herzog teams with director Dmitry Vasyukov for this observant look at life along the River Yenisei in northern Russia, where the industrious inhabitants of a rural village truly live off the land.
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Waste Land
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsRenowned artist Vik Muniz embarks on one of the most inspired collaborations of his career, joining creative forces with Brazilian garbage pickers who mine treasure from the trash heaps of Rio de Janeiro's Jardim Gramacho landfill.
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Klitschko
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsBrothers and boxing champions Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko are the subject of this candid documentary. As the Ukrainian fighters overcome their various struggles, their relationship to one another emerges as their main source of strength.
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5 Broken Cameras
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn this moving documentary, a Palestinian farmer chronicles his village's nonviolent resistance to the presence of encroaching Israeli settlers and military. As camera after camera gets shot or otherwise destroyed, the farmer continues filming.
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The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFrom 1967 to '75, a film crew aimed cameras at major figures in the Black Power movement, creating hours of footage that remained unreleased for decades. In clips, Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton and Angela Davis discuss the movement's evolution.
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The Ambassador
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Mads Brügger poses as a diplomat in central Africa and secretly films his wheeling and dealing in a corrupt society. With forged diplomatic papers, he claims to be opening a match factory, but tries to gain access to the area's diamonds.
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Jane's Journey
2010 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis inspiring biopic relates the lifelong crusade of chimp researcher Jane Goodall, moving from England to the Tanzanian jungle where her work began. Nearly half a century later, Goodall continues to visit the animals that ignited her passion.
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Hecho en México
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThe landscape, art and culture of Mexico come to vibrant life in this visual tapestry, set to music by some of the country's greatest performers, including alt-rocker Carla Morrison, ranchera diva Chavela Vargas and pop star Alejandro Fernandez.
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Please Vote For Me
2007 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThough China's government is Communist, the third grade election for the prestigious position of Class Monitor at the Evergreen Primary School in Wuhan is being decided by a democratic vote. In this enlightening documentary, filmmaker Weijun Chen captures all the action as the three candidates -- two boys and a girl -- go all out to win: performing in a talent show, debating each other and delivering speeches to their classmates.
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The Sun Behind the Clouds
2010 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis documentary examines the clash of views among many Tibetans regarding their country's political future: Some advocate the Dalai Lama's middle way of compromise with Tibet's Chinese occupiers, but others call for total independence from Beijing. Directed by Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam, the film features interviews with the Dalai Lama and others, and explores how a generation of young Tibetans has gained a renewed sense of national pride.
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Angels in the Dust
2007 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn a nation ravaged by AIDS and the aftereffects of apartheid, middle-class Marion Cloete leaves her Johannesburg suburb behind to establish a village and school for South Africa's orphans.
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Monseñor: The Last Journey of Óscar Romero
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsUsing rare footage from his own collection as well as interviews and photographs, this documentary profiles Óscar Romero, the Salvadoran priest whose championing of the poor and downtrodden against a corrupt government made him a global hero.
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Mama Africa
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis 90-minute documentary follows the wide-ranging career of singer Miriam Makeba, from her remarkable performances and activism to her controversy-inspiring marriage to Black Panther Stokely Carmichael and her ambassadorship to the United Nations.
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Ballerina
2009 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Bertrand Normand's fascinating documentary profiles five outstanding Russian ballerinas from the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre (the renamed Kirov Ballet), following them from grueling rehearsals to flawless performances around the globe. Dancers in the spotlight include gifted 18-year-old Alina Somova, the newest Mariinsky ballerina, along with Svetlana Zakharova, Evguenya Obraztsova, Diana Vishneva and Uliana Lopatkina.
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Microcosmos
1996 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsEmploying unique microscopic cameras and powerful specialized microphones, this highly praised French documentary is a fascinating look at the seldom-explored world of insects and other minute creatures as they go about their daily lives. With footage of ladybugs feasting and snails mating to a mystical score by composer Bruno Coulais, the film won five César Awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Music.
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More Than Honey
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsAlready hailed as a definitive work on the subject, this comprehensive documentary examines the disappearance of honeybee populations worldwide. Cutting-edge filmmaking illustrates the causes and consequences of this alarming phenomenon.
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I Am
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis documentary captures dozens of K-Pop superstars -- including Fx, Girls' Generation, BoA, Super Junior and Kangta -- both behind the scenes and on stage during a sold-out 2011 concert in New York.
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Ballplayer: Pelotero
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsJohn Leguizamo narrates this gritty documentary that takes an unprecedented look inside the world of Major League Baseball training camps in the Dominican Republic, focusing on two 15-year-olds who are top MLB prospects.
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Armadillo
2010 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsDocumentarian Janus Metz Pedersen hunkers down with a platoon of Danish soldiers on a six-month Afghan tour of duty, and his exceptional access yields a field-level view of the boredom, adrenaline and confusion that comprise their daily routine. Shot in assorted digital formats on cameras at times fixed to soldiers' helmets, the film records the recruits on patrol and at rest and witnesses their transformation when finally called to combat.
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A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism
2009 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsMargrét Dagmar Ericsdóttir embarks on a quest to find answers about autism, which renders her 11-year-old son, Keli, unable to communicate. Across the United States and Europe, Ericsdóttir encounters autism experts exploring promising new methods.
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Camp 14: Total Control Zone
2012 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThrough interviews and footage of a North Korean re-education camp, director Marc Wiese paints a shocking portrait of inhumanity as he chronicles the harrowing story of Shin Dong-huyk, who was born inside the camp but escaped at age 23.
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Burma VJ
2008 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Anders Østergaard's Oscar-nominated documentary profiles the courageous efforts of a renegade band of Burmese reporters (aka the Burma VJs) who -- in the face of a repressive regime and media censorship -- refuse to be silenced.
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