Col Needham’s Best Documentaries of 2023
by Col Needham | created - 4 months ago | updated - 4 months ago | PublicI am the Founder and CEO of IMDb and here are my choices for the 10 best documentaries of 2023, listed in alphabetical order.
For my favourite narrative features see: Col Needham’s Best Movies of 2023.
If your IMDb vote history is up-to-date then you can see your own list via these search results.
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1. Another Body (2023)
80 min | Documentary
"Another Body" follows a college student's search for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online.
Directors: Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn | Stars: Ava Breuer, Faith Quinn, Julia Weinberg
Votes: 344
2. Chasing Chasing Amy (2023)
95 min | Documentary
A documentary that examines the complex legacy of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (1997) on LGBTQ+ people and its life-saving impact on director Sav Rodgers.
Director: Sav Rodgers | Stars: Joey Lauren Adams, Andrew Ahn, Trish Bendix, Alexa Kagan
Votes: 95
3. Is There Anybody Out There? (2023)
90 min | Documentary
While navigating daily discrimination, a filmmaker who inhabits and loves her unusual body searches the world for another person like her, and explores what it takes to love oneself fiercely despite the pervasiveness of ableism.
Director: Ella Glendining | Star: Ella Glendining
Votes: 143
4. Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (2023)
R | 105 min | Documentary
A single mother working as a dishwasher who has another life as record-breaking mountain climber.
Director: Lucy Walker | Stars: Shiny Dijmarescu, Sunny Dijmarescu, Lhakpa Sherpa, Nima Sherpa
Votes: 14
5. Scala!!! Or, the Incredibly Strange Rise and Fall of the World's Wildest Cinema and How It Influenced a Mixed-up Generation of Weirdos and Misfits (2023)
96 min | Documentary
A feature-length big screen documentary telling the riotous inside story of the infamous sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll repertory cinema which inspired a generation during Britain's turbulent Thatcher years.
Directors: Ali Catterall, Jane Giles | Stars: Barry Adamson, John Akomfrah, Rick Baker, Ralph Brown
Votes: 265
6. Stamped from the Beginning (2023)
R | 91 min | Documentary
A hybrid documentary/scripted feature based on Dr. Kendi's National Book Award-winning "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas".
Director: Roger Ross Williams | Stars: John Toon, Angela Davis, Lynae Vanee, David Goldstein
Votes: 1,217
7. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023)
89 min | Documentary
In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion.
Director: Anna Hints | Stars: Kadi Kivilo, Maria Meresaar, Elsa Saks, Marianne Liiv
Votes: 1,967
8. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (II) (2023)
R | 95 min | Documentary, Biography
Follows the life of beloved actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, exploring his personal and professional triumphs and travails, and what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease.
Director: Davis Guggenheim | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Davis Guggenheim, Tracy Pollan, Sam Fox
Votes: 15,173
9. The Stroll (2023)
84 min | Documentary
The history of New York's Meatpacking District told from the point of view of transgender sex workers who lived and worked there. They recount the violence, policing, and gentrification that lead to a movement for transgender rights.
Directors: Zackary Drucker, Kristen Lovell | Stars: Marquise Balenciaga, Ceyenne Doroshow, Rudy Giuliani, Marsha P. Johnson
Votes: 736
10. We Dare to Dream (2023)
98 min | Documentary, Sport
Complete access to the IOC Refugee Olympic Team which were part of the Tokyo Olympics.
Director: Waad Al-Kateab | Stars: Kimia Alizadeh, Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj, Saeid Fazloula, Anjelina Nadai Lohalith
Votes: 40
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