The Most Exciting Documentaries of 2016

Voyage of Time (2016)

It's basically 2001: A Space Odyssey meets David Attenborough.

Written and Directed by Terrence Malick, Voyage of Time is a depiction of the birth of the universe, the origin of life and the evolution of species. It's cinematography porn, narrated by Brad Pitt.

Nothing but the best weed will do.

A Beautiful Planet (2016)

Shot inside the International Space Station, this is definitely going to be remembered as a really important and historic moment in cinema history.

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World (2016)

A film by Werner Herzog about science, technology, the internet and the future?

FUCK YEAH!

Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-qiang (2016)

One of the most interesting artists in the world, Cai Guo-qiang works in a medium beloved of Imgurians and Mythbusters fans alike: EXPLOSIONS!

I was excited for this one for the same reason I was excited about Jiro Dreams of Sushi: it's a chance to look inside the elusive mind of a visionary genius who is a master of his craft

The Lovers and the Despot (2016)

Any stories out of North Korea are inherently interesting by virtue of the shroud of mystery surrounding the country.

This is one of the most interesting stories I've heard so far and it sounds like a deleted scene from The Interview: A South Korean actress and her Director ex-husband were individually kidnapped by Kim Jong-Il (Their "biggest fan") and forced to reunite in order to build the North Korean film industry. You can't make this stuff up.

The Tower (2016)

A serioulsy unique and refreshing way to tackle a difficult documentary subject.

At the University of Texas in 1966, a sniper climbed the clock-tower and proceeded to shoot at passersby for a full 90 minutes.

"The Tower" uses rotoscoping to blend together re-enacted scenes and archival footage of the mass shooting to give viewers an inside perspective on what it was like to be there.

Weiner (2016)

A look at the catastrophic fall from grace of Anthony Weiner.

Weiner's openness in this film, seems almost disturbingly excessive. The result is a very candid and transparent look into areas of a political campaign that we don't often get to see.

The film explores the realities of politics in the digital age and, as such, is particularly relevant.

NUTS! (2016)

Another very avant-garde take on the documentary genre.

NUTS! looks at the life of John R. Brinkley, an eccentric genius who claimed he could cure male impotence with goat-testicle transplants.

NUTS! plays with ideas of subjectivity and truth in documentaries in a very interesting way by including unreliable narration and testimony. It also mixes animation with talking heads and archival material.

Life, Animated (2016)

Oh, the feels!

Life, Animated tells the story of Owen who was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3.

His parents found him drawn to Disney Animated Movies and started trying to communicate with him using Disney dialogue and character voices. Fast forward to today and Owen is more well-adjusted, socially capable and successful than anyone could have imagined.

If it wasn't real, I would just assume it was the plot of a cheesy, feel-good family movie.

Holy Hell (2016)

A look at the inner workings of a cult as seen through the eyes of a former member.

Shot by Will Allen while he was part of the Buddhafield cult, this is a perspective you don't often get to see.