True Films 200 Documentaries You Must See Before You Die (2007)

Inexpensive equipment, new methods of distribution, and a very eager audience have all launched a Renaissance in non-fiction film making and viewing. The very best of these non-fiction films are as entertaining as the best Hollywood blockbusters. Because they are true, their storylines seem fresh with authentic plot twists, real characters, and truth stranger than fiction. Most true films are solidly informative, and a few are genuinely useful like a tool. The rise of documentaries and true cinema is felt not only in movie theaters, but on network TV and cable channels as well. Reality TV, non-fiction stations like the History Channel or Discovery, and BBC imports have increased the choices in true films tremendously. There’s no time to watch them all, and little guidance to what’s great.