Diane Garrett At their best, documentaries illuminate the world around us and can even result in policy changes, unjustly-imprisoned people being freed, and help spark political movements.
With a heated presidential election around the corner, we revisited political documentaries from decades gone by, winnowing down a large group of contenders to a select group of 10.
Some were so provocative their studio or TV backers avoided releasing them, while others were a hit out of the box. These documentaries tackle topics from voter suppression to a mock election in a Chinese elementary school.
Several won Oscars; they all have enduring power. This pioneering film forever changed political documentaries with its cinema verité style, and six decades later remains a startlingly fresh look at two very different Democratic candidates on the campaign trail.
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