Video Librarian’s list of Best Documentaries of 2022 ranks our highest rated documentaries from the past year. This list honors documentaries that we have reviewed in 2022, having recently been released in theaters, Blu-Ray, or streaming. Carefully selected by our staff from our vast collection of reviews, these 25 films celebrate the diversity and artistic creativity of this year in documentaries.
These titles would be excellent additions at your library or university for a range of different screening programs. These 25 documentaries tackle a diverse range of subjects, such as activism, immigration, education, disability, art, and more. Including many international titles, our selections highlight independent distributors that champion high-quality academic films.
Allow this list to be your guide in making collection development easier for this coming year.
➔ Click here to start reading our exclusive NEW Buyer's Guide - Best Documentaries of 2022 PDF or see the list below.
Ali Farka Touré… The Blues Man From Timbuktu
Planet Group Entertainment
"Recently restored, this excellent documentary centered on Ali Farka Touré, a groundbreaking, experimental, and world-renown roots musician, was shot in the late 90s and includes a variety of footage, sounds, and sights. Often the documentary takes the form of a personal concert, providing high-quality recordings of Touré’s live concerts around Western Africa."
Read our review of Ali Farka Touré… The Blues Man From Timbuktu
Between Fire and Water
Pragda
"This touching and intimate documentary blurs the lines between realism and curated drama. At many moments, the viewer may ask “Am I watching a movie or a documentary?” This intriguing glimpse into Columbian life is especially unique since it focuses on indigenous beliefs and culture, racial injustice, and adoption."
Read our review of Between Fire and Water
A Black Jesus
Outcast Films
"This enraging portrayal of the neat division between locals and immigrants is film activism at its very best. Lucchesi’s documentary is a powerful eye-opener for anyone dealing with the ramifications of bigoted thinking and racist behaviors."
Read our review of A Black Jesus
Children of the Exodus
EPF Media
"Director Wilma Gomez Luengo paints a powerful picture here, albeit one that is often excruciating to sit through. She depicts life in Caliente in Southern Mexico, choosing a set of families impacted by the drug trade. Luengo does well to document these people not as victims but as real human beings. They do not allow their circumstances to define them."
Read our review of Children of the Exodus
The Conductor
Cargo Film & Releasing
"Alsop is an impassioned and energetic conductor and a patient teacher to other aspiring conductors, both men, and women. A valuable addition to college music and public library collections to acquaint viewers with Alsop’s accomplishments and foster discussions about women’s role in the arts."
Read our review of The Conductor
Deep Blues
Film Movement
"Shot in 1990 by music film director Robert Mugge and music scholar Robert Palmer, Deep Blues is a deep dive into Mississippi blues culture and roots. With an almost one-sided focus on the music, it is less a documentary and more a personal Blues festival featuring blues legends like R.L. Burnside, Big Jack Johnson, Junior Kimbrough, and Jessie Mae Hemphill."
Read our review of Deep Blues
Guerilla Voices
Pragda
"A thoughtful, personal, and level-headed documentary, Guerilla Voices follows a group of FARC-EP fighters who have agreed to lay down their arms and rejoin society. Director Sjoerd van Grootheest creates a beautiful rapport with a number of FARC guerillas who share their stories, their feelings, and their political beliefs with the camera over the course of about two years. From the get-go, the guerrillas are hopeful but cautious."
Read our review of Guerilla Voices
Imperfect
Fast Forward Films
"The Phamaly Theatre Company in Denver is a “creative home for theater artists with disabilities” and this uplifting documentary, directed by Regan Linton and Brian Malone, follows Phamaly artistic director Linton as she coordinates the theater company’s production of the popular musical Chicago. An outstanding selection for film collections and library programming promoting disability awareness."
Read our review of Imperfect
Into the Light with Cite Memoire
Seventh Art Releasing
"With inspiring stories and fascinating projections, Into the Light with Cite Memoire is a remarkable film; director Janice Zolf documents the making of this installation art in a memorable way. Highly recommended for academic library film collections with a focus on art."
Read our review of Into the Light with Cite Memoire
Just Like Me: The Vietnam War/The American War Poster
Just Like Me: The Vietnam War/The American War
Ron Osgood Productions
"Just Like Me gets its name from one of the American soldiers interviewed in this riveting documentary. He tells a story of finding letters left in the camps of Vietcong soldiers and how, when translated, their stories were identical, just opposite. The Vietnamese soldiers had families, lovers, and friends who had the same worries as the wives, parents, and children the American GIs left back home. It forced a realization, “These guys are just like me”."
Read our review of Just Like Me: The Vietnam War/The American War
Manifest Destiny Jesus
New Day Films
"This documentary is a story that tells the connection between white supremacy, White Jesus, and gentrification and how it is affecting America to this day. This content is suitable for Religious Studies, Social Studies, History, and Political Studies."
Read our review of Manifest Destiny Jesus
Mariposas del Campo
Pony Highway Productions
"Mariposas del Campo is a thought-provoking study on immigration in America. The title translates to ‘Butterflies of the Field’; a very poetic way of connecting the film’s subjects. Each has spent at least some time working the strawberry fields as a teenager. This compelling documentary uses mixed footage to tell the stories of a handful of young Mixtecan- and Zapotec-American teenagers from 2016 through 2018."
Read our review of Mariposas de Campo
Marx Can Wait
Strand Releasing
"Marx Can Wait revolves around a tragedy: the suicide of Camillo Bellochio in 1968. His brother, Marco, is now a celebrated Italian director in the vein of auteurs like Fellini, Pasolini, Visconti, and various others. Politics oozes through Bellochio’s work, but in Marx Can Wait, he switches from the political to the personal."
Read our review of Marx Can Wait
The Monopoly of Violence
Big World Pictures
"This documentary uses a tight, personal style to deliver a long-form argument about the nature of state violence and the issue of legitimacy. This superior documentary belongs in college libraries and in political or philosophy library collections. Those planning events about police brutality should consider circulating or showing this documentary as a part of library programming."
Read our review of The Monopoly of Violence
On These Grounds
Gravitas Ventures
"An in-depth look at an incident of police brutality which occurred at Spring Valley high school in South Carolina in 2015, On These Grounds follows the officer and students involved and uses a variety of techniques, footage, and stylings to explore the reality of corporal punishment of children in schools."
Read our review of On These Grounds
Padauk: Myanmar Spring
Documentary Educational Resources
"Directors Jeanne Hallacy and Rares Michael Ghilezain take viewers to the embattled country of Myanmar for their film Padauk: Myanmar Spring. Poetry and art are interspersed throughout the film to beautiful effect."
Read our review of Padauk: Myanmar Spring
A Reckoning in Boston
Bullfrog Films
"Simultaneously scathing and educational, James Rutenbeck’s A Reckoning in Boston details the racial and political divides in the Massachusetts capital. It’s an illuminating look at a city with deep problems at its core, rife with racism and inequality."
Read our review of A Reckoning in Boston
The Red Orchestra
Seventh Art Releasing
"The Red Orchestra is an intriguing dive into the history of two separate World War II resistance cells which have been granted the same name.Those seeking a WWII documentary that looks beyond the front line should consider The Red Orchestra first."
Read our review of The Red Orchestra
A Sexplanation
Passion River Films
"In the comedy documentary A Sexplanation, director Alex Liu initiates a frank discussion about the lack of comprehensive sex education in America. Contrary to the usual humorless and awkward tone of “the sex talk,” Liu breaks down questions and misconceptions about sex with a refreshingly irreverent and witty approach."
Read our review of A Sexplanation
Surviving Sex Trafficking
Collective Eye Films
"The hard-hitting documentary explores how the three ladies saved themselves, what their lives were like afterward, and whether justice was served. Surviving Sex Trafficking is an in-depth look at some of the worst parts of humanity and how victims of sex trafficking fight to get their lives back."
Read our review of Surviving Sex Trafficking
The United States of Insanity
Dark Star Pictures
"Freedom of speech has been a hot-button issue, both in film and in the real world. The 2021 film The United States of Insanity takes this idea to a very unusual place: the land of Juggalos. The film revolves around the Insane Clown Posse, and their fans, as they fight against the FBI labeling them a gang."
Read our review of The United States of Insanity
Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice
Visions
"From director Audrey Geyer comes Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice, a compelling documentary that explores the efforts of Native American lawyers to address prevalent socioeconomic issues in indigenous communities. This documentary furnishes profound insights into the restorative justice system that tribal governments follow in their approach to the welfare of indigenous children, mental health and wellness issues, and the resolution of disputes between community members."
Read our review of Warrior Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred Justice
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
Off Center Media
"Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America discusses not only the current racial climate but the events leading up to it. It would make a fine addition to Black History Month programming and film collections with a focus on race and American history."
Read our review of Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
Who We Are: Life, Loss & Hope in the Opioid Epidemic
EPF Media
"Documentarian Nicholas Manting Brewer paints a sobering picture of the opioid epidemic in Who We Are: Life, Loss & Hope in the Opioid Epidemic. This documentary is suitable for community screenings raising drug issue awareness."
Read our review of Who We Are: Life, Loss & Hope in the Opioid Epidemic
Who Will Write Our History
Good Docs
"This excellently produced film seamlessly integrates contemporary interviews with archival footage and dramatic reenactments based on the actual words of the Jewish individuals that contributed documents to the Oyneg Shabes Archives. This Holocaust documentary is an excellent example of how to integrate primary source material into a project to make history come alive and can serve as an example for educators looking to develop engaging assignments as well as other filmmakers."
Read our review of Who Will Write Our History