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Classic Documentaries Before 1990
Classic Documentaries Before 1990 brings together documentary films released before 1990, including the 1989 works represented here. Subjects range from artists and politicians to music, war and life in particular places.
Choose by subject, director or country. Adam Surat follows Bangladeshi painter Sheikh Mohammed Sultan; 25×5 follows the Rolling Stones from their formation to Steel Wheels; Atlantic Rhapsody is a Faroese film by Katrin Ottarsdóttir.
2,921 documentaries · ordered 26 October 2026 · How we order lists
Newest first: the year each film was released, from the open film record (Wikidata), then the order the list has always had. Every film’s page names its source.
- No. 119891 h 30 min
12 registi per 12 città
by Giovanni Soldati · Italy · Italian
Four directors portray twelve Italian cities in this 1989 documentary.
- No. 21989
25×5: the Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones
by Nigel Finch · Japan · United Kingdom · English
The Rolling Stones’ story runs from their 1962 formation to Steel Wheels.
- No. 3198954 min
Adam Clayton Powell
by Richard Kilberg · United States · English
Richard Kilberg’s biographical film examines Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
historyAdam Clayton Powell Jr. - No. 41989
Adam Surat
by Tareque Masud · Bangladesh · Bangla, English
Tareque Masud profiles Bangladeshi painter Sheikh Mohammed Sultan.
- No. 51989
- No. 61989
Angano... Angano... nouvelles de Madagascar
by Cesar Paes · France · French, Malagasy
A French-Malagasy documentary about Madagascar, directed by Cesar Paes and Marie-Clémence Paes.
- No. 719891 h 20 min
Atlantic Rhapsody
by Katrin Ottarsdóttir · Denmark · Faroese
A day in Tórshavn unfolds across 52 linked pictures.
- No. 81989sport1988 Summer Olympics
- No. 91989
Black Leather Jacket
Director not on record · United Kingdom · English
A 1989 British documentary film in English.
- No. 10198953 min
Borders
by Merrill Aldighieri · United States · English
Merrill Aldighieri and Joe Tripician direct this 53-minute American film.
- No. 11198954 min
Building Bombs
by Mark Mori · United States · English
Mark Mori and Susan J. Robinson direct a documentary about building bombs.
- No. 12198952 min
Cézanne - Conversation with Joachim Gasquet
by Jean-Marie Straub · France
Straub and Huillet examine Cézanne through Joachim Gasquet's account.
- No. 1319891 h 40 min
Charles Manson Superstar
by Nikolas Schreck · United States · English
Nikolas Schreck’s film examines Charles Manson inside San Quentin Prison.
Watch freehistory - No. 1419891 h 30 min
Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt
by Rob Epstein · United States · English
Stories from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt remember lives lost to AIDS.
HIV/AIDS - No. 15198942 min
Crack USA: County Under Siege
by Bill Guttentag · United States · English
Vince DiPersio and Bill Guttentag document a county under the crack epidemic.
- No. 1619891 h 15 min
Dance of Hope
by Deborah Shaffer · United States
Deborah Shaffer directs this 75-minute documentary from the United States.
- No. 1719891 h 22 min
Death Scenes
by Nick Bougas · United States · English
Graphic death photographs from Jack Huddleston’s crime notebooks fill this film.
- No. 1819891 h
Defilada
by Andrzej Fidyk · Poland · Polish
Andrzej Fidyk examines North Korea’s personality cult under Kim Il Sung.
- No. 1919891 h 40 min
Delicate Sound of Thunder
by Wayne Isham · United Kingdom · English
Pink Floyd performs on its A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour.
music - No. 2019893 h 58 min
De Nuremberg à Nuremberg
by Frédéric Rossif · France · French
Frédéric Rossif's three-hour documentary examines the Third Reich.
- No. 211989
Depeche Mode: 101
by D. A. Pennebaker · United States · United Kingdom · English
D. A. Pennebaker directs a documentary about Depeche Mode.
101 - No. 221989
Dobrica Milutinović, među nama
Director not on record · Serbian
A Serbian documentary portrait of actor Dobrica Milutinović.
historyDobrica Milutinović - No. 231989
Don Carlos de Beistegui
by Patrick Mimouni · France · French
Patrick Mimouni profiles French art patron Carlos de Beistegui.
Carlos de Beistegui - No. 241989
Fascist Legacy
Director not on record · United Kingdom · English
A two-part BBC series examines Italian war crimes in World War II.
- No. 251989
First Works
Director not on record · United States · English
A 1989 American documentary film with no further synopsis provided.
Places #1 to #5 on this list are sold one at a time, and all five are open today: #1 is $149 a month, and the film at that number today moves down one. Take #1
Before you press play
Start with the subject
The films cover distinct subjects. Adam Surat focuses on painter Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, while Adam Clayton Powell is an American documentary about the political figure. Building Bombs addresses bomb-making.
Follow a filmmaker
Director names can guide a choice. The list includes Giovanni Soldati, Tareque Masud, Katrin Ottarsdóttir, Mark Mori and Jean-Marie Straub. Some entries do not include a maker.
Consider the place
Country and setting provide another way into the list. Adam Surat is Bangladeshi, Atlantic Rhapsody is Faroese, and Angano... Angano... nouvelles de Madagascar points to Madagascar in its title.
Stay within the period
Every film in this collection was released before 1990. The examples shown here are dated 1989, including 12 registi per 12 città, Borders and Beyond All Barriers.
What viewers ask
- What years do these documentaries cover?
- This collection is for documentaries released before 1990. The listed examples were released in 1989.
- Who directed Adam Surat?
- Tareque Masud directed and produced Adam Surat, a 1989 documentary about Bangladeshi painter Sheikh Mohammed Sultan.
- What is 25×5 about?
- Nigel Finch's film follows the Rolling Stones from the band's formation in 1962 through the release of the 1989 album Steel Wheels.
- Which film is about a Faroese setting?
- Atlantic Rhapsody is a 1989 Faroese film by Katrin Ottarsdóttir.
- Who made Building Bombs?
- Building Bombs was produced and directed by Mark Mori and Susan J.
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