BY: Georgia Davis

If you’ve heard people say documentaries are boring, they haven’t seen these. We at PROVOKR are turning you on to the documentaries that changed our lives in some way or another:

PLANET EARTH

The 2006 docu series narrated by David Attenburough (Sigourney Weaver for US watchers) took us inside the lives of Earth’s beautiful creatures. It gave us a deep-seeded appreciation for the world we live in, which is just as important now given our current environmental climate.

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO

It might not have won the Oscar in 2017, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t resonate with us. Samuel L. Jackson narrated the documentary that focuses on James Baldwin’s unfinished memoir, Remember This House. It follows the lives of Civil Rights activists like Martin Luther King, Jr. But the letters and notes that were relevant then have an echo in contemporary issues.

 

THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK

The Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk tells the story of the first openly gay elected official in California. The 90-minute film leads to Milk’s assassination. If you’re not familiar with Milk’s story, this is a good place to start.

13TH

Ava DuVernay is the queen of social consciousness and advocating for people of color. 13th sheds light on the prison system in the U.S. in relation to the 13th Amendment. The tagline says it all: “From slave to criminal with one amendment.”

PARIS IS BURNING

Sitting at an easy-to-watch 71 minutes, Paris Is Burning shows the ins and outs of the drag queen scene in New York City. The film highlights the intersectionality and the components that make it culturally significant.

SUPER SIZE ME

If you’ve ever wanted a reason to stop eating fast food, watch Super Size Me. Morgan Spurlock sets out to show the health consequences of the greasy temptations by eating McDonald’s for a month. Forget horror movies — the documentary will have your nightmares filled with artery-clogging burgers.