Of the nearly one hundred libertarian documentaries identified and reviewed on this site, we picked just 25 as the best of the best. Evaluations were based primarily on libertarian content, but entertainment value and production quality were also important considerations. Additionally, an effort was made to balance subject matter so that no one topic was disproportionately covered.
The top 25 are listed here in reverse-chronological order. This list will evolve as additional libertarian documentaries are noted and reviewed. Here are the best of the best…
1. How Jack Became Black (2018)
A father forced by the public school system to categorize his multiracial children by “primary race” explores the silliness of racial identity. [ How Jack Became Black credits: Dir: Eli Steele/ 96 min/ Documentary] Topics: Equality & Law | Individualism
“There is a growing group in this country who feel that they cannot be simply placed into one racial category. Yet, what if that is exactly what society is trying to make them do? This is a battle we see taking place in the new documentary How Jack Became Black.”
–The Black Geeks
2. Citizen Jane: Battle for the City (2017)
A little-known titanic intellectual and political battle took place in NYC in the 1950s, a battle that would decide how most of us would live. It was between Robert Moses — the city’s “master planner,” who envisioned bulldozing NYC’s old neighborhood’s and erecting in their place miles and miles of skyskraper public housing — and on the other hand a minor journalist, Jane Jacobs, who had made some keen, and soon to be ground breaking Hayekian observations on spontaneous order in city development, observations that shook urban planning to the core and affected city design all over the world. This delightful documentary is a tribute to Jacobs and her “battle for the city.” Topics: Eminent Domain
“The movie invites you to sink into Jacobs’ challengingly supple and vibrant analysis of why cities, which we mostly take for granted, are in fact rather magical places.”
–Variety
3. Citizenfour (2014)
As much thriller as documentary, Citizenfour tells the story of how Edward Snowden revealed for the first time bombshell proof that the U.S. government is routinely and secretly engaged in domestic spying. This is one of the very few on this list to earn this site’s highest score in both libertarian content and production quality. Topics: Search & Seizure
“Riveting, as well as the most indispensable documentary of the year.”
–BBC
4. The Internet’s Own Boy (2014)
Aaron Swartz—an internet wunderkind and “open access” advocate—is threatened with 35 years in federal prison for the crime of downloading a large number of copyrighted documents, and commits suicide. Topics: Law & Liberty
“…the most emotionally devastating movie ever made about hacking and freedom of information.”
–Variety
5. Margaret: Death of a Revolutionary (2013)
This film focuses on Margaret Thatcher’s battle to reduce the size and scope of the British state, her personal dream of giving hope to the poor through free markets, and her final undoing by establishment cronies within her own party. It’s an inspiring documentary that will give you new respect for this under-appreciated hero who, though not a full-on libertarian, did more to roll back state power than any other major politician of the twentieth century. Topics: Anti-Socialism
“Though it presented its thesis as radical and counterintuitive — that Margaret Thatcher was no conservative but a working-class revolutionary — I’d say it made more sense than all the other Maggie tributes I’ve read put together.”
–The Spectator
6. Dog Days (2013)
The uphill battle of one immigrant entrepreneur to create a new business is chronicled in this much-lauded documentary, which gives particular focus to the maddeningly hostile regulatory environment such struggling business-people must overcome to get anything done. Topics: Anti-Regulation | Creator-as-Hero | Pro-Immigration
“[Dog Days]…tells the classic American tale of entrepreneurs struggling to get their businesses off the ground in the face of endless bureaucratic rules and regulations—which shouldn’t be a part of their story at all.”
–Institute for Justice
7. Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree (2012)
Libertarian activist Derrick J. Freeman chronicles his arrest and incarceration for five “crimes” — videoing police, dancing in a public place, smoking cannabis, wearing a hat in court, and riding a bike — in a civil disobedience spree that demonstrates just how petty and dangerous is our ever-expanding body of law. Although not a major studio production, this film gets points for its gutsy young star who demonstrates unequivocally that government is force…and who paid with months in prison to bring that point to film. Topics: Anti-Regulation | Government Enforced Morality | Law & Liberty | Libertarianism 101
“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll be outraged at the people who made a ‘criminal’ out of one of the most peaceful people you would ever meet.”
–Free Press Publications
8. The House I Live In (2012)
The full spectrum of people involved in the War on Drugs–law enforcement authorities, convicts, journalists, academics and doctors–are interviewed here to rip the lid off a prison-industrial complex that is destroying the lives of millions. Many documentaries have been made about the effect of drug laws; this highly-acclaimed film is one of the best. Topics: Legalize Drugs
“It’s a film as profoundly sad as it is enraging and potentially galvanizing, and it’s one of the most important pieces of nonfiction to hit the screen in years.”
–Los Angeles Times
9. Battle for Brooklyn (2011)
When influential politicians and powerful business interests use eminent domain to seize part of Brooklyn for a city-approved development scheme, local residents fight back. Topics: Eminent Domain
“The movie…has heart, soul and chutzpah…Feisty but fairly reported…The time line that drives ‘Battle for Brooklyn’ makes it as urgent as any Hollywood thriller.”
–New York Daily News
10. The Cartel (2009)
Reporter Bob Bowdon investigates corruption, waste, and intimidation in U.S. public schools…and finds plenty. Topics: Government Schools | Incompetent Government | Unions & Monopolies
“Brisk, incisive and mind-boggling…”
–Los Angeles Times
11. The Soviet Story (2008)
The untold story of Soviet mass murder is documented through rare archival photographic footage and interviews with survivors. The extermination of tens of millions of Soviet citizens at the hands of their own government is one of the biggest under-reported crimes of the twentieth century, under-reported because left-leaning intellectuals are uncomfortable with the parallels it obviously implies between the Soviet and Nazi systems. Those parallels get laid out cold here. Topics: Democide | Anti-Socialism
“…gripping, audacious and uncompromising.”
–The Economist
12. Indoctrinate U (2007)
Humorous and hard-hitting examination of politically correct campus speech codes and the ‘thought police’ who enforce them. Topics: Freedom of Speech | Propaganda
“The average taxpayer and parents who foot the bill know little about the rot on many college campuses. ‘Indoctrinate U’…captures the tip of a disgusting iceberg.”
–Human Events
13. Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism (2005)
Socialism once promised to deliver “Heaven on Earth;” it not only failed to do so but in many cases delivered a state-sponsored hell instead. This documentary chronicles its rise and fall, and tells much of the untold story of how socialism all began. Topics: Anti-Socialism
“A remarkably comprehensive and entertaining telling of the history of socialism, full of little-known details and compelling character sketches of historical key players. It is no dry exposition, but a story of human drama touching every corner of the globe, and intelligently structured to give a clear step-by-step sense of the order of events.”
–MissLiberty.com
14. Innocents Betrayed (2003)
An examination of the global history of gun control laws reveals their dark side, how they have been commonly used to disarm target groups in advance of organized genocide, and to victimize women and minorities. Topics: Democide | Second Amendment
“All the gun-control geeks who mindlessly applauded Michael Moore’s dishonest Bowling for Columbine should be duct-taped to metal folding chairs and forced to watch Innocents Betrayed…In 58 minutes, [it] shows how, in the last century, civilian disarmament led to the slaughter of more than 100 million people at the hands of their own governments.”
–LewRockwell.com
15. Grass (1999)
So how did U.S. government policy with respect to marijuana get to be so absurd? You get the full answer to that question here in this well-researched and entertaining documentary. Although this film is serious in its implications, the telling is light, even comic at times, as the main focus is on mocking U.S government marijuana policy and those who would defend it. In this regard, good use is made of early (now laughable) propaganda films on pot, like High on the Range and Reefer Madness, as well as videotaped speeches and interviews by drug warriors. This is an enjoyable film, and the comic aspect of it also makes it a good pick to share with non-libertarian friends, as it communicates its very libertarian message in a relatively palatable form. Topics: Legalize Drugs | Propaganda
“Although Grass is serious in its implications, the telling is light, even comic at times, as the main focus is on mocking U.S government marijuana policy and those who would defend it.”
–MissLiberty.com
16. Sex, Drugs & Consenting Adults (1998)
This provocative film by John Stossel examines virtually the entire panoply of criminalized victimless behavior, including: pornography, prostitution, gambling, drug use, ticket “scalping,” sodomy, adultery, use of non-FDA approved medical treatments, and euthanasia. Taking each in turn, Stossel offers both critics and defenders of laws prohibiting these activities a chance to speak, himself acting as devil’s advocate against all sides. These interactions are wonderfully useful at showing just how shallow the arguments for such laws really are, and give a rare forum for the arguments against. This is a fantastic film from a libertarian perspective and is recommended for outreach material. Topics: Government Enforced Morality | Social Tolerance | Libertarianism 101 | John Stossel
17. Greed (1998)
This bold documentary makes the case that greed actually is good. Documentarian John Stossel makes his points in an evenhanded manner and with crystal clarity, employing a variety of colorful examples. Even more importantly, he does so without pulling any punches, at one point favorably comparing the good done by junk bond king Michael Milken to that done by Mother Theresa! This provocative film challenges the idea that force should be used to bring about equality, and will appeal to Ayn Rand fans in particular. Topics: Equality & Envy | Econ 101 | Pro-Capitalism | John Stossel
18. Liberty! The American Revolution (1997)
This PBS production is one of the best documentary tellings of the story of the American Revolution ever made. Its net effect is to turn history, which appeals to few, into historic drama, which has a much wider appeal. This six-part series is not just informative; it’s often touching, exciting, inspiring, and full of wonderful details about individuals. Above all it gives a sense of the greatness of the people involved in the Revolution. As told here, the American Revolution, which over time has revolutionized the world, was a very fluid series of events. But for the courage, intelligence, and dedication of a handful of people, it would never have gone where it did. This enjoyable series will leave you much better informed about this pivotal moment, not just in American history, but in human history. Topics: American Revolution | Right to Secede
19. Waco: Rules of Engagement (1997)
If you’ve ever wondered what actually happened in the 1993 Waco Masscare, why and how the government was able to kill dozens of people who had never been convicted of anything, watch this film. Step by step the government’s version of the story is unraveled, and in its place is left a holocaust that can only be attributed to an incredible abuse of state power. The high quality of this film, and its consequent Academy Award nomination, has given it credibility with all corners of the political spectrum. If you’re looking for a film to demonstrate to skeptical friends that yes, it can happen here—this is the one. Topics: Democide | Propaganda
“Whatever happened at Waco, these facts remain: It is not against the law to hold irregular religious beliefs. It is not illegal to hold and trade firearms. It is legal to defend your own home against armed assault, if that assault is illegal. It is impossible to see this film without reflecting that the federal government, from the top down, treated the Branch Davidians as if those rights did not apply.”
–Roger Ebert
20. Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life (1997)
Despite Ayn Rand’s rejection of the libertarian movement, she remains one of its strongest influences. This Academy-Award-nominated biography should appeal to her many libertarian fans. Given that Rand’s novels have sold by the hundreds of thousands and that American readers have rated her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, as the second most influential book in their lives after the Bible, this film is way overdue. Yes, it’s hero worship. But what better tribute for a hero-worshipper? Topics: Ayn Rand
“…an enriching historical perspective of the life and times of best-selling author Ayn Rand.”
–Pro Box Office
21. George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King (1992)
George Washington is probably the only leader in human history to have turned down the offer of supreme power over a continent; and not only did he turn down the opportunity to become king, he deliberately handed that power over to a democratic process, thus launching the first major democracy since ancient Greece. This informative and at times touching documentary will instill new admiration for this essential man, without whom the U.S. might have remained a British colony, or worse, become a monarchy or military dictatorship. Topics: American Revolution
22. Improper Conduct (1984)
Cuban refugees detail Castro’s persecution of “undesirables.” This is probably the most effective documentary ever made about socialist repression of personal liberty. The particular genius here is that it is the testimony of actual Cuban refugees, dozens of them, that gradually builds a damning and irrefutable picture of what it’s like to live in a “worker’s paradise.” The stories they relate of the labor camps to which they were sent are consistent, shocking, and very credible. This documentary was awarded the Grand Prix at the Twelfth International Human Rights Festival and is one of the very few on this site to earn the highest score in both libertarian content and production quality. Topics: Social Tolerance | Sexual Liberty | Anti-Socialism
“The movie’s tone is civilized, but the testimony is as savage as it’s convincing.”
–New York Times
23. Free to Choose (1980)
In this series, Milton Friedman guides the viewer through ten documentary-style lectures on the workings of the market and its relation to human liberty. This is a persuasive and entertaining exposition of libertarian ideas, and it’s a pleasure to see them presented with such clarity and charm. It’s a testament to the power of Friedman’s “radical” proposals—and perhaps this series itself—that some have already been implemented and others have become common subjects for discussion. Nonetheless, most viewers will not find the series excessively dated. The underlying theme of liberty versus state control is everlasting. Topics: Econ 101, Libertarianism 101, Pro-Capitalism, Milton Friedman
24. Karl Hess: Toward Liberty (1980)
Pro-liberty documentaries rarely win an Academy Award, but this one did, for Best Documentary Short. It examines the intellectual treck that took former Goldwater speechwriter Karl Hess first from the Republican Party to involvement in left-wing circles such as the Students for a Democratic Society, and finally to joining the then-budding libertarian movement. Hess’s transformation is emblematic of the early history of libertarianism, when small government advocates on the Right found common ground with anti-draft pro-personal-liberty advocates on the Left and melded into a new pro-liberty intellectual and political force. Topics: Libertarianism 101
25. The Incredible Bread Machine (1975)
A basic introduction to the ideas of liberty, emphasizing the relationship between personal and economic freedom. In the very early days of libertarianism, before the word “libertarian” had even gained common currency, let alone before the ideas it represented had blossomed into political significance, this short film was like rain on an intellectual desert. It’s now dated but still serviceable and is additionally interesting in its own right as a window into the early libertarian movement. Topics: Libertarianism 101 | Econ 101
Past Winners
The following were on the Top 25 list previously but were displaced by newly-discovered films that better represented the objectives of this list. These are nonetheless top notch films worthy of libertarian attention.
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case (2013)
A documentary examination of trumped-up charges brought against artist Ai Weiwei by the communist Chinese government, and of his heroic defiance. Topics: Freedom of Speech | Resistance to Tyranny
The Lottery (2010)
Five NYC students enter a lottery for acceptance to a local charter school, their only hope of escaping a government school system otherwise fully in the self-serving grip of the teachers union…but not all will win their ticket out of the education-industrial complex. Topics: Government Schools | Incompetent Government
Additional Libertarian Documentaries
More such libertarian documentaries can be found in the documentary section of Miss Liberty’s Film & Documentary World.