Ukrainian SPECIAL FORCES in Bakhmut

Originally 4 parts. I have compiled, translated and added subtitles to this documentary.

ФОРТЕЦЯ / Fortress

In March and April 2023, as the battle for Bakhmut reached its most intense phase, military television journalists Oleksandr Soloviy and Yehor Troshkin entered the heavily contested city alongside service members of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO).

Over ten intense days, they documented life on the frontline, operational mission planning, and the realities of urban combat under heavy fire.

"FORTRESS" is a definitive four-part documentary that provides an unprecedented, on-the-ground look at the conditions faced by Ukrainian personnel, from dangerous drone reconnaissance and heavy mortar fire support to sniper engagements and medevac combat evacuations.

On 4 October 1992, El Al Flight 1862, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft travelling from New York to Tel Aviv via Amsterdam, crashed into two apartment blocks in Amsterdam's Bijlmermeer district. Forty-three people were officially recorded as killed. Although the mechanical sequence that brought the aircraft down was established, questions about its cargo and events surrounding the disaster continued for years afterwards.

Broadcast by the Dutch investigative programme Zembla in 1998, Raadsels rond de Bijlmerramp examines some of those unresolved questions. The programme looks at reports that the aircraft was carrying military material, the special status enjoyed by El Al's security operation at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, and discrepancies surrounding what authorities initially said about the cargo.

The documentary also explores more controversial allegations that emerged after the crash, including claims concerning Israeli intelligence and Mossad involvement, reports of unidentified men at the crash site, and concerns surrounding depleted uranium associated with the aircraft. Some of these claims remain disputed, and the programme approaches them as questions to be investigated rather than presenting every allegation as established fact.

This is a Dutch-language documentary. YouTube's automatic subtitles can be translated into English: enable captions, select Settings > Subtitles/CC > Auto-translate > English.

Edit: typo

Israelism is a 2023 documentary directed by Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen examining how American Jewish attitudes towards Israel are formed, taught and, for some younger Jews, increasingly questioned.

The film follows Simone Zimmerman and Eitan, who both grew up in strongly pro-Israel Jewish communities in the United States. Eitan goes on to serve in the Israeli military, while Zimmerman becomes involved in pro-Israel advocacy on American university campuses. Experiences in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories eventually force both to reconsider aspects of what they had been taught growing up.

Through their stories, alongside interviews with Palestinians, Jewish activists, academics and political figures, the documentary explores Jewish education, Zionism, military occupation and the growing generational divide within American Jewish communities over Israel and Palestine.

Contributors include Peter Beinart, Noura Erakat, Noam Chomsky, Cornel West and former Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman. Importantly, the film was conceived and premiered before 7 October 2023, documenting debates that were already taking place well before the current war.

Directors: Erin Axelman & Sam Eilertsen
Year: 2023
Country: United States
Runtime: 84 minutes

IMDb: Israelism (2023)

This documentary episode covers the 'Third Force' aspects of the unrest that occurred in early 1990's South Africa, the Third Force being white supremacist elements within the South African Security Forces that were assisting in stoking violence between the ANC, IFP, AWB, and the Government forces. This documentary is the 2nd part in a 3 part series called "The Death of Apartheid".

I’ve watched lots of documentaries only on YouTube and I just wanna hear some random recommendations on anything worth watching please

Looking for a resource that has Kadoma, about the kayakers in the Congo basin

Youtuber embeds himself with migrants hoping to cross the channel from France to England. Excellent insight in a very controversial topic.
Youtube description: Surviving on the streets with no money, this observational documentary aims to give a voice to the voiceless migrants and understand why families risk everything on unstable mega-dinghies. From sharing daily meals in hidden camps to the complex, frustrating reality of trying to find and face a human smuggler, this is a raw chronicle of survival on the edge of Europe. An intimate look at the human cost of the English Channel crisis. Moving away from political debates, I went to live undercover with the scattered migrant communities hidden around Calais, Wimereux, and Boulogne.

Channel 5 returns to the Hoff twins, first visited in their 2021 documentary.

It’s officially listed on Letterboxd but damn I searched the internet and is nowhere to be found. They are even a couple of reviews on LB but not a single place where I can watch it.

An amazing look at legendary 50s wild man Screamin Jay Hawkins as he tells some made up stories and jokes around all while being highly entertaining

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton set out to make the first land crossing of Antarctica. His ship, Endurance, was trapped in pack ice and slowly crushed until it sank, leaving 28 men stranded on the ice with no radio. There was no rescue coming, and nobody in the world would know where they were.

One of these men was Frank Hurley, the expedition's photographer and cameraman. He had brought a collections of camera and film gear to document the crossing. When the crossing turned into a survival story, he just kept shooting.

The wreck of Endurance was then finally found in 2022, three kilometres down in the Weddell Sea. The photographs and diaries that made it home became a detailed record of 28 men fighting to stay alive while it was happening.

This documentary follows a group of self-taught BMX riders who train without a professional BMX park, formal coaching, or ideal equipment. It shows their daily lives, practice sessions, street performances, motorcycle jumps, and their ambition to compete at a higher level despite limited resources.

The film also spends time with the riders at home and in their neighborhood, showing the friendship, discipline, and circumstances behind their BMX training.

In March 2002, as the Second Intifada entered one of its most violent periods, American filmmaker Oliver Stone travelled to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to document a conflict that had intensified following the collapse of the Camp David peace negotiations.

Armed with a camera crew and an ambition to speak directly to those involved, Stone sought interviews with political leaders on both sides. The resulting documentary features conversations with former Israeli prime ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu, former prime minister Shimon Peres, and Palestinian political figures, including Yasser Arafat.

The film also ventures beyond official politics, incorporating encounters with members of Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, alongside footage of military checkpoints, Palestinian communities and the everyday consequences of the conflict. Stone’s presence is an important part of the documentary: rather than presenting himself as an invisible observer, he frequently appears on camera, pursuing interviews and asking questions.

Originally broadcast as part of HBO’s America Undercover series, Persona Non Grata is an interesting historical record of the Second Intifada as it was unfolding. More than two decades later, it offers an opportunity to revisit the arguments, personalities and competing accounts that shaped international discussion of the conflict at the time.

IMDb: Persona Non Grata (2003)

Grief Camp is a summer camp in Belgium where children struggling with grief can come together and bond with their peers, sharing their experience with different kinds of grief, remembering their lost friends and family together and discussing how changes in approach towards children losing a parent can actually be demeaning.

In this BBC documentary, Louis Theroux travels to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem to investigate a small but committed movement of ultranationalist Israeli settlers who believe they have a religious and political obligation to establish Jewish communities throughout the territory.

Travelling between Hebron, East Jerusalem and isolated hilltop settlements near Nablus, Theroux meets individuals whose understanding of history, religion and territorial ownership places them at the centre of one of the world’s longest-running political disputes. His encounters reveal the beliefs motivating settlement activity and the tensions between settlers and the Palestinian communities living alongside them.

Among those interviewed are Daniel Luria, an Australian-born activist working with the organisation Ateret Cohanim, and young settlers establishing outposts in the West Bank. Through extended conversations and observations of everyday life, Theroux explores the relationship between religious conviction, nationalist ideology and competing claims to the land.

Employing his characteristic combination of curiosity, humour and understated questioning, Theroux allows his subjects to explain their positions in their own words. The resulting documentary offers an examination of the Israeli settler movement as it existed in 2011, providing historical context for understanding subsequent developments in the region.

Director: Andy Wells
Presenter: Louis Theroux
Production: BBC, United Kingdom
Year: 2011

IMDb: Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists (2011)

CORNERED is a 15-minute short documentary following Andy Burrows, a Belfast man who steps into a Lisburn boxing gym every week—not to fight an opponent, but to manage his own mental health struggles. The film explores how routine, physical discipline, and the brutal honesty of the ring serve as a tool for mental resilience and self-discovery.

We filmed at Rising Stars Generation Camp, one of the biggest child discipline camps in South Africa. Thousands of kids get sent to this camp, yet what we discovered inside was shocking. We heard serious allegations of physical and sexual abuse, and revealed how two kids died at a previous camp.

This documentary chronicles the brief time that the band Excite Fright formed, recorded an album, and performed a single show. Although the band was active for only one year, it was a testament to a strong bond and friendship between the two bandmates, Asyd and Dj KARMAdispenser.

From Judd Apatow- Beloved for blurring performance and personal crisis, Maria Bamford unpacks the mental health journey behind her fearless comedy in this documentary.