Movies Like August 28: A Day in the Life of a People

If you liked August 28: A Day in the Life of a People (2017), a history and documentary movie directed by Ava DuVernay, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Cameraperson (2016)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What…
2
Feminists: What Were They Thinking? (2018)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
In 1977, a book of photographs captured an awakening - women shedding the cultural restrictions of their childhoods and embracing their full humanity. This documentary revisits those photos, those women and those times…
3
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary and history
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
4
She's Beautiful When She's Angry (2014)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.
5
I Am Ali (2014)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.
6
The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)
★ 7/10Also documentary and history
Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.
7
Fuck (2006)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
8
Audrey (2020)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary and history
An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
9
13th (2016)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
10
In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
In the Realms of the Unreal is a documentary about the reclusive Chicago-based artist Henry Darger. Henry Darger was so reclusive that when he died his neighbors were surprised to find a 15,145-page manuscript along…
11
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
12
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
13
Sidney (2022)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
14
Love, Marilyn (2013)
★ 6.5/10Also documentary
Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses…
15
Visions of Light (1992)
★ 7/10Also documentary and history
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes…
16
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
An impressionistic portrait of the iconic actor Harry Dean Stanton comprised of intimate moments, film clips from some of his 250 films and his renditions of American folk songs.
17
Heart of a Dog (2015)
★ 6.5/10Also documentary
Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.
18
The Director and the Jedi (2018)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
An intimate documentary delving into Rian Johnson's process as he comes in as a director new to the Star Wars universe.
19
Maidentrip (2014)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
14-year-old Laura Dekker sets out on a two-year voyage in pursuit of her dream to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.
20
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.