Best History Movies of 2020

What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a violent clash with the police. What followed was one of the most notorious trials in history.

South Africa, 1978. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee, two white political activists from the African National Congress imprisoned by the apartheid regime, put a plan in motion to escape from the infamous Pretoria Prison.

1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish the screenplay of Citizen Kane.

War photographer W. Eugene Smith travels back to Japan where he documents the devastating effect of mercury poisoning in coastal communities.

In the 1820s, a taciturn loner and skilled cook travels west to Oregon Territory, where he meets a Chinese immigrant also seeking his fortune. Soon the two team up on a dangerous scheme to steal milk from the wealthy landowner’s prized Jersey cow – the first, and only, in the territory.

An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.

A small unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV became one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict.

The story of Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie and her extraordinary scientific discoveries—through the prism of her marriage to husband Pierre—and the seismic and transformative effects their discovery of radium had on the 20th century.

The story of Ray-Ray McElrathbey, a freshman football player for Clemson University, who secretly raised his younger brother on campus after his home life became too unsteady.

When Mari Gilbert's daughter disappears, police inaction drives her own investigation into the gated Long Island community where Shannan was last seen. Her search brings attention to over a dozen murdered prostitutes.

The story of mime Marcel Marceau as he works with a group of Jewish boy scouts and the French Resistance to save the lives of ten thousand orphans during World War II.

Havana, Cuba, 1990. René González, an airplane pilot, unexpectedly flees the country, leaving behind his wife Olga and his daughter Irma, and begins a new life in Miami, where he becomes a member of an anti-Castro organization.

In a collection of intimate interviews with some of America's most provocative black conservative thinkers, Uncle Tom takes a unique look at being black in America. Featuring media personalities, ministers, civil rights activists, veterans, and a self-employed plumber, the film explores their personal journeys of navigating the world as one of America's most misunderstood political and cultural groups: The American Black Conservative. In this eye-opening film from Director Justin Malone and Executive Producer Larry Elder, Uncle Tom examines self-empowerment, individualism and rejecting the victim narrative. Uncle Tom shows us a different perspective of American History from this often ignored and ridiculed group.

The story of Vera Atkins, a crafty spy recruiter, and two of the first women she selects for Churchill's "secret army": Virginia Hall, a daring American undaunted by a disability and Noor Inayat Khan, a pacifist. These civilian women form an unlikely sisterhood while entangled in dangerous missions to turn the tide of the war.

A celebration of the Irish punk/poet Shane MacGowan, lead singer and songwriter of The Pogues, that combines unseen archive footage from the band and MacGowan’s family with original animations.

A group of women involved in the Women's Liberation Movement hatched a plan to invade the stage and disrupt the live broadcast at the 1970 Miss World competition in London, resulting in overnight fame for the newly-formed organization. When the show resumed, the results caused an uproar and turned the Western ideal of beauty on its head.

Quiz tells the extraordinary and sensational story of how Charles and Diana Ingram attempted an ‘audacious heist' on the quiz show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'. Major Ingram, his wife Diana and an accomplice, Tecwen Whittock—who was sitting in the audience—were accused of cheating their way to a million pounds, on what was the most popular game show on Earth in 2001. The couple stood trial for conspiring by coughing during the recording to signify the correct answers to the multiple choice questions posed to the Major by host, Chris Tarrant.

On May 23rd 1999, Owen Hart fell 80 feet to his death in a stunt that went tragically wrong. Bravely re-living his final day, his widow Martha reveals the mistakes that took his life.

In 2007 wrestling superstar Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy and 7-year-old son Daniel, and then ended his own life. Those closest to tragedy never spoken openly, until now.

In the pre-dawn twilight of an Alaskan shore, a young Native woman reflects on the story of Ada Blackjack, the sole survivor of a disastrous 1921 Arctic expedition, and the loneliness she must have felt waiting for a rescue through the months-long polar night.

In post-World War II America, a woman, rebuilding her life in the suburbs with her husband, kidnaps her neighbor and seeks vengeance for the heinous war crimes she believes he committed against her.

The story of the pioneering project to rehabilitate child survivors of the Holocaust on the shores of Lake Windermere.

Michael Strahan sits down with host Alex Trebek in a candid interview. Trebek talks about his life, his cancer battle and the upcoming "Jeopardy!" host episode where the show's greatest competitors face off.

A confessional, cautionary, and occasionally humorous tale of Robbie Robertson's young life and the creation of one of the most enduring groups in the history of popular music, The Band.

Investigating the mysterious story of Jimmy Snuka, whose girlfriend Nancy Argentino died in their motel room in 1983, and revealing her family's 30-year struggle for justice.

A documentary chronicling the shared experiences of prominent former child stars and the personal and professional price of fame and failure on a child.

One of the most feared and controversial wrestlers of all time, New Jack's career reads like a criminal rap-sheet. Revealing the man behind the monster and his hardcore legacy.

Man in the Arena is a feature-length documentary film exploring the life and accomplishments of media icon and political strategist Roger Ailes. Long before founding FOX News, Roger Ailes was an Emmy Award winning producer, director, documentarian, sought-after corporate consultant, and top political strategist. Many know of Ailes and his association with FOX, but few know how he got there, his work electing three presidents, or his pioneering mastery of television production and broadcasting.

Husband and wife team Greg and Felicity take a journey across Romania to try to answer one simple question - where is Dracula's Castle? Along the way they struggle as fiction, history and legend all mix together to confuse the question, but they get to experience some of the incredible beauty and impressive castles of Romania.

The story of the Promethean struggles of Nikola Tesla, as he attempts to transcend entrenched technology—including his own previous work—by pioneering a system of wireless energy that would change the world.

The inside story of how wrestling's ultimate tag team partnership is undone when one half of the powerhouse duo slides into alcohol and substance abuse.

An escaped slave travels north and has chance encounters with Frederick Douglass and John Brown. Based on the life story of Shields Green.

Young women toiling in a factory are exposed to hazardous material which takes a disastrous toll on their health.

A century after the world’s most exciting archaeological find - the tomb of Tutankhamun - we can witness the dramatic scenes of its discovery and marvel at its extraordinary treasures exactly as they were then, in colour.

Ireland, 1845. When a deadly fungus destroys potato crops throughout northern Europe, the most impoverished Irish population, whose main source of food is precisely the potato, suffers a cruel famine that will cause more than a million deaths and, in the following ten years, the mass exodus of more than two million people.

It's known as the worst idea in the history of professional wrestling - the legitimate boxing tournament led to career-ending injuries and had audiences begging for the final bell.

To escape the outback, a young Afghan cameleer falls in with a mysterious bushman on the run with stolen Crown gold.

A lineup of artists -- including Beck, Common, Gary Clark Jr., Foo Fighters, H.E.R., Juanes, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Chris Martin, Mavis Staples, St. Vincent, Usher and more -- pay tribute to Prince's unprecedented influence on music.

A royal woman living in rural Russia during the 18th century is forced to choose between her own personal happiness and the future of Russia, when she marries an Emperor.

According to the official history of Afghanistan, ruthless destruction has always prevailed over art and creation; but there is another tale to be told, the forgotten account of a diverse and progressive country, seen through the lens of innovative filmmakers, a story that survives thanks to a few brave Afghans, a small but very passionate group that secretly fought to save a huge film archive that was constantly menaced by war and religious fanaticism.

A documentary that examines the repercussions of the child abuse scandal that erupted on Jersey in 2007 and the role played by two bloggers in forcing the island to confront its past.

"What would the world be like without Beethoven?" That’s the provocative question posed by this music documentary from Deutsche Welle. To answer it, the film explores how Ludwig van Beethoven's innovations continue to have an impact far beyond the boundaries of classical music, 250 years after his birth.

An equal rights crusader, journalist and activist: Gloria Steinem embodies these and more. From her role in the revolutionary women's rights movement to her travels throughout the U.S. and around the world, Steinem has made an everlasting mark on modern history. A nontraditional chronicle of a trailblazing life.

The cautionary tale of David Schultz , set to become a superstar until his violent run-in with 20/20 reporter John Stossel saw him exiled from the business he was sworn to protect.

One man's fanatical attempt to build a wrestling empire to rival the WWF goes tragically haywire as his ego and cocaine addiction kills his dream - and him along with it.

30 years after Dino Bravo's brutal murder, family and friends relive his descent from Montreal's favorite wrestling son to mob enforcer, and the deadly consequences that followed.

David Gregory and Kier-La Janisse take a detailed look at the history of horror anthology films with the help of more than sixty writers, genre specialists, and members of the film industry.

Learn how the longest reigning monarch in British history was shaped by World War II. Princess Elizabeth’s experiences during the war mirrored those of the public and helped shape her into the Queen she is today.

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.