The 11 best documentaries of the past 25 years: from Grizzly Man to 20 Days in Mariupol

For years, far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones alleged that the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax – which ended in 2022 with Jones being successfully sued by the victims’ families for nearly $1.5 billion.

Now this extraordinary story has been turned into a new documentary, The Truth vs. Alex Jones, which is landing on Sky Atlantic tomorrow. It’s a shocking tale that exemplifies so many of the issues consuming America: media echo chambers, alternative truths and gun violence.

It also comes as a reminder of just how powerful documentaries can be. So, on the eve of the new release, we pick 11 of our, celebrating the genre – a near impossible task, even when restricting the list to films released over the last 25 years.