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Movies like Züri brännt (1981)

The best movies like Züri brännt (1981) are For Sama (2019), Room 237 (2012) and Night Will Fall (2014). If Züri brännt hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.

Quick picks

  1. For Sama (2019)

    A love letter from a young mother to her daughter, the film tells the story of Waad al-Kateab’s life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while cataclysmic conflict rises around her. Her camera captures incredible stories of loss, laughter and survival as Waad wrestles with an impossible choice– whether or not to flee the city to protect her daughter’s life, when leaving means abandoning the struggle for freedom for which she has already sacrificed so much.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

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  2. Room 237 (2012)

    A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

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  3. Night Will Fall (2014)

    When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  4. Style Wars (1984)

    Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant's PBS documentary tracks the rise and fall of subway graffiti in New York in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  5. Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017)

    The courtroom and publicity battles between the superstar wrestler and the notorious website explode in a sensational trial all about the limits of the First Amendment and the new no holds barred nature of celebrity life in an internet dominated society.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  6. The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

    Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans, based on his famous 1994 autobiography.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

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  7. Milli Vanilli (2023)

    The story of Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan, who became fast friends during their youth in Germany. With Rob coming from a broken home and Fabrice having left an abusive household, they shared a similar upbringing, as well as a future goal: to become famous superstars. In a few short years, their dreams came true. Rob and Fab, better known as Milli Vanilli, became the world's most popular pop duo in 1990 and won the GRAMMY for Best New Artist. However, their ascension to success came with a devastating price that ultimately led to their infamous undoing.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  8. Matangi / Maya / M.I.A. (2018)

    Drawn from a never before seen cache of personal footage spanning decades, this is an intimate portrait of the Sri Lankan artist and musician who continues to shatter conventions.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  9. QT8: The First Eight (2019)

    A detailed account of the life and artistic career of legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, from his early days as a video club manager to the scandalous fall in disgrace of producer Harvey Weinstein. A story about how to shoot eight great movies and become an icon of modern pop culture.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  10. One More Time with Feeling (2016)

    Andrew Dominik's One More Time With Feeling is a remarkable black and white documentary which chronicles the creation of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' album Skeleton Tree. Originally a performance based concept, the film evolved into something much more significant as Dominik delved into the tragic backdrop of the writing and recording of the album. The result is stark, fragile and raw, and a true testament to an artist trying to find his way through the darkness. It documents the writing, recording and performing of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds’ sixteenth studio album, Skeleton Tree.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  11. Facing Ali (2009)

    Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  12. Belushi (2020)

    Using previously unheard audiotapes recorded shortly after John Belushi’s death, director R.J. Cutler’s documentary feature examines the too-short life of the once-in-a-generation talent who captured the hearts and funny bones of devoted audiences.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  13. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004)

    A documentary on the Z Channel, one of the first pay cable stations in the US, and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974, the LA-based channel's eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  14. One Child Nation (2019)

    Through interviews with both victims and instigators, Nanfu Wang, a first-time mother, breaks open decades of silence on a vast, unprecedented social experiment that shaped — and destroyed — countless lives in China.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  15. Zero Days (2016)

    Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  16. Stop at Nothing: The Lance Armstrong Story (2014)

    A portrait of the man behind the greatest fraud in sporting history. Lance Armstrong enriched himself by cheating his fans, his sport and the truth. But the former friends whose lives and careers he destroyed would finally bring him down.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  17. Disclosure (2020)

    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.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Worth the HypeMovies like this
  18. Dig! (2004)

    A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  19. Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (2010)

    An in-depth look at the rapid rise and dramatic fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Popcorn FlickMovies like this
  20. Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (2018)

    A funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians, Robin Williams, told largely through his own words. Celebrates what he brought to comedy and to the culture at large, from the wild days of late-1970s L.A. to his death in 2014.

    Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary

    Absolute CinemaMovies like this
  21. Hugo Koblet - The Charming Cyclist (2010)

    Zurich-born Hugo Koblet was the first international cycling star of the post-war period. He was a stylist on the bicycle and in life, and a huge heartthrob. Koblet had a meteoric rise and won the Giro d'Italia in 1950. Once he had reached the zenith of his career, Koblet was put under pressure by overly ambitious officials and ended up ruining his health with drugs. In 1954, he married a well-known model and they became a celebrity dream couple. After his athletic career ended, Koblet began to lose his footing. Threatened by bankruptcy, he crashed his Alfa into a tree.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  22. Blindsight (2006)

    Six blind Tibetan teenagers climb the Lhakpa-Ri peak of Mount Everest, led by seven-summit blind mountain-climber Erik Weihenmayer.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  23. Ve jménu míru (1947)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  24. 1312 (2019)

    Facts about American police officers

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  25. Ženy v uniformě (1954)

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  26. Zwischenwelten - Unterschiedliche Wege des Heilens (2020)

    A documentary about healers from the Swiss canton of Appenzell.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  27. Arada (2021)

    The story of three Turkish men. They all grew up in Switzerland and all got deported after various criminal offenses.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  28. Wright's Law (2012)

    Every now and then, we get a teacher who doesn't just connect with us -- they make us a better person in the world. Jeffrey Wright of Louisville, Ky. is one of those teachers. He uses wacky experiments to teach high school kids about science and the universe. But it's his own personal story about his relationship with his disabled son that shows his students the true meaning of life.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  29. Police State 2000 (1999)

    Alex Jones exposes the growing militarization of American law enforcement and the growing relationship between the military and police. Witness US training with foreign troops and learning how to control and contain civilian populations. You will see Special Forces helicopter attacks on South Texas towns, concentration camps, broad unconstitutional police actions, search and seizure and more.

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

  30. Police State II: The Take Over (2000)

    Alex Jones exposes the problem-reaction-solution paradigm being used to terrorize the American people into accepting a highly controlled and oppressive society. From children in public schools being trained to turn in their peers and parents, to the Army and National Guard patrolling our nation's highways, Police State: The Takeover reveals the most threatening developments of Police State control

    Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary

Like Züri brännt and something else?

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Frequently asked questions

What are the best movies like Züri brännt?

The closest matches to Züri brännt are For Sama (2019), Room 237 (2012) and Night Will Fall (2014). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.

What should I watch after Züri brännt?

Start with For Sama (2019), the closest match to Züri brännt.

What is the highest-rated movie like Züri brännt?

For Sama (2019), rated 8.2/10 by 323 TMDB users.

What is the newest movie like Züri brännt?

Milli Vanilli (2023) is the most recent release on this list.

Are there German movies like Züri brännt?

Yes: Hugo Koblet - The Charming Cyclist (2010), Zwischenwelten - Unterschiedliche Wege des Heilens (2020) and Arada (2021).

How are movies similar to Züri brännt chosen?

First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Züri brännt, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.

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