Last Updated on Feb 9, 2022 by James W
Are you a financial geek? If yes, you might be interested in knowing or exploring financial matters around you. Yes, it is quite natural to all human beings in this money-loving world. You can be either a business owner or accounting professional, head of the finance department, or an ordinary person with a lot of interest. Every one of us is related to finance either directly or indirectly. So, news or stories about money or weal management would inspire us a lot. We may feel delighted when we come across documentaries about finances whenever released.
Have you seen documentaries or a short film about finance portfolios? Of course, it would be a nail-biting experience to watch. You may be triggered by watching true story-based finance documentaries on your home screen or cinema hall. Finance documentaries are available in plenty produced by big companies. You can watch it to know about financial scams, money decisions matters, in and outs. Some of the documentaries tickle the past incidents, such as scandals, the rise and the fall of big corporations. Some of the documentaries on finance look forward to the future.
Each documentary on finance gives its unique perspective on economics for your knowledge purpose. Of course, these documentaries fulfill your expectations in all aspects. Some viewers are interested to know the reason for the financial mess. Some might be interested to know the reasons behind a scandal and the people responsible. The documentaries on finance are perfectly narrated and delivered to match the interest of audiences.
The short-duration documentaries do not have complicated language or storyline. The short films are easy to understand; even an ordinary person can. Hence, the popularity of documentaries on finance has been growing. The below 20 best finance documentaries give you the required thrill and adventure while watching.
Best Finance Documentaries:
1. Inside Job: Financial Crisis Movie
This American documentary was directed by Charles Ferguson. It has won one academy award and was nominated for several awards. This documentary is about the financial crisis that occurred in the 2000s. A world-class narration by Matt Damon adds value to the film. The documentary is packed with top-notch interviewees to the interest of the audience. This documentary is made in five parts with better performances of the actors. The detailed narration of the environment and banking policy changes in this documentary are mind-blowing. This documentary received both positive and negative reviews across the world.
2. The Corporation: Finance Documentary
It is a Canadian documentary film written by Joel Bakan. The plot of the film is about creating a corporation as a person. It delves deep into the physiological status of a corporation, how it reacts, Is it good for society? The directors, Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott have crafted this documentary to the satisfaction of audiences. The audience praised the film and enjoyed it to the core. The interpretation of the film has a great impact on the audience. This film was a box office hit at the time of its release. Hence, it has won 11 film awards under the documentary category.
3. The China Hustle: Finance Documentary
This documentary was written and directed by Jed Rothstein. This film has attracted many people from various sectors and the general audience. It is a finance documentary that tells about the financial scam of the USA’s stock exchanges in 2008. The opening line of the documentary is sensational about capitalism. The film is a first-class movie and is directed by Jed Rothstein. The banker’s interviews in the documentary are top of the line. The documentary’s depth analysis of stock investment in China will not miss your attention.
4. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the room: Financial Scam
This American documentary film deals with the disaster of the Enron Corporation. This film is an eye-opener to the audience because they come to know the truth about the corporation’s disaster. The detailed interviews of Enron’s executives and employees in the documentary add value to your time. This documentary gained positive reviews across the world for its first quality features. The film won the Independent Spirit Award for the best documentary and was nominated for other popular awards. This film was a massive hit due to its narration and in-depth scandal exposure narration.
5. Capitalism: A Love Story: Finance Documentary
The American documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has directed and written this documentary, Capitalism. This film is packed with several thought-provoking ideas and is entertaining to watch. This movie was recommended by many financial experts and so gained worldwide popularity at the time of its release. The powerful historical aspects in the movie are eye-catching and sensational. Besides being a box office hit, this film has won four awards. Michael Moore’s narration adds tremendous value to the audience who watches it. The film mostly received positive reviews everywhere. Moore begins the film with a sensational capitalism explanation, which is powerful.
6. The Big Short: Financial Crisis Movie
This documentary was well received at the time of its release in 2015. This film was directed by Adam McKay and produced with a budget of $50 million. The story revolves around a few men that bet against investment banks. The story is based on bringing up the failures of financial institutions and their products-for-profit motives. The film is worth the time and money you spend. This film has won many awards for its screenplay and was nominated for best direction and film. The film had a great run at the box office and was declared a super hit. The three separate stories, but connected at a point, are a threat to the audience. This documentary has won an Oscar award.
7. Barbarians at the Gate: Wall Street Movie
This biographical comedy film was released in 1993. This film’s story is based on the CEO of RJR Nabisco Ross Johnson’s market decision. He decides to purchase undervalued companies after receiving the news. Later, his stock professionals became his competitors in the stock market. This film is a first-class story written by Larry Gelbart. This film has won many awards, including golden globes and other wins. This true story enticed audiences a lot, and so the film has received positive reviews. Glenn Jordan’s direction was outstanding and top-notch.
8. The Ascent of Money: Finance Documentary
This documentary was a rewarding watch indeed. The story delves deep into the meaning of money, credit, and banking. This story is based on the book A Financial History of the World by the author Niall Ferguson. This film has won the hearts of audiences for its neat screenplay and direction. The latest four-hour version of the documentary is sensational and informative. The depth of world transformation by money is narrated to the core value by the director and story writer of the film. Indeed, this documentary is a visual treat for quality audiences. This film won an International Emmy Award in the year 2009.
9. Chasing Madoff: Ponzi Scheme True Story
This documentary film was based on the book’s story “No one would listen.” The main plot of the story revolves around the companies that use lazy money. This film’s solid cast and narration are hair-raising. This film is worth your time and attracts many professionals in the finance sector. This true story is well crafted for the audience’s purpose and directed and produced by Jeff Prosserman. This good film has won the hearts of the audience and obtained mixed reviews from all sides. This film had the honor of being released at Amsterdam’s International Documentary Film Festival.
10. Too Big to Fail: Financial Crisis Documentary
This documentary was based on the book Too Big to Fail. It has won five awards and had three Golden Globe nominations. This documentary deals with the US’ depressing financial systems. It brings to light the absence of changes in the US government since the financial crisis. The writer of the documentary, Peter Gould, has done his job to the best. The simple narration and unbiased storyline are the highlights of the film. This film had a good run at the box office and is still liked by audiences for its story and plot.
11. Floored: Trader Documentary
This is one of the best documentaries released in 2009. The story of the film is about Chicago’s trading floors’ people and business. This film was directed by James Allen Smith and written by Andrew McAllister and James Allen Smith. The impact of the electronic trading revolution on Chicago traders was depicted in an exclusive way in the film. Also, the film shows the suffering of traders due to the impact of the computer. The story also tells about the existence of floor trading and how it is passed over the counter.
12. Wall Street Warriors: Trader Documentary
It is one of the best documentaries ever produced. Yes, the story deals with a man’s life and their sufferings on the job. The film delves deep into the lives of many Wall Street entrepreneurs. The story is about the entrepreneurs earning money, and how they are suffering due to mental stress is explained in the film. It also reached audiences in the form of TV series. People’s mentality towards entrusting their money and portfolios is captured in this film. This documentary was well received and got many positive reviews from critics. The narration of the story caught the audience’s hearts to the core.
13. Banking On Bitcoin: Finance Documentary
This documentary is technologically brilliant to meet the expectations of the audience, especially those on bitcoin. This film may attract many professionals nowadays because it speaks about the birth of bitcoin. It also makes you sit at the edge for its wonderful narration about the technology driving bitcoin. The BlockChain technology is explained in this film, thanks to the story writer’s creativeness. The experts’ interviews and suggestions make viewers smile and are captivated. Even the competition for bitcoins is explained in the film.
14. Freakonomics: Finance Documentary
This is an American documentary film released in the year 2010. This story of the film is based on the book Freakonomics. This watchable movie is about exploring human nature. The story is about different thoughts about economics and various insights from economists. This documentary entices much economics to watch, and it is worth the time you spend. It is a collection of filmed documentaries that attract viewers with a lot of interest. The highlights of the film are direction, cinematography, and narration. It is one of the cult pieces of modern world economics.
15. Dirty Money
This is a documentary released by Netflix original in 2018. This documentary series deals with corruption stories in various sectors, such as corporate and security. The story also includes creative accounting. The story is interesting to watch, and a viewer shall understand the involvement of corporations’ development based on lies and scandals. The financial industry’s greed and corruption issues are also explained in the documentary. There are two seasons consisting of 12 episodes, six each, to view the Dirty Money series on TV. The reviews and reactions for the series are stunning and positive from the audience. The story unearths the other side of a corporate strategy for earning profit. This short film has nail-biting scenes to enjoy.
16. Prediction by the Numbers
This documentary gives an understanding of the failure of predictions and also the success of forecasting. This film was directed and produced by Daniel McCabe. The story strongly stresses the importance of statistics and algorithms in business. The story keeps the viewer at the edge of their seat due to the narration and screenplay. The director has nicely crafted the plot to attract viewers. The film has gained mixed reviews from all parts and also earned positive reviews. This documentary had a wonderful success among the minds of viewers.
17. Trader
It is an exclusive one-hour documentary deal about future trading. The story features the frantic marketplace workings for viewers. The stock market crash was nicely narrated in the film. The film gives a visual treat to viewers who are eager to learn about the stock market. The truth behind the stocks and the various involvements of bigwigs are exposed in the plot. The audience’s response to the film was stunning and recommendable. There were many positive reviews available on the internet for this short film.
18. Life and Debt
It is one of the best documentaries liked by viewers. The story has attracted a lot of people from small countries. The reason is the story tells about the indebtedness in small countries. It also tells the seriousness of indebtedness and how it affects people in many countries. This film gives a deep insight for financial experts to know the merits and demerits of debt lending. It also gives an idea to bail out the countries that suffer from debt. Yet another interesting feature of the film is the exposure of the effect of IMF policy on common people.
19. Breaking the Bank
This documentary tells the American banking crisis in simple language to the audience. Viewers may also understand the $500 billion fund allocation as a relief to the banking disaster. The funds are allocated to protect the banks from becoming bankrupt. These minute and important details were cleverly narrated by the film’s director and story writer. Finance practitioners can have a better understanding by watching the film. The film had a tremendous response among viewers at the time of release.
20. The pit
This 2009 documentary gives viewers a broad understanding of the olden days’ traders. The details about the trading systems followed by yesteryears’ traders were detailed in the film. The effect of electronic trading among the traders is also detailed in the film. This film received good and bad reviews from the public. However, it ran well in the box office due to its unique storyline. The story narration was exceptionally good, and so it became a popular documentary at the time of release. The viewer understands the downfall of pit trading due to the electronic trading benefits.
Conclusion
I hope the above list of finance documentaries may fulfill your demand and expectations. These films are picked based on your education and entertainment purposes. The above list of films is great to cope with your financial knowledge in an exemplary way. You can find both old and new documentaries in the above list, but all are informative. If you are interested in watching these films, you will learn a lot about finance. Getting a chance to watch a finance film is really a rare chance in your life. You can upgrade yourself if you spend time watching these films. You will learn something new every time you watch these documentaries.
The above short films empower you to know about various financial ups and downs that happened before. These short films empower you to lift your basic knowledge about finance to another level. Yes, your ideas about money-making ideas may get changed after watching the above films. Do give a try to your knowledge empowerment by watching these documentaries on finance.
This article is published on makemoneyinlife.com
