Vitali Klitschko is a figure from a novel: a handsome and gigantic heavyweight boxing champion, a Guinness World Record-holder, a twin, a multilingual scholar (he holds a PhD in sports science), a former member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the mayor of Kyiv.
Now Sky is days away from releasing Klitschko: More Than a Fight, a new documentary about the boxing legend’s life and political career – focusing on his efforts as mayor (he took on the role in 2014) in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war. The film also spotlights his relationship with his brother, fellow boxer Wladimir.
"Before February 24th, I thought I knew myself, but I was wrong," Wladimir says in the film, referring to the advent of the war. "What you have achieved in your life, awards, medals, is so unimportant. Now the only question is, what can I do for Ukraine?"
As we await the release of the documentary from Kevin Macdonald, the director of The Last King of Scotland (2006), The Mauritanian (2021), and High & Low – John Galliano (2023), he are some other fantastic documentaries about political figures who changed the world.
Bobi Wine: The People's President (2022)
This Oscar-nominated film documents the presidential campaign of Ugandan Afrobeats singer turned politician, Bobi Wine. Documentary-makers Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo followed Wine, with intimate access, for an astonishing five years, as he tried to challenge authoritarian ruler Yoweri Museveni, the president since 1986. It’s no easy task and Wine is jailed, beaten, and yet eternally optimistic, making for a moving and galvanising piece of cinema.
Navalny (2022)
Last week’s prisoner swap between Russia and America and its allies was tinged with regret: Alexei Navalny, the Russian lawyer and activist who became a thorn in Putin’s side, could have been on that plane, having been part of the negotiations. But the opposition leader died in February in mysterious circumstances, while in detention in one of Russia’s northernmost prisons. This Oscar-winning documentary from Daniel Roher investigates Navalny’s 2020 poisoning which nearly ended his life.
The Kingmaker (2019)
This astonishing film unpacks the life of the controversial Imelda Marcos, the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. While her husband Ferdinand Marcos ruled, they stole billions of pesos from the country, living a lavish lifestyle which consisted of amassing jewellery, shoes, art and property and throwing huge parties. In 1986, the family fled into exile, but came back just five years later, and despite facing tax fraud and corruption charges, tried to return to politics. Here, Lauren Greenfield (the director of the now famous commercial, #likeagirl) tells some of the remarkable story, featuring interviews with Imelda herself.
The Final Year (2017)
This fly-on-the-wall documentary picks up with Obama and his staffers as their time in office comes to a close. Their work now carries a certain sadness, particularly after Trump – who they know will go out of his way to undo a lot of their progress – is announced as the successor. But it also imbues the team with a fearlessness, and more concrete sense of purpose. The result is a gripping and moving swansong to the Obama years, particularly for those interested in foreign policy.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (2009)
Nominated for an Oscar, this fascinating film explores the events that led to the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971. The papers, a 47-volume history consisting of over 7,000 pages (of both narrative and supporting documents) investigated America’s role in Indochina from the Second World War until May 1968. Daniel Ellsberg, an American military analyst and researcher working on the project, leaked a lot of its contents to The New York Times, changing the course of American history.
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)
Another brilliant Oscar-winning documentary: Errol Morris looks into the extraordinary life of former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, a man who served under both John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson (making him the longest-serving defense secretary). Comprising archival footage, recordings from 1960s cabinet meetings, new interviews with an 85-year-old McNamara and an original score by Philip Glass, the thought-provoking film was described by one critic as a “movie that ought to be studied by military and civilian leaders around the world”.
The Battle of Chile (1975-1979)
Long before Patricio Guzmán turned his camera to the skies, making the fantastic Nostalgia for the Light, he chronicled the political atmosphere in his home country, Chile. His epic multi-award-winning trilogy depicts the boiling political tension in 1973, and the subsequent military coup against president Salvador Allende and his government.
