7 Political Documentaries That Caused Controversy

Take a look at films that spurred public opinion.

Innocence of Muslims (2011) - From Innocence of Muslims to Bowling for Columbine, BET.com takes a look back at films that touched on controversial topics and spurred public opinion. – Britt MiddletonThe anti-Islamic film, directed and written by American filmmaker Sam Bacile, allegedly portrays Muhammad, Islam's most holy figure, "as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman in an overtly ridiculing way, showing him having sex and calling for massacres," writes the Associated Press. After a trailer of the film was posted on YouTube and translated into Arabic recently, angry protesters attacked U.S. embassies in Cairo and Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans were killed on Sept. 11, 2012. (Photo: YouTube)

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Innocence of Muslims (2011) - From Innocence of Muslims to Bowling for Columbine, BET.com takes a look back at films that touched on controversial topics and spurred public opinion. – Britt MiddletonThe anti-Islamic film, directed and written by American filmmaker Sam Bacile, allegedly portrays Muhammad, Islam's most holy figure, "as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman in an overtly ridiculing way, showing him having sex and calling for massacres," writes the Associated Press. After a trailer of the film was posted on YouTube and translated into Arabic recently, angry protesters attacked U.S. embassies in Cairo and Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans were killed on Sept. 11, 2012. (Photo: YouTube)

2016: Obama's America (2012) - "Love Him. Hate Him. You Don't Know Him" is the tagline for this documentary produced by A-list producer Gerald R. Molen. The documentary "takes audiences on a gripping visual journey into the heart of the world’s most powerful office to reveal the struggle of whether one man's past will redefine America over the next four years," according to the movie's official website. Showing on thousands of theaters across the country, the film is the second highest grossing political documentary of all time, according to Box Office Mojo. (Photo: Obama's America Foundation)

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2016: Obama's America (2012) - "Love Him. Hate Him. You Don't Know Him" is the tagline for this documentary produced by A-list producer Gerald R. Molen. The documentary "takes audiences on a gripping visual journey into the heart of the world’s most powerful office to reveal the struggle of whether one man's past will redefine America over the next four years," according to the movie's official website. Showing on thousands of theaters across the country, the film is the second highest grossing political documentary of all time, according to Box Office Mojo. (Photo: Obama's America Foundation)

Kony 2012 (2012) - Produced by the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, the film documents decades of terrorism carried out by Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, the violent leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). In April, Kony's crimes were brought to the international stage when the film went viral on social media, garnering millions of hits just days after being posted online. A sequel is reportedly in the works. (Photo: Invisible Children)

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Kony 2012 (2012) - Produced by the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, the film documents decades of terrorism carried out by Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, the violent leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). In April, Kony's crimes were brought to the international stage when the film went viral on social media, garnering millions of hits just days after being posted online. A sequel is reportedly in the works. (Photo: Invisible Children)

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) - Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore provides scathing commentary on the Bush administration's response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and probes the origins of the war in Iraq, telling "the stories we haven't heard [and] illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families," according to the official film website. Fahrenheit 9/11 is the highest grossing political documentary of all time, according to Box Office Mojo, raking in $119 million since its theatrical release in 2004. (Photo: Dog Eat Dog Films)

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Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) - Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore provides scathing commentary on the Bush administration's response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and probes the origins of the war in Iraq, telling "the stories we haven't heard [and] illustrating the awful human cost to U.S. soldiers and their families," according to the official film website. Fahrenheit 9/11 is the highest grossing political documentary of all time, according to Box Office Mojo, raking in $119 million since its theatrical release in 2004. (Photo: Dog Eat Dog Films)

Inside Job - Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, Inside Job proposed to "expose the shocking truth" behind the 2008 global economic crisis, which triggered an economic recession in America that resulted in millions of jobs lost. Inside Job "traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships that have corruptive politics, regulation and academia," the official film website writes. (Photo: Sony Picture Classics)

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Inside Job - Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, Inside Job proposed to "expose the shocking truth" behind the 2008 global economic crisis, which triggered an economic recession in America that resulted in millions of jobs lost. Inside Job "traces the rise of a rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships that have corruptive politics, regulation and academia," the official film website writes. (Photo: Sony Picture Classics)

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An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Directed by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, the groundbreaking film centers on former Vice President Al Gore's campaign to recognize global warming as an imminent threat to mankind. The film sparked international dialogue about the global climate crisis and influence the creation of "green energy" policies under the Obama administration. (Photo: Lawrence Bender Productions)

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An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Directed by filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, the groundbreaking film centers on former Vice President Al Gore's campaign to recognize global warming as an imminent threat to mankind. The film sparked international dialogue about the global climate crisis and influence the creation of "green energy" policies under the Obama administration. (Photo: Lawrence Bender Productions)

Bowling for Columbine (2002) - Before tackling 9/11, filmmaker Michael Moore delved into America's history of gun violence in Bowling for Columbine, based on the 1999 shooting massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, where 14 students, the two gunmen and one teacher were killed and dozens of others were injured. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2003. (Photo: Dog Eat Dog Films)

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Bowling for Columbine (2002) - Before tackling 9/11, filmmaker Michael Moore delved into America's history of gun violence in Bowling for Columbine, based on the 1999 shooting massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, where 14 students, the two gunmen and one teacher were killed and dozens of others were injured. The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2003. (Photo: Dog Eat Dog Films)