If all you know of José Padilha is that he directed the RoboCop remake, then you could do with a lesson in Brazilian cinema. Padilha helped put the nation on the global movie stage last decade with his popular Elite Squad films as well as his essential documentaries Bus 174 and Secrets of the Tribe. His RoboCop also had some great ideas, but unfortunately, it also had some problems. Since then, Padilha has found greater success producing the Netflix series Narcos.

While he’s not one to give out advice, Padilha does have some ideas about filmmaking to share, along with some lessons he’s learned and has imparted through interviews over the years. Check out these tips below.

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Between the massive success of You Can See Everything, the swell of support for Run Terry Run, the sell-outs for NAZA, and the chatter for Musk, there are lots of doc options at the theatres – but these popular hits might have full houses in the days ahead. In case readers don’t already have a ticket for some of these much-buzzed docs this week, don’t fret. There are no less than three film festivals running in Toronto’s “Festober” season.

If the recent shifts in the weather pique your curiosity about something in the air, look no further than the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival. If the current theatrical landscape gives you a desire to see more diverse representation in movies, check out Reelworld Film Festival. And if keeping pace with the dizzying regional festival circuit and endless cycle of event screenings leaves you feeling exasperated, take in some stories about mental health and addiction at Rendezvous with Madness.

Here are some documentary highlights screening at each of this week’s festivals, listed in calendar order.

At Planet in Focus

Nuisance Bear

Tues, Oct. 20 – Paradise Theatre

Planet in Focus kicks off with one of the year’s best films: Nuisance Bear! This absolute delight of a film won the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary at to fuel a worldwide tour. Canadian filmmakers Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman expand their equally terrific short and return to Churchill, Manitoba to take in the migration of polar bears from the arctic as climate changes forces a new path in their travel plans. Especially ambitious, and admirable, is the film’s effort to expand the story of displacement to the stories of Inuit and Indigenous populations, all the while balancing an offbeat tone that provides a light touch without making light of the situation. “The feature furthers many of the ideas explored in the short, but with a cinematic eye that elevates the material on every level,” I wrote in our review from Sundance. “This is a beautifully shot and artistically innovative environmental fable that masterfully connects the layers of colonial history within the contemporary climate crisis.” Read more about Nuisance Bear in our interview with the filmmakers and how the documentary sits within a larger body of films that illustrate urgent stories about the North.

The Blueberry Blues

Thurs, Oct. 22 – Paradise Theatre

Planet in Focus adds a bittersweet tribute to the festivities with the Toronto debut of The Blueberry Blues (Les blues du bleuet) from late filmmaker Andres Livov. The film previously served as the closing night selection of last fall’s RIDM where it won the Women’s Inmates Award. Livov’s final work focuses on the rich blueberry crop of Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec and observes as local hands gather to harvest the berries, which yield wonderful jams, pies, and preserves to fuel residents and tourists alike for the seasons ahead. The blueberry harvest intersects with different winds factoring into climate change, including the helping hands of migrant workers and the larger social dynamics their presence represents, while looming wildfires evoke a wider crisis. The festival screening pays tribute to filmmakers who understand that the implications of the stories they tell far outlast their own time on earth.

The Wind’s Thirst

Fri, Oct. 23 – Paradise Theatre

Wayuu warriors in Colombia’s La Guajira desert provide three sets of eyes through which one sees this visually arresting environmental tale. The Wind’s Thirst, which has its Toronto premiere at the festival, offers another perspective in the interconnected network of stories about growing water scarcity in the face of climate change and radical new forms of human industry. Director Alejandro Valbuena lets the camera witness the fight of three Wayuu elders when a local reservoir becomes diverted to assist a mine that’s polluting the region. Their efforts to protect their land and people by preserving clean water illustrates a larger force happening worldwide in which communities, often Indigenous ones, are expected to compromise the natural systems that sustain them for the benefit of outside forces with no interest in the region’s long-term health.

The Lake

Sat, Oct. 24 – Paradise Theatre

There’s a true canary in the coalmine tale in this eye-opening tale about a local population devastated by aggressive water consumption habits and environmental shifts that dramatically reduced the supply at Great Salt Lake. The rapid decline of the lake means that threatening amounts of dust whip into the air as windstorms carry harmful carcinogens to nearby areas. The Lake, which has its Canadian premiere at PiF after opening Sundance, follows director Abby Ellis as she observes the situation through three very different sets of eyes as the confront a shared emergency through differing perspectives of science, politics, and faith. “The Lake finds in the Great Salt Lake area an ideal microcosm for the climate crisis. Many of the film’s participants are deeply religious and are members of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-day Saints. Initially, as Ellis observes the participants praying, referring to Bible verses, or advising others to say a good word to the man upstairs, one anticipates the film to feature a collision between science and faith. Instead, the characters’ faith implores them to listen to the science. Their spirituality calls upon them to protect the land and their neighbours. They know that if God created the planet, it’s not on him to bail them out,” I wrote in POV’s review from Sundance. “What follows is an essential portrait of finding common ground in service of protecting our future.”

At Reelworld

A Thousand Colours (Récomposée)

Sat, Oct. 24 – Cineplex Scotiabank

After winning three prizes at Montreal’s RIDM last fall, including the People’s Choice Award, this film by Nadia Louis-Desmarchais has its Ontario premiere at the festival. A Thousand Colours offers a personal exploration of race, identity, and belonging as Louis-Desmarchais reflects upon her story as a biracial woman who was raised in a white family. She recalls how having a Haitian mother and Italian-Quebecois father leaves her feeling like an odd one out when she and her siblings were put up for adoption and she grew up without really having any concept of her Blackness and its role in shaping her present and future. Reviewing the film at RIDM, Matthew Hays called it a “profound bit of filmmaking, indicating that each person’s journey is unique…Louis-Desmarchais’s approach is multi-faceted: she is grappling with the biological parents who abandoned her; she’s processing growing up in a predominantly white household; she’s realizing her own internalized racism; making sense of her identity as biracial; and she’s reuniting with siblings who were adopted into other households.”

The Perfect Match

Sunday, Oct. 25 – Cineplex Scotiabank

This documentary complements a film that recently screened to a full house at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, The Sickling, about a filmmaker’s experience with sickle cell disease and his encounters with medical racism. The Perfect Match captures another side of that story as it observes what happens to communities that grow to distrust the health care system after decades of racism and discrimination. Director Sandro Silva observes as a Ghanaian father in Edmonton desperately seeks treatment for his young son, who has a rare form of leukemia. A stem cell transplant could save the boy’s life, but Black matches within the system are extremely rare because of the history of neglect for Black patients and their needs. The father finds himself racing against time as he rallies for hospitals to change their practices and become more inclusive in order to gain the trust of prospective donors.

First Comes Love: Nakabingwit

Sunday, Oct. 25 – Cineplex Scotiabank        

Love is in the air as Reelworld offers a refreshingly light alternative to what looks like an overall heavy weekend on the festival scene. The doc by Joella Cabalu, however, shows that being lighthearted doesn’t mean that a film’s lightweight. First Comes Love: Nakabingwit gives documentary a rom-com spin by following three mixed-race couples with one Filipina partner and one white partner as they look for love. Their honeymoon phases inevitably get their respective wake-up calls, however, as the partners encounter the ways in which race and lived experiences shape their paths and worldviews. Some couples find tests of faith, while others learn that opposites attract, and others have some frank conversations about the future might look like for them and any children they might have. Swipe right and maybe you’ll meet a fellow movie lover while running from film to film!

At Rendezvous with Madness

Railfan

Sat, Oct. 24 – CAMH Arrell Family Auditorium

The subway line often gets a bad rap, especially when it intersects with conversations about mental health. We’ve all seen videos circulating on social media about mishaps and altercations at on the TTC that reflect a broken care system. On the flipside, subway rides are opportunities to take part in community. New York photographer Travis Huggett defies the custom that tells riders to avert their eyes from other passengers on public transit as he takes his son and his camera along the rails of the Big Apple. As Huggert photographs Orson, who is on the Autism spectrum, and captures the joys of other children along public transit, this film by Ian Daffern shows a magical form of street photography that captures the interconnectedness of urban life.

O Fear, O Night

Sun, Oct. 25 – CAMH Arrell Family Auditorium

One probably needs a sense of humour to take in a film about anxiety as weekend viewing during regional festival season. Anyone feeling crushed by the flurry, however, might want to embrace the challenge that O Fear, O Night offers. This NFB doc by Christine Chevarie-Lessard sees the filmmaker bravely confront that voice of fear and dread that always lingers in her mind. She embarks on a personal quest with an Anxiety Anonymous group, and meets a cast of eclectic characters who help her learn how to live with the ever-present sense of panic that ripples through her mind. It’s an exploration of drives both personal and universal, and one that oddly confronts a basic emotion that’s shared by all of us, but holds many of us back.

Still Night, Burning House

Tues, Oct. 27 – Small World Centre

A family undertakes a powerful exercise in confronting and processing their grief in this remarkable first feature from Carol Nguyễn. The film expands upon a story shared by Nguyễn’s father in her breakout short No Crying at the Dinner Table as he reveals the truth about his brother, Thatch, who died in a suicide. The family traces the long-held secret of Thatch’s mental health struggles while going back to their home in Vietnam to lay his spirit to rest, and heal their own souls in the process. “Still Night, Burning House may swim in the family pool of sadness, but the soothing towel of hope is always nearby,” wrote Courtney Small in POV’s review of the film. “Documenting a family trip to Vietnam, where specific items are gathered to give her uncle a proper send off, Nguyễn’s documentary manages to reclaim a sense of dignity for a man whose life after death was mentioned in whispers. In doing so, the audience feels as if they too are mourning a relative.” Read more about Still Night, Burning House in this feature from our current issue.

Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird)

Weds, Oct. 28 – Small World Centre

This award winner from the Berlin Film Festival takes an artistic approach to grief as filmmaker Anna Fitch, who directed the doc with Banker White, builds a replica of her friend Yolanda’s house after her death. A puppet version stands in for Yolanda, or “Yo” to her friends, as Fitch makes sense of her loss. “The film juxtaposes vérité footage from the final year of Yo’s life with minia­tures, animation, and handcrafted interpretations of her stories. Here, artificiality gives material form to the memory of someone who cannot respond to the finished representation,” wrote Davide Abatescianni in an article for our current issue. “The distinction is ethically significant. Sandu speaks as both the child who experienced the past and the adult reshaping it. Fitch works as the survivor, using her grief to determine how Yo continues to exist onscreen. The miniature house is an act of devotion but also possession: preserving someone through cinema means selecting the version that will survive. The replica can be entered and inhabited, yet the woman whose world it reconstructs can no longer alter its arrangement.”

The post Festober Cometh: Doc Highlights on the Circuit appeared first on POV Magazine.

Hello friends,

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how to start a new edit.

As I noted in that post, setting milestones is a big part of my process with editors. On my current film, the First Assembly Cut milestone is looming — it’s in January, omg!!! — so I’m right in the thick of it.

And as with so many other things in my job as a documentary director, having a weekly newsletter to write has me thinking about all the things I’ve learned that make this stage easier… and all the ways I still make it harder than it needs to be.

What is an assembly cut?

An assembly is an early, rough version of the film where you put all or most of the material you think belongs in the film into a sequence to see what you have and how it might fit together. In documentary, it usually means:

• Scenes or sections are assembled loosely, often following a first provisional outline;

• It’s long and uneven — story beats run on and on, scenes repeat ideas, transitions are missing, and there’s probably a bunch of text cards indicating missing scenes;

• The structure is still being discovered. You’re seeing which characters, themes, and structures actually work with the footage you’ve got so far.

An assembly is the first major editing milestone before the first rough cut, which makes a more deliberate argument for what the film is. An assembly asks, “What have we actually got here? Is it working? In this movie, what does ‘working’ even mean?”

But… like, how, though?

Today I’ll share how I break this essential and often misunderstood work into manageable chunks, decide what deserves time right now and what really doesn’t, and how to start finding the story structure. I’ll use examples from the assembly cutting of one of my trickier films to cut: Confessions of a Good Samaritan.

I’ll also share the one scene I cut immediately after the assembly, and another one everyone told me to cut that I instead fought for and made the emotional climax of the film.

Plus: who should actually get to see this glorious mess, and how to watch it yourself without deciding you should find another career stat!

Read more

Hello friends,

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how to start a new edit.

As I noted in that post, setting milestones is a big part of my process with editors. On my current film, the First Assembly Cut milestone is looming — it’s in January, omg!!! — so I’m right in the thick of it.

And as with so many other things in my job as a documentary director, having a weekly newsletter to write has me thinking about all the things I’ve learned that make this stage easier… and all the ways I still make it harder than it needs to be.

What is an assembly cut?

An assembly is an early, rough version of the film where you put all or most of the material you think belongs in the film into a sequence to see what you have and how it might fit together. In documentary, it usually means:

• Scenes or sections are assembled loosely, often following a first provisional outline;

• It’s long and uneven — story beats run on and on, scenes repeat ideas, transitions are missing, and there’s probably a bunch of text cards indicating missing scenes;

• The structure is still being discovered. You’re seeing which characters, themes, and structures actually work with the footage you’ve got so far.

An assembly is the first major editing milestone before the first rough cut, which makes a more deliberate argument for what the film is. An assembly asks, “What have we actually got here? Is it working? In this movie, what does ‘working’ even mean?”

But… like, how, though?

Today I’ll share how I break this essential and often misunderstood work into manageable chunks, decide what deserves time right now and what really doesn’t, and how to start finding the story structure. I’ll use examples from the assembly cutting of one of my trickier films to cut: Confessions of a Good Samaritan.

I’ll also share the one scene I cut immediately after the assembly, and another one everyone told me to cut that I instead fought for and made the emotional climax of the film.

Plus: who should actually get to see this glorious mess, and how to watch it yourself without deciding you should find another career stat!

Read more

Once Upon a Time in Harlem revisits a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of artists, musicians, and intellectuals who made history — and changed the world

Once Upon a Time in Harlem revisits a once-in-a-lifetime reunion of artists, musicians, and intellectuals who made history — and changed the world

Judd Apatow seems to have a monopoly on documentaries about comedians. He has also been very busy this year, helming three docs, including the previously released Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, and producing more (I keep thinking he was also involved in others that he has one degree of separation from, like Who Is Martin Mull?). Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald might be my favorite. It’s certainly his most unique, avoiding the usual talking heads spouting pleasantries and going instead with an entirely archival format with some desktop documentary elements thrown in here and there. It’s a celebration of Norm Macdonald as he was — at least, as far as what he showed himself to be in front of an audience — not just how he’s remembered.

The fascinating thing is that Macdonald wasn’t the most consistent or truthful person publicly, whether in his stand-up routines, his writing, his talk shows, or even in interviews. That could be true with most comedians, who tend to embellish or make up stories for bits and routines, but Macdonald never seemed to offer a separate identity from his stand-up role. This makes it a wonderful companion piece to You Can See Everything as another new documentary about a person who is impossible to believe and know completely. Apatow uses a device through which the film becomes an investigation into the myth and reality of Norm Macdonald, but it’s the kind of inquiry that just uses internet searches to address the questions and often gets nowhere in terms of answers. Did he go to college? Was he ever married? Was he gay?

Sadly, like Macdonald, some of the people closest to him who might have been able to share more personal knowledge of the real person behind the comedic performer persona, like Larry King and Bob Saget, have also passed away in recent years. Not that I necessarily would want to know anything he wasn’t interested in sharing publicly in life. Still, the mystery of the man and that unknowable aspect to him as a subject makes for a fun documentary, even when a lot of it becomes a clip show of hilarious bits. Apatow pieces those clips together to paint a picture of the persona as best as he can, intentionally showing the cracks where the pieces don’t fit perfectly while also highlighting moments of genuine expression that existed alongside all the dubious, exaggerated, or otherwise indeterminate statements he made.

This is a big week for documentary releases. I would love to highlight all of the notable newcomers, including The Disciple, which was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and the Mariana van Zeller-led Super Scam Me. But I only have room for a handful that I have seen and highly recommend. I also think this would be a great week to highlight In the Whale: The Greatest Fish Story Ever Told as a Doc Option alternative to the fiction film release Whalefall, but I haven’t seen it (I don’t think it’s even available). It just seems like an obvious pick.

Additionally, I should highlight the films of Harry Watt for the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 85th anniversary of the release of Target for Tonight this week, but I still haven’t seen enough and really only want to highlight his and Basil Wright’s Night Mail (one of Roger Deakins’s favorite documentaries; it’s on Kanopy and OVID). Aside from that, his significance to the history of documentary is mainly through his work for the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit and GPO Film Unit under John Grierson.

What did make it into the highlights section below are three must-see new releases, one of which I consider among the best documentaries ever, and a worthy re-release of a very 1990s nonfiction film that pairs well with one of those premieres. Plus, a reminder of last week’s reveal of awards-contending highlights via the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and DOC NYC.

Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, followed by daily listings for all known releases and broadcasts, along with a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including new features by Ben Proudfoot and Paul Thomas Anderson). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, plus full access to special posts like our best-of lists, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available. If you have a doc needing coverage or a mention, you can reach us at nonficseditor (at) gmail and let us know about its release plans.

Nonfics Pick Of The Week: You Can See Everything (2026)

The hottest documentary of the year is also one of the hottest films of the year, period. I’m surprised by how excited everyone has been about Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s You Can See Everything. Partly because I’ve been trying to get people to watch Oppenheim’s films for years, and partly because I didn’t think Fielder was that popular. Or that enough people cared about their subject here, Elizabeth Holmes. But word of mouth has spread quickly about this being an unexpected expose (that was mainly said sight unseen after the teaser dropped and isn’t quite correct) and unlike anything you’ve seen before. The latter, with claims from many critics that this is not your typical documentary, might be true (claims that it isn’t a documentary are not), but the film doesn’t do anything that others haven’t before. It just does it all better and for a different effect. Mostly because of Oppenheim’s mastery of character in nonfiction cinema, and Fielder’s genius when it comes to human psychology.

Before I quote from our review of You Can See Everything, I want to highlight some blurbs from critics who have articulated the most interesting challenge of the film — namely the dynamic between Fielder and Holmes — rather than just that it brilliantly plays with form and is astonishingly meta. Hannah Lodge (via Screen Rex) calls it “a three-hour game of chicken between two people who never break character.” Mike Ryan (via The Hard Pass) says, “In the past, Fielder has been presented as the quirky outsider who has interactions with people that come off as odd. Here, the tables are turned. It’s fascinating to see Fielder in a light where he comes off as the straight shooter who is completely taken aback by possibly one of the most skilled manipulators who has ever lived.” As for the reviews that say there’s even a romantic spark there, I disagree.

Here’s part of my admittedly vague and lightweight review:

“I used to think that merry pranksters (lowercase) like your Sacha Baron Cohens and your Nathan Fielders achieved very little as far as progress. They could disrupt, beyond minor situational stunts and confrontations, as we saw back with the Yippies and more recently with Anonymous. But they were still ultimately just amusing distractions. Then, this year, Fielder went and inspired an aviation industry law through his actions and questions raised in Season 2 of his show The Rehearsal. Like Errol Morris’s The Unknown Known, though, You Can See Everything shows us how impenetrable some subjects in politics and business can be. They’re the real tricksters of the world, and they might have the last laugh as the rest of us are just left stunned.”

You Can See Everything opens in theaters on Friday, October 16, 2026, via A24.

Other Documentary Highlights

Norm: The Tale Of Norm Macdonald (2026)

Judd Apatow seems to have a monopoly on documentaries about comedians. He has also been very busy this year, helming three docs, including the previously released Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, and producing more (I keep thinking he was also involved in others that he has one degree of separation from, like Who Is Martin Mull?). Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald might be my favorite. It’s certainly his most unique, avoiding the usual talking heads spouting pleasantries and going instead with an entirely archival format with some desktop documentary elements thrown in here and there. It’s a celebration of Norm Macdonald as he was — at least, as far as what he showed himself to be in front of an audience — not just how he’s remembered.

Continue reading our review of Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald.

Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald will premiere and begin streaming exclusively on Netflix on Friday, October 16, 2026.

Once Upon A Time In Harlem (2026)

In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves (best known for Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One) invited several surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance for a get-together and filmed them for a project that was never completed in his lifetime. More than a decade after his death, the documentary was finished by his son, David Greaves, and granddaughter, Liani Greaves. They could have added talking heads reflecting on the footage and offering more context, à la Questlove’s Summer of Soul, but instead they let the original material speak for itself. The result, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, is a new film that looks like an old film, in a good way. It’s an invitation to travel back in time to a party populated by such figures as Arna Bontemps, Richard Bruce Nugent, Gerri Major, Jean Blackwell Hutson, and James Van Der Zee.

If you aren’t familiar with these artists, no worries. And if you don’t always know what or whom they’re talking about, that’s okay too. There are no extensive captions, no annotations, no intertitles. The only additions are old photographs, including those showing what the gathered attendees looked like in the 1920s. And what you, the viewer, bring to the documentary in terms of knowledge and experience, including what you know and what those on screen don’t about the subsequent 54 years. It’s an enchanting trip back about half a century to hear stories and discussions, which themselves take you back about half a century further. I confess I haven’t thought much about the content of Once Upon a Time in Harlem since watching it, but I have thought a lot about the feeling and the historical experience of watching it. I wish all new films still looked and felt this good and all histories were this illuminating.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem will be released in theaters in New York City on Friday, October 16, 2026, and in Los Angeles on Friday, October 23, 2026, via Neon.

One In A Million (2026)

Another one of my favorite documentaries of the year, One in a Million is probably the film I’m most bummed was snubbed by the Critics Choice Documentary Awards last week (proof that even though I run the thing, I don’t control it). Here’s part of our review of One in a Million, which I covered back in January during Sundance:

“The title One in a Million may as well refer to its existence as a documentary that came together so well because of both directorial and editorial acumen. Credit may also go to the decisions of its characters and, ultimately, world events, but that could be like acknowledging the marble and model as much as the artist. The film, directed by Itab Azzam and Jack Macinnes, and edited by Iain Pettifer and Alec Rossiter, was shot over a decade and follows one family of Syrian refugees as they migrate to Germany and adjust in various ways. The main character is the eldest daughter, Isra’a, who is 11 at the beginning of this story. But her parents’ individual journeys and how their lives and minds change over time are often even more interesting than her tale of growing up and coming into her cultural identity before eventually returning to a free Aleppo.”

One in a Million will be released in theaters on Wednesday, October 20, 2026, via Frontline Features.

Paris Was A Woman (1996)

If you’re in New York City this week and want something to watch as a double feature with Once Upon a Time in Harlem (albeit in different theater locations), I suggest seeing Paris Was a Woman. Originally released 30 years ago, this film has been restored in 4K and is being re-released for a limited engagement. Where the Greaveses’ documentary showcases members of the Harlem Renaissance, Greta Schiller’s classic celebrates a group of women artists living in Paris around the same time. It transports you back to a 1920s neighborhood block party in a way, though not as viscerally as Once Upon a Time in Harlem immerses you in a reunion-focused house party.

Paris Was a Woman was previously highlighted on our list of the best documentaries of LGBTQIA+ history. Here’s part of our entry on this film: “Greta Schiller’s 1996 portrait of the Paris of the 1920s is a chronicle of a much-ignored period of French history, one which involved many artists from the United States as well. By shining a light on the community of creative lesbians that flocked to the City of Lights between the World Wars, Schiller asserts that queer women do in fact have a history, something so often robbed of them by patriarchal readings of the past.”

Paris Was a Woman will be re-released in 4K in theaters in New York City on Friday, October 16, 2026, via Zeitgeist Films and Metrograph.

Awards Highlights

11th Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominees

Last Tuesday, the Critics Choice Association announced this year’s nominees for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which will be held in New York City on November 8, 2026. I must acknowledge that I am CCA’s VP, Documentary, and an Executive Producer of the awards. However, as I noted above in my highlight of One in a Million, that doesn’t mean all my picks make it through, sadly. I also wish Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald was nominated in the biographical and archival categories. Anyway, you can find the full list of nominees at the link above. Highlights are below.

Ava DuVernay’s 14th, which just debuted at the New York Film Festival and arrives on Netflix later this year, received the most nominations with six. Close behind are Nuisance Bear, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and You Can See Everything — the latter two are highlighted new releases this week — all with five nominees. I loved seeing some smaller, lesser-known favorites nominated, including The Python Hunt, The Cycle of Love, Everybody to Kenmure Street, Peter Asher: Everywhere Man, Soul Patrol, Baby Doe, Standout: The Ben Kjar Story, Barbara Kopple’s Union Town, Ross McElwee’s Remake, and all of the shorts, especially Escalation and A Derailment. If I had any help at all in their nominations, I’m very happy, as I hope it in turn helps increase their visibility.

DOC NYC’s 2026 Short Lists

This year’s picks for the DOC NYC Short Lists, recognizing award-worthy documentary features and shorts, overlap a bit with the CCDA nominees (14th, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and You Can See Everything, included). However, they did include One in a Million. Other picks that aren’t among ours over at CCA include The Bend in the River, The Great Experiment, To Hold a Mountain, Wild Inside, and the short films The Boys and the Bees, Buckskin, The Grandfather Puzzle, La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Listen, The Oath, One Last Order, An Open Field, Outposts – Nothing Here is Yours, The Revolution Against Death, The Tuners, and Water Cooler.

They also have their 2026 Winner’s Circle list, recognizing films that have already been doing well awards-wise this year. Non-CCDA-nominees include American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Bucks Harbor, Closure, An Eye for an Eye, and Steal This Story, Please!, all of which I’d have been happy to see among our awards picks.

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Documentary Release Calendar 10/16/26 – 10/22/26

Friday, October 16, 2026

Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail (2024) – A feature documentary by Laurent Bouzereau (Music by John Williams) about Alfred Hitchcock’s style as it originated with his 1929 film Blackmail. (TCM)

The Disciple (2026) – A documentary feature directed by Oscar-winning producer Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets) about Dutch-Moroccan rapper/producer Cilvaringz and his association with the Wu-Tang Clan. (Netflix)

The Great Experiment (2026) – A DOC NYC-shortlisted documentary feature by Stephen Maing (Union) and Eric Daniel Metzgar that shows political life in America from 2017 through 2020. (In Theaters)

Great Musicians of Our Time Episode 2: “Pinchas Zukerman: Here to Make Music” – The latest episode of a docuseries about the most influential classical music artists. (PBS)

Marília Mendonça: Sentimento Louco (2026) – A documentary feature about the titular Brazilian singer, who died in a plane crash in 2021. (Prime Video)

Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald (2026) – A documentary feature directed by Judd Apatow (Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!) about the titular comedian. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)

Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026) – A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature that resurrects footage shot in 1972 by William Greaves (Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One) of a get-together of Harlem Renaissance legends. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Outposts: Nothing Here is Yours (2026) – A DOC NYC-shortlisted short documentary about Israeli activists who stand in solidarity with Palestinians against settlement expansion in the West Bank. (In Theaters)

Paris Was a Woman (1996) – A 30th anniversary 4K restoration re-release of a documentary feature about a community of women artists in Paris in the early 20th century. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

A Place of Absence (2025) – A documentary about Central American women traveling with the Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants. (In Theaters)

Rocky Mountain Wreckers Season 1, Episode 2: “Dead Man’s Curve” – The second installment of a nonfiction series that follows heavy towing crews in intense weather in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. (Discovery Channel)

The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd Season 4, Episode 3: “Incredible Spectacles” – The latest installment of a docuseries about mysterious and bizarre people and things. (History)

You Can See Everything (2026) – A three-hour Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim that follows Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the days before she went to prison. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Saturday, October 17, 2026

48 Hours Season 40, Episode 2: “The Detective and the Chewing Gum Sting” – The latest installment of an investigative documentary series. (CBS)

Austin City Limits Season 52, Episode 7: “Ari Lennox” – The latest installment of a long-running music series. (PBS)

Duck and Cover (1952) – A short instructional film on how to survive a nuclear attack. (TCM)

Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer Season 9, Episode 3: “Living in Extremes” – The latest installment of an adventure series that takes viewers to exotic locations. (NBC)

A Look at the World of Soylent Green (1973) – A short documentary about the making of the sci-fi film Soylent Green. (TCM)

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild Season 4, Episode 3: “Alaska’s Marine Mammals” – The latest installment of a nature series focused on wildlife conservation. This episode involves sea otters in Alaska. (NBC)

Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler Season 3, Episode 3: “The Tourniquet Killer” – The latest episode of a true-crime docuseries involving murder trials in Texas. (Oxygen)

Super Animals Season 4, Episode 9 – The latest episode of a nature docuseries for kids about animals with special traits. (National Geographic)

Super Scam Me (2026) – A medium-length investigative true crime documentary special starring Mariana van Zeller in which she goes undercover as a romance-scam target. (National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu)

Sunday, October 18, 2026

An Act of Kindness (2026) – A short documentary about an Israeli woman in her nineties who wasn’t told about her son and daughter being taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. (In Theaters)

Amos Poe: Unmade (2026) – A documentary about the titular underground artist in his final years of life. (In Theaters)

Aqua Antics (1942) – A short documentary showcasing the water skiing talents of the California Water Bugs club. (TCM)

Bucks County, USA Episode 5 – The final installment of a five-part documentary by Robert May and Barry Levinson about two teenage best friends who disagree politically. (PBS)

Catfish Murders Season 1, Episode 1: “A Killer Profile” – The first installment of a true-crime series about murders involving catfish scenarios. (Oxygen)

Late Night Law Season 2, Episode 5 & 6 “Reckless and Raging” & “Bail Out” – The latest installments of a docuseries that follows law enforcement during the night shift. (A&E)

Match Your Mood with Westinghouse (1968) – A short documentary about choosing the perfect refrigerator. (TCM)

MGM Parade Show #13 (1955) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Great Waltz and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)

Minnesota Neighbors: Not In Our Town (2026) – A documentary about Minnesota residents coming together to oppose ICE’s Operation Metro Surge. (In Theaters)

Snapped: Killer Moms Season 1, Episode 1: “Kimberly Warth” – The first installment of a true-crime docuseries about mothers who kill to protect or avenge their children. (Oxygen)

Monday, October 19, 2026

Bone Crushers (1933) – A short documentary about professional wrestlers. (TCM)

Contraband: Seized at the Border Season 9, Episode 2: “I Don’t Practice Santeria” – The latest installment of a nonfiction series focused on smuggling cases handled by Customs and Border Protection officers. (Discovery Channel)

Harlan Coben’s Final Twist Season 2, Episode 3: “Camilo’s Secret” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries exposing shocking murders and scandals. This episode involves the disappearances of two Miami businessmen and the world of MMA fighters. (CBS and Paramount+)

The Way Out (2026) – A documentary feature that pays tribute to the sport of skiing. (In Theaters)

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Angelina Jolie: Skin Deep (2011) – A medium-length documentary about the titular actress. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Capturing Bigfoot (2026) – A documentary feature about the famous footage allegedly of Bigfoot. (Prime Video)

Dalai Lama: Enlightened (2010) – A medium-length documentary about the titular Tibetan spiritual leader. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Freedom on Our Mind (2022) – A documentary feature about film students connecting with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Frontline Season 45, Episode 6: “Haiti Deportation Crisis” – The latest installment of a PBS documentary anthology series. This episode looks at Haitian refugees in America who fear being deported. (PBS)

Heath Ledger: A Tribute (2009) – A medium-length documentary about the titular actor. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Hobbies (1941) – A short documentary about hobbies, including whittling and putting a ship in a bottle. (TCM)

The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) – A restored version of Michael Apted’s 1989 documentary feature about Soviet rock legend Boris Grebenshchikov. (VOD)

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Ghost Adventures Season 31, Episode 4: “Gold Canyon Curse” – The latest installment of a docuseries following paranormal investigators. (Discovery Channel)

Headpin Hints (1955) – A short documentary where the pros offer tips to young bowlers. (TCM)

Just One Before I Die (2026) – A docuseries about Buffalo Bills fans. (Tubi)

Leaving Home (2026) – A short documentary about siblings in Texas whose parents are returning to Mexico. Presented as an installment of VOCES. (PBS)

Nature Season 45, Episode 2: “Tiger Island” – The latest installment of a nature series. This episode involves tiger mothers and their cubs in Nepal. (PBS)

Nova Season 53, Episode 14: “Evolution: Need to Feed” – The second installment of a five-part series within Nova about evolution on Earth over billions of years. (PBS)

One in a Million (2026) – A Sundance-winning documentary feature that captures 10 years in the life of a Syrian refugee and her family. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

The Serial Killer Connection Season 1, Episode 3: “The Final Secret” – The final installment of a three-part true-crime docuseries that teams up a serial killer’s ex-wife and a survivor as they investigate murders. (Investigation Discovery)

Untold Stories of the ER Season 14, Episode 8: “Labor Pains” – The latest installment of a docuseries about difficult emergency room cases. (TLC)

Thursday, October 22, 2026

After The First 48 Season 9, Episode 1 – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murder cases attempted to be solved in the first 48 hours. (A&E)

Archive X: Unexplained Phenomena Season 1, Episode 4: “Speaking with the Dead” – The latest installment of a docuseries that explores prophetic dreams, ESP, near-death experiences, alien encounters, and messages from beyond. (Sundance Channel)

Harnessed Rhythm (1936) – A short documentary by Jacques Tourneur following the life of a racehorse. (TCM)

Killer Investigations Season 2, Episode 1: “The Lady in the Woods” – The latest installment of a true-crime series about the country’s most gripping homicide cases. (A&E)

MGM Parade Show #13 (1955) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Great Waltz and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)

The Spies Among Us (2025) – A documentary feature about a former victim of the Stasi confronting former East German secret police officers. (In Theaters)

Swipe Right on the Devil (2026) – A true-crime docuseries about a woman who went missing while on a Tinder date, a case that involved witchcraft and mind control. (Hulu)

Toxic Waste: A Time Bomb Under Our Feet (2026) – A medium-length documentary about the dangers of burying toxic waste. (OVID)

Treewashing: The Planting Illusion (2026) – A medium-length documentary that exposes the financial and political interests driving reforestation campaigns around the world. (OVID).

TREW To You Film Project: The Senderos (2026) – A documentary feature about skiers in New Mexico. (In Theaters)

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Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon

10/23 – The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony – A documentary feature about a gymnastics team in Pakistan. (In Theaters)

10/27 – Kordell Stewart / Slash & Burn – A short documentary about NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart and a rumor that followed him for decades. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO and HBO Max)

10/28 – Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning – A concert film starring Ozzy Osborne and his band Black Sabbath. (In Theaters)

10/28 – The Eyes of Ghana – A documentary feature by two-time Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot (The Queen of Basketball; The Last Repair Shop) about Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse and his nearly lost coverage of post-colonial Africa. Read our review of The Eyes of Ghana. Watch the new trailer for the film (featuring a blurb from our review) below. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

10/30 – Everest: The Other Side – A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) that follows mountaineering couple Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they climb and ski the North Face of Mount Everest. *NONFICS PICK* (In IMAX Theaters)

11/3 – A Marble in the Jar – A documentary feature about surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb and her mentor, Greg Browning. (VOD)

11/6 – Nuisance Bear – A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature about the relationship between a community on the shore of the Hudson Bay and the polar bears getting too close to their town. Read our review of Nuisance Bear. Watch the new trailer for the film below. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

11/11 – Magic in the Mundane – A documentary about the miracles of everyday experience. (VOD)

11/19 – A Derailment – A Critics Choice-nominated short documentary executive produced by John Wilson about a town dealing with a toxic train derailment. *NONFICS PICK* (YouTube via POV and TIME Studios)

11/20 – Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall – A concert film by Paul Thomas Anderson starring the titular musician. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

11/20 – Don Bluth: Somewhere Out There – A documentary about the titular animation icon. (VOD)

11/20 – Ash and Crayons – A documentary feature by Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom) that follows seven Ukrainian children during the ongoing war with Russia. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

12/4 – The Bend in the River – A DOC NYC-shortlisted documentary feature directed by Robb Moss and executive-produced by Joel Coen and Frances McDormand that revisits a group of friends after nearly 50 years who appeared in Moss’s films Riverdogs and The Same River Twice. Read our review of The Bend in the River. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

12/4 – 14th – A Critics Choice-documentary feature by Ava DuVernay (13th) about the 14th Amendment. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)

This is a big week for documentary releases. I would love to highlight all of the notable newcomers, including The Disciple, which was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and the Mariana van Zeller-led Super Scam Me. But I only have room for a handful that I have seen and highly recommend. I also think this would be a great week to highlight In the Whale: The Greatest Fish Story Ever Told as a Doc Option alternative to the fiction film release Whalefall, but I haven’t seen it (I don’t think it’s even available). It just seems like an obvious pick.

Additionally, I should highlight the films of Harry Watt for the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 85th anniversary of the release of Target for Tonight this week, but I still haven’t seen enough and really only want to highlight his and Basil Wright’s Night Mail (one of Roger Deakins’s favorite documentaries; it’s on Kanopy and OVID). Aside from that, his significance to the history of documentary is mainly through his work for the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit and GPO Film Unit under John Grierson.

What did make it into the highlights section below are three must-see new releases, one of which I consider among the best documentaries ever, and a worthy re-release of a very 1990s nonfiction film that pairs well with one of those premieres. Plus, a reminder of last week’s reveal of awards-contending highlights via the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and DOC NYC.

Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, followed by daily listings for all known releases and broadcasts, along with a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including new features by Ben Proudfoot and Paul Thomas Anderson). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, plus full access to special posts like our best-of lists, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available. If you have a doc needing coverage or a mention, you can reach us at nonficseditor (at) gmail and let us know about its release plans.

Nonfics Pick Of The Week: You Can See Everything (2026)

The hottest documentary of the year is also one of the hottest films of the year, period. I’m surprised by how excited everyone has been about Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s You Can See Everything. Partly because I’ve been trying to get people to watch Oppenheim’s films for years, and partly because I didn’t think Fielder was that popular. Or that enough people cared about their subject here, Elizabeth Holmes. But word of mouth has spread quickly about this being an unexpected expose (that was mainly said sight unseen after the teaser dropped and isn’t quite correct) and unlike anything you’ve seen before. The latter, with claims from many critics that this is not your typical documentary, might be true (claims that it isn’t a documentary are not), but the film doesn’t do anything that others haven’t before. It just does it all better and for a different effect. Mostly because of Oppenheim’s mastery of character in nonfiction cinema, and Fielder’s genius when it comes to human psychology.

Before I quote from our review of You Can See Everything, I want to highlight some blurbs from critics who have articulated the most interesting challenge of the film — namely the dynamic between Fielder and Holmes — rather than just that it brilliantly plays with form and is astonishingly meta. Hannah Lodge (via Screen Rex) calls it “a three-hour game of chicken between two people who never break character.” Mike Ryan (via The Hard Pass) says, “In the past, Fielder has been presented as the quirky outsider who has interactions with people that come off as odd. Here, the tables are turned. It’s fascinating to see Fielder in a light where he comes off as the straight shooter who is completely taken aback by possibly one of the most skilled manipulators who has ever lived.” As for the reviews that say there’s even a romantic spark there, I disagree.

Here’s part of my admittedly vague and lightweight review:

“I used to think that merry pranksters (lowercase) like your Sacha Baron Cohens and your Nathan Fielders achieved very little as far as progress. They could disrupt, beyond minor situational stunts and confrontations, as we saw back with the Yippies and more recently with Anonymous. But they were still ultimately just amusing distractions. Then, this year, Fielder went and inspired an aviation industry law through his actions and questions raised in Season 2 of his show The Rehearsal. Like Errol Morris’s The Unknown Known, though, You Can See Everything shows us how impenetrable some subjects in politics and business can be. They’re the real tricksters of the world, and they might have the last laugh as the rest of us are just left stunned.”

You Can See Everything opens in theaters on Friday, October 16, 2026, via A24.

Other Documentary Highlights

Norm: The Tale Of Norm Macdonald (2026)

Judd Apatow seems to have a monopoly on documentaries about comedians. He has also been very busy this year, helming three docs, including the previously released Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, and producing more (I keep thinking he was also involved in others that he has one degree of separation from, like Who Is Martin Mull?). Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald might be my favorite. It’s certainly his most unique, avoiding the usual talking heads spouting pleasantries and going instead with an entirely archival format with some desktop documentary elements thrown in here and there. It’s a celebration of Norm Macdonald as he was — at least, as far as what he showed himself to be in front of an audience — not just how he’s remembered.

Continue reading our review of Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald.

Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald will premiere and begin streaming exclusively on Netflix on Friday, October 16, 2026.

Once Upon A Time In Harlem (2026)

In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves (best known for Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One) invited several surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance for a get-together and filmed them for a project that was never completed in his lifetime. More than a decade after his death, the documentary was finished by his son, David Greaves, and granddaughter, Liani Greaves. They could have added talking heads reflecting on the footage and offering more context, à la Questlove’s Summer of Soul, but instead they let the original material speak for itself. The result, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, is a new film that looks like an old film, in a good way. It’s an invitation to travel back in time to a party populated by such figures as Arna Bontemps, Richard Bruce Nugent, Gerri Major, Jean Blackwell Hutson, and James Van Der Zee.

If you aren’t familiar with these artists, no worries. And if you don’t always know what or whom they’re talking about, that’s okay too. There are no extensive captions, no annotations, no intertitles. The only additions are old photographs, including those showing what the gathered attendees looked like in the 1920s. And what you, the viewer, bring to the documentary in terms of knowledge and experience, including what you know and what those on screen don’t about the subsequent 54 years. It’s an enchanting trip back about half a century to hear stories and discussions, which themselves take you back about half a century further. I confess I haven’t thought much about the content of Once Upon a Time in Harlem since watching it, but I have thought a lot about the feeling and the historical experience of watching it. I wish all new films still looked and felt this good and all histories were this illuminating.

Once Upon a Time in Harlem will be released in theaters in New York City on Friday, October 16, 2026, and in Los Angeles on Friday, October 23, 2026, via Neon.

One In A Million (2026)

Another one of my favorite documentaries of the year, One in a Million is probably the film I’m most bummed was snubbed by the Critics Choice Documentary Awards last week (proof that even though I run the thing, I don’t control it). Here’s part of our review of One in a Million, which I covered back in January during Sundance:

“The title One in a Million may as well refer to its existence as a documentary that came together so well because of both directorial and editorial acumen. Credit may also go to the decisions of its characters and, ultimately, world events, but that could be like acknowledging the marble and model as much as the artist. The film, directed by Itab Azzam and Jack Macinnes, and edited by Iain Pettifer and Alec Rossiter, was shot over a decade and follows one family of Syrian refugees as they migrate to Germany and adjust in various ways. The main character is the eldest daughter, Isra’a, who is 11 at the beginning of this story. But her parents’ individual journeys and how their lives and minds change over time are often even more interesting than her tale of growing up and coming into her cultural identity before eventually returning to a free Aleppo.”

One in a Million will be released in theaters on Wednesday, October 20, 2026, via Frontline Features.

Paris Was A Woman (1996)

If you’re in New York City this week and want something to watch as a double feature with Once Upon a Time in Harlem (albeit in different theater locations), I suggest seeing Paris Was a Woman. Originally released 30 years ago, this film has been restored in 4K and is being re-released for a limited engagement. Where the Greaveses’ documentary showcases members of the Harlem Renaissance, Greta Schiller’s classic celebrates a group of women artists living in Paris around the same time. It transports you back to a 1920s neighborhood block party in a way, though not as viscerally as Once Upon a Time in Harlem immerses you in a reunion-focused house party.

Paris Was a Woman was previously highlighted on our list of the best documentaries of LGBTQIA+ history. Here’s part of our entry on this film: “Greta Schiller’s 1996 portrait of the Paris of the 1920s is a chronicle of a much-ignored period of French history, one which involved many artists from the United States as well. By shining a light on the community of creative lesbians that flocked to the City of Lights between the World Wars, Schiller asserts that queer women do in fact have a history, something so often robbed of them by patriarchal readings of the past.”

Paris Was a Woman will be re-released in 4K in theaters in New York City on Friday, October 16, 2026, via Zeitgeist Films and Metrograph.

Awards Highlights

11th Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominees

Last Tuesday, the Critics Choice Association announced this year’s nominees for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which will be held in New York City on November 8, 2026. I must acknowledge that I am CCA’s VP, Documentary, and an Executive Producer of the awards. However, as I noted above in my highlight of One in a Million, that doesn’t mean all my picks make it through, sadly. I also wish Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald was nominated in the biographical and archival categories. Anyway, you can find the full list of nominees at the link above. Highlights are below.

Ava DuVernay’s 14th, which just debuted at the New York Film Festival and arrives on Netflix later this year, received the most nominations with six. Close behind are Nuisance Bear, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and You Can See Everything — the latter two are highlighted new releases this week — all with five nominees. I loved seeing some smaller, lesser-known favorites nominated, including The Python Hunt, The Cycle of Love, Everybody to Kenmure Street, Peter Asher: Everywhere Man, Soul Patrol, Baby Doe, Standout: The Ben Kjar Story, Barbara Kopple’s Union Town, Ross McElwee’s Remake, and all of the shorts, especially Escalation and A Derailment. If I had any help at all in their nominations, I’m very happy, as I hope it in turn helps increase their visibility.

DOC NYC’s 2026 Short Lists

This year’s picks for the DOC NYC Short Lists, recognizing award-worthy documentary features and shorts, overlap a bit with the CCDA nominees (14th, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and You Can See Everything, included). However, they did include One in a Million. Other picks that aren’t among ours over at CCA include The Bend in the River, The Great Experiment, To Hold a Mountain, Wild Inside, and the short films The Boys and the Bees, Buckskin, The Grandfather Puzzle, La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Listen, The Oath, One Last Order, An Open Field, Outposts – Nothing Here is Yours, The Revolution Against Death, The Tuners, and Water Cooler.

They also have their 2026 Winner’s Circle list, recognizing films that have already been doing well awards-wise this year. Non-CCDA-nominees include American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Bucks Harbor, Closure, An Eye for an Eye, and Steal This Story, Please!, all of which I’d have been happy to see among our awards picks.

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Documentary Release Calendar 10/16/26 – 10/22/26

Friday, October 16, 2026

Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail (2024) – A feature documentary by Laurent Bouzereau (Music by John Williams) about Alfred Hitchcock’s style as it originated with his 1929 film Blackmail. (TCM)

The Disciple (2026) – A documentary feature directed by Oscar-winning producer Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets) about Dutch-Moroccan rapper/producer Cilvaringz and his association with the Wu-Tang Clan. (Netflix)

The Great Experiment (2026) – A DOC NYC-shortlisted documentary feature by Stephen Maing (Union) and Eric Daniel Metzgar that shows political life in America from 2017 through 2020. (In Theaters)

Great Musicians of Our Time Episode 2: “Pinchas Zukerman: Here to Make Music” – The latest episode of a docuseries about the most influential classical music artists. (PBS)

Marília Mendonça: Sentimento Louco (2026) – A documentary feature about the titular Brazilian singer, who died in a plane crash in 2021. (Prime Video)

Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald (2026) – A documentary feature directed by Judd Apatow (Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!) about the titular comedian. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)

Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026) – A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature that resurrects footage shot in 1972 by William Greaves (Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One) of a get-together of Harlem Renaissance legends. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Outposts: Nothing Here is Yours (2026) – A DOC NYC-shortlisted short documentary about Israeli activists who stand in solidarity with Palestinians against settlement expansion in the West Bank. (In Theaters)

Paris Was a Woman (1996) – A 30th anniversary 4K restoration re-release of a documentary feature about a community of women artists in Paris in the early 20th century. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

A Place of Absence (2025) – A documentary about Central American women traveling with the Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants. (In Theaters)

Rocky Mountain Wreckers Season 1, Episode 2: “Dead Man’s Curve” – The second installment of a nonfiction series that follows heavy towing crews in intense weather in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. (Discovery Channel)

The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd Season 4, Episode 3: “Incredible Spectacles” – The latest installment of a docuseries about mysterious and bizarre people and things. (History)

You Can See Everything (2026) – A three-hour Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim that follows Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the days before she went to prison. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Saturday, October 17, 2026

48 Hours Season 40, Episode 2: “The Detective and the Chewing Gum Sting” – The latest installment of an investigative documentary series. (CBS)

Austin City Limits Season 52, Episode 7: “Ari Lennox” – The latest installment of a long-running music series. (PBS)

Duck and Cover (1952) – A short instructional film on how to survive a nuclear attack. (TCM)

Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer Season 9, Episode 3: “Living in Extremes” – The latest installment of an adventure series that takes viewers to exotic locations. (NBC)

A Look at the World of Soylent Green (1973) – A short documentary about the making of the sci-fi film Soylent Green. (TCM)

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild Season 4, Episode 3: “Alaska’s Marine Mammals” – The latest installment of a nature series focused on wildlife conservation. This episode involves sea otters in Alaska. (NBC)

Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler Season 3, Episode 3: “The Tourniquet Killer” – The latest episode of a true-crime docuseries involving murder trials in Texas. (Oxygen)

Super Animals Season 4, Episode 9 – The latest episode of a nature docuseries for kids about animals with special traits. (National Geographic)

Super Scam Me (2026) – A medium-length investigative true crime documentary special starring Mariana van Zeller in which she goes undercover as a romance-scam target. (National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu)

Sunday, October 18, 2026

An Act of Kindness (2026) – A short documentary about an Israeli woman in her nineties who wasn’t told about her son and daughter being taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. (In Theaters)

Amos Poe: Unmade (2026) – A documentary about the titular underground artist in his final years of life. (In Theaters)

Aqua Antics (1942) – A short documentary showcasing the water skiing talents of the California Water Bugs club. (TCM)

Bucks County, USA Episode 5 – The final installment of a five-part documentary by Robert May and Barry Levinson about two teenage best friends who disagree politically. (PBS)

Catfish Murders Season 1, Episode 1: “A Killer Profile” – The first installment of a true-crime series about murders involving catfish scenarios. (Oxygen)

Late Night Law Season 2, Episode 5 & 6 “Reckless and Raging” & “Bail Out” – The latest installments of a docuseries that follows law enforcement during the night shift. (A&E)

Match Your Mood with Westinghouse (1968) – A short documentary about choosing the perfect refrigerator. (TCM)

MGM Parade Show #13 (1955) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Great Waltz and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)

Minnesota Neighbors: Not In Our Town (2026) – A documentary about Minnesota residents coming together to oppose ICE’s Operation Metro Surge. (In Theaters)

Snapped: Killer Moms Season 1, Episode 1: “Kimberly Warth” – The first installment of a true-crime docuseries about mothers who kill to protect or avenge their children. (Oxygen)

Monday, October 19, 2026

Bone Crushers (1933) – A short documentary about professional wrestlers. (TCM)

Contraband: Seized at the Border Season 9, Episode 2: “I Don’t Practice Santeria” – The latest installment of a nonfiction series focused on smuggling cases handled by Customs and Border Protection officers. (Discovery Channel)

Harlan Coben’s Final Twist Season 2, Episode 3: “Camilo’s Secret” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries exposing shocking murders and scandals. This episode involves the disappearances of two Miami businessmen and the world of MMA fighters. (CBS and Paramount+)

The Way Out (2026) – A documentary feature that pays tribute to the sport of skiing. (In Theaters)

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Angelina Jolie: Skin Deep (2011) – A medium-length documentary about the titular actress. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Capturing Bigfoot (2026) – A documentary feature about the famous footage allegedly of Bigfoot. (Prime Video)

Dalai Lama: Enlightened (2010) – A medium-length documentary about the titular Tibetan spiritual leader. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Freedom on Our Mind (2022) – A documentary feature about film students connecting with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Frontline Season 45, Episode 6: “Haiti Deportation Crisis” – The latest installment of a PBS documentary anthology series. This episode looks at Haitian refugees in America who fear being deported. (PBS)

Heath Ledger: A Tribute (2009) – A medium-length documentary about the titular actor. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Hobbies (1941) – A short documentary about hobbies, including whittling and putting a ship in a bottle. (TCM)

The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) – A restored version of Michael Apted’s 1989 documentary feature about Soviet rock legend Boris Grebenshchikov. (VOD)

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Ghost Adventures Season 31, Episode 4: “Gold Canyon Curse” – The latest installment of a docuseries following paranormal investigators. (Discovery Channel)

Headpin Hints (1955) – A short documentary where the pros offer tips to young bowlers. (TCM)

Just One Before I Die (2026) – A docuseries about Buffalo Bills fans. (Tubi)

Leaving Home (2026) – A short documentary about siblings in Texas whose parents are returning to Mexico. Presented as an installment of VOCES. (PBS)

Nature Season 45, Episode 2: “Tiger Island” – The latest installment of a nature series. This episode involves tiger mothers and their cubs in Nepal. (PBS)

Nova Season 53, Episode 14: “Evolution: Need to Feed” – The second installment of a five-part series within Nova about evolution on Earth over billions of years. (PBS)

One in a Million (2026) – A Sundance-winning documentary feature that captures 10 years in the life of a Syrian refugee and her family. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

The Serial Killer Connection Season 1, Episode 3: “The Final Secret” – The final installment of a three-part true-crime docuseries that teams up a serial killer’s ex-wife and a survivor as they investigate murders. (Investigation Discovery)

Untold Stories of the ER Season 14, Episode 8: “Labor Pains” – The latest installment of a docuseries about difficult emergency room cases. (TLC)

Thursday, October 22, 2026

After The First 48 Season 9, Episode 1 – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murder cases attempted to be solved in the first 48 hours. (A&E)

Archive X: Unexplained Phenomena Season 1, Episode 4: “Speaking with the Dead” – The latest installment of a docuseries that explores prophetic dreams, ESP, near-death experiences, alien encounters, and messages from beyond. (Sundance Channel)

Harnessed Rhythm (1936) – A short documentary by Jacques Tourneur following the life of a racehorse. (TCM)

Killer Investigations Season 2, Episode 1: “The Lady in the Woods” – The latest installment of a true-crime series about the country’s most gripping homicide cases. (A&E)

MGM Parade Show #13 (1955) – This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Great Waltz and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)

The Spies Among Us (2025) – A documentary feature about a former victim of the Stasi confronting former East German secret police officers. (In Theaters)

Swipe Right on the Devil (2026) – A true-crime docuseries about a woman who went missing while on a Tinder date, a case that involved witchcraft and mind control. (Hulu)

Toxic Waste: A Time Bomb Under Our Feet (2026) – A medium-length documentary about the dangers of burying toxic waste. (OVID)

Treewashing: The Planting Illusion (2026) – A medium-length documentary that exposes the financial and political interests driving reforestation campaigns around the world. (OVID).

TREW To You Film Project: The Senderos (2026) – A documentary feature about skiers in New Mexico. (In Theaters)

Share Nonfics

Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon

10/23 – The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony – A documentary feature about a gymnastics team in Pakistan. (In Theaters)

10/27 – Kordell Stewart / Slash & Burn – A short documentary about NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart and a rumor that followed him for decades. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO and HBO Max)

10/28 – Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning – A concert film starring Ozzy Osborne and his band Black Sabbath. (In Theaters)

10/28 – The Eyes of Ghana – A documentary feature by two-time Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot (The Queen of Basketball; The Last Repair Shop) about Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse and his nearly lost coverage of post-colonial Africa. Read our review of The Eyes of Ghana. Watch the new trailer for the film (featuring a blurb from our review) below. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

10/30 – Everest: The Other Side – A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) that follows mountaineering couple Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they climb and ski the North Face of Mount Everest. *NONFICS PICK* (In IMAX Theaters)

11/3 – A Marble in the Jar – A documentary feature about surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb and her mentor, Greg Browning. (VOD)

11/6 – Nuisance Bear – A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature about the relationship between a community on the shore of the Hudson Bay and the polar bears getting too close to their town. Read our review of Nuisance Bear. Watch the new trailer for the film below. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

11/11 – Magic in the Mundane – A documentary about the miracles of everyday experience. (VOD)

11/19 – A Derailment – A Critics Choice-nominated short documentary executive produced by John Wilson about a town dealing with a toxic train derailment. *NONFICS PICK* (YouTube via POV and TIME Studios)

11/20 – Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall – A concert film by Paul Thomas Anderson starring the titular musician. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

11/20 – Don Bluth: Somewhere Out There – A documentary about the titular animation icon. (VOD)

11/20 – Ash and Crayons – A documentary feature by Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom) that follows seven Ukrainian children during the ongoing war with Russia. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

12/4 – The Bend in the River – A DOC NYC-shortlisted documentary feature directed by Robb Moss and executive-produced by Joel Coen and Frances McDormand that revisits a group of friends after nearly 50 years who appeared in Moss’s films Riverdogs and The Same River Twice. Read our review of The Bend in the River. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

12/4 – 14th – A Critics Choice-documentary feature by Ava DuVernay (13th) about the 14th Amendment. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)

Judd Apatow seems to have a monopoly on documentaries about comedians. He has also been very busy this year, helming three docs, including the previously released Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, and producing more (I keep thinking he was also involved in others that he has one degree of separation from, like Who Is Martin Mull?). Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald might be my favorite. It’s certainly his most unique, avoiding the usual talking heads spouting pleasantries and going instead with an entirely archival format with some desktop documentary elements thrown in here and there. It’s a celebration of Norm Macdonald as he was — at least, as far as what he showed himself to be in front of an audience — not just how he’s remembered.

The fascinating thing is that Macdonald wasn’t the most consistent or truthful person publicly, whether in his stand-up routines, his writing, his talk shows, or even in interviews. That could be true with most comedians, who tend to embellish or make up stories for bits and routines, but Macdonald never seemed to offer a separate identity from his stand-up role. This makes it a wonderful companion piece to You Can See Everything as another new documentary about a person who is impossible to believe and know completely. Apatow uses a device through which the film becomes an investigation into the myth and reality of Norm Macdonald, but it’s the kind of inquiry that just uses internet searches to address the questions and often gets nowhere in terms of answers. Did he go to college? Was he ever married? Was he gay?

Sadly, like Macdonald, some of the people closest to him who might have been able to share more personal knowledge of the real person behind the comedic performer persona, like Larry King and Bob Saget, have also passed away in recent years. Not that I necessarily would want to know anything he wasn’t interested in sharing publicly in life. Still, the mystery of the man and that unknowable aspect to him as a subject makes for a fun documentary, even when a lot of it becomes a clip show of hilarious bits. Apatow pieces those clips together to paint a picture of the persona as best as he can, intentionally showing the cracks where the pieces don’t fit perfectly while also highlighting moments of genuine expression that existed alongside all the dubious, exaggerated, or otherwise indeterminate statements he made.