Gianfranco Rosi, the Italian documentarian behind FIRE AT SEA and NOTTURNO, breaks down his approach to filmmaking and the ideas that shaped his latest project, POMPEI: BELOW THE CLOUDS.

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This was one of the first audience questions I ever got about Our Nixon, and I’ve thought about it many times over the years.

Our Nixon is composed entirely of pre-existing material — “found footage,” like home movies, TV news and Nixon’s White House tapes. So I really should have been more prepared, and less completely thrown off by this question!

I find there’s a lot of confusion about what a documentary director actually does.

Sometimes, I feel confused myself. On one of the first shoots on Hail Satan? — this was January 2017— I found myself crying in a bathroom stall because I truly had no idea what my job was.

We were filming a black mass in Los Angeles. Producer Gabriel had done a great job staffing the shoot: we had multiple camera and sound operators, a PA, etc. It was a dark, loud, chaotic event. I couldn’t tell what the camera people were filming, because we didn’t have the budget for a director’s monitor (or even if we did, I did not know such a thing existed!). Consequently, during the event, I didn’t have anything to do. Everyone else on the crew was doing their jobs, and I just kind of stood around, feeling bored and anxious.

I was convinced everyone else on the crew — including the PA, who was keeping an eye on the gear — knew their purpose and was fulfilling it. Whereas I had absolutely no idea in that moment what a documentary director does, what she should be doing right now, or why I’d paid to fly her/me across the country for this shoot!!!

Since then, I’ve had other moments where it seems like I am the only person not actually doing anything (!!!), but I’ve also learned what the job really is — and isn’t.

Close your eyes and picture a documentary director.

I’ll wait…

You probably pictured someone with a camera in their hands, headphones on, out in the field, following action as it unfolds. Perhaps even something like this, the top Google Image result for “documentary director”:

There are tons of doc directors for whom that image is a pretty accurate depiction of their primary artistic process. It does feel, in some ways, like the center of the whole thing.

So, I’ve always felt awkward and a bit fraudulent about my utter lack of interest in, or talent for, cinematography, which seems so central to doc directing! I have tried and failed many times to force myself to become a Camera Loving Person because on some level I still believe a real documentarian holds the camera at least sometimes, damn it.

I have realized by now there are infinite ways to be a documentary director. The job can look extremely different, from person to person.

Some of us work with DPs and some of us shoot our own material, some of us are deep researchers, some of us are super visual thinkers or highly analytic or really into story structure, some of us are crazy about editing and others are not so involved. I could go on and on and on about how varied the job can look — that’s part of what I love about it.

But I think regardless of what form your directorial process takes, there are 2 essential parts of the job that no director can escape. These remain the same in every situation, from development to distribution.

The 2 Most Important Things a Documentary Director Does

1. KNOW WHAT THE MOVIE IS, AND BE READY TO EXPLAIN IT TO LITERALLY EVERYONE, FOREVER.

Your job is to create, maintain and shepherd a specific, holistic vision for the film, and to communicate that vision effectively in any context, at any time, to anyone.

Set a compass bearing.
Sometimes, you’ll tack one way or another, but keep an eye on that bearing.

In most cases, you’ll need to be the decider.1 So be prepared to decide.
Also be prepared to listen and change your mind.
No, you will never know if you’re getting this balance right. But you have to commit to a vision, and negotiate both feedback and chance.

Remember that almost everyone else on the project is only aware of their piece of the larger puzzle, and your job is have the larger puzzle always in mind. So, when filming something, for example, think about how it fits into the bigger whole and communicate that to anyone who needs to know.

2. BE THE ONE WHO CARES THE MOST, AND KNOW IT FALLS TO YOU TO MAKE IT WORK.

Directing is a leadership position.

You need to build a team and manage it.
You need to activate, motivate, inspire, and collaborate.

You should probably be the one who cares the most.
There may be times when you are the only one who cares, and that’s okay, that’s also part of the job.

That doesn’t mean you need to micromanage, or do it all yourself! God no.
Instead, discover what you are really good at and drawn to — is it research? shooting? editing? interviewing? — and surround yourself with people that are incredibly talented, especially in the areas you are weaker in.

Fill in the gaps. And let others fill in yours.
For example, since I am no good at camera stuff, I always work with a great DP.

If you choose to be a director, remember you’ve taken on the ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of the film.
Everyone has their job, and yours is to make it all work.
You’ll get lots of credit, but to earn it, you have to take on that burden.

So, to answer that question from the Our Nixon Q&A: no, I didn’t shoot the footage. But I did know what the movie was, I spent years explaining it to literally everyone, I cared about it more than anyone and I built my team to support my own idiosyncratic strengths and weaknesses.

That night in the bathroom on the Hail Satan? shoot, I worried I was failing the film. It turns out I will always worry about that — and I should, because I know it falls to me to make it all work in the end.

This was one of the first audience questions I ever got about Our Nixon, and I’ve thought about it many times over the years.

Our Nixon is composed entirely of pre-existing material — “found footage,” like home movies, TV news and Nixon’s White House tapes. So I really should have been more prepared, and less completely thrown off by this question!

I find there’s a lot of confusion about what a documentary director actually does.

Sometimes, I feel confused myself. On one of the first shoots on Hail Satan? — this was January 2017— I found myself crying in a bathroom stall because I truly had no idea what my job was.

We were filming a black mass in Los Angeles. Producer Gabriel had done a great job staffing the shoot: we had multiple camera and sound operators, a PA, etc. It was a dark, loud, chaotic event. I couldn’t tell what the camera people were filming, because we didn’t have the budget for a director’s monitor (or even if we did, I did not know such a thing existed!). Consequently, during the event, I didn’t have anything to do. Everyone else on the crew was doing their jobs, and I just kind of stood around, feeling bored and anxious.

I was convinced everyone else on the crew — including the PA, who was keeping an eye on the gear — knew their purpose and was fulfilling it. Whereas I had absolutely no idea in that moment what a documentary director does, what she should be doing right now, or why I’d paid to fly her/me across the country for this shoot!!!

Since then, I’ve had other moments where it seems like I am the only person not actually doing anything (!!!), but I’ve also learned what the job really is — and isn’t.

Close your eyes and picture a documentary director.

I’ll wait…

You probably pictured someone with a camera in their hands, headphones on, out in the field, following action as it unfolds. Perhaps even something like this, the top Google Image result for “documentary director”:

There are tons of doc directors for whom that image is a pretty accurate depiction of their primary artistic process. It does feel, in some ways, like the center of the whole thing.

So, I’ve always felt awkward and a bit fraudulent about my utter lack of interest in, or talent for, cinematography, which seems so central to doc directing! I have tried and failed many times to force myself to become a Camera Loving Person because on some level I still believe a real documentarian holds the camera at least sometimes, damn it.

I have realized by now there are infinite ways to be a documentary director. The job can look extremely different, from person to person.

Some of us work with DPs and some of us shoot our own material, some of us are deep researchers, some of us are super visual thinkers or highly analytic or really into story structure, some of us are crazy about editing and others are not so involved. I could go on and on and on about how varied the job can look — that’s part of what I love about it.

But I think regardless of what form your directorial process takes, there are 2 essential parts of the job that no director can escape. These remain the same in every situation, from development to distribution.

The 2 Most Important Things a Documentary Director Does

1. KNOW WHAT THE MOVIE IS, AND BE READY TO EXPLAIN IT TO LITERALLY EVERYONE, FOREVER.

Your job is to create, maintain and shepherd a specific, holistic vision for the film, and to communicate that vision effectively in any context, at any time, to anyone.

Set a compass bearing.
Sometimes, you’ll tack one way or another, but keep an eye on that bearing.

In most cases, you’ll need to be the decider.1 So be prepared to decide.
Also be prepared to listen and change your mind.
No, you will never know if you’re getting this balance right. But you have to commit to a vision, and negotiate both feedback and chance.

Remember that almost everyone else on the project is only aware of their piece of the larger puzzle, and your job is have the larger puzzle always in mind. So, when filming something, for example, think about how it fits into the bigger whole and communicate that to anyone who needs to know.

2. BE THE ONE WHO CARES THE MOST, AND KNOW IT FALLS TO YOU TO MAKE IT WORK.

Directing is a leadership position.

You need to build a team and manage it.
You need to activate, motivate, inspire, and collaborate.

You should probably be the one who cares the most.
There may be times when you are the only one who cares, and that’s okay, that’s also part of the job.

That doesn’t mean you need to micromanage, or do it all yourself! God no.
Instead, discover what you are really good at and drawn to — is it research? shooting? editing? interviewing? — and surround yourself with people that are incredibly talented, especially in the areas you are weaker in.

Fill in the gaps. And let others fill in yours.
For example, since I am no good at camera stuff, I always work with a great DP.

If you choose to be a director, remember you’ve taken on the ultimate responsibility for the success or failure of the film.
Everyone has their job, and yours is to make it all work.
You’ll get lots of credit, but to earn it, you have to take on that burden.

So, to answer that question from the Our Nixon Q&A: no, I didn’t shoot the footage. But I did know what the movie was, I spent years explaining it to literally everyone, I cared about it more than anyone and I built my team to support my own idiosyncratic strengths and weaknesses.

That night in the bathroom on the Hail Satan? shoot, I worried I was failing the film. It turns out I will always worry about that — and I should, because I know it falls to me to make it all work in the end.

Anne Thompson is back on “Screen Talk” as we catch up on two Anne Hathaway movies and Lena Dunham’s dishy memoir “Famesick.”

In this episode, we welcome director Paris Barclay and editor Scott D. Hanson. Paris is an Emmy Award–winning director whose work spans series such as The West Wing, Sons of Anarchy, In Treatment, and Monster, and Scott is an Emmy-nominated editor with projects including Dolemite is My Name, McMillions, and Born to Bowl. In our conversation, they share their journeys into the industry, how they developed their craft, and dive into the making of the documentary Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It. They also reflect on key moments from their careers and share thoughtful insights for the next generation of filmmakers.

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ZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes (18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, 85mm, 100mm, and 135mm) designed to marry the benefits of modern optical design with the nostalgic image characteristics that are popular today. Drawing inspiration from some of the most beloved ZEISS lenses of the 20th century, Aatma combines an emotion-driven look with the mechanical reliability, data integration, and workflow compatibility that’s expected for current production. Visit here

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The Elgato Prompter XL is an all-in-one studio teleprompter designed for larger, more professional setups, featuring a 15.6” removable display and an extended reading range of up to 15 feet so talent can stay on script even at a distance. With ultra-wide compatibility, simple USB 3.2 connectivity, and included software, it easily integrates into multi-camera productions, live shows, and content creation workflows—while also doubling as a secondary monitor between shoots. Available at Videoguys.com, call us at 800-323-2325 for more information.

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Podcast Rewind:

April 2026 – Ep. 130.

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A new month begins this week, and that means we have a very full listings section, mostly thanks to The Criterion Channel, as usual. The week’s listings section also might be populated with more *Nonfics Picks* than ever. I count 16, almost half of which are new releases (or at least re-releases or recent releases hitting a new format or platform for the first time). So, let’s get right into this week’s reviews and recs.

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 a preview for the final Jackass movie). 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 in need of coverage or a mention, you can reach me at christopherbartoncampbell (at) gmail.

Nonfics Picks Of The Week: American Dream (1990) & Harlan County, USA (1976)

If you’ve followed Nonfics over the years, you’ll know that we have wanted to recommend Barbara Kopple’s American Dream forever. It’s rarely been available in any format except for an old DVD, but it deserves to be as easily streamed as Kopple’s other Oscar-winning documentary about a worker’s strike, Harlan County, U.S.A. Well, the 1990 masterpiece was recently restored with a new 4K print that is heading to theaters and will likely land on a streaming platform in the future. I’m assuming American Dream will join Harlan County, U.S.A. on The Criterion Channel since Janus Films and the Criterion Collection handled the restoration.

While not quite as perfect as Harlan County, U.S.A., which is on my list of the best documentaries of all time, American Dream is pretty damn close. The film follows a strike of Hormel Foods meatpacking workers in Minnesota in the 1980s after their wages and benefits were cut. It’s a familiar yet still enraging portrait of Reagan-era America. The characters in focus here are primarily leadership figures, including the local union president, its parent union head, and a consultant hired to help with negotiations. But it’s the scenes with the regular folk, the workers who risk losing everything while simply fighting for what’s fair, that hit the hardest.

As I wrote on our list of the best Sundance documentaries of all time, Kopple “throws us right in there, enough to make us feel as cold as the workers picketing outside the factory in the dead of winter.” It’s a different kind of cultural immersion than we get with Harlan County, U.S.A. Yet it complements that earlier classic as much as they contrast. And it is just as powerful in its aim to create empathy among its viewers, especially when it puts us in the passenger seat alongside strikebreakers. We want to be mad at them, given that we’ve been otherwise placed on the side of the picketing workers, but we are led to understand. Ultimately, these people are as much at the mercy of union leaders as of the corporate suits, whose exploitation begets desperation.

American Dream will be re-released in theaters on Friday, May 1, 2026 (International Workers’ Day!). Harlan County, U.S.A. will join the film in theaters the same weekend.

Other Documentary Highlights

Caribbean Activist Cinema

One of this month’s curations on The Criterion Channel focuses on nonfiction works from the 1970s and 1980s that “spotlight vital stories of workers’ movements, decolonial struggle, and liberation from economic exploitation and violent oppression.” Six of the seven programmed documentaries are new to the streamer in May, joining West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty. The added titles in this block, titled “You Don’t Get Freedom, You Take Freedom: Caribbean Activist Cinema,” are Haiti: The Way to Freedom, Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us, Women of Suriname, Sweet Sugar Rage, Bitter Cane, and The Terror of the Time. I’m pretty sure none of them are available, or have been, anywhere else.

Conbody Vs. Everybody (2024)

We finally get to see what Debra Granik has been doing since her 2014 documentary Stray Dog (yes, she released a fiction feature in 2018, but that was in the middle of working on this). I can say it’s worth the wait, and not just because it’s the length of around three or four features. Conbody vs. Everybody is not so much a docuseries as a five-part film. It doesn’t try to stretch a story over multiple episodes for plotting and binge-watching, as is the norm these days. It’s more akin to My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow in the way it immerses us in a character piece and plays like a chaptered cinematic novel. We follow a narrative, but more so, we experience a life.

Conbody vs. Everybody specifically depicts several years in the life of Coss Marte, a formerly incarcerated man trying to keep himself and others from a statistically expected return to prison. He starts a gym based on the exercise regimen that he followed in his tight prison cell, and he exclusively hires fellow former inmates. I recommend reading my interview with Granik about the making of the documentary and why it took so much time and needed to be. I think it works because a feature runtime might only allow for a story that ends as soon as Coss seems to be on track for success with the opening of his business. At 330 minutes, we get a clearer sense of the pace it takes to get there and beyond, with more ups and downs and milestones that follow, emphasizing the span of time in a way a feature can’t.

Conbody vs. Everybody will begin exclusively streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Frederick Wiseman’s U.S. Documentaries (Continued)

The Jacob Burns Film Center’s retrospective “Frederick Wiseman’s America” concludes this week with its final screenings of Frederick Wiseman’s U.S.-set works. Here are the documentaries to watch, whether it’s there on the big screen, at home via Kanopy, or on physical media from Zipporah Films: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (May 1), Monrovia, Indiana (May 1 & May 3), and In Jackson Heights (May 2).

Kimi Takesue Documentaries

Another filmmaker we’re happy to spotlight this week is Kimi Takesue. Her features and shorts, most of them nonfiction works, are being showcased in The Criterion Channel’s May curation titled “Directed by Kimi Takesue: Crossings and Encounters.” The more interesting titles in the bunch concentrate on the idea of cross-cultural gazes in the form of tourism, while also being a kind of virtual tourism themselves. Through her lens, we visit New York City, Peru, Uganda, and Laos. The last of these is on display in Onlookers, her most recent film. Here’s an excerpt from my review:

“When you visit a foreign land, you should immerse yourself in the local culture, but too much of vacationing internationally turns into observation of culture instead. Then again, isn’t that also what a lot of documentaries entail? Kimi Takesue’s Onlookers combines these two considerations and takes voyeurism to a new level by showing us images of tourism in Laos. Watching the film, I never felt immersed in the scenes and instead actually felt more distanced from what I was looking at than usual. Putting tourists between the film audience and the temples, monks, landscapes, etc. reminds us that we’re just gazing at what’s in the frame, like the vacationers gazing at what’s in front of and around them.”

Kimi Takesue’s seven documentaries, including Onlookers, begin streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Life On Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure (2026)

As we approach Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday next week, another new documentary celebrating his life and work is being released online. Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure is little more than a special about the making of his landmark 1979 nature series Life on Earth. The hour-long documentary features new interviews with Attenborough and other producers who worked on the show, as they discuss its ambitious undertaking and legacy of significance. We just recently got another documentary that revisited Life on Earth, Netflix’s A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough. This one also has to acknowledge the gorilla episode. I recommend it as a lesson in documentary history, particularly for the nature genre.

Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure airs on PBS on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, and afterward will be available to stream on the PBS website and app.

Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024)

We highlighted Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière, Le Cinema! a little over a month ago as our Pick of the Week when it was released in theaters. Here’s an excerpt from that review now that it’s making its streaming debut:

“At first, Lumière, Le Cinema! seems to be merely an assembly of Lumière films with commentary from Frémaux, but it’s more of an essay film. Frémaux breaks his documentary up into segments of different focus, including children, military scenes, international locations, and modes of transportation (surprisingly, he has little time for The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, which he shares is just one of many similar films). He begins with the history lesson of the Lumières, their invention, their first showings, and a good deal of attention given to the famed Leaving the Factory (the most recognizable version of which might not have been the original, apparently). Then it becomes more of a study of the films, their content (including the first “cat videos”!), and the Lumières’ recurring themes.”

Lumière, Le Cinema! will begin exclusively streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Modern Whore (2025)

Anora writer/director Sean Baker is an executive producer on this film based on the memoirs of a Toronto sex worker. Andrea Werhun is that author and now the documentary’s subject, telling her tales of being an escort and stripper, expressing her moments of professional enjoyment and bouts with shame, sharing her rape and other sexual assault experiences, and discussing the job’s pros and cons on several levels, sometimes in conversation with other sex workers or with her boyfriend or mother. She also acts in the film during occasionally humorous reenactments. What I like most about Modern Whore is that it’s serious, but it still has fun, balancing a tone and aesthetic that’s somewhere between the Drunk History model and a sociology thesis.

Modern Whore will be released on PVOD platforms on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Our Land (2025)

I’ve seen reviews of Our Land that describe it as “straightforward” and “conventional,” which makes me wonder if those critics and I saw the same film. The first documentary feature by the brilliant Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel, it’s not necessarily an inventive or informal work, but it does bounce around enough in its structure, plays around enough with its style, and, like in her scripted work, mines deeper themes than we find on the surface level of the story.

I’d at least say it’s a unique nonfiction film. Particularly with some of its editing choices near its conclusion. Martel uses a case of an Indigenous leader’s killing and his alleged murderers’ trial as a centerpiece for a documentary that goes further in its considerations of Indigenous identity and community. It’s up there with Dahomey as one of the most contemplative documentaries on colonialism this decade.

Our Land will be released in theaters on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Awards Highlights

Critics Choice Real TV Awards Nominees

Nominations for this year’s Critics Choice Real TV Awards were announced last week, with many documentary titles honored alongside reality programming contenders. They include all of these Best Limited Series nominees: Boy Band Confidential (now streaming on HBO Max), Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? (Hulu), Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV), Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model (Netflix), Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix), and Trust Me: The False Prophet (Netflix). Two documentary stars, Chris Hemsworth of Limitless: Live Better Now (Disney+ and Hulu) and Stanley Tucci of Tucci in Italy (Disney+ and Hulu), were named among the nominations for Best Male Star of the Year.

Other documentary nominees include Best Sports Show contenders 30 for 30 (ESPN), Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix), Hard Knocks (HBO Max), Quarterback (Netflix), Untold (Netflix), and Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu), and all honored in the Best Animal/Nature Show: Born to Be Wild (Apple TV), Kingdom (BBC America), Prehistorical Planet: Ice Age (Apple TV), Secrets of the Bees (Disney+ and Hulu), Underdogs (Disney+ and Hulu), and The Wild Ones (Apple TV). Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (The Roku Channel) and Tucci in Italy are up for Best Travel/Adventure Show, and The Curious Case of… (HBO Max) and Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (Hulu) are up for Best Crime/Justice show, along with Trust Me: The False Prophet.

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Documentary Release Calendar 5/1/26 – 5/7/26

Friday, May 1, 2026

95 and 6 to Go (2016) – A feature documentary directed by Kimi Takesue about her father, who decides to become a filmmaker at 90. (The Criterion Channel)

American Agitators (2024) – A documentary feature about Fred Ross, who is considered one of the inventors of modern community organizing. (In Theaters)

American Dream (1990) – A 4K restoration re-release of Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning documentary feature about a Hormel Foods labor strike in Minnesota. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco (2017) – A documentary feature about the titular fashion designer. (Mubi)

Bitter Cane (1983) – A documentary feature about the American exploitation of the Haitian people. (The Criterion Channel)

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (2020) – A docudrama by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross about a Las Vegas dive bar. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

Blum – Masters of Their Own Destiny (2024) – A documentary about Emerik Blum and the unique European energy company he founded, Energoinvest. (OVID)

Conbody vs. Everybody (2024) – A five-part documentary directed by Debra Granik (Stray Dog) about a formerly incarcerated man who starts a gym that employs other individuals released from prison. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

De Palma (2015) – A documentary feature by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow about filmmaker Brian De Palma. (Pluto TV)

Dior and I (2014) – A documentary feature by Frédéric Tcheng about the Christian Dior fashion house. Read our review of Dior and I. *NONFICS PICK* (Mubi)

E=NYC2 (2005) – A short film by Kimi Takesue that captures the dynamic energy of New York City. (The Criterion Channel)

Great Performances: Now Hear This Season 7, Episode 4: “The Iceland Sound” – The latest installment of a docuseries starring conductor and violinist Scott Yoo about the secret histories of great musical works. This episode involves Icelandic composers and musicians. (PBS, the PBS App, and the PBS Website)

Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us (1983) – A medium-length documentary about Grenada’s history and the reasons for the U.S. military invasion of the country in 1983. (The Criterion Channel)

Haiti: The Way to Freedom (1973) – A documentary feature about the Haitian people’s struggles for their freedom. (The Criterion Channel)

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) – An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. *NONFICS PICK* (NYC Theatrical Event)

Heaven’s Crossroad (2002) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue about what it means to look cross-culturally. (The Criterion Channel)

Hollywood Without Make-Up (1963) – A short documentary sharing home movie clips of Hollywood stars. (TCM)

House of Cardin (2019) – A documentary feature about the fashion designer Pierre Cardin. (The Criterion Channel)

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) – A two-time Oscar-winning feature documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim and starring former Vice President Al Gore about climate change. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022) – A documentary feature about the titular rock and roll icon. (Pluto TV)

The Kill Team (2013) – A documentary feature about war crimes committed by the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Looking for Adventure (2013) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue that observes group tourism in Peru. (The Criterion Channel)

Lucky Chow Season 8 – The return of a docuseries about Asian cuisine. (PBS)

Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024) – A documentary by Thierry Frémaux (Lumière!) compiling rare films by the Lumière brothers. Read our review of Lumière, Le Cinema! *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

Maya, Give Me a Title (2024) – An animated hybrid film directed by Michel Gondry and starring his daughter, about their nightly ritual of collaborating on short films starring her as the hero. (The Criterion Channel)

Mitski: The Land (2025) – A concert film starring the titular singer-songwriter. (Mubi)

Modern Whore (2025) – A documentary feature about a Toronto sex worker. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)

Oasis: Supersonic (2016) – A documentary feature about the early years of the titular Britpop group. (Pluto TV)

Onlookers (2023) – A documentary feature directed by Kimi Takesue on tourism in Laos. Read our review of Onlookers. (The Criterion Channel)

Our Land (2025) – A documentary feature directed by Lucretia Martel about the case of the 2009 killing of an Indigenous leader in Argentina. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Personale (2024) – A documentary feature about housekeeping workers at an Italian hotel. (OVID)

The Proof is Out There Season 6, Episode 8: “Mexican Goblin, New Mexico Classic UFO, and Half-Human Half-Goat Mystery” – The latest installment of a docuseries investigating UFOs, conspiracies, and mythical creatures. (History)

Riotsville, U.S.A. (2022) – An archival documentary feature directed by Sierra Pettengill about a fictional town created by the U.S. military for riot training. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

The Shepherd and the Bear (2024) – A documentary feature about a shepherd whose flock is threatened by bears. (The Criterion Channel)

The Spirit of ‘45 (2013) – A documentary feature by Ken Loach about the unified British society after World War II. (The Criterion Channel)

Stop Making Sense (1984) – A documentary feature by Jonathan Demme and starring Talking Heads that we consider the best concert film of all time. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Suspended (2009) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue that looks at suspended time. (The Criterion Channel)

Sweet Sugar Rage (1985) – A short documentary about Jamaican women sugar cane workers. (The Criterion Channel)

The Terror and the Time (1979) – A documentary about repressive violence in colonial Guyana. (The Criterion Channel)

Tokyo Trial (1983) – A 277-minute documentary about the 1946-48 Tokyo Trials after World War II. (The Criterion Channel)

Western (2015) – A documentary feature by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross about a pair of border towns in Texas and Mexico separated by the Rio Grande. *NONFICS PICK*(The Criterion Channel)

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018) – A documentary feature about fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. (Mubi)

Where Are You Taking Me? (2010) – A documentary feature by Kimi Takesue that captures modern Uganda. (The Criterion Channel)

Women of Suriname (1978) – A medium-length documentary about colonialism, neo-colonialism, and discrimination in Suriname. (The Criterion Channel)

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) – An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. *NONFICS PICK* (NYC Theatrical Event)

Hollywood Demons Season 2, Episodes 3 & 4: “Scarred by the Bell” & “Doctor Feelgoods” – The latest installments of a docuseries about the dark realities of various celebrities and TV shows. These episodes involve the TV show Saved by the Bell and pharmaceutical abuse, respectively. (Investigation Discovery)

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever Episode 3: “How to Hack Loneliness” – The third installment of a six-part docuseries starring journalist Kara Swisher about the latest in longevity science. (CNN)

Philly Homicide Season 2, Episode 4: “Metal and Mayhem” – The latest installment of a docuseries following Philadelphia detectives. This episode involves the disappearance of an artist and musician. (Oxygen)

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Eva Longoria: Searching for France Episodes 5 & 6: “Burgundy” & “Alsace” – The latest installments of an eight-part docuseries in the Searching For… travelogue franchise following Eva Longoria on a culinary tour of France. (CNN)

The Food That Built America Season 7, Episode 3: “The Birth of Bubblegum” – The latest installment of a docuseries about popular American foods. This episode looks back at the accidental origin of bubble gum and the decades-long battle of its biggest brands. (History)

Hazardous History with Henry Winkler Season 2, Episode 3: “Twisted Toys” – The latest installment of a docuseries about dangerous toys and household items that used to be common. This episode involves hazardous dolls and other toys. (History)

How to Make Challah (2024) – A short film documenting three generations of women baking challah. (ChaiFlicks)

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever Episode 3: “How to Hack Loneliness” – The third installment of a six-part docuseries starring journalist Kara Swisher about the latest in longevity science. (CNN All Access)

A Plan to Kill Season 2, Episode 9: “Pizza Bomber” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries on the meticulous planning conducted by serial killers. (Oxygen)

Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC (2026) – A multiscreen concert film presenting John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s two Madison Square Garden shows on August 30, 1972. (Theatrical Event)

Soccer Meets America (2026) – A docuseries about how soccer finally became a part of American culture. (The Roku Channel)

This Is the Bowery (1941) – A short documentary about the titular New York City neighborhood. (TCM)

Monday, May 4, 2026

The Wedding in Monaco (1956) – A short documentary of Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. (TCM)

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

André Is An Idiot (2025) – A documentary feature following a man after his cancer diagnosis. Read our review of André Is An Idiot. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)

Betrayal: Secrets & Lies Episode 6: “Latter Day Lies” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries involving stories of infidelity. (ABC, Disney+, and Hulu)

The Dark Wizard Episode 4: “Transcending Human Limitations” – The final installment of a four-part docuseries about climber, base jumper, and highline walker Dean Potter. (HBO and HBO Max)

Field of Fears – The Haunting of Randolph County Asylum (2025) – A documentary feature about a haunted infirmary in Indiana. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Häxan (1922) – A hybrid film about the history of witchcraft. *NONFICS PICK* (TCM)

I Am She, She Is Her. (2025) – A documentary about the lived experiences of Black women in positions of power. (DVD)

The Kids Are Not Alright (2024) – A documentary about survivors of the troubled teen industry. (DVD)

Mistress Dispeller (2024) – A documentary feature about a woman who hired someone to stop her husband from cheating. (DVD and Blu-ray)

My Own Normal (2024) – A medium-length documentary by disabled filmmaker Alexander Freeman about him becoming a father. (DVD)

The Ozu Diaries (2025) – A documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. (TCM)

Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny Season 2, Episode 8: “Extraordinary Experiments” – The latest installment of a docuseries about declassified government activities. (History)

Soccer’s American Dream (2026) – A docuseries about America’s relationship with soccer. (Vice TV)

Tri Me: The Siri Lindley Story (2025) – A documentary feature about the titular Triathlon World Champion and her terminal cancer diagnosis. (DVD)

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

The Bad Foot Clinic Season 1, Episode 8: “Knock Your Socks Off” – The latest installment of a docuseries following a podiatrist couple in their work. (TLC)

Conspiracies & Coverups Episode 6: “Invisible Weapon of War” – The latest installment of a docuseries starring ex-CIA officer Andrew Bustamente about the biggest conspiracies in pop culture today. (Discovery Channel)

Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure (2026) – A medium-length documentary about David Attenborough’s groundbreaking series Life on Earth. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (PBS)

On the Case with Paula Zahn Season 29, Episode 4: “Unseen Danger” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries starring journalist Paula Zahn. This episode involves the disappearance of a gas station worker. (Investigation Discovery)

The Ozu Diaries (2025) – A documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. (TCM)

That’s Dancing! (1985) – A documentary about dancing in the movies. (TCM)

Worst Ex Ever Season 2 – The return of a docuseries about terrible past relationships. (Netflix)

Thursday, May 7, 2026

American Delivery (2024) – A documentary about the U.S. maternal mortality crisis. (Kino Film Collection)

Food Roots (2023) – A medium-length documentary starring actor and restaurateur Billy Dec as he learns about traditional Filipino recipes. (PBS)

The Great Heart (1938) – An Oscar-nominated short about Father Damien and his work with lepers on Molokai Island. (TCM)

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) – A documentary feature about the titular heavy metal band. (In Theaters)

Monk in Pieces (2025) – A documentary feature about composer and performer Meredith Monk. (Kino Film Collection)

Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo Season 2, Episode 20: “Most Valuable Finds” – The latest installment of a docuseries exploring hidden worlds. (History)

Predator Hunters Episode 10: “Caught in a Web of Lies” – The latest installment of a docuseries produced by Louis Theroux following the work of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. (A&E)

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Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon

5/8 – Linda Perry: Let it Die Here – A documentary feature about the titular singer-songwriter. (In Theaters)

5/12 – Janis: Little Girl Blue – A 2015 documentary feature by Amy Berg about Janis Joplin. (VOD)

5/13 – The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas – A feature-length anthology directed by Eugene Yi that presents vignettes representing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in the U.S. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO and HBO Max)

5/19 – W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause – A documentary installment of American Masters narrated by Viola Davis about the titular writer and civil rights activist. (PBS)

5/22 – Ask E. Jean – A documentary feature about the advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

5/22 – The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 5: “The End of Wondering” – A new feature-length bonus episode of a true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown about the killing of four girls at a frozen yogurt shop in 1991. (HBO Max)

5/29 – Rafa – A four-part docuseries about tennis star Rafael Nadal. (Netflix)

5/30 – Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose – A docuseries on what it means to be American. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (CNN)

6/16 – Eno – A feature documentary directed by Gary Hustwit (Helvetica) about the music artist Brian Eno. (The Criterion Channel)

6/26 – Jackass: Best and Last – The fifth and final feature-length installment of the Jackass franchise, which looks back at classic stunts and presents new ones. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

A new month begins this week, and that means we have a very full listings section, mostly thanks to The Criterion Channel, as usual. The week’s listings section also might be populated with more *Nonfics Picks* than ever. I count 16, almost half of which are new releases (or at least re-releases or recent releases hitting a new format or platform for the first time). So, let’s get right into this week’s reviews and recs.

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 a preview for the final Jackass movie). 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 in need of coverage or a mention, you can reach me at christopherbartoncampbell (at) gmail.

Nonfics Picks Of The Week: American Dream (1990) & Harlan County, USA (1976)

If you’ve followed Nonfics over the years, you’ll know that we have wanted to recommend Barbara Kopple’s American Dream forever. It’s rarely been available in any format except for an old DVD, but it deserves to be as easily streamed as Kopple’s other Oscar-winning documentary about a worker’s strike, Harlan County, U.S.A. Well, the 1990 masterpiece was recently restored with a new 4K print that is heading to theaters and will likely land on a streaming platform in the future. I’m assuming American Dream will join Harlan County, U.S.A. on The Criterion Channel since Janus Films and the Criterion Collection handled the restoration.

While not quite as perfect as Harlan County, U.S.A., which is on my list of the best documentaries of all time, American Dream is pretty damn close. The film follows a strike of Hormel Foods meatpacking workers in Minnesota in the 1980s after their wages and benefits were cut. It’s a familiar yet still enraging portrait of Reagan-era America. The characters in focus here are primarily leadership figures, including the local union president, its parent union head, and a consultant hired to help with negotiations. But it’s the scenes with the regular folk, the workers who risk losing everything while simply fighting for what’s fair, that hit the hardest.

As I wrote on our list of the best Sundance documentaries of all time, Kopple “throws us right in there, enough to make us feel as cold as the workers picketing outside the factory in the dead of winter.” It’s a different kind of cultural immersion than we get with Harlan County, U.S.A. Yet it complements that earlier classic as much as they contrast. And it is just as powerful in its aim to create empathy among its viewers, especially when it puts us in the passenger seat alongside strikebreakers. We want to be mad at them, given that we’ve been otherwise placed on the side of the picketing workers, but we are led to understand. Ultimately, these people are as much at the mercy of union leaders as of the corporate suits, whose exploitation begets desperation.

American Dream will be re-released in theaters on Friday, May 1, 2026 (International Workers’ Day!). Harlan County, U.S.A. will join the film in theaters the same weekend.

Other Documentary Highlights

Caribbean Activist Cinema

One of this month’s curations on The Criterion Channel focuses on nonfiction works from the 1970s and 1980s that “spotlight vital stories of workers’ movements, decolonial struggle, and liberation from economic exploitation and violent oppression.” Six of the seven programmed documentaries are new to the streamer in May, joining West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty. The added titles in this block, titled “You Don’t Get Freedom, You Take Freedom: Caribbean Activist Cinema,” are Haiti: The Way to Freedom, Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us, Women of Suriname, Sweet Sugar Rage, Bitter Cane, and The Terror of the Time. I’m pretty sure none of them are available, or have been, anywhere else.

Conbody Vs. Everybody (2024)

We finally get to see what Debra Granik has been doing since her 2014 documentary Stray Dog (yes, she released a fiction feature in 2018, but that was in the middle of working on this). I can say it’s worth the wait, and not just because it’s the length of around three or four features. Conbody vs. Everybody is not so much a docuseries as a five-part film. It doesn’t try to stretch a story over multiple episodes for plotting and binge-watching, as is the norm these days. It’s more akin to My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow in the way it immerses us in a character piece and plays like a chaptered cinematic novel. We follow a narrative, but more so, we experience a life.

Conbody vs. Everybody specifically depicts several years in the life of Coss Marte, a formerly incarcerated man trying to keep himself and others from a statistically expected return to prison. He starts a gym based on the exercise regimen that he followed in his tight prison cell, and he exclusively hires fellow former inmates. I recommend reading my interview with Granik about the making of the documentary and why it took so much time and needed to be. I think it works because a feature runtime might only allow for a story that ends as soon as Coss seems to be on track for success with the opening of his business. At 330 minutes, we get a clearer sense of the pace it takes to get there and beyond, with more ups and downs and milestones that follow, emphasizing the span of time in a way a feature can’t.

Conbody vs. Everybody will begin exclusively streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Frederick Wiseman’s U.S. Documentaries (Continued)

The Jacob Burns Film Center’s retrospective “Frederick Wiseman’s America” concludes this week with its final screenings of Frederick Wiseman’s U.S.-set works. Here are the documentaries to watch, whether it’s there on the big screen, at home via Kanopy, or on physical media from Zipporah Films: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (May 1), Monrovia, Indiana (May 1 & May 3), and In Jackson Heights (May 2).

Kimi Takesue Documentaries

Another filmmaker we’re happy to spotlight this week is Kimi Takesue. Her features and shorts, most of them nonfiction works, are being showcased in The Criterion Channel’s May curation titled “Directed by Kimi Takesue: Crossings and Encounters.” The more interesting titles in the bunch concentrate on the idea of cross-cultural gazes in the form of tourism, while also being a kind of virtual tourism themselves. Through her lens, we visit New York City, Peru, Uganda, and Laos. The last of these is on display in Onlookers, her most recent film. Here’s an excerpt from my review:

“When you visit a foreign land, you should immerse yourself in the local culture, but too much of vacationing internationally turns into observation of culture instead. Then again, isn’t that also what a lot of documentaries entail? Kimi Takesue’s Onlookers combines these two considerations and takes voyeurism to a new level by showing us images of tourism in Laos. Watching the film, I never felt immersed in the scenes and instead actually felt more distanced from what I was looking at than usual. Putting tourists between the film audience and the temples, monks, landscapes, etc. reminds us that we’re just gazing at what’s in the frame, like the vacationers gazing at what’s in front of and around them.”

Kimi Takesue’s seven documentaries, including Onlookers, begin streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Life On Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure (2026)

As we approach Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday next week, another new documentary celebrating his life and work is being released online. Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure is little more than a special about the making of his landmark 1979 nature series Life on Earth. The hour-long documentary features new interviews with Attenborough and other producers who worked on the show, as they discuss its ambitious undertaking and legacy of significance. We just recently got another documentary that revisited Life on Earth, Netflix’s A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough. This one also has to acknowledge the gorilla episode. I recommend it as a lesson in documentary history, particularly for the nature genre.

Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure airs on PBS on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, and afterward will be available to stream on the PBS website and app.

Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024)

We highlighted Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière, Le Cinema! a little over a month ago as our Pick of the Week when it was released in theaters. Here’s an excerpt from that review now that it’s making its streaming debut:

“At first, Lumière, Le Cinema! seems to be merely an assembly of Lumière films with commentary from Frémaux, but it’s more of an essay film. Frémaux breaks his documentary up into segments of different focus, including children, military scenes, international locations, and modes of transportation (surprisingly, he has little time for The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, which he shares is just one of many similar films). He begins with the history lesson of the Lumières, their invention, their first showings, and a good deal of attention given to the famed Leaving the Factory (the most recognizable version of which might not have been the original, apparently). Then it becomes more of a study of the films, their content (including the first “cat videos”!), and the Lumières’ recurring themes.”

Lumière, Le Cinema! will begin exclusively streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Modern Whore (2025)

Anora writer/director Sean Baker is an executive producer on this film based on the memoirs of a Toronto sex worker. Andrea Werhun is that author and now the documentary’s subject, telling her tales of being an escort and stripper, expressing her moments of professional enjoyment and bouts with shame, sharing her rape and other sexual assault experiences, and discussing the job’s pros and cons on several levels, sometimes in conversation with other sex workers or with her boyfriend or mother. She also acts in the film during occasionally humorous reenactments. What I like most about Modern Whore is that it’s serious, but it still has fun, balancing a tone and aesthetic that’s somewhere between the Drunk History model and a sociology thesis.

Modern Whore will be released on PVOD platforms on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Our Land (2025)

I’ve seen reviews of Our Land that describe it as “straightforward” and “conventional,” which makes me wonder if those critics and I saw the same film. The first documentary feature by the brilliant Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel, it’s not necessarily an inventive or informal work, but it does bounce around enough in its structure, plays around enough with its style, and, like in her scripted work, mines deeper themes than we find on the surface level of the story.

I’d at least say it’s a unique nonfiction film. Particularly with some of its editing choices near its conclusion. Martel uses a case of an Indigenous leader’s killing and his alleged murderers’ trial as a centerpiece for a documentary that goes further in its considerations of Indigenous identity and community. It’s up there with Dahomey as one of the most contemplative documentaries on colonialism this decade.

Our Land will be released in theaters on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Awards Highlights

Critics Choice Real TV Awards Nominees

Nominations for this year’s Critics Choice Real TV Awards were announced last week, with many documentary titles honored alongside reality programming contenders. They include all of these Best Limited Series nominees: Boy Band Confidential (now streaming on HBO Max), Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? (Hulu), Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV), Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model (Netflix), Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix), and Trust Me: The False Prophet (Netflix). Two documentary stars, Chris Hemsworth of Limitless: Live Better Now (Disney+ and Hulu) and Stanley Tucci of Tucci in Italy (Disney+ and Hulu), were named among the nominations for Best Male Star of the Year.

Other documentary nominees include Best Sports Show contenders 30 for 30 (ESPN), Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix), Hard Knocks (HBO Max), Quarterback (Netflix), Untold (Netflix), and Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu), and all honored in the Best Animal/Nature Show: Born to Be Wild (Apple TV), Kingdom (BBC America), Prehistorical Planet: Ice Age (Apple TV), Secrets of the Bees (Disney+ and Hulu), Underdogs (Disney+ and Hulu), and The Wild Ones (Apple TV). Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (The Roku Channel) and Tucci in Italy are up for Best Travel/Adventure Show, and The Curious Case of… (HBO Max) and Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (Hulu) are up for Best Crime/Justice show, along with Trust Me: The False Prophet.

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Documentary Release Calendar 5/1/26 – 5/7/26

Friday, May 1, 2026

95 and 6 to Go (2016) – A feature documentary directed by Kimi Takesue about her father, who decides to become a filmmaker at 90. (The Criterion Channel)

American Agitators (2024) – A documentary feature about Fred Ross, who is considered one of the inventors of modern community organizing. (In Theaters)

American Dream (1990) – A 4K restoration re-release of Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning documentary feature about a Hormel Foods labor strike in Minnesota. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco (2017) – A documentary feature about the titular fashion designer. (Mubi)

Bitter Cane (1983) – A documentary feature about the American exploitation of the Haitian people. (The Criterion Channel)

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (2020) – A docudrama by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross about a Las Vegas dive bar. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

Blum – Masters of Their Own Destiny (2024) – A documentary about Emerik Blum and the unique European energy company he founded, Energoinvest. (OVID)

Conbody vs. Everybody (2024) – A five-part documentary directed by Debra Granik (Stray Dog) about a formerly incarcerated man who starts a gym that employs other individuals released from prison. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

De Palma (2015) – A documentary feature by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow about filmmaker Brian De Palma. (Pluto TV)

Dior and I (2014) – A documentary feature by Frédéric Tcheng about the Christian Dior fashion house. Read our review of Dior and I. *NONFICS PICK* (Mubi)

E=NYC2 (2005) – A short film by Kimi Takesue that captures the dynamic energy of New York City. (The Criterion Channel)

Great Performances: Now Hear This Season 7, Episode 4: “The Iceland Sound” – The latest installment of a docuseries starring conductor and violinist Scott Yoo about the secret histories of great musical works. This episode involves Icelandic composers and musicians. (PBS, the PBS App, and the PBS Website)

Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us (1983) – A medium-length documentary about Grenada’s history and the reasons for the U.S. military invasion of the country in 1983. (The Criterion Channel)

Haiti: The Way to Freedom (1973) – A documentary feature about the Haitian people’s struggles for their freedom. (The Criterion Channel)

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) – An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. *NONFICS PICK* (NYC Theatrical Event)

Heaven’s Crossroad (2002) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue about what it means to look cross-culturally. (The Criterion Channel)

Hollywood Without Make-Up (1963) – A short documentary sharing home movie clips of Hollywood stars. (TCM)

House of Cardin (2019) – A documentary feature about the fashion designer Pierre Cardin. (The Criterion Channel)

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) – A two-time Oscar-winning feature documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim and starring former Vice President Al Gore about climate change. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022) – A documentary feature about the titular rock and roll icon. (Pluto TV)

The Kill Team (2013) – A documentary feature about war crimes committed by the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Looking for Adventure (2013) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue that observes group tourism in Peru. (The Criterion Channel)

Lucky Chow Season 8 – The return of a docuseries about Asian cuisine. (PBS)

Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024) – A documentary by Thierry Frémaux (Lumière!) compiling rare films by the Lumière brothers. Read our review of Lumière, Le Cinema! *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

Maya, Give Me a Title (2024) – An animated hybrid film directed by Michel Gondry and starring his daughter, about their nightly ritual of collaborating on short films starring her as the hero. (The Criterion Channel)

Mitski: The Land (2025) – A concert film starring the titular singer-songwriter. (Mubi)

Modern Whore (2025) – A documentary feature about a Toronto sex worker. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)

Oasis: Supersonic (2016) – A documentary feature about the early years of the titular Britpop group. (Pluto TV)

Onlookers (2023) – A documentary feature directed by Kimi Takesue on tourism in Laos. Read our review of Onlookers. (The Criterion Channel)

Our Land (2025) – A documentary feature directed by Lucretia Martel about the case of the 2009 killing of an Indigenous leader in Argentina. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Personale (2024) – A documentary feature about housekeeping workers at an Italian hotel. (OVID)

The Proof is Out There Season 6, Episode 8: “Mexican Goblin, New Mexico Classic UFO, and Half-Human Half-Goat Mystery” – The latest installment of a docuseries investigating UFOs, conspiracies, and mythical creatures. (History)

Riotsville, U.S.A. (2022) – An archival documentary feature directed by Sierra Pettengill about a fictional town created by the U.S. military for riot training. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

The Shepherd and the Bear (2024) – A documentary feature about a shepherd whose flock is threatened by bears. (The Criterion Channel)

The Spirit of ‘45 (2013) – A documentary feature by Ken Loach about the unified British society after World War II. (The Criterion Channel)

Stop Making Sense (1984) – A documentary feature by Jonathan Demme and starring Talking Heads that we consider the best concert film of all time. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Suspended (2009) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue that looks at suspended time. (The Criterion Channel)

Sweet Sugar Rage (1985) – A short documentary about Jamaican women sugar cane workers. (The Criterion Channel)

The Terror and the Time (1979) – A documentary about repressive violence in colonial Guyana. (The Criterion Channel)

Tokyo Trial (1983) – A 277-minute documentary about the 1946-48 Tokyo Trials after World War II. (The Criterion Channel)

Western (2015) – A documentary feature by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross about a pair of border towns in Texas and Mexico separated by the Rio Grande. *NONFICS PICK*(The Criterion Channel)

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018) – A documentary feature about fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. (Mubi)

Where Are You Taking Me? (2010) – A documentary feature by Kimi Takesue that captures modern Uganda. (The Criterion Channel)

Women of Suriname (1978) – A medium-length documentary about colonialism, neo-colonialism, and discrimination in Suriname. (The Criterion Channel)

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) – An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. *NONFICS PICK* (NYC Theatrical Event)

Hollywood Demons Season 2, Episodes 3 & 4: “Scarred by the Bell” & “Doctor Feelgoods” – The latest installments of a docuseries about the dark realities of various celebrities and TV shows. These episodes involve the TV show Saved by the Bell and pharmaceutical abuse, respectively. (Investigation Discovery)

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever Episode 3: “How to Hack Loneliness” – The third installment of a six-part docuseries starring journalist Kara Swisher about the latest in longevity science. (CNN)

Philly Homicide Season 2, Episode 4: “Metal and Mayhem” – The latest installment of a docuseries following Philadelphia detectives. This episode involves the disappearance of an artist and musician. (Oxygen)

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Eva Longoria: Searching for France Episodes 5 & 6: “Burgundy” & “Alsace” – The latest installments of an eight-part docuseries in the Searching For… travelogue franchise following Eva Longoria on a culinary tour of France. (CNN)

The Food That Built America Season 7, Episode 3: “The Birth of Bubblegum” – The latest installment of a docuseries about popular American foods. This episode looks back at the accidental origin of bubble gum and the decades-long battle of its biggest brands. (History)

Hazardous History with Henry Winkler Season 2, Episode 3: “Twisted Toys” – The latest installment of a docuseries about dangerous toys and household items that used to be common. This episode involves hazardous dolls and other toys. (History)

How to Make Challah (2024) – A short film documenting three generations of women baking challah. (ChaiFlicks)

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever Episode 3: “How to Hack Loneliness” – The third installment of a six-part docuseries starring journalist Kara Swisher about the latest in longevity science. (CNN All Access)

A Plan to Kill Season 2, Episode 9: “Pizza Bomber” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries on the meticulous planning conducted by serial killers. (Oxygen)

Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC (2026) – A multiscreen concert film presenting John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s two Madison Square Garden shows on August 30, 1972. (Theatrical Event)

Soccer Meets America (2026) – A docuseries about how soccer finally became a part of American culture. (The Roku Channel)

This Is the Bowery (1941) – A short documentary about the titular New York City neighborhood. (TCM)

Monday, May 4, 2026

The Wedding in Monaco (1956) – A short documentary of Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. (TCM)

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

André Is An Idiot (2025) – A documentary feature following a man after his cancer diagnosis. Read our review of André Is An Idiot. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)

Betrayal: Secrets & Lies Episode 6: “Latter Day Lies” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries involving stories of infidelity. (ABC, Disney+, and Hulu)

The Dark Wizard Episode 4: “Transcending Human Limitations” – The final installment of a four-part docuseries about climber, base jumper, and highline walker Dean Potter. (HBO and HBO Max)

Field of Fears – The Haunting of Randolph County Asylum (2025) – A documentary feature about a haunted infirmary in Indiana. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Häxan (1922) – A hybrid film about the history of witchcraft. *NONFICS PICK* (TCM)

I Am She, She Is Her. (2025) – A documentary about the lived experiences of Black women in positions of power. (DVD)

The Kids Are Not Alright (2024) – A documentary about survivors of the troubled teen industry. (DVD)

Mistress Dispeller (2024) – A documentary feature about a woman who hired someone to stop her husband from cheating. (DVD and Blu-ray)

My Own Normal (2024) – A medium-length documentary by disabled filmmaker Alexander Freeman about him becoming a father. (DVD)

The Ozu Diaries (2025) – A documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. (TCM)

Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny Season 2, Episode 8: “Extraordinary Experiments” – The latest installment of a docuseries about declassified government activities. (History)

Soccer’s American Dream (2026) – A docuseries about America’s relationship with soccer. (Vice TV)

Tri Me: The Siri Lindley Story (2025) – A documentary feature about the titular Triathlon World Champion and her terminal cancer diagnosis. (DVD)

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

The Bad Foot Clinic Season 1, Episode 8: “Knock Your Socks Off” – The latest installment of a docuseries following a podiatrist couple in their work. (TLC)

Conspiracies & Coverups Episode 6: “Invisible Weapon of War” – The latest installment of a docuseries starring ex-CIA officer Andrew Bustamente about the biggest conspiracies in pop culture today. (Discovery Channel)

Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure (2026) – A medium-length documentary about David Attenborough’s groundbreaking series Life on Earth. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (PBS)

On the Case with Paula Zahn Season 29, Episode 4: “Unseen Danger” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries starring journalist Paula Zahn. This episode involves the disappearance of a gas station worker. (Investigation Discovery)

The Ozu Diaries (2025) – A documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. (TCM)

That’s Dancing! (1985) – A documentary about dancing in the movies. (TCM)

Worst Ex Ever Season 2 – The return of a docuseries about terrible past relationships. (Netflix)

Thursday, May 7, 2026

American Delivery (2024) – A documentary about the U.S. maternal mortality crisis. (Kino Film Collection)

Food Roots (2023) – A medium-length documentary starring actor and restaurateur Billy Dec as he learns about traditional Filipino recipes. (PBS)

The Great Heart (1938) – An Oscar-nominated short about Father Damien and his work with lepers on Molokai Island. (TCM)

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) – A documentary feature about the titular heavy metal band. (In Theaters)

Monk in Pieces (2025) – A documentary feature about composer and performer Meredith Monk. (Kino Film Collection)

Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo Season 2, Episode 20: “Most Valuable Finds” – The latest installment of a docuseries exploring hidden worlds. (History)

Predator Hunters Episode 10: “Caught in a Web of Lies” – The latest installment of a docuseries produced by Louis Theroux following the work of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. (A&E)

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Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon

5/8 – Linda Perry: Let it Die Here – A documentary feature about the titular singer-songwriter. (In Theaters)

5/12 – Janis: Little Girl Blue – A 2015 documentary feature by Amy Berg about Janis Joplin. (VOD)

5/13 – The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas – A feature-length anthology directed by Eugene Yi that presents vignettes representing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in the U.S. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO and HBO Max)

5/19 – W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause – A documentary installment of American Masters narrated by Viola Davis about the titular writer and civil rights activist. (PBS)

5/22 – Ask E. Jean – A documentary feature about the advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

5/22 – The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 5: “The End of Wondering” – A new feature-length bonus episode of a true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown about the killing of four girls at a frozen yogurt shop in 1991. (HBO Max)

5/29 – Rafa – A four-part docuseries about tennis star Rafael Nadal. (Netflix)

5/30 – Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose – A docuseries on what it means to be American. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (CNN)

6/16 – Eno – A feature documentary directed by Gary Hustwit (Helvetica) about the music artist Brian Eno. (The Criterion Channel)

6/26 – Jackass: Best and Last – The fifth and final feature-length installment of the Jackass franchise, which looks back at classic stunts and presents new ones. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

A new month begins this week, and that means we have a very full listings section, mostly thanks to The Criterion Channel, as usual. The week’s listings section also might be populated with more *Nonfics Picks* than ever. I count 16, almost half of which are new releases (or at least re-releases or recent releases hitting a new format or platform for the first time). So, let’s get right into this week’s reviews and recs.

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 a preview for the final Jackass movie). 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 in need of coverage or a mention, you can reach me at christopherbartoncampbell (at) gmail.

Nonfics Picks Of The Week: American Dream (1990) & Harlan County, USA (1976)

If you’ve followed Nonfics over the years, you’ll know that we have wanted to recommend Barbara Kopple’s American Dream forever. It’s rarely been available in any format except for an old DVD, but it deserves to be as easily streamed as Kopple’s other Oscar-winning documentary about a worker’s strike, Harlan County, U.S.A. Well, the 1990 masterpiece was recently restored with a new 4K print that is heading to theaters and will likely land on a streaming platform in the future. I’m assuming American Dream will join Harlan County, U.S.A. on The Criterion Channel since Janus Films and the Criterion Collection handled the restoration.

While not quite as perfect as Harlan County, U.S.A., which is on my list of the best documentaries of all time, American Dream is pretty damn close. The film follows a strike of Hormel Foods meatpacking workers in Minnesota in the 1980s after their wages and benefits were cut. It’s a familiar yet still enraging portrait of Reagan-era America. The characters in focus here are primarily leadership figures, including the local union president, its parent union head, and a consultant hired to help with negotiations. But it’s the scenes with the regular folk, the workers who risk losing everything while simply fighting for what’s fair, that hit the hardest.

As I wrote on our list of the best Sundance documentaries of all time, Kopple “throws us right in there, enough to make us feel as cold as the workers picketing outside the factory in the dead of winter.” It’s a different kind of cultural immersion than we get with Harlan County, U.S.A. Yet it complements that earlier classic as much as they contrast. And it is just as powerful in its aim to create empathy among its viewers, especially when it puts us in the passenger seat alongside strikebreakers. We want to be mad at them, given that we’ve been otherwise placed on the side of the picketing workers, but we are led to understand. Ultimately, these people are as much at the mercy of union leaders as of the corporate suits, whose exploitation begets desperation.

American Dream will be re-released in theaters on Friday, May 1, 2026 (International Workers’ Day!). Harlan County, U.S.A. will join the film in theaters the same weekend.

Other Documentary Highlights

Caribbean Activist Cinema

One of this month’s curations on The Criterion Channel focuses on nonfiction works from the 1970s and 1980s that “spotlight vital stories of workers’ movements, decolonial struggle, and liberation from economic exploitation and violent oppression.” Six of the seven programmed documentaries are new to the streamer in May, joining West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty. The added titles in this block, titled “You Don’t Get Freedom, You Take Freedom: Caribbean Activist Cinema,” are Haiti: The Way to Freedom, Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us, Women of Suriname, Sweet Sugar Rage, Bitter Cane, and The Terror of the Time. I’m pretty sure none of them are available, or have been, anywhere else.

Conbody Vs. Everybody (2024)

We finally get to see what Debra Granik has been doing since her 2014 documentary Stray Dog (yes, she released a fiction feature in 2018, but that was in the middle of working on this). I can say it’s worth the wait, and not just because it’s the length of around three or four features. Conbody vs. Everybody is not so much a docuseries as a five-part film. It doesn’t try to stretch a story over multiple episodes for plotting and binge-watching, as is the norm these days. It’s more akin to My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow in the way it immerses us in a character piece and plays like a chaptered cinematic novel. We follow a narrative, but more so, we experience a life.

Conbody vs. Everybody specifically depicts several years in the life of Coss Marte, a formerly incarcerated man trying to keep himself and others from a statistically expected return to prison. He starts a gym based on the exercise regimen that he followed in his tight prison cell, and he exclusively hires fellow former inmates. I recommend reading my interview with Granik about the making of the documentary and why it took so much time and needed to be. I think it works because a feature runtime might only allow for a story that ends as soon as Coss seems to be on track for success with the opening of his business. At 330 minutes, we get a clearer sense of the pace it takes to get there and beyond, with more ups and downs and milestones that follow, emphasizing the span of time in a way a feature can’t.

Conbody vs. Everybody will begin exclusively streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Frederick Wiseman’s U.S. Documentaries (Continued)

The Jacob Burns Film Center’s retrospective “Frederick Wiseman’s America” concludes this week with its final screenings of Frederick Wiseman’s U.S.-set works. Here are the documentaries to watch, whether it’s there on the big screen, at home via Kanopy, or on physical media from Zipporah Films: Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (May 1), Monrovia, Indiana (May 1 & May 3), and In Jackson Heights (May 2).

Kimi Takesue Documentaries

Another filmmaker we’re happy to spotlight this week is Kimi Takesue. Her features and shorts, most of them nonfiction works, are being showcased in The Criterion Channel’s May curation titled “Directed by Kimi Takesue: Crossings and Encounters.” The more interesting titles in the bunch concentrate on the idea of cross-cultural gazes in the form of tourism, while also being a kind of virtual tourism themselves. Through her lens, we visit New York City, Peru, Uganda, and Laos. The last of these is on display in Onlookers, her most recent film. Here’s an excerpt from my review:

“When you visit a foreign land, you should immerse yourself in the local culture, but too much of vacationing internationally turns into observation of culture instead. Then again, isn’t that also what a lot of documentaries entail? Kimi Takesue’s Onlookers combines these two considerations and takes voyeurism to a new level by showing us images of tourism in Laos. Watching the film, I never felt immersed in the scenes and instead actually felt more distanced from what I was looking at than usual. Putting tourists between the film audience and the temples, monks, landscapes, etc. reminds us that we’re just gazing at what’s in the frame, like the vacationers gazing at what’s in front of and around them.”

Kimi Takesue’s seven documentaries, including Onlookers, begin streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Life On Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure (2026)

As we approach Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday next week, another new documentary celebrating his life and work is being released online. Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure is little more than a special about the making of his landmark 1979 nature series Life on Earth. The hour-long documentary features new interviews with Attenborough and other producers who worked on the show, as they discuss its ambitious undertaking and legacy of significance. We just recently got another documentary that revisited Life on Earth, Netflix’s A Gorilla Story: Told by David Attenborough. This one also has to acknowledge the gorilla episode. I recommend it as a lesson in documentary history, particularly for the nature genre.

Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure airs on PBS on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, and afterward will be available to stream on the PBS website and app.

Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024)

We highlighted Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière, Le Cinema! a little over a month ago as our Pick of the Week when it was released in theaters. Here’s an excerpt from that review now that it’s making its streaming debut:

“At first, Lumière, Le Cinema! seems to be merely an assembly of Lumière films with commentary from Frémaux, but it’s more of an essay film. Frémaux breaks his documentary up into segments of different focus, including children, military scenes, international locations, and modes of transportation (surprisingly, he has little time for The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station, which he shares is just one of many similar films). He begins with the history lesson of the Lumières, their invention, their first showings, and a good deal of attention given to the famed Leaving the Factory (the most recognizable version of which might not have been the original, apparently). Then it becomes more of a study of the films, their content (including the first “cat videos”!), and the Lumières’ recurring themes.”

Lumière, Le Cinema! will begin exclusively streaming on The Criterion Channel on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Modern Whore (2025)

Anora writer/director Sean Baker is an executive producer on this film based on the memoirs of a Toronto sex worker. Andrea Werhun is that author and now the documentary’s subject, telling her tales of being an escort and stripper, expressing her moments of professional enjoyment and bouts with shame, sharing her rape and other sexual assault experiences, and discussing the job’s pros and cons on several levels, sometimes in conversation with other sex workers or with her boyfriend or mother. She also acts in the film during occasionally humorous reenactments. What I like most about Modern Whore is that it’s serious, but it still has fun, balancing a tone and aesthetic that’s somewhere between the Drunk History model and a sociology thesis.

Modern Whore will be released on PVOD platforms on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Our Land (2025)

I’ve seen reviews of Our Land that describe it as “straightforward” and “conventional,” which makes me wonder if those critics and I saw the same film. The first documentary feature by the brilliant Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel, it’s not necessarily an inventive or informal work, but it does bounce around enough in its structure, plays around enough with its style, and, like in her scripted work, mines deeper themes than we find on the surface level of the story.

I’d at least say it’s a unique nonfiction film. Particularly with some of its editing choices near its conclusion. Martel uses a case of an Indigenous leader’s killing and his alleged murderers’ trial as a centerpiece for a documentary that goes further in its considerations of Indigenous identity and community. It’s up there with Dahomey as one of the most contemplative documentaries on colonialism this decade.

Our Land will be released in theaters on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Awards Highlights

Critics Choice Real TV Awards Nominees

Nominations for this year’s Critics Choice Real TV Awards were announced last week, with many documentary titles honored alongside reality programming contenders. They include all of these Best Limited Series nominees: Boy Band Confidential (now streaming on HBO Max), Death in Apartment 603: What Happened to Ellen Greenberg? (Hulu), Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV), Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model (Netflix), Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix), and Trust Me: The False Prophet (Netflix). Two documentary stars, Chris Hemsworth of Limitless: Live Better Now (Disney+ and Hulu) and Stanley Tucci of Tucci in Italy (Disney+ and Hulu), were named among the nominations for Best Male Star of the Year.

Other documentary nominees include Best Sports Show contenders 30 for 30 (ESPN), Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Netflix), Hard Knocks (HBO Max), Quarterback (Netflix), Untold (Netflix), and Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu), and all honored in the Best Animal/Nature Show: Born to Be Wild (Apple TV), Kingdom (BBC America), Prehistorical Planet: Ice Age (Apple TV), Secrets of the Bees (Disney+ and Hulu), Underdogs (Disney+ and Hulu), and The Wild Ones (Apple TV). Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (The Roku Channel) and Tucci in Italy are up for Best Travel/Adventure Show, and The Curious Case of… (HBO Max) and Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (Hulu) are up for Best Crime/Justice show, along with Trust Me: The False Prophet.

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Documentary Release Calendar 5/1/26 – 5/7/26

Friday, May 1, 2026

95 and 6 to Go (2016) – A feature documentary directed by Kimi Takesue about her father, who decides to become a filmmaker at 90. (The Criterion Channel)

American Agitators (2024) – A documentary feature about Fred Ross, who is considered one of the inventors of modern community organizing. (In Theaters)

American Dream (1990) – A 4K restoration re-release of Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning documentary feature about a Hormel Foods labor strike in Minnesota. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex, Fashion & Disco (2017) – A documentary feature about the titular fashion designer. (Mubi)

Bitter Cane (1983) – A documentary feature about the American exploitation of the Haitian people. (The Criterion Channel)

Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (2020) – A docudrama by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross about a Las Vegas dive bar. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

Blum – Masters of Their Own Destiny (2024) – A documentary about Emerik Blum and the unique European energy company he founded, Energoinvest. (OVID)

Conbody vs. Everybody (2024) – A five-part documentary directed by Debra Granik (Stray Dog) about a formerly incarcerated man who starts a gym that employs other individuals released from prison. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

De Palma (2015) – A documentary feature by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow about filmmaker Brian De Palma. (Pluto TV)

Dior and I (2014) – A documentary feature by Frédéric Tcheng about the Christian Dior fashion house. Read our review of Dior and I. *NONFICS PICK* (Mubi)

E=NYC2 (2005) – A short film by Kimi Takesue that captures the dynamic energy of New York City. (The Criterion Channel)

Great Performances: Now Hear This Season 7, Episode 4: “The Iceland Sound” – The latest installment of a docuseries starring conductor and violinist Scott Yoo about the secret histories of great musical works. This episode involves Icelandic composers and musicians. (PBS, the PBS App, and the PBS Website)

Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us (1983) – A medium-length documentary about Grenada’s history and the reasons for the U.S. military invasion of the country in 1983. (The Criterion Channel)

Haiti: The Way to Freedom (1973) – A documentary feature about the Haitian people’s struggles for their freedom. (The Criterion Channel)

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) – An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. *NONFICS PICK* (NYC Theatrical Event)

Heaven’s Crossroad (2002) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue about what it means to look cross-culturally. (The Criterion Channel)

Hollywood Without Make-Up (1963) – A short documentary sharing home movie clips of Hollywood stars. (TCM)

House of Cardin (2019) – A documentary feature about the fashion designer Pierre Cardin. (The Criterion Channel)

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) – A two-time Oscar-winning feature documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim and starring former Vice President Al Gore about climate change. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022) – A documentary feature about the titular rock and roll icon. (Pluto TV)

The Kill Team (2013) – A documentary feature about war crimes committed by the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Looking for Adventure (2013) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue that observes group tourism in Peru. (The Criterion Channel)

Lucky Chow Season 8 – The return of a docuseries about Asian cuisine. (PBS)

Lumière, Le Cinema! (2024) – A documentary by Thierry Frémaux (Lumière!) compiling rare films by the Lumière brothers. Read our review of Lumière, Le Cinema! *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

Maya, Give Me a Title (2024) – An animated hybrid film directed by Michel Gondry and starring his daughter, about their nightly ritual of collaborating on short films starring her as the hero. (The Criterion Channel)

Mitski: The Land (2025) – A concert film starring the titular singer-songwriter. (Mubi)

Modern Whore (2025) – A documentary feature about a Toronto sex worker. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)

Oasis: Supersonic (2016) – A documentary feature about the early years of the titular Britpop group. (Pluto TV)

Onlookers (2023) – A documentary feature directed by Kimi Takesue on tourism in Laos. Read our review of Onlookers. (The Criterion Channel)

Our Land (2025) – A documentary feature directed by Lucretia Martel about the case of the 2009 killing of an Indigenous leader in Argentina. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)

Personale (2024) – A documentary feature about housekeeping workers at an Italian hotel. (OVID)

The Proof is Out There Season 6, Episode 8: “Mexican Goblin, New Mexico Classic UFO, and Half-Human Half-Goat Mystery” – The latest installment of a docuseries investigating UFOs, conspiracies, and mythical creatures. (History)

Riotsville, U.S.A. (2022) – An archival documentary feature directed by Sierra Pettengill about a fictional town created by the U.S. military for riot training. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Channel)

The Shepherd and the Bear (2024) – A documentary feature about a shepherd whose flock is threatened by bears. (The Criterion Channel)

The Spirit of ‘45 (2013) – A documentary feature by Ken Loach about the unified British society after World War II. (The Criterion Channel)

Stop Making Sense (1984) – A documentary feature by Jonathan Demme and starring Talking Heads that we consider the best concert film of all time. *NONFICS PICK* (Pluto TV)

Suspended (2009) – A short documentary by Kimi Takesue that looks at suspended time. (The Criterion Channel)

Sweet Sugar Rage (1985) – A short documentary about Jamaican women sugar cane workers. (The Criterion Channel)

The Terror and the Time (1979) – A documentary about repressive violence in colonial Guyana. (The Criterion Channel)

Tokyo Trial (1983) – A 277-minute documentary about the 1946-48 Tokyo Trials after World War II. (The Criterion Channel)

Western (2015) – A documentary feature by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross about a pair of border towns in Texas and Mexico separated by the Rio Grande. *NONFICS PICK*(The Criterion Channel)

Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (2018) – A documentary feature about fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. (Mubi)

Where Are You Taking Me? (2010) – A documentary feature by Kimi Takesue that captures modern Uganda. (The Criterion Channel)

Women of Suriname (1978) – A medium-length documentary about colonialism, neo-colonialism, and discrimination in Suriname. (The Criterion Channel)

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976) – An Oscar-winning documentary by Barbara Kopple about a miner’s strike. *NONFICS PICK* (NYC Theatrical Event)

Hollywood Demons Season 2, Episodes 3 & 4: “Scarred by the Bell” & “Doctor Feelgoods” – The latest installments of a docuseries about the dark realities of various celebrities and TV shows. These episodes involve the TV show Saved by the Bell and pharmaceutical abuse, respectively. (Investigation Discovery)

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever Episode 3: “How to Hack Loneliness” – The third installment of a six-part docuseries starring journalist Kara Swisher about the latest in longevity science. (CNN)

Philly Homicide Season 2, Episode 4: “Metal and Mayhem” – The latest installment of a docuseries following Philadelphia detectives. This episode involves the disappearance of an artist and musician. (Oxygen)

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Eva Longoria: Searching for France Episodes 5 & 6: “Burgundy” & “Alsace” – The latest installments of an eight-part docuseries in the Searching For… travelogue franchise following Eva Longoria on a culinary tour of France. (CNN)

The Food That Built America Season 7, Episode 3: “The Birth of Bubblegum” – The latest installment of a docuseries about popular American foods. This episode looks back at the accidental origin of bubble gum and the decades-long battle of its biggest brands. (History)

Hazardous History with Henry Winkler Season 2, Episode 3: “Twisted Toys” – The latest installment of a docuseries about dangerous toys and household items that used to be common. This episode involves hazardous dolls and other toys. (History)

How to Make Challah (2024) – A short film documenting three generations of women baking challah. (ChaiFlicks)

Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever Episode 3: “How to Hack Loneliness” – The third installment of a six-part docuseries starring journalist Kara Swisher about the latest in longevity science. (CNN All Access)

A Plan to Kill Season 2, Episode 9: “Pizza Bomber” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries on the meticulous planning conducted by serial killers. (Oxygen)

Power To The People: John & Yoko Live in NYC (2026) – A multiscreen concert film presenting John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s two Madison Square Garden shows on August 30, 1972. (Theatrical Event)

Soccer Meets America (2026) – A docuseries about how soccer finally became a part of American culture. (The Roku Channel)

This Is the Bowery (1941) – A short documentary about the titular New York City neighborhood. (TCM)

Monday, May 4, 2026

The Wedding in Monaco (1956) – A short documentary of Grace Kelly’s marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco. (TCM)

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

André Is An Idiot (2025) – A documentary feature following a man after his cancer diagnosis. Read our review of André Is An Idiot. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)

Betrayal: Secrets & Lies Episode 6: “Latter Day Lies” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries involving stories of infidelity. (ABC, Disney+, and Hulu)

The Dark Wizard Episode 4: “Transcending Human Limitations” – The final installment of a four-part docuseries about climber, base jumper, and highline walker Dean Potter. (HBO and HBO Max)

Field of Fears – The Haunting of Randolph County Asylum (2025) – A documentary feature about a haunted infirmary in Indiana. (DVD and Blu-ray)

Häxan (1922) – A hybrid film about the history of witchcraft. *NONFICS PICK* (TCM)

I Am She, She Is Her. (2025) – A documentary about the lived experiences of Black women in positions of power. (DVD)

The Kids Are Not Alright (2024) – A documentary about survivors of the troubled teen industry. (DVD)

Mistress Dispeller (2024) – A documentary feature about a woman who hired someone to stop her husband from cheating. (DVD and Blu-ray)

My Own Normal (2024) – A medium-length documentary by disabled filmmaker Alexander Freeman about him becoming a father. (DVD)

The Ozu Diaries (2025) – A documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. (TCM)

Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny Season 2, Episode 8: “Extraordinary Experiments” – The latest installment of a docuseries about declassified government activities. (History)

Soccer’s American Dream (2026) – A docuseries about America’s relationship with soccer. (Vice TV)

Tri Me: The Siri Lindley Story (2025) – A documentary feature about the titular Triathlon World Champion and her terminal cancer diagnosis. (DVD)

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

The Bad Foot Clinic Season 1, Episode 8: “Knock Your Socks Off” – The latest installment of a docuseries following a podiatrist couple in their work. (TLC)

Conspiracies & Coverups Episode 6: “Invisible Weapon of War” – The latest installment of a docuseries starring ex-CIA officer Andrew Bustamente about the biggest conspiracies in pop culture today. (Discovery Channel)

Life on Earth: Attenborough’s Greatest Adventure (2026) – A medium-length documentary about David Attenborough’s groundbreaking series Life on Earth. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (PBS)

On the Case with Paula Zahn Season 29, Episode 4: “Unseen Danger” – The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries starring journalist Paula Zahn. This episode involves the disappearance of a gas station worker. (Investigation Discovery)

The Ozu Diaries (2025) – A documentary about the Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. (TCM)

That’s Dancing! (1985) – A documentary about dancing in the movies. (TCM)

Worst Ex Ever Season 2 – The return of a docuseries about terrible past relationships. (Netflix)

Thursday, May 7, 2026

American Delivery (2024) – A documentary about the U.S. maternal mortality crisis. (Kino Film Collection)

Food Roots (2023) – A medium-length documentary starring actor and restaurateur Billy Dec as he learns about traditional Filipino recipes. (PBS)

The Great Heart (1938) – An Oscar-nominated short about Father Damien and his work with lepers on Molokai Island. (TCM)

Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition (2026) – A documentary feature about the titular heavy metal band. (In Theaters)

Monk in Pieces (2025) – A documentary feature about composer and performer Meredith Monk. (Kino Film Collection)

Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo Season 2, Episode 20: “Most Valuable Finds” – The latest installment of a docuseries exploring hidden worlds. (History)

Predator Hunters Episode 10: “Caught in a Web of Lies” – The latest installment of a docuseries produced by Louis Theroux following the work of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. (A&E)

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Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon

5/8 – Linda Perry: Let it Die Here – A documentary feature about the titular singer-songwriter. (In Theaters)

5/12 – Janis: Little Girl Blue – A 2015 documentary feature by Amy Berg about Janis Joplin. (VOD)

5/13 – The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas – A feature-length anthology directed by Eugene Yi that presents vignettes representing Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities in the U.S. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO and HBO Max)

5/19 – W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With a Cause – A documentary installment of American Masters narrated by Viola Davis about the titular writer and civil rights activist. (PBS)

5/22 – Ask E. Jean – A documentary feature about the advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

5/22 – The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 5: “The End of Wondering” – A new feature-length bonus episode of a true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown about the killing of four girls at a frozen yogurt shop in 1991. (HBO Max)

5/29 – Rafa – A four-part docuseries about tennis star Rafael Nadal. (Netflix)

5/30 – Craig Ferguson: American on Purpose – A docuseries on what it means to be American. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (CNN)

6/16 – Eno – A feature documentary directed by Gary Hustwit (Helvetica) about the music artist Brian Eno. (The Criterion Channel)

6/26 – Jackass: Best and Last – The fifth and final feature-length installment of the Jackass franchise, which looks back at classic stunts and presents new ones. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)

Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, the late Catherine O’Hara, Tom Hanks, and Short’s alter ego Jiminy Glick celebrate the actor in the Netflix film out May 12

Steve Martin, Eugene Levy, the late Catherine O’Hara, Tom Hanks, and Short’s alter ego Jiminy Glick celebrate the actor in the Netflix film out May 12