Most years, the first draft of our best documentaries list is a struggle. We’ve usually seen some of what will be our favorites of the year, via Sundance, but these and other strong contenders won’t be officially released until later. (We anticipate Nuisance Bear, Soul Patrol, and One in a Million, all of which we saw in January, will rank well when that happens). This year, we waited a bit to share the first pass. It’s now been a third of the way through 2026, and we’re struggling to keep the list to only a top 10.
We also decided to allow titles released through May 1, given how it fell on the calendar (ultimately, four of the titles to make the list were released in February, three in March, two in April, and two on the first of May). To see where other films rank, visit us on Letterboxd and follow us for updates to our list throughout the year. At the rate we’re going, we expect many more to be added to the upper rankings. Who knows how many of the titles below will still land in our top 26 at the end of 2026?