This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - June 6-12, 2025
I was on vacation last week, so this newsletter might read a bit thin. Some of that’s because there aren’t a lot of documentaries arriving in the next seven days. But I also didn’t have time to watch more of the few new releases before taking my time off. Fortunately, there are some classics and other older films worth recommending for various reasons, including one of the first nonfiction films ever made.
Without further ado, below, you’ll find that top recommendation, plus this week’s other highlights, including more nonfiction film and series endorsements. They are followed by daily listings for documentary releases and a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future.
Nonfics Pick: Ocean With David Attenborough (2025)
Last month, Sir David Attenborough turned 99. He has been alive for nearly a century and has been working on nature documentaries for about three-quarters of that time. He has been interested in conservation even longer. Ocean with David Attenborough is probably not his final project. Five years ago, he participated in the reflective documentary David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, which could have been a legacy film except that he’s been involved with more than 50 documentaries since. Still, it plays as at least one of his last statements on the natural world.
Attenborough does acknowledge in the film that he’s at the “end of his life” and talks about remembering a time before the oceans were overfished to devastating results. Ultimately, he remains hopeful about humanity and the Earth. However, the story he tells here, through his signature narration and occasional onscreen appearances, has a whiplash effect as he addresses negatives and positives he’s witnessing in his final years. Ocean begins with his excitement about how much we’ve been learning about the sea in recent decades. Then, he shares his sadness about the level of ground trawling being done around the world, its impact on the quantity and quality of ocean life, and the deaths of coral reefs. He leaves things on an optimistic note, though we’re in a time when it’s hard not to be cynical about the planet’s future.
If I’m recommending Ocean with David Attenborough, it’s for him alone. This is a documentary about an old man not giving up. He’s seen ups and downs in conservation and devastation over the last century, and despite knowing he’s leaving it all behind soon, he can’t let it go. He’s excited about all the scientific progress he has lived through, and he wants to believe that we’re in a good place going forward without him. After all, he’s devoted so many decades to sharing and promoting the natural world, it would be heartbreaking for him to die thinking it was all in vain.
Ocean with David Attenborough premieres on National Geographic on Saturday, June 7, and begins streaming on Hulu and Disney+ on Sunday, June 8.
Other Documentary Highlights
Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Season 17
The 17th season of Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange begins this week with a double billing of the documentary feature Mother Suriname and the documentary short The Changing Same. Co-produced by Black Public Media and presented on WORLD as well as other public media platforms, the showcase continues to program independent fiction and nonfiction works focused on the African diaspora.
The only other documentary this season airs next week. Titled Tongo Saa (a.k.a. Rising Up at Night), the film covers the story of a giant hydroelectric plant being planned in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025) & The Song Remains The Same (1976)
I still haven’t watched Becoming Led Zeppelin! I never got the time to see it in theaters when it was there earlier this year, but I needed to highlight its streaming debut since it does have the distinction of being the top-grossing documentary of 2025 with more than $10 million. I can’t even imagine anything topping that number this year. If you’re one of the few people like me who haven’t seen it, it is about the origins and early years of the titular band. You can also revisit Led Zeppelin during their prime this week, as their classic concert film The Song Remains the Same is airing on cable.
Becoming Led Zeppelin begins streaming on Netflix on Saturday, June 7.
The Song Remains the Same airs on TCM on Sunday, June 8.
Beware Of Mr. Baker (2012)
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to recommend this music documentary, which hasn’t been available to stream or to rent/buy digitally, and its physical options have been out of print. Beware of Mr. Baker is about legendary rock drummer Ginger Baker, best known for playing in Cream and Blind Faith. The documentary portrays him as a foul-mouthed, reclusive curmudgeon in his old age, making for a very entertaining watch. Covering its SXSW premiere in 2012, I called it a “wild, funny, and richly textured audio-visual treat of a film.”
Beware of Mr. Baker will be released on DVD and Blu-ray via Kino Lorber on Tuesday, June 10.
Chantal Akerman Documentaries
This week, we celebrate the birthday of Chantal Akerman, who should be turning 75 on June 6. Sadly, she died by suicide a decade ago. For the occasion, we recommend watching her nonfiction films, including what’s arguably her best, News from Home (streaming on Max and The Criterion Channel).
Following her death, we wrote about five essential Akerman documentaries, including From the East, South, From the Other Side, and Down There, which are all available together in a box set from Icarus Films and all streaming on OVID, plus her final feature, No Home Movie (on OVID and Kanopy). You can also watch her first doc, Hotel Monterey (The Criterion Channel), One Day Pina Asked… (digitally available from Amazon), and the self-portrait Chantal Akerman by Chantal Akerman (OVID).
For All Mankind (1989)
The Oscar-nominated classic For All Mankind is one of the best documentaries about space travel. From that list:
“One of the most important documentaries about space travel, ever. Period. Reiner viewed all of the footage from every Apollo mission and set out to compile the most detailed and expansive film about that NASA program, and for the most part, he succeeded…poignant, hopeful, and its sense of nostalgia over NASA’s heyday is both inspiring and troubled — NASA has had its systemic issues and it would have been nice to see the film tackle that. But as it exists, For All Mankind begs us to never stop looking towards the cosmos.”
For All Mankind airs on TCM on Sunday, June 8.
Her Master’s Voice (2012)
I saw Her Master’s Voice during the same SXSW Film Festival as Beware of Mr. Baker, so I love that I have the opportunity to highlight both this week. This one isn’t newly available in any format, but it stars and is helmed by ventriloquist and comedian Nina Conti, who is releasing her narrative feature directorial debut, Sunlight, this weekend. Her Master’s Voice was her true debut as a filmmaker, following her trip to the Vent Haven ventriloquist convention, and it is hilarious. Here’s an excerpt from my write-up on the Documentary Channel Blog about the film:
“It’s a personal, funny, and strange doc involving both an introspective and a physical journey, each inclusive of an array of characters, most of them not real people….she’s always accompanied by a puppet, one of Campbell’s many characters bequeathed to her or, more often, her own little creative extension, Monkey. In fact, one of the fun, fresh things the filmmaker does is interview herself and others via this monkey puppet, which functions as a kind of surrogate.”
Her Master’s Voice is available to rent or buy digitally on Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, and YouTube.
Leaving The Factory (1895)
One of the earliest movies, Louis Lumière’s Leaving the Factory (a.k.a. Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory) is a one-minute short that presents exactly what the title says. It’s a piece of history. It’s a historical record. And it’s a simple yet perfect shot of everyday life that tells more of a story than it would seem on first glance. This film turned 130 years old this year, with its initial showing happening in March 1895. I missed that anniversary on account of IMDb listing its premiere as June 10, so I’m highlighting it now, almost three months late.
Leaving the Factory is in the public domain and can be found in many places online.
Slumlord Millionaire (2024)
The other new release I saw for this week is also surprisingly optimistic, considering its issue. The cleverly but not originally titled Slumlord Millionaire follows four stories involving real estate problems in New York City, and thankfully, they’re not all the same general predicament. One is about a family fighting their landlord over their poor conditions and the expectation that they’ll just move out. The second features a woman who had owned her building but was scammed out of it. The third deals with luxury high-rises going up East of Chinatown. The fourth follows an activist running for city council on an anti-slumlord platform.
While structurally it’s a very conventional film, Slumlord Millionaire does a good job of covering a diverse mix of situations to show the various ways to combat corruption on all levels of the current real estate industry as well as gentrification. Some of those depicted in the documentary are successful, and some aren’t, but all are positive. And while these particular stories are specific to New York City, these problems and solutions aren’t limited to that metropolis and what unfolds can apply anywhere.
Slumlord Millionaire will be released in theaters on Friday, June 6.
Documentary Release Calendar 6/6/25 - 6/12/25
Friday, June 6, 2025
The Last Twins (2025) - A documentary feature about Erno "Zvi" Spiegel, who saved several sets of twins from experimentation during the Holocaust. (In Theaters)
Missing Presumed Dead Episodes 5 & 6: “John Peters - Shot Down” & “Ian Purchase - Taken by the Taliban” - The latest two episodes of this new series about real-life disappearances. (National Geographic)
The Playboy Murders Season 3, Episode 5: “Sex, Drugs and Playboy” - The third season of this docuseries continues with a story involving the death of Playboy Bunny Adrienne Pollack. (Investigation Discovery)
Slumlord Millionaire (2024) - A documentary feature about residents, activists, and nonprofit attorneys fighting corrupt landlords. (In Theaters)
We Are Guardians (2023) - A documentary about Indigenous people trying to save what’s left of the Brazilian Amazon. (In Theaters)
Saturday, June 7, 2025
Basque Sports (1957) - A short documentary showcasing the sports of the Basques living in the Pyrenees Mountains. (TCM)
Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025) - A feature documentary following the origins of the titular rock band. (Netflix)
Going to Blazes! (1948) - A short film in the Theatre of Life series about fire safety and prevention. (TCM)
Ocean with David Attenborough (2025) - A nature documentary in which Sir David Attenborough explores Earth’s undersea habitats. (National Geographic)
Sunday, June 8, 2025
For All Mankind (1989) - An Oscar-nominated feature documentary about NASA’s missions to the Moon. (TCM)
Monterey Pop (1968) - A concert film by D.A. Pennebaker starring Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, The Who, Mamas and the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, and more as they perform at the titular music festival. (TCM)
My Happy Place Episode 6: “Bangkok, Thailand with Simu Liu” - The latest episode of this travel docuseries following celebrities on deeply personal journeys stars actor Simu Liu. (CNN)
Nadja in Paris (1964) - A short film by Éric Rohmer following a university student around the titular city. (TCM)
Ocean with David Attenborough (2025) - A nature documentary in which Sir David Attenborough explores Earth’s undersea habitats. (Hulu and Disney+)
Secrets of the Zoo: Down Under Season 5, Episode 5: “Playtpus Emergency” - The latest episode of this docuseries filmed at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo focuses on an emaciated baby platypus. (National Geographic WILD)
The Song Remains the Same (1976) - A concert film starring Led Zeppelin as they perform at Madison Square Garden in 1973. (TCM)
Tucci in Italy Episode 5: “Lazio” - The latest city-specific installment of this limited docuseries starring Stanley Tucci as he explores Italy through its cuisine. Read our review of Tucci in Italy. (National Geographic)
Monday, June 9, 2025
The American Miracle (2025) - A documentary feature about significant events in American history unfolding according to a master plan. (In Theaters)
The Changing Same (2018) - A short documentary about the last Black man publicly lynched in Florida as a spectacle. Presented as an episode of Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange. (WORLD)
Kevin Costner's The West Episodes 5: “The Robin Hood of El Dorado” - The latest installment of this docuseries about the American frontier. (History)
Mother Suriname (2023) - A documentary by Tessa Leuwsha about her washerwoman grandmother in colonial Suriname. Presented as an episode of Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange. (WORLD)
Toxic Season 1, Episode 5: “Surviving Strangis” - The latest episode of this new docuseries about toxic relationships. (Investigation Discovery)
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Amplify (2019) - A medium-length documentary about amplified music. Released as part of a box set of Dwayne Buckle films. (DVD)
Analog: The Art & History Of Reel-To-Reel Tape Recording (2019) - A medium-length documentary about the analog reel-to-reel tape recorder. Released as part of a box set of Dwayne Buckle films. (DVD)
Beware of Mr. Baker (2010) - A documentary about the iconic rock drummer Ginger Baker. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Call Her Alex (2025) - A docuseries about Call Her Daddy podcaster Alex Cooper. (Hulu)
Cassettes Go Hi-Fi (2019) - A medium-length documentary about audio cassettes. Released as part of a box set of Dwayne Buckle films. (DVD)
Crass: The Sound of Free Speech - The Story of Reality Asylum (2023) - A documentary about the punk band Crass. (Blu-ray)
Great Mysteries of the Sphinx (2024) - A medium-length documentary about the titular Egyptian monument. Released as part of a box set of Dwayne Buckle films. (DVD)
Great Mysteries of Tutankhamun (2025) - A medium-length documentary about the titular Egyptian pharaoh. Released as part of a box set of Dwayne Buckle films. (DVD)
Greatest Mysteries of Ancient Egypt (2024) - A documentary about Ancient Egypt’s greatest mysteries. Released as part of a box set of Dwayne Buckle films. (DVD)
RFK: Conspiracy (2025) - A documentary about Robert F. Kennedy and his assassination. (DVD)
The River: A Songwriter's Stories of the South (2024) - A music documentary starring the band Coyote Motel that also showcases the culture of the American South. (DVD)
Roseanne Barr is America (2025) - A documentary about the titular comedian and her issue with “cancel culture.” (DVD)
Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy (2025) - A documentary about the tragic Travis Scott concert that left 10 dead in 2021. (Netflix)’
Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Border Security: Australia’s Front Line Season 15, Episodes 12 & 13: “Illicit Substance” & “Hidden Millions” - The latest episodes of this docuseries continue to follow the work of the Australian Border Force. (National Geographic)
Life or Death: The Negotiators Season 1, Episode 7: “The Negotiators vs. Mexican Kidnappers” - The latest episode of this docuseries involves a kidnapping in Mexico. (National Geographic)
Thursday, June 12, 2025
Secrets of the Bunny Ranch Season 1 - A docuseries about the Moonlite Bunny Ranch brothel. (A&E)
Welcome to Wrexham Season 4, Episode 6: “Red Dragons” - The latest episode of this award-winning sports docuseries. (FX)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
6/13 - Prime Minister - A documentary about the former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Read our review of Prime Minister from Sundance. (In Theaters)
6/16 - Sally - A biographical documentary about Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Read our review of Sally from Sundance. (National Geographic)
6/23 - Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything! - A biographical documentary feature about the titular journalist. (Hulu)
7/10 - Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (2025) - An authorized documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws and offering new insights on and footage of its production. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (National Geographic)