This Week In Documentary: '2000 Meters To Andriivka' & 'Folktales'
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - July 25-July 31, 2025
What a great week for nonfiction releases! Not only is my Pick of the Week also the top-ranking film on my list of the best documentaries of 2025 so far, but that feature is helmed by an Oscar-winning director, while three other highlights are by Oscar nominees. Will any of these new projects be recognized next year? Well, two of them are series, so not eligible for Oscars, but maybe they’ll be Emmy nominees (one of them is part of a franchise that has been Emmy-nominated with a past installment). The other trend you’ll notice this week: there’s a lot of bad titling going on lately.
Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, including reviews of new nonfiction films and series. They are followed by daily listings for all notable releases and a brief look at what’s coming soon for doc fans (including a newly announced film by Ben Stiller and one of my favorites from Sundance). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available.
Nonfics Picks Of The Week: 2000 Meters To Andriivka (2025)
That’s right, my favorite documentary of the year (at least so far) is 2000 Meters to Andriivka. This is the second feature by Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov, who won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2024 for his debut, 20 Days in Mariupol. This is another co-production between the Associated Press and PBS’s Frontline, but while it’s also a masterpiece of timely reportage on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it feels more timeless as a war movie. Here’s an excerpt from my review of 2000 Meters to Andriivka from Sundance (where it won a Directing Award for Chernov):
“In the summer of 2023, Chernov and his AP colleague Alex Babenko joined a Ukrainian brigade as they slowly advanced toward Andriivka, avoiding mine-covered roads, trekking through a thin, mile-long stretch of forest, and securing their positions in foxholes. What would have taken a couple of minutes to reach by car took days and many lives, on both sides, and when Andriivka was reached, it was in ruins. Months later, Russia took it back. This is anything but a picture of the futility of war, however. Through Chernov’s firsthand coverage, including brief on-the-spot interviews with some of the soldiers along the way, 2000 Meters to Andriivka shows fighting for the sake of fighting. It’s not pointless for these Ukrainian men who’ve volunteered to defend and honor their homeland. As their leader, Fedya, says, it’s an opportunity to start over. The territory is key. It can be rebuilt upon and repopulated.”
2000 Meters to Andriivka opens in theaters on Friday, July 25.
Other Documentary Highlights
Adaptive (2025)
Whenever a documentary is heavily branded with a sponsoring partner, I worry it’ll feel too much like a long-form advertisement. Still, I get that documentary filmmakers can really use the money from such collaborations, so I can’t dismiss them entirely. I’m glad that I didn’t with Adaptive, which is presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods.
This three-part series showcases a few Team USA athletes competing in adaptive sports, including two who play wheelchair basketball, one swimmer, and one representing track and field. The documentary follows them between the end of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games and the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, and their stories are filled with dramatic obstacles as well as crowd-pleasing triumphs. Director Ryan S. Porush could have just leaned on the characters and events and allowed them to easily tug at our heartstrings, but this is a well-crafted sports series with built-up tension and satisfying payoffs, whether they bring us tears of joy or sympathy.
Adaptive begins streaming exclusively on Peacock on Monday, July 28.
BTS Army: Forever We Are Young (2025)
Will a documentary about BTS fandom be as successful at the box office as the group’s concert films? Should it be? The accidentally insultingly titled BTS Army: Forever We Are Young is directed by Patty Ahn and Grace Lee (director of one of the first documentaries I ever reviewed, The Grace Lee Project), and they have a genuine appreciation for the titular fanbase of the Korean boy band BTS. Other BTS fans, whether they consider themselves part of the BTS Army or not, will be the only ones who see the documentary, even if they wouldn’t be alone in genuinely appreciating it.
That’s to be expected, but there are a few sequences that slightly elevate BTS Army above just being a spotlight on fans expressing the origins of their fandom and who their “bias” (favorite member) is. The documentary gets a little interesting when it shows the history of how their fans helped BTS grow, and then how some became disappointed when they got too big. Even when it’s just on the fans being fans, though, it paints a picture of a following and community that feels included, appreciated, and united in their love for these particular K-pop superstars.
BTS Army: Forever We Are Young opens in theaters on Wednesday, July 30.
Conversations With A Killer: The Son Of Sam Tapes (2025)
I’d be disappointed with Joe Berlinger for being so safe with true-crime docuseries both familiar and franchised, but he’s anything but lazy in his conformity. One of the OGs of true-crime documentary storytelling is mostly consistent in delivering well-produced programming, and Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes continues this dependable decades-long streak. The series follows the story of serial killer David Berkowitz, partly told in his own words via recordings made from prison in 1980.
You might not need another telling of David Berkowitz’s serial killings in New York in the late 1970s, and you might not appreciate him getting any more minutes of fame. But if you do want it, this three-part installment in the Conversations with a Killer series (following previous audio-recording-driven spotlights on Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer) is a tight, psychologically engrossing retread. And if it’s your first encounter with the Son of Sam, you can’t do much better than this meeting guided by Berlinger.
Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes begins streaming on Netflix on Wednesday, July 30.
Folktales (2025)
Folktales is the latest documentary feature directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the Oscar-nominated duo behind Jesus Camp, Detropia, and the best segment of the anthology Freakonomics. The nonfiction coming-of-age film follows teenagers attending a folk high school in Northern Norway. I wasn’t as excited about the doc coming out of it as going in (it was number 3 on my list of most anticipated documentaries of 2025). Someday, I’m going to rewatch it without such high expectations. Here’s an excerpt of my review of Folktales from Sundance:
“The cinematography is the most interesting aspect of Folktales since so little happens in the story but there’s still a lot to look at on screen. The three characters appear to be insignificant amidst the natural world, yet they have their personal triumphs here and there within that harsh environment. By the end of the film, when each character’s next steps are shared and the whole picture is in the rearview, the beauty and sensitivity of the documentary are finally considered in their impressionistic totality, and you’ll want to go back and watch it again with that perspective.”
Folktales opens in theaters on Friday, July 25.
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time (2025)
In recent years, historical docuseries have catered to nostalgia for major news stories of the past. Maybe nostalgia isn’t the right word for all of these anniversary-focused looks back at disasters, tragedies, and criminal cases, even if some of them now seem relatively quaint next to what feels to be much more regular occurrences of violence, weather-related catastrophes, and socio-political turmoil in the present. But there’s an appeal to these documentaries outside of plain historicism, or they wouldn’t be made in such quantities. Many events even garner competing series from different streaming platforms, and most are produced too well to merely be commemorative.
The unimaginatively titled Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time is the first of two prestige series out this summer focused on the devastating 2005 tropical storm that temporarily wiped out New Orleans. While we’ve had some big hurricanes since then, Katrina remains the deadliest to hit the U.S. mainland in modern times, and it remains the costliest ever — though as Race Against Time (and other documentaries before it) reminds us, a lot of this natural disaster’s real tragedy was man-made. And not just in terms of the human causes of climate change. When we think of history as lessons from which we may avoid repeating past mistakes, it’s the narratives on the aftermath of Katrina that should have already been more of a warning about avoidable human error than the inconvenient truth that more big storms are coming.
Continue reading our review of Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time.
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time premieres its five episodes over two nights on National Geographic starting Sunday, July 27, and begins streaming in full on Hulu on Monday, July 28.
Slumlord Millionaire (2024)
In my review of Slumlord Millionaire earlier this year, I mentioned that its title was clever but unfortunately not original at all. Still, I had some good things to say about this documentary focused on some of New York City’s present real estate issues. Here’s an excerpt:
“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 premieres on PBS via the series VOCES on Monday, July 28th.
Documentary Release Calendar 7/25/25 - 7/31/25
Friday, July 25, 2025
2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025) - A documentary by Oscar-winning director Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days in Mariupol) about a Ukrainian platoon’s effort to liberate a village from Russian occupation. Read our review of 2000 Meters to Andriivka. (In Theaters)
Bull Shark Showdown (2025) - A documentary special about bull sharks in Australia and America. Presented as part of Shark Week. (Discovery)
Florida’s Death Beach (2025) - A documentary special about Florida’s reputation for having the most shark attacks in the world. Presented as part of Shark Week. (Discovery)
Folktales (2025) - A documentary by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp) about a folk high school in Arctic Norway. Read our review of Folktales. (In Theaters)
Great White Reign of Terror (2025) - A documentary special about great white shark attacks in South Africa. Presented as part of Shark Week. (Discovery)
Monk in Pieces (2025) - A documentary feature about composer and performer Meredith Monk. (In Theaters)
Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (2025) - A travelogue series starring the titular actress. (The Roku Channel)
Susan (2025) - A documentary feature following a woman helping others while fighting an illness. (In Theaters)
Saturday, July 26, 2025
Attack of the Devil Shark (2025) - A documentary special about a legendary tiger shark. Presented as part of Shark Week. (Discovery)
Battle for Shark Mountain (2025) - A documentary special about a battle between sharks and giant trevally off the coast of Mozambique. Presented as part of Shark Week. (Discovery)
Buried in the Backyard Season 6, Episode 3: “City of Silence” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about the odd locations where murder victims were found. This episode involves a missing person in Los Angeles during the height of the pandemic. (Oxygen True Crime)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 2: “Scam City” - The latest installment of this award-winning series involves romance and investment scams in Southeast Asia. (National Geographic)
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time Episodes 1-3: “The Coming Storm,” “Worst Case Scenario,” & “A Desperate Place” - The first three installments of a five-part docuseries about the 2005 hurricane and its aftermath that devastated New Orleans. (National Geographic)
In the Eye of the Storm Season 2, Episode 1: “Texas Derecho Disaster” - The return of this docuseries about natural disasters begins with a look at a massive windstorm that swept across Texas in 2024. (Discovery)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 2: “Scam City” - The latest installment of this award-winning series involves romance and investment scams in Southeast Asia. (Hulu)
Monday, July 28, 2025
Adaptive (2025) - A three-part docuseries following four athletes over four years leading up to the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Peacock and TeamUSA TV)
Animals on Drugs (2025) - A new docuseries with a very literal title, as its episodes focus on alligators on meth, drunk bears, and hippos on coke. (Discovery)
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time (2005) - The entire new five-part docuseries about the 2005 hurricane and its aftermath that devastated New Orleans. (Hulu and Disney+)
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time Episodes 4 & 5: “Shoot to Kill” & “Wake Up Call” - The final two installments of a docuseries about the 2005 hurricane and its aftermath that devastated New Orleans. (National Geographic)
A Killer Among Friends Season 1, Episode 3: “Devil in the Hallways” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murders that tear friend groups apart. This episode involves the death of a California teen. (Investigation Discovery)
Slumlord Millionaire (2024) - A documentary feature about residents, activists, and nonprofit attorneys fighting corrupt landlords. Presented as an episode of VOCES. Read our review of Slumlord Millionaire. (PBS)
Survival Mode Season 1, Episode 4: “The Derailment of Amtrak 501” - The latest installment of this new docuseries focuses on a train derailment. (NBC)
Tuesday, July 29, 2025
Cash Cow (2023) - A first-person documentary following the actor/filmmaker’s travel to different Mormon landmarks while waiting for his Domino’s commercial to air. (Blu-ray)
The Devil at Your Heels (1981) - A documentary feature about Ken Carter’s jump from Canada to the U.S. in a death-defying aerial car stunt. (Blu-ray)
The Falling Sky (2024) - A feature documentary about the relationship between Indigenous people and nature. (DVD)
On Guard: A Story of American Youth (2023) - A coming-of-age documentary following five teenage girls in El Paso, Texas, who are part of their high school color guard. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Running with the Wolves Episodes 1 & 2: “Leading the Pack” & “Home Games” - The first two installments of a four-part docuseries following Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos as co-owners of the Italian soccer team Campobasso FC. (ESPN & ESPN+)
Tokyo Uber Blues (2021) - A first-person documentary following the filmmaker’s move to Japan to be an Uber bike courier. (Blu-ray)
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 (2025) - A documentary in the Trainwreck franchise that looks at the plan for conspiracy theorists to show up outside the gates of Area 51 for a big confrontation with the U.S. military. (Netflix)
We Can Be Heroes (2024) - A coming-of-age documentary following role-playing teens healing past trauma while attending a LARP camp. (VOD)
WWE: Unreal (2025) - A new 10-part docuseries that goes behind the scenes of the titular wrestling organization. (Netflix)
Wednesday, July 30, 2025
An Act of Conscience (1997) - A documentary feature about a family who lost their home due to a political protest against taxes. (OVID)
BTS Army: Forever We Are Young (2025) - A documentary about BTS fans. (In Theaters)
Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes (2025) - A true-crime docuseries by Joe Berlinger in the Conversations with a Killer franchise, focused on the titular serial killer. (Netflix)
Leona's Sister Gerri (1995) - A medium-length documentary about a famous photo of a woman who died from an illegal abortion. (OVID)
Mr. and Mrs. Murder (2025) - A four-part docuseries about a Tennessee man likely killed by his wife. (Hulu)
Time Passages (2024) - A “time traveling” documentary by Kyle Henry about his own family as his mother’s health declines. (OVID)
Thursday, July 31, 2025
The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster Episode 3: “Top of the Food Chain” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about animal abuse in the furry community. (AMC+ and Sundance Now)
Good Eating Habits (1951) - An educational short film on good eating habits. (TCM)
Lie Detector: Truth or Deception Season 1, Episode 4: “Eva Hamby” - The latest installment of this docuseries about suspected but not charged individuals taking lie detectors to prove their innocence. (A&E)
Nothing But a Winner (2025) - A sports documentary about the success of the University of Alabama’s football team. (In Theaters)
Running with the Wolves Episodes 3 & 4: “The Time is Now” & “The Wolves Den” - The final two installments of a four-part docuseries following Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos as co-owners of the Italian soccer team Campobasso FC. (ESPN & ESPN+)
Subject: Narcotics (1951) - A short film made for police officer training purposes on the “destructive effects of marijuana.” (TCM)
The Terrible Truth (1951) - A short film starring a real juvenile court judge as he discusses the problem of marijuana use and proposes that it’s the Soviets’ fault. (TCM)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
8/1 - Architecton - A documentary by Viktor Kosakovskiy (Gunda) about stone and concrete as foundations of our habitat. (In Theaters)
8/3 - The Yogurt Shop Murders - A true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown (Descendant) about the killing of four teenagers in 1991. (HBO Max)
8/5 - Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills - The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise goes behind the scenes with the titular NFL team. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (HBO and HBO Max)
8/8 - It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley - A biographical documentary by Amy Berg (Janis: Little Girl Lost) about the titular musician. (In Theaters)
8/9 - Name of the Game - A documentary about male exotic dancers. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
8/15 - Limitless: Live Better Now - The three-part second season of the docuseries Limitless starring actor Chris Hemsworth, in which he unlocks the secrets to living a longer and healthier life. (Hulu and Disney+)
9/19 - Predators - A documentary about the TV series To Catch a Predator. Read our review of Predators from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (In Theaters)
10/15 - From Rails to Trails - A medium-length documentary narrated by Edward Norton about the transformation of abandoned railroads into bike and walking trails in the U.S. Watch the trailer for the film below. (PBS)
10/17 - Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost - A documentary by Ben Stiller about his famous actor/comedian parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. (In Theaters)
10/22 - Mistress Dispeller - A documentary about a woman who hired someone to stop her husband from cheating. Watch the trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/29 - Coexistence, My Ass! - A Sundance award-winning documentary about comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi and her one-woman show about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (In Theaters)
11/21 - Cutting Through Rocks - A Sundance award-winning documentary about Iranian politician Sara Shahverdi and her fight against child marriage. (In Theaters)