This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - August 7-13, 2026
Four new releases are highlighted in the newsletter this week, and three of them could be classified in or near the true-crime genre. Two of those are international works that show crimes committed in other countries with much different legal procedures and cultural expectations. The average true-crime junkie isn’t going to be drawn to these films, but they should broaden their interest and give them a look. One involves a case quite similar to another that’s at the center of a very popular new Netflix documentary. The other takes place in a nation that’s at the center of current events. Of course, the reality is that the two films out this week about or connected to Charles Manson are the ones that typical true-crime fans will flock to.
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 the latest features from Oscar-nominated directors Rory Kennedy, Sam Green, and David France). Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future, plus full access to special posts like our best-of lists, and to give me more time to watch more (if not everything) available. If you have a doc needing coverage or a mention, you can now reach us at nonficseditor (at) gmail.
Nonfics Pick Of The Week: A Child Of My Own (2026)
Maite Alberdi, who has already had two documentary features nominated for Academy Awards this decade, is back with another unique nonfiction film. A Child of My Own tells the story of a hospital worker who faked her pregnancy and stole a newborn from the maternity ward to pass off as her own. This woman, Eleonor “Ale” Alejandra Marín Mendoza, gives her side of the case in voiceover as her account is depicted in dramatized fashion with actors and a candy-colored visual scheme. Normally, this level of “reenactment” would turn me off. The performances and production design held my attention, however, even as I wondered if the documentary was going anywhere more interesting than a literal representation.
About halfway into A Child of My Own, the film becomes more conventional, with talking head interviews and footage of the real Mendoza in her present life as she prepares to leave prison (with occasional dramatizations still sprinkled in). This section unveils at least one big twist, though it’s not a concrete rejection of what we’ve heard in the first half. Psychology, belief, and memory are involved as much as truth and lies. Audiences may be split on what they think of Mendoza in the end. The thing about documentaries where the truth is uncertain is there’s less room for empathy. You can’t be sure of the shoes you’re meant to walk in. So it comes down to whether you sympathize with the subject.
I have watched the ending of A Child of My Own a few times and still haven’t decided what I think of the real Mendoza. I like the portrayed version in the first half of the film a lot, and it may take another full viewing to sync the two up enough to even sympathize with the genuine — or actual, at least — version. As for the film, I’m also not completely decided on whether I like it or love it. I also might grow to dislike it the more I think about its story. But I can’t deny its originality in form and aesthetic, which engaged me unlike anything else I’ve seen this year. Alberdi continues to make singular nonfiction films, and while I haven’t enjoyed them all as much as the Oscars have, I definitely appreciate her creative efforts in this space.
A Child of My Own will be released in select theaters on Friday, August 7, 2026, and will begin streaming exclusively on Netflix on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
Other Documentary Highlights
The Battle Of The Somme (1916)
When you Google “what was the first documentary feature?” the disappointing answer “Nanook of the North” still prevails. Depending on how you define a documentary and/or a feature, the search engine (and the mistaken claims it pulls from) is off by as much as 25 years. Among the most well-known examples is The Battle of the Somme, a feature-length propaganda film that mixes actual and staged combat footage to depict the titular World War I battle. The documentary turns 110 years old this week, having premiered in London on August 10, 1916, ahead of its very successful (in terms of attendance and impact) theatrical release. Watch it and feel not only educated but satisfied that you know better than our technological overlords.
The Battle of the Somme has been restored and is available on DVD and YouTube.
Cookie Queens (2026)
Here’s the one new release that has no connection to the true-crime genre. At least that we know of! There is a character in Cookie Queens who seems to have an overly demanding home, but I wouldn’t go so far as to assume anything beyond that. Still, this documentary feature, which follows a handful of children as they sell Girl Scout Cookies, is hardly the lighthearted puff piece it appears to be on the surface. The kids are cute, with one in particular stealing the whole movie, but as I wrote in my review, “their stories carry hints of an ugly truth about the Girl Scout Cookie trade.” Here’s another excerpt from a Sundance Film Festival review roundup:
“Only one of the young characters, a five-year-old with type-1 diabetes and a very modest sales goal, appears to be truly happy in her efforts, and when she does hit a challenge, she tackles it with the sort of enterprising ingenuity you’d hope to come out of being a member of an organization like Girl Scouts. And she does it altruistically, not to be the best. It may not be the point of the film, but it’s a good reminder of the importance of quality over quantity.”
Cookie Queens will be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 7, 2026, via Roadside Attractions.
Coroner To The Stars (2025)
The titular coroner, Dr. Thomas Noguchi, is currently 99 years old. I don’t know how old he was when he was interviewed for Coroner to the Stars, but he was old enough to be thankful he was still alive and able to tell his own story. I prefer having biographical documentary subjects tell their own stories, or at least as much as firsthand familiarity benefits (they can’t be the only ones telling their own stories). It’s the difference between a list of timeline points and achievements and a sharing of the experience of going through those points and realizing those achievements.
As L.A. County’s Chief Medical Examiner, Noguchi was involved in the autopsies and death investigations of such celebrities as Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, John Belushi, William Holden, Robert F. Kennedy, and Sharon Tate. He’s been a significant part of true-crime history, even proposing the idea of Tate and friends’ murders being cult-related before the Manson Family discovery and arrests were made. His accounts of just these cases (the documentary is fairly brief and brisk, leaving us wanting more stories) are done with terrific recollection and conviction.
His life story is also filled with obstacles concerning race for a Japanese-American, political scrutiny for sticking to his often-controversial conclusions, and media attention, the last of which was partly of his own doing. For those old enough to remember the TV series Quincy, you’ll be fascinated to see how much he inspired Jack Klugman’s whitewashed character. Coroner to the Stars is a swift survey of a long life that revolved around death. And despite all he has seen, he still gets emotional about losing a loved one, notably his ex-wife, with whom he reconciled before she passed.
Coroner to the Stars will be released digitally on Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
An Eye For An Eye (2025)
What does true-crime look like for citizens of Iran? An Eye for an Eye depicts a murder case that picks up after the convicted killer’s release from prison. Now she faces an even harsher sentence. Under Sharia law, the family of the victim can either forgive her, for a fee labeled “blood money,” or have her executed. The victim happens to have been her husband, and the murder was allegedly in defense of his ongoing domestic abuse. But maybe that wasn’t the whole story.
The documentary follows the woman and her son as they try to raise the requested fee with the help of an anti-execution activist. Simultaneously, the film reveals more and more details about her case from the time of her investigation and trial. There is a bit of a twist, but this revelation is not a proven fact, nor is it handled as sensationally as one would expect in an American true-crime documentary. Instead, An Eye for an Eye stretches its storytelling to an unfortunate length and pace, overplaying dramatic scenes while failing to show certain pieces of the plot. In the end, I think it leaves viewers with less to think about regarding the law and what justice looks like in Iran and more to wonder about this specific story and who is more deserving of justice.
An Eye for an Eye will be released in theaters on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, and will begin streaming exclusively on the Jolt platform on Friday, August 14, 2026.
The Only 4 Oscar Winners For Best Documentary
Last week, I wrote a piece for my series on Oscar-winning documentaries that examines the four titles that tied for the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 1943. The Battle of Midway, Kokoda Front Line!, Moscow Strikes Back, and Why We Fight: Prelude to War are often credited as the first films to win in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, but only two of them qualify as features per the Academy’s rules. The other two winners, as well as the other 21 nominees, are shorts. The honor that year was for documentaries of any length, and the category hasn’t existed since.
Patricio Guzmán Documentaries
Fitting for an edition of this newsletter where the Pick of the Week is by a Chilean filmmaker, I’d also like to spotlight the career of the most notable Chilean documentarian: Patricio Guzmán, who turns 85 on Tuesday. He is best known for making The Battle of Chile, a trilogy of documentaries released in the 1970s about the political crisis and coup d’état that occurred in his country earlier that decade. His most widely seen film here, though, is Nostalgia for the Light, which deals with astronomical and traumatic searches in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Other Guzmán documentaries you should watch for his birthday include Salvador Allende and The Pinochet Case, both of them related to the same political change in his country as The Battle of Chile. Also, check out his more recent films The Pearl Button and The Cordillera of Dreams, which complete a trilogy that began with Nostalgia for the Light. There’s his latest, My Imaginary Country, and there’s 1997’s Chile, an Obstinate Memory, which marked his return to his homeland after Pinochet’s dictatorship ended. All of the mentioned documentaries are available to stream on OVID, with a few also being on Kanopy, Hoopla, and Kino Film Collection.
The War Game (1966)
One of the most contentious titles among the winners of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature is The War Game, a film that only consists of made-up material. Thinking broadly about what documentaries are, though, I think it counts, and I think it’s worth seeing either way (whether it’s a “feature” is another matter). Directed by Peter Watkins, the film imagines a nuclear attack, meaning it’s a speculative documentary. It’s an example of a documentary set in the future, and there are more of those than you might think. It’s also one of the scariest nonfiction films, and it was surely more so for the people of Britain at the time of its release 60 years ago.
The War Game will be released anew on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD disc via Severin Films on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, with a whole bunch of bonus features.
Awards Highlights
The 2026 Albie Awards Honorees
Last week, the Maysles Documentary Center announced its honorees for the 7th annual Albie Awards, kicking off the awards season for nonfiction films. None of these three documentaries are available to the public yet (outside of festivals), but they’re still worth highlighting ahead of their respective release dates this fall. The 2026 honorees, which will be awarded at a ceremony on September 23, are Once Upon a Time in Harlem (release date: October 16), Rehearsals for a Revolution (release date TBD), and Barbara Forever (release date: September 4).
Documentary Release Calendar 7/31/26 - 8/6/26
Friday, August 7, 2026
The Big Cheese (2025) - A documentary feature that follows an American team competing in France’s Mondial du Fromage. (In Theaters)
CatVideoFest 2026 (2026) - The latest in a series of anthology films that compile cat videos. (In Theaters)
A Child of My Own (2026) - A documentary feature by two-time Oscar-nominated director Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent; The Eternal Memory) about a woman who faked her pregnancy. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
Cookie Queens (2026) - A documentary feature about Girl Scouts selling cookies. See our highlights section for more info. Read our review of Cookie Queens. (In Theaters)
Saturday, August 8, 2026
Aqua Antics (1942) - A short documentary showcasing the water skiing talents of the California Water Bugs club. (TCM)
Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies (2026) - A concert film presenting a Grateful Dead show performed at Giants Stadium on June 17, 1991. (Theatrical Event)
The Real Murders of Atlanta Season 4, Episode 5: “Halloween Horror” - The latest installment of an Atlanta-focused true-crime docuseries. This episode involves a woman who finds a human foot on her porch the night before Halloween. (Oxygen)
Sunday, August 9, 2026
911: Did the Killer Call? Season 2, Episode 5: “The Sound of Fear” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about cases where the murderer is on the 911 call. (Investigation Discovery)
The Chosen in the Wild with Bear Grylls (2026) - A six-part docuseries in which Bear Grylls takes the cast of The Chosen on wilderness adventures. (Prime Video)
The Cincinnati Kid Plays According to Hoyle (1965) - A short film about magician and gambler Jay Ose, who served as a technical advisor for the film The Cincinnati Kid. (TCM)
Decades in Sports Episodes 3: “1980s” - The third installment of a six-part docuseries executive produced by Tom Hanks about milestones in sports in America. (CNN)
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler Season 2, Episode 16: “Precarious Parenting” - The latest installment of a docuseries about dangerous toys and household items that used to be common. This episode involves the bygone time of more lax rules when it came to children’s safety. (History)
It Looks Like Rain (1945) - A short film about the tools used to forecast the weather. (TCM)
The Mega-Brands That Built America Season 4, Episode 2: “The Game Makers” - The return of a docuseries about iconic brands. This installment covers game shows. (History)
NASCAR Americana Episode 1: “Rebel Roots” - The first installment of a three-part docuseries about NASCAR’s place in American history. (USA Network)
Night Life in Chicago (1948) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Chicago. (TCM)
Unknown Serial Killers of America Season 2, Episode 2: “Paul Stephani” - The latest episode of a true-crime series about less-famous murderers. (Oxygen)
Monday, August 10, 2026
Grandad of Races (1950) - An Oscar-winning short covering the annual horse race held in the Piazza del Campo in Siena. (TCM)
Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies (2026) - A concert film presenting a Grateful Dead show performed at Giants Stadium on June 17, 1991. (Theatrical Event)
A Killer Among Friends Season 2, Episode 4: “Staging a Murder” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murders that tear friend groups apart. This episode involves the killing of a young woman in California who was part of a theater group. (Investigation Discovery)
Somebody Knows Something Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2: “The Baby in the Yellow Blanket” & “Lost in the Night” - The first two installments of a true-crime series about unsolved murder and missing persons cases. (Freeform)
Spade Cooley: King of Western Swing (1945) - A short film showcasing the titular musician. (TCM)
Sport Slants #10 (1932) - A short documentary in the Sport Slants series that looks at jai alai and deep-sea fishing. (TCM)
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Blu-Ray: Art of the Disc (2025) - A documentary about the invention of the Blu-ray disc. (DVD)
Coroner to the Stars (2025) - A documentary feature about Dr. Thomas Noguchi, the former chief medical examiner for Los Angeles County, who performed autopsies on many celebrities. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)
Dark Side of the Ring Season 7, Episode 7: “Paul Orndorff: Saving Mr. Wonderful” - The latest installment of a docuseries that shares the darkest stories of professional wrestling. (Vice)
DVD: The Digital Video Disc (2025) - A documentary about the history of DVDs. (DVD)
The Edge of Nature (2023) - A documentary feature directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox (GasLand) about his experience with long COVID while living in a one-room cabin in the Pennsylvania forest. (DVD)
Elementary Cinema: The Early Films of Sherlock Holmes (2026) - A medium-length documentary about the titular detective character’s adaptation to cinema. (Blu-ray)
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2025) - A documentary feature directed by Baz Luhrmann starring Elvis as he returns to the stage in his later years. Read our review of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Theaters. *NONFICS PICK* (DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD)
The Fabulous Gold Harvesting Machine (2024) - A documentary feature about gold miners who develop a machine to extract the precious metal. (OVID)
The First VCR (2019) - A medium-length documentary about the invention of the VCR in 1956. (DVD)
A Game of Double Standards (2026) - A documentary feature about the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. (DVD)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks Episode 2 - The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise (technically Hard Knocks Season 22) goes behind the scenes with the titular football team. (HBO and HBO Max)
Homestead Rescue: Intervention Season 1, Episode 4 - The latest episode of a docuseries that follows wilderness experts as they save lives. (Discovery)
In the Company of Wolves: An American Journey (2026) - A documentary feature narrated by Jeff Bridges about wolves and other animals and their relevance to American history. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Michael Jackson: Devotion (2009) - A medium-length documentary about the death of the titular pop star. (DVD)
Michael Jackson: A Tribute (2010) - A medium-length documentary about the titular pop star’s music and charity work. (DVD)
A Radical Thread (2024) - A documentary about 50 years of innovative sustainability in a Sierra Foothills community. (DVD)
The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Season 7, Episode 13: “Heating Up” - The latest installment of a docuseries about UFO phenomena at the Skinwalker Ranch. (History)
Visiting Italy (1951) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores Rome, Pisa, and Florence. (TCM)
The War Game (1966) - An Oscar-winning docudrama that imagines what a nuclear attack on Britain would look like. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD)
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
911: Did the Killer Call? Season 2, Episode 6: “Judging Reactions” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about cases where the murderer is on the 911 call. (Investigation Discovery)
Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes (2026) - A true-crime docuseries about the titular cult leader. (Netflix)
Delicious Dishes (1950) - A short film that demonstrates a kitchen cutlery set. (TCM)
Eons: Life and Death on Pangea Episode 4: “A Tale of Tusks and Saber Teeth” - The latest installment of a six-part docuseries on the mass-extinction event known as the “Great Dying.” (PBS)
ER: Caught on Camera Season 1, Episode 6 - The latest installment of a docuseries in which medical patients recall experiences in hospital emergency rooms. (TLC)
An Eye for an Eye (2025) - A documentary feature about a woman convicted of killing her husband and now facing execution under Sharia law. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (In Theaters)
Katseye: Wild Hearts (2026) - A documentary about the titular girl group. (In Theaters)
Thursday, August 13, 2026
A Child of My Own (2026) - A documentary feature by two-time Oscar-nominated director Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent; The Eternal Memory) about a woman who faked her pregnancy. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)
Engineering from Above Episode 1: “Fortresses” - The first installment of a docuseries presenting aerial views of engineering marvels. This episode involves a massive wall surrounding a Colombian city. (History)
Infinity According to Florian (2022) - A documentary about the artist Florian Yuriev. (OVID)
Kapr Code (2022) - A documentary opera about communist Czech composer Jan Kapr. (OVID)
Monsters of God Episode 2: “Operation Cobra” - The second installment of a five-part docuseries by Tiger King co-director Eric Goode about the history of exotic reptile smugglers. (HBO and HBO Max)
Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear (2026) - A documentary about the titular Blink-182 drummer. (Hulu)
Whispers (1941) - A short film about the power of gossip. (TCM)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
8/19 - Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing - A documentary feature directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rory Kennedy (The Last Days of Vietnam) about the jet manufacturer deemed responsible for multiple plane crashes. This film is a follow-up to Kennedy’s 2022 documentary Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. Watch the new trailer for Freefall here. (Netflix)
8/19 - Lion - A nature docuseries produced by Jon Favreau and scored by Hans Zimmer about a real lion cub on his journey to become king. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (National Geographic)
8/21 - Bouchra - A hybrid film with some documentary elements about a queer Moroccan jackal living in New York City and his relationship with his mother in Casablanca. (VOD)
8/25 - Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young - The latest installment of the sports anthology series Untold. This documentary covers the story of the titular professional football player. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Netflix)
8/28 - Runa Simi - A documentary about a father and son who dub The Lion King into the endangered Indigenous language Quechua. (In Theaters)
9/10 - The Oldest Person in the World - A documentary feature directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Green (The Weather Underground) about people who have held the titular record over the last decade. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
9/11 - Mighty Mary - A documentary feature about the first-ever all-women's sailing crew to compete for the America's Cup. (In Theaters)
9/18 - The History of Concrete - A documentary feature by John Wilson about concrete. Watch the new teaser trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
9/20 - Bucks County, USA - A five-part docuseries directed by Robert May (Kids for Cash) and Barry Levinson that follows the community of the titular Pennsylvania county through the first years of the 2020s. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (PBS)
10/9 - My Undesirable Friends: Part II - Exile - A documentary sequel directed by Julia Loktev that follows the characters from My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow after they leave Russia. (In Theaters)
10/12 - Free Leonard Peltier - A documentary feature directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker David France (How to Survive a Plague) about the titular member of the American Indian Movement as he hopes to be released from prison after 50 years and experience freedom again before he dies. (Netflix)
11/5 - The Bridge - A music-centered documentary feature about survivors of the October 7 attacks in Israel who travel to Los Angeles to attend the Rock ’n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. (In Theaters)