This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - August 22-28, 2025
Last year at this time, I spotlighted the documentaries of Robert Greenwald. It was his birthday, and it was also a big moment for political films, being a U.S. presidential election year. He had just released a new short film. He would go on to release three more, specifically focused on Donald Trump, ahead of the election. Now he’s turning 80 and deserving of more lifetime achievement recognition. I haven’t seen his latest documentary, Gaza: Journalists Under Fire, but it seems pretty timely after this month’s airstrike deaths of Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal.
Without further ado, below are this week’s documentary highlights, including capsule 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 the latest from Raoul Peck). 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: When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts (2006), If God Is Willing And Da Creek Don’t Rise (2010), & Katrina: Come Hell And High Water (2025)
Dueling with National Geographic’s Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, Netflix’s Katrina: Come Hell and High Water is another docuseries looking back at the titular disaster for its 20th anniversary this summer. The big sell here is perhaps that Spike Lee is one of the directors, alongside Geeta Gandbhir and Samantha M. Knowles (both of whom directed parts of this year’s Eyes on the Prize III). In 2006, Lee helmed the acclaimed Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, which he followed up in 2010 with If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise. I’m surprised he and the streaming service aren’t making a bigger deal out of this one, but he’s also busy promoting his film Highest 2 Lowest this month. I will have more to say about it when the review embargo lifts on August 25, so come back to see my thoughts then.
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts and If God Is Willing and da Creek Don’t Rise are both available to stream on HBO Max.
Katrina: Come Hell and High Water begins streaming in full on Netflix on August 27.
Other Documentary Highlights
James Can Eat (2025)
Ever since the one time I attended the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest (I’m too old now to recall if it was in 2006 or 2007), I’ve been fascinated by the world of competitive eating. I hadn’t seen a memorable or at least a uniquely different documentary about any competitor or any side of this world, however, since Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating, which came out 20 years ago. James Can Eat, which is focused on James Webb, finally offers some aspects I haven’t seen or heard much about, including the offshoot idea of doing solo eating challenges for online video channels and social media.
Webb, who is relatively new to the sport compared to guys like Crazy Legs Conti and regular Nathan’s champ Joey Chestnut, also has a compelling backstory. James Can Eat also looks more into the debates on whether competitive eating is a sport and whether it’s as unhealthy as it seems. His wife’s complicated acceptance of Webb’s chosen career is interesting, as are the addresses of various controversies concerning him, other eaters, and the circuit overall. My only complaint about the film, which I’d otherwise recommend to anyone curious about this world, is that it occasionally gets sidetracked, most notably when it interviews a guy who made a scene at one of the Nathan’s events to protest the treatment of animals by the meat industry. Sometimes it seemed the filmmakers wanted it to be a documentary about competitive eating in general when it should have been more focused on just Webb’s place in that world.
James Can Eat will be released on VOD on Friday, August 22.
A New Kind Of Wilderness (2024)
I finally caught up with A New Kind of Wilderness, which won the Grand Jury Prize for the World Cinema - Documentary program at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, but I’m not sure I can rightly say that I’ve watched it as truly intended. For its PBS broadcast, via POV, the documentary has been abridged from feature-length to 56 minutes. That’s plenty of time for me to appreciate the film’s story of a family in Norway whose lives are drastically changed after the death of their wife and mother, and the beautiful way it’s shot, but I kept wondering what was cut out for this version.
There was a time when I wouldn’t tolerate shorter cuts of films for their PBS broadcast, and I used to associate and criticize it more with Independent Lens airings. Now I just wish that there was more (or any) transparency regarding the edits. We know we’re getting extended cuts of movies because they’re labeled as such. Same with director’s cuts and other variations. Why not a label for abridged documentaries? How can I properly review A New Kind of Wilderness and, say, log it on Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd when it’s not the same film that critics saw at Sundance and other festivals or for its theatrical release? I’d rather be able to be clear in what I watched and am critiquing. It pains me to complain when I want to support PBS and its shows more than ever right now, but it needs to be addressed.
A New Kind of Wilderness (Abridged) makes its broadcast debut on PBS as an episode of POV and begins streaming on PBS Passport on Monday, August 25.
Pavements (2024)
I thought about making Pavements the Pick of the Week again, for a third time, but it’s only been a little over a month since the last time (and I’m mostly just copying and pasting that write-up this time anyway). Regardless, Pavements is a must-see, in case you haven’t seen its placement on my list of the best documentaries of 2025 so far. And you don’t have to be a fan of its subject to enjoy it. The experimental hybrid film, directed by Alex Ross Perry and produced and edited by Robert Greene, “provides a sense of Pavement more comprehensive (but also more artificial) than a typical talking-head-filled rock documentary would,” I wrote back in May. “It’s the sort of music film that satisfies the film audience even if they don’t care for the music, and vice versa.”
Pavements will be released on Blu-ray on Tuesday, August 26.
Documentary Release Calendar 8/22/25 - 8/28/25
Friday, August 22, 2025
Diamond Demon (1947) - A short documentary showcasing the talents of baseball pitcher Johnny Price. (TCM)
Hope in High Water: A People's Recovery Twenty Years After Hurricane Katrina (2025) - A documentary feature looking back at Hurricane Katrina, focused on people who never left New Orleans. (Peacock)
James Can Eat (2025) - A documentary feature about Australian competitive eater James Webb. (VOD)
One Got Fat (1963) - A short instructional film about bicycle safety. (TCM)
The Truth About Jussie Smollett? (2025) - A documentary feature about actor Jussie Smollett and his scandal involving a hate crime hoax. (Netflix)
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Buried in the Backyard Season 6, Episode 7: “Portrait of a Tragedy” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about the odd locations where murder victims were found. This episode involves a young artist whose body was found in a suitcase. (Oxygen True Crime)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 4: “The Body on the Train” - The latest installment of a docuseries about bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. (National Geographic)
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Girl Climber (2025) - A documentary following Emily Harrington as she climbs Yosemite’s El Capitan. (In IMAX Theaters)
How to Sleep (1935) - An Oscar-winning comedic educational short starring and narrated by Robert Benchley based on a recent sleep study. (TCM)
The Last Rhinos: A New Hope (2025) - A nature documentary focused on the endangered northern white rhinoceros. (National Geographic)
Looking at London (1946) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores London post-World War II. (TCM)
Naming the Dead Season 1, Episode 4: “The Body on the Train” - The latest installment of a docuseries about bodies being identified through genealogical investigations. (Hulu and Disney+)
Naomi Osaka: The Second Set (2025) - A documentary feature about the titular tennis pro following the birth of her daughter. (Tubi)
New Orleans: Soul of a City Episode 1: “Rebirth of the Superdome” - The first episode of a four-part docuseries about the titular city. (CNN)
The Yogurt Shop Murders Episode 4: “In Your Time” - The final installment of a four-part true-crime docuseries by Margaret Brown (Descendant) about the killing of four teenagers in 1991. (HBO and HBO Max)
Monday, August 25, 2025
Born to Fight (1956) - A short documentary showcasing bullfighting in Portugal. (TCM)
Decade for Decision (1957) - A short documentary about the threat of the Soviet launch of the first satellite, Sputnik. (TCM)
The Last Rhinos: A New Hope (2025) - A nature documentary focused on the endangered northern white rhinoceros. (Hulu and Disney+)
A New Kind of Wilderness (2024) - A documentary feature about a family attempting to live a free life in the Norwegian wilderness. (PBS and PBS Passport)
The Relaxed Wife (1957) - A short industrial film intended to help working men and their wives. (TCM)
Survival Mode Season 1, Episode 8: “Superstorm Sandy” - The latest installment of this docuseries focuses on Hurricane Sandy. (NBC)
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
The Britto Doc (2025) - A biographical documentary about artist Romero Britto. (VOD)
The Ghost of Peter Sellers (2018) - A biographical documentary about the titular actor. (Blu-ray)
Good Eating Habits (1951) - A short educational film that teaches children proper eating habits and manners. (TCM)
The Gospel of Revolution (2024) - A documentary feature about Latin America’s Liberation Theology religious movement. (Apple TV)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills Episode 4 - The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise goes behind the scenes with the titular NFL football team. (HBO and HBO Max)
Jethro Tull: Their Fully Authorized Story (2008) - A documentary about the titular rock band. (DVD)
Lynden (2024) - A documentary feature about a teenage girl leading a racial justice march in her conservative town. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Pavements (2024) - A hybrid feature about the rock band Pavement. (Blu-ray)
Route One USA (1989) - A four-hour road trip documentary following Route 1 from Canada to the southern tip of Florida. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Ruby Red Handed: Stealing America's Most Famous Pair of Shoes (2025) - A docuseries about the theft of a pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. (Hulu)
Sharksploitation (2023) - A documentary feature about the cinematic legacy of sharks. (Blu-ray)
The Ship That Died (1938) - A short documentary about a mysteriously abandoned ship. (TCM)
Stans (2025) - A documentary produced by Eminem about superfandom. (Paramount+)
Steve McQueen: Desert Racer (2015) - A sports documentary about actor Steve McQueen’s past time riding motorcycles in the desert. (DVD)
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
6 Days (2025) - A road trip documentary starring the band Day6. (In Theaters)
Billy Rose's Casa Mañana Revue (1938) - A short film showcasing the titular musical revue. (TCM)
Katrina: Come Hell and High Water (2025) - A docuseries directed by Spike Lee, Geeta Gandbhir, and Samantha M. Knowles about Hurricane Katrina. (Netflix)
Liberation: D-Day to Berlin (2025) - A docuseries about the liberation of Western Europe during World War II. (Paramount+)
Shipwreck Hunters Australia Season 2 - A docuseries about divers who explore shipwrecks. (Disney+)
To Catch a Smuggler Season 9, Episode 7: “Supercharged Botox and Blow” - The latest installment of a docuseries following U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. This episode involves the smuggling of cocaine and marijuana. (National Geographic)
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Chloe Ayling: My Unbelievable Kidnapping (2025) - A documentary about the abduction of British glamour model Chloe Ayling. (AMC+)
Dear Viv (2025) - A biographical documentary about the drag queen known as The Vivienne. (WOW Presents Plus)
Lost Treasures of Arabia: Ancient City of Dadan - A documentary about a Saudi Arabian city that existed more than 2,000 years ago. (National Geographic)
M-G-M Jubilee Overture (1954) - A short music film celebrating MGM’s 30th anniversary and showcasing performances by The M-G-M Symphony Orchestra. (TCM)
Millionaire (2025) - A documentary feature about a Chilean man who won the lottery but had a contested ticket. (Netflix)
That’s Entertainment! (1974) - A feature documentary showcasing moments from classic MGM musicals. (TCM)
True Crime Story: Smugshot Season 2, Episode 3: “The Getaway” - The latest installment of a docuseries about disturbing cases where people thought they could get away with crimes. (Sundance TV)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
9/1 - Make a Circle - A documentary about child care providers. (PBS)
9/4 - Blood & Myth - A true-crime documentary about an Alaskan criminal who claimed to be influenced by mythical creatures. (Hulu)
9/5 - Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets - A documentary feature about a clash between pro-Israel activists and pro-Palestine activists involving posters around New York City. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
9/9 - Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect - A documentary about Thurgood Marshall. (PBS)
9/19 - Predators - A documentary about the TV series To Catch a Predator. Read our review of Predators from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
9/21 - Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe - A documentary feature showcasing the titular Italian tenor on and off stage. (In Theaters)
9/30 - Prime Minister - A documentary about the former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Read our review of Prime Minister from Sundance. (HBO Max)
10/3 - Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 - A documentary feature by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) about George Orwell. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/10 - There Was, There Was Not - A documentary feature following four Armenian women during the surprise invasion of Artsakh. (In Theaters)
10/17 - The Man Who Saves the World? - A documentary feature by Gabe Polsky (Red Army) about a man who believes he has a calling to unite Amazonian tribes to save the rainforest. (In Theaters)
11/21 - Zodiac Killer Project - A meta-textual true-crime documentary about an abandoned documentary on the Zodiac Killer. Read our review of Zodiac Killer Project. (In Theaters)