We begin this week with the 25th anniversary of 9/11, so I have to recommend the best documentaries on the attacks and their aftermath. Gédéon and Jules Naudet’s very quickly produced film 9/11 (co-directed with former FDNY firefighter James Hanlon) remains the most immersive look at the day’s events as they happened. Jim Whitaker’s Rebirth (available on Kanopy, Tubi, Fawesome, and Pluto TV) and Danielle Gardner’s Out of the Clear Blue Sky (available to rent on Apple TV) are the most memorable documentaries I’ve seen on what happened later. Rebirth deals with recovery from the trauma. The latter documentary tells the more interesting story of a CEO who lost nearly all his employees working in his firm’s headquarters in the North Tower of the World Trade Center and the difficult decisions that came next.
I will confess that I’ve only seen those documentaries once and have no desire to watch them again. The idea of a great film you only want to see once is the subject of a Stat Significant piece this week titled “What Makes People Never Want to Rewatch a Great Film?” that acknowledges several Letterboxd lists. They’re focused on works of fiction or dramatized true stories, but these films align with documentaries about 9/11 in that they’re mostly bleak, intense, and elicit a feeling of powerlessness. My own list of “10 Great Documentaries You Only Want to Watch Once” recognizes films that are difficult to watch but must be watched, as in witnessed. That’s how we feel about the Twin Towers footage from 9/11, though we have to rewatch it so we never forget. Anyway, the only 9/11-related film on my list is Fahrenheit 9/11 (Kanopy, Tubi, Pluto TV), and that’s for a different reason: “the first time [watched] it felt like something made for a specific window, aimed to be seen right before the 2004 presidential election.”
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 new works by Alex Gibney, Amir Bar-Lev, Irene Taylor, and Lance Oppenheim). 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 reach us at nonficseditor (at) gmail and let us know about its release plans.
Nonfics Pick Of The Week: Shoah (1985)
One of the all-time greatest documentaries that must be seen at least once and may never be rewatched is Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah. The problem is that it hasn’t been that accessible despite its stature as one of the best documentaries ever made. The film is 566 minutes long, sometimes divided into two parts, and consists of interviews about the Holocaust. Many of these testimonials from survivors, witnesses, and even perpetrators are tough to watch. But they are essential. Given that (presumably) everyone in the film has since passed away, it was necessary to record these anecdotal stories and memories and how and by whom they were told.
Shoah is being re-released on Blu-ray this week by The Criterion Collection after being out of print for a couple of years. The film is rarely available to stream or view on broadcast, even on The Criterion Channel, so this new four-disc set is your best option to see the epic-sized masterpiece, even if only once. It’s nearly the same release as Criterion has previously put out, but now includes an additional bonus making-of documentary by Guillaume Ribot titled All I Had Was Nothingness. Apparently, this feature-length extra has more never-before-seen footage shot for Shoah, which is remarkable considering all the other documentaries Lanzmann made from material he captured while making his magnum opus that didn’t make it into that film.
Shoah will be re-released on Blu-ray via The Criterion Collection on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Other Documentary Highlights
Black Zombie (2026)
This scholarly look at the concept of the zombie in history and pop culture is best when it covers its origins in African and Haitian folklore and its significance to the continued discourse on slavery, colonialism, and Black representation. Unfortunately, the structure of Black Zombie is all over the place, as director Maya Annik Bedward keeps coming back to zombie movie and television clips with extraneous sequences. This seems like a desire to keep the audience interested in the subject matter, which is a shame because we all know about zombie media. That should just be looked at briefly as the starting point before getting into the truth about Vodou, Haiti, and the racism that is still relevant to the terror-driven portrayal of the undead on screen.
Black Zombie will be released in theaters in New York City and Los Angeles on Friday, September 11, 2026, via Kino Lorber.
Don’t Look Back In Anger (2026)
I was never an Oasis fan. I was on team Blur. That has made me less appreciative of the story and passionate fandom presented in Don’t Look Back in Anger. It’s got a well-focused and locked-in narrative, as it follows the reunion of Oasis after their 15-year breakup and estrangement of brothers and bandmates Liam and Noel Gallagher. I would have preferred a much shorter film, as its theme is terribly overstated, but certainly that wouldn’t be enough for the folks who do like the group’s music, which is spotlighted in plenty of concert-film sequences. I also would have preferred subtitles, as I couldn’t understand a lot of what the Gallaghers say in their interview with their thick Manchester accents. I may revisit this one when it hits Disney+ and Hulu.
Don’t Look Back in Anger is now playing in theaters and on IMAX screens nationwide via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
First They Came For My College (2026)
Another documentary worth watching for some but not all of its content, this film is also a reminder of why cultural studies works like Black Zombie are important. First They Came for My College reports on the story of a public liberal arts school in Florida that has been transformed by the governor in his ongoing war against academic freedom and awakening. It’s a vital political documentary that occasionally gets lost in its pacing and focus and in its following of various uninteresting characters. Similar to last year’s The Librarians, this film doesn’t play out with the sense of urgency it should while still capturing the moment of our steady fascist descent as a nation.
First They Came for My College will be released in theaters in Gainesville, Florida, on Thursday, September 17, before expanding to other cities later this month.
Ghost In The Machine (2026)
One of many scary films about AI this year, Ghost in the Machine has been the most eye-opening for me, as it concentrates on the links between artificial intelligence and eugenics and misogynistic elitism. Perhaps the rise of the machines will not lead to our deaths so much as the demise of civil liberties. Forget the human fascists, who’ve got nothing on the robot oppressors. We need to feed AI content like Black Zombie and First They Came for My College to allow it to have a proper academic awakening itself. Anyway, I reviewed this documentary during Sundance. Here’s an excerpt:
“Structurally, Ghost in the Machine is an effective, chaptered essay, even if its points may be narrow in their concerns. Aesthetically, there is more to be desired, only because the many talking heads providing their expertise on the matter appear via Zoom calls as if the documentary were made during the pandemic. I would think it better to present the human side of the film more directly, practically, and materially. Another visual issue comes with an otherwise sensible idea. Veatch adds a caption to every image, labeling it as either AI or not AI, but some of them seem incorrect. I think this is a substantial work, and I only wish that it had the appearance of one in order that it may be taken seriously.”
Ghost in the Machine will be broadcast on PBS on Monday, September 14, as an episode of Independent Lens.
Knife: The Attempted Murder Of Salman Rushdie (2026)
Adaptations of books can be tricky for documentaries, which are more often inspired by published works than truly based on them. Narration lifted from the source material typically sounds like excerpts from an audiobook. The tone of the narration in Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie doesn’t fit that of the rest of the film, and I felt like I should just be reading the original memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, myself instead (if I cared enough to). But there is a lot presented in Alex Gibney’s film on Salman Rushdie that isn’t and couldn’t be presented in a book, specifically footage of his near-death attack and scenes of the author in his hotel room during his recovery, complete with images of his cut-up body and eye. Again, it’s material that is tough to watch but necessary to see, in part because it’s difficult.
Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie will be released in theaters on Thursday, September 17, 2026, via Abramorama.
Lance Oppenheim Documentaries
With all the hype this week about Lance Oppenheim’s two new films — his dramatic narrative debut, Primetime, and his Nathan Fielder collaboration, You Can See Everything (previewed below) — he’s a good candidate for our latest director spotlight. I’ve been a fan of Oppenheim’s work since I saw his first feature, Some Kind of Heaven (now available on Kanopy and the DOX channel on Prime Video), which made my list of the best documentaries of 2021. Later, his series Ren Faire (HBO Max) ranked even higher on my list of the best documentaries of 2024, and I really liked his sophomore feature, Spermworld (Hulu), which was a Pick of the Week highlight when it was released the same year.
Oppenheim also produced The Python Hunt (now on VOD), which shares a lot aesthetically with his own directorial efforts and is one of my favorite documentaries of 2026 so far. You can watch his early short documentaries on his Vimeo page, including The Dogmatic, Quicksand, The Off-Season, Long Term Parking, No Jail Time: The Movie, and The Happiest Guy in the World, plus his later New York Times Op-Doc film, The Paradise Next Door, which is a spin-off supplement of Some Kind of Heaven. You can catch his latest documentary feature, You Can See Everything, in theaters beginning on October 16, 2026, via A24.
This Is Buzz (2026)
I can’t stand talking-head interviewees spouting about the importance of some other person, usually their friend or colleague, but even worse is the interviewee touting their own importance. Even if I agree that your work was culturally or historically significant, I can’t stand such a lack of modesty. This Is Buzz is a documentary by former music video auteur and U2 3D helmer Mark Pellington about what a pioneering program his and Jon Klein’s short-lived 1990 MTV show Buzz was. Back then, MTV was for montage what Sesame Street was for animation in terms of their influence on my generation’s experimental film interests and practices.
The funny thing is that nobody I went to school with who made videos and films that look like Buzz has ever heard of it (the show didn’t air in the U.S.). That makes the documentary more essential to fill in that history, though I don’t completely believe it was the bridge of influence they think it was. This Is Buzz is itself a work of collage that layers audio and visuals and presents a cut-up composition in ways that pay homage to the ADHD-suited series. I can appreciate that while also not enjoying the aesthetic. Still, none of that rubs as badly as Klein’s arrogance in particular.
This Is Buzz will screen in theaters through touring roadshow distribution beginning in San Diego on Saturday, September 12, 2026, via Antenna Releasing.
Awards Highlights
Cinema Eye Honors 20 Films / 20 Artisans
As a Cinema Eye Honors voter, I was invited to participate in a survey for the awards organization’s upcoming 20th edition. The results recognize what we believe to be the 20 most essential documentaries and the 20 most significant makers of nonfiction films (including directors, producers, composers, and editors) of the last 10 years.
The 20 honored titles that were chosen are: 20 Days in Mariupol (Kanopy), All That Breathes (HBO Max and Kanopy), All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (HBO Max and Kanopy), American Factory (Netflix), Cameraperson (HBO Max and The Criterion Collection), Collective (Tubi and Kanopy), Come See Me in the Good Light (Apple TV), Fire of Love (Hulu), Flee (Tubi), Free Solo (Hulu), Hale County This Morning, This Evening (Mubi and Kanopy), Honeyland (Tubi and Kanopy), I Am Not Your Negro (Kanopy), Minding the Gap (Hulu), Navalny (HBO Max), No Other Land (VOD), O.J. Made in America (VOD), The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix), Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Film Collection and Kanopy), and Strong Island (Netflix).
The 22 artisans who won in the poll (including two pairings, hence more than 20) are: directors Maite Alberdi, Mstyslav Chernov, Geeta Gandbhir, Steve James, Kirsten Johnson, Steven Maing, Raoul Peck, Laura Poitras, Sam Pollard, Nanfu Wang, Ryan White, and Jimmy Chin & Chai Vasarhelyi; producers Joslyn Barnes, Shane Boris, Nathan Fielder, Kellen Quinn, Jessica Hargrave, and Julie Goldman & Christopher Clements; composer Dan Deacon; and editor Nels Bangerter. The organization also gave an honorary salutation for Frederick Wiseman.
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Winners
Last weekend, the Television Academy held the 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, with many documentaries and other nonfiction programs among the winners. My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO Max) won for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, beating out its mostly fellow celeb doc competition, and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, while Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV) won for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Other recognized documentaries in various categories, a few of them multiple winners, include Love on the Spectrum (Netflix), Tucci in Italy (Hulu), The Librarians (PBS and Kanopy), Inside the Pitt (HBO Max), Ocean with David Attenborough (Hulu), John Candy: I Like Me (Prime Video), Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix), Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max), and Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu).
Documentary Release Calendar 9/11/26 - 9/17/26
Friday, September 11, 2026
102 Minutes: Inside the Towers (2026) - A documentary about survivors of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. (History)
Austin City Limits Season 52, Episode 2: “ACL 12th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Brandi Carlile” - The latest installment of a long-running music series. This episode stars Brandi Carlile. (PBS)
Black Zombie (2026) - A documentary about the history of zombie lore and its origins in Haitian spiritual traditions. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (In Theaters)
Conan O’Brien Must Go Season 3, Episode 4: “The Philippines” - The latest installment of a travel series starring Conan O’Brien. (HBO and HBO Max)
Daughters of 9/11 (2026) - A documentary about two women whose fathers died during the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and their pursuit of justice in collaboration with an FBI agent. (CBS and Paramount+)
Deadliest Catch Season 22, Episode 17: “Raw Nerves” - The latest installment of a series that follows Alaskan crab fishermen. (Discovery Channel)
Don’t Look Back in Anger (2026) - A documentary feature about the band Oasis as they reunite for their 2025 tour. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (In Theaters)
Ennio (2021) - Giuseppe Tornatore’s biographical documentary about film score composer Ennio Morricone. Read our review. *NONFICS PICK* (TCM)
A Marble in the Jar (2025) - A documentary feature about surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb and her coach, Greg Browning. (In Theaters)
Mighty Manhattan, New York’s Wonder City (1949) - A short documentary narrated by James A. FitzPatrick that explores various neighborhoods in the titular New York City borough. (TCM)
Mighty Mary (2026) - A documentary feature narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman about the first-ever all-women’s sailing crew to compete for the America’s Cup. (In Theaters)
This Is Buzz (2026) - A documentary feature directed by Mark Pellington (U2 3D) about the 1990s MTV series Buzz. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (In Theaters)
Saturday, September 12, 2026
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. (Mubi)
Super Animals Season 4, Episode 4 - The latest episode of a nature docuseries for kids about animals with special traits. (National Geographic)
There’s Magick in Them Mountains (2026) - A documentary aimed at preserving the stories of Appalachian grannies while they’re still alive. (In Theaters)
Sunday, September 13, 2026
24 Hour Alert (1955) - An Oscar-nominated short docudrama about the importance of air defense. (TCM)
Grandpa Called It Art (1944) - A short documentary that looks at differences in tastes in art over generations. (TCM)
Spade Cooley: King of Western Swing (1945) - A short film showcasing the titular musician. (TCM)
Monday, September 14, 2026
Ghost in the Machine (2026) - A documentary feature by Valerie Veatch (Me at the Zoo) about AI’s background in eugenics and misogyny. Presented as an episode of Independent Lens. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (PBS)
MGM Parade Show #11 (1955) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases actress Susan Hayward and the MGM films Strange Testament and Let’s Talk Turkey. (TCM)
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
All I Had Was Nothingness (2025) - A documentary feature about the making of Shoah, including footage not used for the earlier film. Released as a supplement to Shoah. (The Criterion Collection Blu-ray)
All My Loving (1968) - A medium-length concert film by Tony Palmer presented as an episode of Omnibus featuring performances by Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Donovan, Frank Zappa, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who. (DVD)
All This and World War II (1976) - A documentary feature by Tony Palmer and Susan Winslow mixing World War II newsreel footage with covers of Beatles music. Re-released as The Beatles and World War II. Read our review. (DVD)
America’s Billion-Dollar War (2025) - A documentary feature about the legalization of cannabis and the industry that followed. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Chasing the Moon (2019) - A three-part PBS docuseries presented via American Experience about NASA’s goal to land a man on the Moon. (DVD)
Dolly Parton: Here I Am (2019) - A PBS documentary about Dolly Parton. (DVD)
The Donner Party (1992) - A PBS documentary directed by Ric Burns, presented as an episode of American Experience, about the titular group of American pioneers notorious for turning to cannibalism. (DVD)
Egypt’s Tombs of Amun (2025) - A medium-length PBS documentary presented as an episode of Nova about a long-lost ancient cemetery. (DVD)
Enongo (2025) - A partly animated documentary about rapper/producer/academic Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, a.k.a. Sammus. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Holst: In the Bleak Midwinter (2011) - A documentary by Tony Palmer about composer Gustav Holst. (DVD)
The Human Blueprint (2026) - A documentary about the Raelian Movement and their belief that aliens created humans. (DVD and Blu-ray)
In From the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton (1988) - A documentary by Tony Palmer about the titular actor. (DVD)
The Karski Report (2010) - A medium-length documentary by Claude Lanzmann about Polish resistance fighter Jan Karski using outtakes from Shoah. Released as a supplement to Shoah. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Collection Blu-ray)
Living Astrology (2026) - A documentary about astrology. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Lost Tombs of Notre Dame (2024) - A medium-length documentary presented as an episode of Nova about tombs discovered under the titular cathedral after the 2019 fire. (DVD)
Negro Limbo (2024) - A documentary feature (also known as Black Limbo) about the Franco regime in the former Spanish Guinea. (OVID)
Shoah (1995) - A documentary by Claude Lanzmann about the Holocaust. Many critics consider the film to be one of the greatest documentaries of all time. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Collection Blu-ray)
Sobibór, October 14, 1943, 4 p.m. (2001) - A documentary feature by Claude Lanzmann about a prison uprising at the titular Nazi extermination camp in 1943. Released as a supplement to Shoah. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Collection Blu-ray)
Taking Back Detroit (1980) - A medium-length documentary about the election of two socialists to citywide office in Detroit. (OVID)
A Visitor from the Living (1999) - A documentary by Claude Lanzmann about a World War II Red Cross official who praised the conditions of a Jewish death camp. Released as a supplement to Shoah. *NONFICS PICK* (The Criterion Collection Blu-ray)
Voice of Freedom (2021) - A PBS documentary feature presented as an episode of American Experience about opera singer Marian Anderson. (DVD)
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
Ages of Ice (2026) - A three-part docuseries that follows scientists studying ice. (PBS)
ER: Caught on Camera Season 1, Episode 11 - The latest installment of a docuseries in which medical patients recall experiences in hospital emergency rooms. (TLC)
Expedition X Season 12, Episode 5: “Spirits of 1776” - The latest installment of a paranormal investigation series. This episode deals with Revolutionary War ghosts. (Discovery)
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Baby Doe (2025) - A true-crime documentary about a woman accused of murdering her newborn baby. (VOD)
First They Came for My College (2026) - A documentary feature about a right-wing political coup at a public college in Florida. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (In Theaters)
A Killer Story Episode 2: “Person of Interest” - The second episode of a three-part true-crime docuseries about a double murder, the ex-wife who allegedly committed the crime, and the citizen sleuths who believe she’s innocent. (HBO & HBO Max)
Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie (2026) - A documentary feature by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney about the titular author’s recovery from a knife attack. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (In Theaters)
Neirud (2023) - A documentary feature about a former circus wrestler known as "the Gorilla Woman." (OVID)
Portrait of a Genius (1943) - A short documentary about Leonardo Da Vinci’s genius as an inventor. (TCM)
The Righteous Roadtrip (2026) - A short documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth (Freeheld) that follows a humanitarian as he delivers Christmas trees to non-Jewish heroes of the Holocaust. (In Theaters)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
9/18 - The History of Concrete - A documentary feature by John Wilson about concrete. (In Theaters)
9/22 - Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie - A documentary feature by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Irene Taylor about the titular deaf professional bodybuilder and actress. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO Max)
9/25 - Pulp: What Do You Do for an Encore? - A documentary feature directed by Garth Jennings and narrated by Jarvis Cocker about the titular British band. (Mubi)
9/25 - Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time - A three-part docuseries about the effort to rescue 33 miners trapped for 69 days. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (National Geographic)
9/30 - The Widower: ‘Til Death Do Us Part - A true-crime documentary feature by Chris Smith (The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann) about a man wed six times and widowed suspiciously in six of those marriages. (Netflix)
10/2 - Africa: Earth’s Wild Home - A seven-part nature series narrated by Wunmi Mosaku that showcases new and rare species of animals in Africa. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (National Geographic)
10/2 - Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026) - A Sundance-winning documentary feature about residents of Glasgow coming together against deportation threats. Read our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters: Los Angeles Release)
10/2 - The Last First: Winter K2 - A documentary feature by Amir Bar-Lev (The Tillman Story) about the first successful winter summit climb of K2 (at least for the two-thirds of the people who attempted it), five years ago. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Apple TV)
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)
10/16 - Musk - A nearly four-hour documentary feature by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney about Elon Musk. Watch the new teaser for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/16 - Marília Mendonça: Sentimento Louco - A documentary feature about the titular Brazilian singer, who died in a plane crash in 2021. (Prime Video)
10/16 - You Can See Everything - A three-hour documentary feature by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim that follows Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the days before she went to prison. Watch the new teaser for the film below. (In Theaters)