This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - September 19-25, 2025
This week brings a few new films focused on other films. From Megadoc, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s latest, to Chain Reactions, which showcases the impact The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has had on other artists, documentaries celebrating cinema and filmmaking continue to appeal to audiences who love both fiction and nonfiction. Another much shorter new release in this category is the ‘70s movie clip montage Song of My City. It’s a shame that Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror doesn’t come out until next week.
We also have a few monumental anniversaries to acknowledge this week. Friday marks 50 years since the original Canadian release of The Man Who Skied Down Everest, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 1976. You can now watch it for free on Prime Video, Kanopy, Fawesome, Tubi, or Pluto TV. Tuesday marks the 20th anniversary of the 3D IMAX short Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon, which is not available to stream anywhere but is on our list of the best documentaries about space travel, and the 35th anniversary of the Ken Burns series The Civil War, which is available on the PBS Documentaries channel on Prime Video. And on Wednesday, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Frederick Wiseman’s Welfare (streaming on Kanopy), which I consider one of the best documentaries of all time and among the best documentaries about New York City. Finally, that same day, the easily found culturally significant Edison actuality disaster film Searching Ruins on Broadway, Galveston, for Dead Bodies turns 125 years old.
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. 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. If you have a doc in need of coverage or a mention in our listings, you can reach me at christopherbartoncampbell (at) gmail.
Nonfics Pick Of The Week: The Devil Is Busy (2024)
Let’s just go ahead and call this the year of Geeta Gandbhir. She co-directed a series that’s already on our list of the best documentaries of 2025, Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest. She also helmed the upcoming feature The Perfect Neighbor, which will be added to that list of the year’s best following its release; she co-directed the Spike Lee series Katrina: Come Hell or High Water; and she executive-produced Disney’s Harlem Ice. Now here’s a documentary she co-directed with Christalyn Hampton that is one of my favorite shorts of the year.
The Devil Is Busy depicts a day in the operations of a women’s health clinic in Atlanta, the Feminist Center for Reproductive Liberation, where abortions are regularly provided, among other procedures. Made to spotlight this sort of business in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, the film doesn’t dwell on the issue of abortion being right or wrong, instead focusing on the people who work there. I’m actually not certain it has an overall political point other than to promote compassion for everyone, maybe even the protestors in front of the building.
It works primarily as a character-driven film, particularly when it concentrates on one predominant figure, a religious woman who manages the safety and comfort of the employees and patients. I wish the whole documentary were focused on her alone, as she’s such a memorable character that the second time I watched the short, I realized I’d come away the first time thinking it did only follow her. She’s the kind of person we need more of in the world right now, filled with faith, acceptance (even if her general lack of judgment still allows for shade thrown at hypocrites), and courage.
The Devil Is Busy begins streaming on HBO Max on Tuesday, September 23.
Other Documentary Highlights
Chain Reactions (2024)
The best kind of film studies discourse, for me, analyzes a movie that I wouldn’t otherwise think about. I have no interest in ever rewatching The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, as it’s not my cup of tea. However, I do appreciate others’ love for the horror classic and am interested in seeing or hearing arguments for why it’s a masterpiece. I will also watch any documentary by Alexandre O. Philippe, who has elevated the cinematic film essay with such features as 78/52, Lynch/Oz, and Memory: The Origins of Alien. With Chain Reactions, he makes me care about Leatherface and family.
The film tackles the legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre through interviews with five people inspired by the 1974 original. Each interview is given its own chapter, structuring Chain Reactions like an anthology. And as is the case with all anthology films, some parts are better than others. The documentary peaks with its first part, in which Patton Oswalt stays focused on the movie at hand, offering several insightful points about the way it was shot while also centering his discussion around personal memories of the movie and his reasons for connecting it to Nosferatu. Filmmaker Karyn Kusama is the final interview and the only other one I’d call completely engaging. She gets it, as in the film and the assignment here.
The other three are filmmaker Takashi Miike, author Stephen King, and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. I blame my disinterest in Miike’s own movies as part of why I was bored during his section. King, I think, gets too off track too often. Heller-Nicholas does have a lot of good things to say, but she primarily comes at the material through a particular geographic perspective that I found unrelatable. Collectively, though, they add up to show how films reach us all in different ways depending on our points of view, feelings, and contexts of viewing them.
Chain Reactions will be released theatrically on Friday, September 19.
Chantal Akerman Documentaries (Part 2)
Continuing our spotlight on Chantal Akerman from last week, in support of the “Chantal Akerman: The Long View” retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, we’re highlighting more of the filmmaker’s nonfiction works as they screen in New York. If you can’t make it there, we recommend streaming them at home to feel part of the occasion. In addition to repeat showings of Down There (streaming on OVID), on Monday, and One Day Pina Asked… (OVID) and Franz Schubert’s Last Three Sonatas (unavailable) on Tuesday, this week includes three of her best-known documentaries.
On Saturday, MoMA will screen Akerman’s From the East, South, and From the Other Side. Like many of her nonfiction films, these are all available to stream on OVID. The first of the three has one of our favorite documentary shots, and all are part of our review of the Chantal Akerman: Four Films box set from Icarus, along with Down There. The same day, the otherwise unavailable four-minute short For Febe Elisabeth Velasquez, El Salvador screens with From the Other Side.
The Eyes Of Orson Welles (2018) & F For Fake (1973)
This year is the Orson Welles centenary. His 100th birthday was back in February, and the 40th anniversary of his death isn’t until next month, so I’m not sure why TCM has programmed an afternoon of “Reverse Orson Welles” this week, but it includes his classic documentary F for Fake and the Mark Cousins film The Eyes of Orson Welles. On the former film about fakes, frauds, and forgery, read its entry on the list of documentaries that give the finger to the art world. It’s also on our list of perfect documentary shots. For the latter, read our review, which calls it “another quick and jaunty surface-level look at Welles, an artist whose fine art deserves much better.”
The Eyes of Orson Welles and F for Fake air on TCM on Tuesday, September 23.
Into The Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal (2025)
This series is pure sensationalism, but that goes with heavy metal as a music genre, right? Into the Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal probably doesn’t have any info on Randy Rhoads, Wendy O. Williams, Dimebag Darrell, Chuck Schuldiner, and others that the fanbase hasn’t already heard, but it is an interesting idea to combine the appeals of VH1’s Behind the Music and true-crime documentaries.
Into the Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal begins streaming on Hulu on Monday, September 22.
Predators (2025)
I wanted more from Predators, a documentary about the entrapment-driven TV series To Catch a Predator and its copycats. As I noted in my review of the film, “For better or worse, [it] keeps the discourse mostly in the abstract, but it’s definitely a good conversation starter for audiences.” I still think it’s worth checking out, especially for the moment and the way that director David Osit (Mayor) inserts himself into the film.
Predators will be released theatrically on Friday, September 19.
Speak. (2025)
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good competition-focused documentary. Speak. suffices. It focuses even more on its handful of characters than most, or seems to, because the contest is so much more personal to a lot of them. The film follows high schoolers involved in speech and debate programs who are good enough to make it to a national championship for original oratory. One of the characters’ monologues is inspired by the suicidal death of his mother. Another wrote hers about her younger brother with special needs. Sadly, we never hear their full speeches. There’s also not a ton of information given on the event, for which their category is one part, but after getting to know these kids competing for its esteem, you’ll care enough to be satisfied when the film delivers the requisite where-they-are-now epilogue titles at the end.
Speak. will be released in theaters on Friday, September 19.
Song Of My City (2025)
Is a compilation of movie clips considered a documentary? Song of My City has no narration, but it still counts as a film essay of what New York City looked like in the 1970s, as captured in movies. Or, at least a film essay on how movies depicted New York City in the 1970s. The 17-minute short helps make my case that all movies are documentary in nature to a certain degree, as the clips do show us, 50 years later, how the skyline looked, what kinds of establishments populated Times Square, the type of Subway cars used at the time, and more.
Interestingly, despite some of the grime and crime on screen, Song of My City seems brighter than the “horror city” mythology I’ve long associated with New York City during that decade, as partly labeled by Pauline Kael and evidenced in many of the sampled films as a whole. I’ll always be a sucker for this kind of thing, and I’ll always be a sucker for the Koyaanisqatsi score, which this film lazily is soundtracked to for its first third. Still, there’s no real meaning in its montage, the way we find it in documentaries that inspired it, like Los Angeles Plays Itself.
Song of My City will be released in theaters on Friday, September 19.
Sundance Documentaries
Last week, the world lost one of its greatest actors, humanitarians, and supporters of cinema. Robert Redford is deservedly being celebrated for the impact he had on independent film through his co-founding and leadership of the Sundance Film Festival and Sundance Institute. He was a huge fan of documentaries, giving them equal weight at the festival and helping in the rise of the popularity of nonfiction film. He even gave the world a son who makes documentaries. Without writing a whole book on what Redford meant to the art and industry of documentaries (go on Instagram and find any documentarian, and they’ve probably shared a photo of themselves at Sundance with Redford), I invite you to check out our list of the best Sundance documentaries of all time, which was compiled a decade ago.
Documentary Release Calendar 9/19/25 - 9/25/25
Friday, September 19, 2025
Chain Reactions (2024) - A documentary feature by Alexandre O. Philippe (Memory: The Origins of Alien) about the impact of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on five artists, including Stephen King and Patton Oswalt. (In Theaters)
Detroit 48202: Conversations Along a Postal Route (2018) - A documentary feature about Detroit through the perspective of an African-American mail carrier. (OVID)
Dolphins Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2025) - A nature documentary about dolphins shot by Bertie Gregory in the Azores. (Hulu and Disney+)
Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert (2025) - A concert film starring the titular film composer. (VOD)
In Whose Name? (2025) - A documentary feature covering six years in the life of Kanye West. (In Theaters)
Megadoc (2025) - A documentary feature by Mike Figgis about the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. (In Theaters)
Predators (2025) - A documentary about the TV series To Catch a Predator. Read our review of Predators from the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (In Theaters)
The Reluctant Traveler Season 3 - The return of the travel series starring actor Eugene Levy. (Apple TV+)
Song of My City (2025) - A short film made up of clips from movies shot in New York City in the 1970s. (In Theaters)
Speak. (2025) - A documentary feature about a global speech contest. (In Theaters)
Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets (2024) - A documentary feature about a clash between pro-Israel activists and pro-Palestine activists involving posters around New York City. Read our review of Torn. (Gathr)
Unorthodox Education (2024) - A short documentary on the education problems of Orthodox Jewish children in New York City. (In Theaters)
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Alaska Lifeboat (1956) - A short documentary in the Theatre of Life series following a medical ship to a village in Alaska. (TCM)
Believe It or Not (Second Series) #7 (1932) - This installment of Robert L. Ripley’s Believe It or Not documentary franchise features a leaning lighthouse, a movie theater in a lead mine, and more. (TCM)
Mafia: Most Wanted (2025) - A three-part docuseries about organized crime moving to Toronto. (Netflix)
Three Cheers for the Girls (1943) - A short film showcasing musical numbers from Warner Bros. movies. (TCM)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 10: “Shark Hunters” - The latest installment of this award-winning investigative series involves the shark fin trade. (National Geographic)
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe (2024) - A documentary feature showcasing the titular Italian tenor on and off stage. (In Theaters)
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (2025) - A documentary feature about the titular 1990s all-women music festival. (Hulu)
Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller Season 5, Episode 10: “Shark Hunters” - The latest installment of this award-winning investigative series involves the shark fin trade. (Hulu)
Trifles of Importance (1940) - A short documentary about trivial objects and the stories they can tell. (TCM)
Monday, September 22, 2025
Into the Void: Life, Death & Heavy Metal (2025) - A docuseries about heavy metal. (Hulu)
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Clemente (2024) - A biographical documentary about pro baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente. Read our review of Clemente. (History)
The Devil is Busy (2024) - A short documentary by Geeta Gandbhir about a woman working security at an Atlanta abortion clinic. (HBO Max)
Expedition: Greenland (2025) - A documentary feature about a team of explorers navigating Greenland’s ice sheet. (VOD)
The Eyes of Orson Welles (2018) - A documentary by Mark Cousins about Orson Welles’s paintings and drawings. Read our review of The Eyes of Orson Welles. (TCM)
F for Fake (1973) - A documentary by Orson Welles about forgers, frauds, and fakers. (TCM)
Finding Your Roots Season 8, Episode 5: “Mexican Roots” - An episode of a docuseries focused on ancestry in which Mario Lopez and Melissa Villaseñor learn about their Mexican heritage. (PBS)
Hustlers, Gamblers and Crooks Season 2 - The return of a docuseries about underdogs taking big risks. (Discovery)
Orozco: Man of Fire (2007) - A biographical documentary about mural artist José Clemente Orozco. Presented as an episode of American Masters. (PBS)
Satisfied (2024) - A documentary feature about Hamilton actress Renée Elise Goldsberry. (In Theaters)
Someone You Should Meet (2024) - A short documentary by two filmmakers who discovered they were related. (OVID)
Tangled Roots (2001) - A short documentary by a filmmaker confronting her dual identity as a German and a Jew. (OVID)
Top Guns: The Next Generation Episode 2: “Catching The Wire” - The second installment of a docuseries about naval aviators in the Advanced Flight Training Program made famous by the movie Top Gun. (National Geographic)
Your Last Act (1941) - A short film on various odd bequests people made in their wills. (TCM)
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
A Dream of Love (1938) - A short biographical film by James A. FitzPatrick about composer Franz Liszt. (TCM)
BTS 2016 Live The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage: Epilogue Remastered (2025) - A concert film starring BTS. (In Theaters)
BTS 2017 Live Trilogy Episode III The Wings Tour The Final Remastered (2025) - A concert film starring BTS. (In Theaters)
Four Minute Fever (1956) - A short documentary about the quest to run a mile under four minutes. (TCM)
On the Trail of the Iguana (1964) - A short documentary on the making of the film The Night of the Iguana. (TCM)
Sacred Planet with Gulnaz Khan Episode 3: “Saving the World’s Forests” - The premiere installment of a docuseries about global solutions to climate change. This episode focuses on biodiverse forests in Japan. (PBS)
Top Guns: The Next Generation Episode 2: “Catching The Wire” - The second installment of a docuseries about naval aviators in the Advanced Flight Training Program made famous by the movie Top Gun. (Hulu and Disney+)
The Year We Thought About Love (2015) - A documentary about the LGBT youth of color who made up the cast of the show True Colors: OUT Youth Theater. (OVID)
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Art & Life: The Story of Jim Phillips (2024) - A documentary about the titular artist. (VOD)
Cleopatra's Final Secret (2025) - A docuseries following a team searching for Cleopatra’s tomb in the Mediterranean. (National Geographic)
Cocaine Quarterback: Signal-Caller for the Cartel (2025) - A three-part docuseries about a football player who became a drug kingpin. (Prime Video)
Ellavut Cimirtuq (Our World Is Changing) (2023) - A short documentary about an archaeological site in Alaska exposed thanks to thawing permafrost. (OVID)
Eva Hesse (2016) - A documentary about the titular artist. (Kino Film Collection)
Hollywood Without Make-Up (1963) - A short documentary sharing home movie clips of Hollywood stars. (TCM)
Latin Clowns Evolution (2025) - A documentary feature on the art of clowning in the Latine community in Los Angeles. (In Theaters)
Lost Treasures of Ancient Civilizations, Season 1, Episode 1: “The Valley of the Kings” - The first episode of a docuseries about ancient civilizations focuses on Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. (National Geographic)
Three Ocean Advocates (2021) - An Emmy-winning short documentary about activists focused on the oceans. (OVID)
Whose Water (2024) - A medium-length documentary on communities fighting for safe and affordable water and sanitation. (OVID)
!Women Art Revolution (2010) - A documentary feature about the Feminist Art Revolution. (Kino Film Collection)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
9/30 - Hard Hat Riot - A documentary about a 1970 clash between student anti-war protestors and construction workers in New York City. (PBS)
10/3 - Soul of a Nation - A documentary feature about current Israeli politics. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/10 - There Was, There Was Not - A documentary feature about four women in post-war Artsakh on the brink of another war. (In Theaters)
10/22 - Mitski: The Land - A concert film starring the titular singer-songwriter as she performs in Atlanta. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
10/29 - Love+War - A documentary feature directed by Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) about Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lynsey Addario. (In Theaters)
11/3 - In Waves and War - A documentary feature about U.S. Navy SEALs with PTSD. (Netflix)