This is a big week for documentary releases. I would love to highlight all of the notable newcomers, including The Disciple, which was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and the Mariana van Zeller-led Super Scam Me. But I only have room for a handful that I have seen and highly recommend. I also think this would be a great week to highlight In the Whale: The Greatest Fish Story Ever Told as a Doc Option alternative to the fiction film release Whalefall, but I haven’t seen it (I don’t think it’s even available). It just seems like an obvious pick.
Additionally, I should highlight the films of Harry Watt for the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 85th anniversary of the release of Target for Tonight this week, but I still haven’t seen enough and really only want to highlight his and Basil Wright’s Night Mail (one of Roger Deakins’s favorite documentaries; it’s on Kanopy and OVID). Aside from that, his significance to the history of documentary is mainly through his work for the Empire Marketing Board Film Unit and GPO Film Unit under John Grierson.
What did make it into the highlights section below are three must-see new releases, one of which I consider among the best documentaries ever, and a worthy re-release of a very 1990s nonfiction film that pairs well with one of those premieres. Plus, a reminder of last week’s reveal of awards-contending highlights via the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and DOC NYC.
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 features by Ben Proudfoot and Paul Thomas Anderson). 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: You Can See Everything (2026)
The hottest documentary of the year is also one of the hottest films of the year, period. I’m surprised by how excited everyone has been about Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s You Can See Everything. Partly because I’ve been trying to get people to watch Oppenheim’s films for years, and partly because I didn’t think Fielder was that popular. Or that enough people cared about their subject here, Elizabeth Holmes. But word of mouth has spread quickly about this being an unexpected expose (that was mainly said sight unseen after the teaser dropped and isn’t quite correct) and unlike anything you’ve seen before. The latter, with claims from many critics that this is not your typical documentary, might be true (claims that it isn’t a documentary are not), but the film doesn’t do anything that others haven’t before. It just does it all better and for a different effect. Mostly because of Oppenheim’s mastery of character in nonfiction cinema, and Fielder’s genius when it comes to human psychology.
Before I quote from our review of You Can See Everything, I want to highlight some blurbs from critics who have articulated the most interesting challenge of the film — namely the dynamic between Fielder and Holmes — rather than just that it brilliantly plays with form and is astonishingly meta. Hannah Lodge (via Screen Rex) calls it “a three-hour game of chicken between two people who never break character.” Mike Ryan (via The Hard Pass) says, “In the past, Fielder has been presented as the quirky outsider who has interactions with people that come off as odd. Here, the tables are turned. It's fascinating to see Fielder in a light where he comes off as the straight shooter who is completely taken aback by possibly one of the most skilled manipulators who has ever lived.” As for the reviews that say there’s even a romantic spark there, I disagree.
Here’s part of my admittedly vague and lightweight review:
“I used to think that merry pranksters (lowercase) like your Sacha Baron Cohens and your Nathan Fielders achieved very little as far as progress. They could disrupt, beyond minor situational stunts and confrontations, as we saw back with the Yippies and more recently with Anonymous. But they were still ultimately just amusing distractions. Then, this year, Fielder went and inspired an aviation industry law through his actions and questions raised in Season 2 of his show The Rehearsal. Like Errol Morris’s The Unknown Known, though, You Can See Everything shows us how impenetrable some subjects in politics and business can be. They’re the real tricksters of the world, and they might have the last laugh as the rest of us are just left stunned.”
You Can See Everything opens in theaters on Friday, October 16, 2026, via A24.
Other Documentary Highlights
Norm: The Tale Of Norm Macdonald (2026)
Judd Apatow seems to have a monopoly on documentaries about comedians. He has also been very busy this year, helming three docs, including the previously released Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!, and producing more (I keep thinking he was also involved in others that he has one degree of separation from, like Who Is Martin Mull?). Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald might be my favorite. It’s certainly his most unique, avoiding the usual talking heads spouting pleasantries and going instead with an entirely archival format with some desktop documentary elements thrown in here and there. It’s a celebration of Norm Macdonald as he was — at least, as far as what he showed himself to be in front of an audience — not just how he’s remembered.
Continue reading our review of Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald.
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald will premiere and begin streaming exclusively on Netflix on Friday, October 16, 2026.
Once Upon A Time In Harlem (2026)
In 1972, filmmaker William Greaves (best known for Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One) invited several surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance for a get-together and filmed them for a project that was never completed in his lifetime. More than a decade after his death, the documentary was finished by his son, David Greaves, and granddaughter, Liani Greaves. They could have added talking heads reflecting on the footage and offering more context, à la Questlove’s Summer of Soul, but instead they let the original material speak for itself. The result, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, is a new film that looks like an old film, in a good way. It’s an invitation to travel back in time to a party populated by such figures as Arna Bontemps, Richard Bruce Nugent, Gerri Major, Jean Blackwell Hutson, and James Van Der Zee.
If you aren’t familiar with these artists, no worries. And if you don’t always know what or whom they’re talking about, that’s okay too. There are no extensive captions, no annotations, no intertitles. The only additions are old photographs, including those showing what the gathered attendees looked like in the 1920s. And what you, the viewer, bring to the documentary in terms of knowledge and experience, including what you know and what those on screen don’t about the subsequent 54 years. It’s an enchanting trip back about half a century to hear stories and discussions, which themselves take you back about half a century further. I confess I haven’t thought much about the content of Once Upon a Time in Harlem since watching it, but I have thought a lot about the feeling and the historical experience of watching it. I wish all new films still looked and felt this good and all histories were this illuminating.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem will be released in theaters in New York City on Friday, October 16, 2026, and in Los Angeles on Friday, October 23, 2026, via Neon.
One In A Million (2026)
Another one of my favorite documentaries of the year, One in a Million is probably the film I’m most bummed was snubbed by the Critics Choice Documentary Awards last week (proof that even though I run the thing, I don’t control it). Here’s part of our review of One in a Million, which I covered back in January during Sundance:
“The title One in a Million may as well refer to its existence as a documentary that came together so well because of both directorial and editorial acumen. Credit may also go to the decisions of its characters and, ultimately, world events, but that could be like acknowledging the marble and model as much as the artist. The film, directed by Itab Azzam and Jack Macinnes, and edited by Iain Pettifer and Alec Rossiter, was shot over a decade and follows one family of Syrian refugees as they migrate to Germany and adjust in various ways. The main character is the eldest daughter, Isra’a, who is 11 at the beginning of this story. But her parents’ individual journeys and how their lives and minds change over time are often even more interesting than her tale of growing up and coming into her cultural identity before eventually returning to a free Aleppo.”
One in a Million will be released in theaters on Wednesday, October 20, 2026, via Frontline Features.
Paris Was A Woman (1996)
If you’re in New York City this week and want something to watch as a double feature with Once Upon a Time in Harlem (albeit in different theater locations), I suggest seeing Paris Was a Woman. Originally released 30 years ago, this film has been restored in 4K and is being re-released for a limited engagement. Where the Greaveses’ documentary showcases members of the Harlem Renaissance, Greta Schiller’s classic celebrates a group of women artists living in Paris around the same time. It transports you back to a 1920s neighborhood block party in a way, though not as viscerally as Once Upon a Time in Harlem immerses you in a reunion-focused house party.
Paris Was a Woman was previously highlighted on our list of the best documentaries of LGBTQIA+ history. Here’s part of our entry on this film: “Greta Schiller’s 1996 portrait of the Paris of the 1920s is a chronicle of a much-ignored period of French history, one which involved many artists from the United States as well. By shining a light on the community of creative lesbians that flocked to the City of Lights between the World Wars, Schiller asserts that queer women do in fact have a history, something so often robbed of them by patriarchal readings of the past.”
Paris Was a Woman will be re-released in 4K in theaters in New York City on Friday, October 16, 2026, via Zeitgeist Films and Metrograph.
Awards Highlights
11th Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominees
Last Tuesday, the Critics Choice Association announced this year’s nominees for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which will be held in New York City on November 8, 2026. I must acknowledge that I am CCA’s VP, Documentary, and an Executive Producer of the awards. However, as I noted above in my highlight of One in a Million, that doesn’t mean all my picks make it through, sadly. I also wish Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald was nominated in the biographical and archival categories. Anyway, you can find the full list of nominees at the link above. Highlights are below.
Ava DuVernay’s 14th, which just debuted at the New York Film Festival and arrives on Netflix later this year, received the most nominations with six. Close behind are Nuisance Bear, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and You Can See Everything — the latter two are highlighted new releases this week — all with five nominees. I loved seeing some smaller, lesser-known favorites nominated, including The Python Hunt, The Cycle of Love, Everybody to Kenmure Street, Peter Asher: Everywhere Man, Soul Patrol, Baby Doe, Standout: The Ben Kjar Story, Barbara Kopple’s Union Town, Ross McElwee’s Remake, and all of the shorts, especially Escalation and A Derailment. If I had any help at all in their nominations, I’m very happy, as I hope it in turn helps increase their visibility.
DOC NYC’s 2026 Short Lists
This year’s picks for the DOC NYC Short Lists, recognizing award-worthy documentary features and shorts, overlap a bit with the CCDA nominees (14th, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and You Can See Everything, included). However, they did include One in a Million. Other picks that aren’t among ours over at CCA include The Bend in the River, The Great Experiment, To Hold a Mountain, Wild Inside, and the short films The Boys and the Bees, Buckskin, The Grandfather Puzzle, La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave), Listen, The Oath, One Last Order, An Open Field, Outposts - Nothing Here is Yours, The Revolution Against Death, The Tuners, and Water Cooler.
They also have their 2026 Winner’s Circle list, recognizing films that have already been doing well awards-wise this year. Non-CCDA-nominees include American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, Bucks Harbor, Closure, An Eye for an Eye, and Steal This Story, Please!, all of which I’d have been happy to see among our awards picks.
Documentary Release Calendar 10/16/26 - 10/22/26
Friday, October 16, 2026
Becoming Hitchcock: The Legacy of Blackmail (2024) - A feature documentary by Laurent Bouzereau (Music by John Williams) about Alfred Hitchcock’s style as it originated with his 1929 film Blackmail. (TCM)
The Disciple (2026) - A documentary feature directed by Oscar-winning producer Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets) about Dutch-Moroccan rapper/producer Cilvaringz and his association with the Wu-Tang Clan. (Netflix)
The Great Experiment (2026) - A DOC NYC-shortlisted documentary feature by Stephen Maing (Union) and Eric Daniel Metzgar that shows political life in America from 2017 through 2020. (In Theaters)
Great Musicians of Our Time Episode 2: “Pinchas Zukerman: Here to Make Music” - The latest episode of a docuseries about the most influential classical music artists. (PBS)
Marília Mendonça: Sentimento Louco (2026) - A documentary feature about the titular Brazilian singer, who died in a plane crash in 2021. (Prime Video)
Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald (2026) - A documentary feature directed by Judd Apatow (Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!) about the titular comedian. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026) - A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature that resurrects footage shot in 1972 by William Greaves (Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One) of a get-together of Harlem Renaissance legends. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
Outposts: Nothing Here is Yours (2026) - A DOC NYC-shortlisted short documentary about Israeli activists who stand in solidarity with Palestinians against settlement expansion in the West Bank. (In Theaters)
Paris Was a Woman (1996) - A 30th anniversary 4K restoration re-release of a documentary feature about a community of women artists in Paris in the early 20th century. See our highlights section for more info. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
A Place of Absence (2025) - A documentary about Central American women traveling with the Caravan of Mothers of Missing Migrants. (In Theaters)
Rocky Mountain Wreckers Season 1, Episode 2: “Dead Man’s Curve” - The second installment of a nonfiction series that follows heavy towing crews in intense weather in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. (Discovery Channel)
The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd Season 4, Episode 3: “Incredible Spectacles” - The latest installment of a docuseries about mysterious and bizarre people and things. (History)
You Can See Everything (2026) - A three-hour Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim that follows Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the days before she went to prison. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
Saturday, October 17, 2026
48 Hours Season 40, Episode 2: “The Detective and the Chewing Gum Sting” - The latest installment of an investigative documentary series. (CBS)
Austin City Limits Season 52, Episode 7: “Ari Lennox” - The latest installment of a long-running music series. (PBS)
Duck and Cover (1952) - A short instructional film on how to survive a nuclear attack. (TCM)
Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer Season 9, Episode 3: “Living in Extremes” - The latest installment of an adventure series that takes viewers to exotic locations. (NBC)
A Look at the World of Soylent Green (1973) - A short documentary about the making of the sci-fi film Soylent Green. (TCM)
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild Season 4, Episode 3: “Alaska’s Marine Mammals” - The latest installment of a nature series focused on wildlife conservation. This episode involves sea otters in Alaska. (NBC)
Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler Season 3, Episode 3: “The Tourniquet Killer” - The latest episode of a true-crime docuseries involving murder trials in Texas. (Oxygen)
Super Animals Season 4, Episode 9 - The latest episode of a nature docuseries for kids about animals with special traits. (National Geographic)
Super Scam Me (2026) - A medium-length investigative true crime documentary special starring Mariana van Zeller in which she goes undercover as a romance-scam target. (National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu)
Sunday, October 18, 2026
An Act of Kindness (2026) - A short documentary about an Israeli woman in her nineties who wasn’t told about her son and daughter being taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. (In Theaters)
Amos Poe: Unmade (2026) - A documentary about the titular underground artist in his final years of life. (In Theaters)
Aqua Antics (1942) - A short documentary showcasing the water skiing talents of the California Water Bugs club. (TCM)
Bucks County, USA Episode 5 - The final installment of a five-part documentary by Robert May and Barry Levinson about two teenage best friends who disagree politically. (PBS)
Catfish Murders Season 1, Episode 1: “A Killer Profile” - The first installment of a true-crime series about murders involving catfish scenarios. (Oxygen)
Late Night Law Season 2, Episode 5 & 6 “Reckless and Raging” & “Bail Out” - The latest installments of a docuseries that follows law enforcement during the night shift. (A&E)
Match Your Mood with Westinghouse (1968) - A short documentary about choosing the perfect refrigerator. (TCM)
MGM Parade Show #13 (1955) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Great Waltz and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)
Minnesota Neighbors: Not In Our Town (2026) - A documentary about Minnesota residents coming together to oppose ICE's Operation Metro Surge. (In Theaters)
Snapped: Killer Moms Season 1, Episode 1: “Kimberly Warth” - The first installment of a true-crime docuseries about mothers who kill to protect or avenge their children. (Oxygen)
Monday, October 19, 2026
Bone Crushers (1933) - A short documentary about professional wrestlers. (TCM)
Contraband: Seized at the Border Season 9, Episode 2: “I Don't Practice Santeria” - The latest installment of a nonfiction series focused on smuggling cases handled by Customs and Border Protection officers. (Discovery Channel)
Harlan Coben’s Final Twist Season 2, Episode 3: “Camilo's Secret” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries exposing shocking murders and scandals. This episode involves the disappearances of two Miami businessmen and the world of MMA fighters. (CBS and Paramount+)
The Way Out (2026) - A documentary feature that pays tribute to the sport of skiing. (In Theaters)
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Angelina Jolie: Skin Deep (2011) - A medium-length documentary about the titular actress. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Capturing Bigfoot (2026) - A documentary feature about the famous footage allegedly of Bigfoot. (Prime Video)
Dalai Lama: Enlightened (2010) - A medium-length documentary about the titular Tibetan spiritual leader. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Freedom on Our Mind (2022) - A documentary feature about film students connecting with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Frontline Season 45, Episode 6: “Haiti Deportation Crisis” - The latest installment of a PBS documentary anthology series. This episode looks at Haitian refugees in America who fear being deported. (PBS)
Heath Ledger: A Tribute (2009) - A medium-length documentary about the titular actor. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Hobbies (1941) - A short documentary about hobbies, including whittling and putting a ship in a bottle. (TCM)
The Long Way Home: Remastered and Expanded (2026) - A restored version of Michael Apted’s 1989 documentary feature about Soviet rock legend Boris Grebenshchikov. (VOD)
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Ghost Adventures Season 31, Episode 4: “Gold Canyon Curse” - The latest installment of a docuseries following paranormal investigators. (Discovery Channel)
Headpin Hints (1955) - A short documentary where the pros offer tips to young bowlers. (TCM)
Just One Before I Die (2026) - A docuseries about Buffalo Bills fans. (Tubi)
Leaving Home (2026) - A short documentary about siblings in Texas whose parents are returning to Mexico. Presented as an installment of VOCES. (PBS)
Nature Season 45, Episode 2: “Tiger Island” - The latest installment of a nature series. This episode involves tiger mothers and their cubs in Nepal. (PBS)
Nova Season 53, Episode 14: “Evolution: Need to Feed” - The second installment of a five-part series within Nova about evolution on Earth over billions of years. (PBS)
One in a Million (2026) - A Sundance-winning documentary feature that captures 10 years in the life of a Syrian refugee and her family. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
The Serial Killer Connection Season 1, Episode 3: “The Final Secret” - The final installment of a three-part true-crime docuseries that teams up a serial killer’s ex-wife and a survivor as they investigate murders. (Investigation Discovery)
Untold Stories of the ER Season 14, Episode 8: “Labor Pains” - The latest installment of a docuseries about difficult emergency room cases. (TLC)
Thursday, October 22, 2026
After The First 48 Season 9, Episode 1 - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about murder cases attempted to be solved in the first 48 hours. (A&E)
Archive X: Unexplained Phenomena Season 1, Episode 4: “Speaking with the Dead” - The latest installment of a docuseries that explores prophetic dreams, ESP, near-death experiences, alien encounters, and messages from beyond. (Sundance Channel)
Harnessed Rhythm (1936) - A short documentary by Jacques Tourneur following the life of a racehorse. (TCM)
Killer Investigations Season 2, Episode 1: “The Lady in the Woods” - The latest installment of a true-crime series about the country’s most gripping homicide cases. (A&E)
MGM Parade Show #13 (1955) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films The Great Waltz and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)
The Spies Among Us (2025) - A documentary feature about a former victim of the Stasi confronting former East German secret police officers. (In Theaters)
Swipe Right on the Devil (2026) - A true-crime docuseries about a woman who went missing while on a Tinder date, a case that involved witchcraft and mind control. (Hulu)
Toxic Waste: A Time Bomb Under Our Feet (2026) - A medium-length documentary about the dangers of burying toxic waste. (OVID)
Treewashing: The Planting Illusion (2026) - A medium-length documentary that exposes the financial and political interests driving reforestation campaigns around the world. (OVID).
TREW To You Film Project: The Senderos (2026) - A documentary feature about skiers in New Mexico. (In Theaters)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
10/23 - The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony - A documentary feature about a gymnastics team in Pakistan. (In Theaters)
10/27 - Kordell Stewart / Slash & Burn - A short documentary about NFL quarterback Kordell Stewart and a rumor that followed him for decades. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (HBO and HBO Max)
10/28 - Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning - A concert film starring Ozzy Osborne and his band Black Sabbath. (In Theaters)
10/28 - The Eyes of Ghana - A documentary feature by two-time Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot (The Queen of Basketball; The Last Repair Shop) about Ghanaian filmmaker Chris Hesse and his nearly lost coverage of post-colonial Africa. Read our review of The Eyes of Ghana. Watch the new trailer for the film (featuring a blurb from our review) below. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
10/30 - Everest: The Other Side - A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) that follows mountaineering couple Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they climb and ski the North Face of Mount Everest. *NONFICS PICK* (In IMAX Theaters)
11/3 - A Marble in the Jar - A documentary feature about surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb and her mentor, Greg Browning. (VOD)
11/6 - Nuisance Bear - A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature about the relationship between a community on the shore of the Hudson Bay and the polar bears getting too close to their town. Read our review of Nuisance Bear. Watch the new trailer for the film below. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
11/11 - Magic in the Mundane - A documentary about the miracles of everyday experience. (VOD)
11/19 - A Derailment - A Critics Choice-nominated short documentary executive produced by John Wilson about a town dealing with a toxic train derailment. *NONFICS PICK* (YouTube via POV and TIME Studios)
11/20 - Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall - A concert film by Paul Thomas Anderson starring the titular musician. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
11/20 - Don Bluth: Somewhere Out There - A documentary about the titular animation icon. (VOD)
11/20 - Ash and Crayons - A documentary feature by Oscar-nominated director Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom) that follows seven Ukrainian children during the ongoing war with Russia. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
12/4 - The Bend in the River - A DOC NYC-shortlisted documentary feature directed by Robb Moss and executive-produced by Joel Coen and Frances McDormand that revisits a group of friends after nearly 50 years who appeared in Moss’s films Riverdogs and The Same River Twice. Read our review of The Bend in the River. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
12/4 - 14th - A Critics Choice-documentary feature by Ava DuVernay (13th) about the 14th Amendment. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)