This weekend, I make my annual trip back to New York City, where I used to live, to attend the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. It’s not just something I like to go to. I’m also one of the ceremony’s executive producers as the Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary, and for the last few years I’ve been tasked with kicking off the event. It’s the culmination of months of work and thousands of hours of viewing hundreds of features, shorts, and series released throughout the year and submitted for consideration. It was hard enough leading a committee to pick the nominees for the 11th Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Now we have to vote for only the best of the best and put on a show that also honors all of the rest. You can watch the awards on CCA’s YouTube channel starting at 7 pm ET on Sunday, and we’ll share the winners on Nonfics as soon as we can.
Veterans Day also occurs this week, and I wanted to point out that several relevant documentaries and specials are debuting for the occasion in the next few days. One of them, Soul Patrol, is among our recommended highlights below. It not only opens in theaters in limited release this weekend, but Kino Lorber is screening the must-see film nationwide in cinemas on Wednesday for the holiday. You’ve also got Frog Fathers and Frog Fathers 2 arriving on VOD on Tuesday, and the new programs Forged by War: The Navy SEALs and Mission to Honor: A 250th Salute to American Veterans airing on History on Wednesday. I also recommend some old films we’ve covered in the past: Of Men and War (available on Kanopy), When I Came Home (also on Kanopy), Hearts and Minds (HBO Max and The Criterion Channel), The Ground Truth (VOD), Resurface (Netflix), Stray Dog (VOD), and Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (HBO Max).
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 Joe Berlinger, Nanette Burstein, and Ben Proudfoot. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber for more in-depth highlights and reviews, plus full access to special posts like our best-of lists, and to give us more time to watch more (if not everything) available. If you have an upcoming documentary needing coverage or a mention, reach us at nonficseditor (at) gmail and let us know its release plans.
Nonfics Picks Of The Week: Nuisance Bear (2026)
One of the most-nominated films at this year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards is also among our five favorite films of 2026 (stay tuned for the final list or visit our Letterboxd page): Nuisance Bear. Returning to Churchill, Manitoba, to continue their spotlight on the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” directors Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman expand substantially upon their 2021 short documentary of the same name for a marvelous piece of storytelling and extraordinary sensory experience (I’m gonna need them to release the soundtrack already). Cinema at its finest! Here’s a brief excerpt from our review from Sundance, where it won a Grand Jury Prize:
“Another enchanting and more spiritual consideration of wildlife in today’s world…Weisman and Osio Vanden really know how to grab the audience and then subvert their expectations. They tug at our heartstrings in a manner that ultimately yanks on our brains. You’ll want to watch it twice, at least once on a big screen, to really appreciate how much is going on with this film, and many more films before it.”
Nuisance Bear will be released in Los Angeles theaters on Friday, November 6, 2026, with an expansion to New York City and other markets on Friday, December 4, 2026. You can find the short documentary streaming online via The New Yorker.
Other Documentary Highlights
Avedon (2026)
Ron Howard has been dabbling more and more in documentary lately, and Avedon is his best nonfiction feature yet as a director. It’s probably his best film of any kind in decades (I admit I haven’t seen a lot of the non-docs he’s made in the last 20 years). The biographical film is another of Howard’s artist spotlights, chronicling the life of photographer Richard Avedon. It’s not surprising that he would be drawn to a subject who balanced more commercial work in fashion and celebrity portraiture with photojournalistic studies that one might consider important in contrast. It’s a conventional film, but a pristine one that reminds us there’s nothing wrong with that.
Avedon will premiere and begin streaming exclusively on Netflix on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
The Biggest Little Farm Series (2026)
Another great documentary from the last decade has been expanded into a longer-form project. The Biggest Little Farm Series is a 12-episode program that continues the story from the 2018 feature The Biggest Little Farm. The original film, helmed by John Chester, followed him and his wife as they left the big city and bought a farm in the country. In our review of the feature, we wrote, “its ability to show us the potential of a dying piece of human-tampered land is ultimately a triumph.”
This is more of the same — minus the standout score by Jeff Beal and the more polished narration script and sound design — including the latest on Emma the pig, the threat of coyotes, the micro and macro visuals depicting the intertwining agriculture and ecosystems, and the dramatic ups and downs that come with growing a variety of crops. So if you enjoyed that, you should appreciate this as well. I did.
The Biggest Little Farm Series will premiere its first two episodes on YouTube via The Biggest Little Farm® Official Channel. New episodes will be released weekly.
Crip Camp (2020)
One of this week’s notable narrative feature releases is Apple’s Being Heumann, which portrays iconic disability rights activist Judy Heumann and depicts her leadership during the 1977 occupation of a federal building in San Francisco to pressure the government to enact regulations that were already put into law. The drama, directed by CODA’s Sian Heder, is not bad, but the Doc Option™ is much better.
Crip Camp chronicles the history of the disability rights movement as having essentially begun at a summer camp “for the handicapped” in the early 1970s. The second half of the Oscar-nominated film is what’s dramatized in Being Heumann, with some of the archival clips even being faithfully adapted into scripted scenes. Technically, the new movie is based on Heumann’s memoir, but the fact that Jim Lebrecht, one of the documentary’s directors (see our interviews with them here and here), is an executive producer means it knows its other roots too.
Crip Camp is exclusively available to stream on Netflix.
Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story (2026)
Whether you’re a fan of Dane Cook’s comedy or not, you may appreciate this Critics Choice-nominated film for a variety of reasons. Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story is a true-crime documentary about a white-collar financial case, specifically that of Dane Cook’s money-managing half-brother stealing millions of dollars from his own flesh and blood. It’s also partly a Dane Cook biography, as it builds for almost too long with his backstory of their family and his dreams of becoming a successful stand-up comic.
It’s important background, but if you don’t know what the film is about going in, you might wonder where it’s going. You might also wonder why there’s so little of Cook’s comedy work shown or heard. I think the most interesting and important elements of the documentary don’t arrive until the very end, so I do believe it’s worth sticking through it. But the real reason to watch is for my wife showing up in a clip about 38 minutes in, as part of the audience for Cook’s first Saturday Night Live monologue. At least that made me laugh. Oh, and Cook’s ex-sister-in-law’s reaction to a late reveal.
Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story will begin streaming on Netflix on Friday, November 6, 2026.
Kratom: Side Effects May Include (2026)
I hadn’t heard of kratom before the September deaths of two University of Mississippi students, so this came at the right time. I’m not going to pretend to accept a single documentary as all the education I need, and this one in particular has a handful of problems as a film and work of journalism if not in the information it’s peddling (the real information, not the unreliable stuff that comes out of one prominent mother’s mouth), but Kratom: Side Effects May Include could be a starting point for others as well. As with any drug or supplement or product, it’s best to do your own research, too.
Kratom: Side Effects May Include will be released on VOD on Friday, November 6, 2026, via Magenta Edge Films.
Soul Patrol (2026)
Another Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominee among our own favorites of the year, Soul Patrol is a historical film that flawlessly mixes interviews, archival footage, reenactments, and fantastical dramatizations. And it’s the rare Vietnam War documentary that doesn’t rehash the same material we’ve seen a thousand times. The film is about the first Black special ops team, members of which are reunited on screen. But it’s about more than that, too. Here’s an excerpt from our review from Sundance, where it won a directing award for J.M. Harper:
“I tend to appreciate documentaries that contain micro and macro levels (and share that appreciation in my recommendations as a critic). Well, Soul Patrol feels like it does even more. It’s about Vietnam; then zooming in, it’s the story of Black America at the time; then zooming in further, it’s about Black soldiers in Vietnam, and then this particular group, and then each member of the group. The film reminds us that, beneath the generalizing, broad-scoped histories, each individual’s story is unique. Yet, every individual exists within the context of the world in which their story takes place. And there are multiple levels of context between the micro and macro extremes.”
Soul Patrol will be released in theaters in New York City on Friday, November 6, 2026, via Kino Lorber, and in Los Angeles on Friday, November 13, 2026. The film will also screen nationwide for Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
Documentary Release Calendar 11/6/26 - 11/12/26
Friday, November 6, 2026
67 Bombs to Enid (2026) - A documentary feature executive produced by Errol Morris about survivors of nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands. (In Theaters)
Awkwafina: The Unlikely Cook (2026) - An eight-part docuseries starring the titular actress about contemporary Asian-American cuisine. (Apple TV)
Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story (2026) - A Critics Choice-nominated biographical true-crime documentary about the titular stand-up comedian and his half-brother who stole all of his money. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review.(Netflix)
Kratom: Side Effects May Include (2026) - A documentary feature about the titular substance known as “gas station heroin.” See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (VOD)
The Last Cowboy Season 7, Episode 1: “Shoot Your Shot” - The latest installment of a docuseries created by Taylor Sheridan about a horse reining competition. (CMT)
Making Marie Antoinette (2026) - A Critics Choice-nominated making-of documentary directed by Eleanor Coppola about her daughter Sofia’s 2006 film Maria Antoinette. (Mubi)
Mike Nichols (2016) - An installment of American Masters directed by Elaine May about the titular director. (TCM)
Musk (2026) - A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature by Alex Gibney (The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley) about Elon Musk. Read our review. *NONFICS PICK* (VOD)
Nuisance Bear (2026) - A Critics Choice-nominated documentary feature about the relationship between a community on the shore of Hudson Bay and the polar bears getting too close to their town. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
Passengers (2025) - A documentary unveiling footage from the 1990s of disillusioned New Yorkers. (VOD)
The Return of the Projectionist (2024) - A documentary feature about a projectionist who mentors a teenage film enthusiast. (IndiePix Films)
Seized (2026) - A documentary feature about a legal battle between a small town newspaper and the local authorities. Read our review. (In Theaters)
Shake Hands with Danger (1980) - A safety training film concerning heavy equipment. (TCM)
Soul Patrol (2026) - A documentary feature about the men who were in the first Black special ops team in the Vietnam War. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (In Theaters)
The Unbelievable with Dan Aykroyd Season 4, Episode 5: “Super Secret Weapons” - The latest installment of a docuseries about mysterious and bizarre people and things. (History)
Wolves Up Close with Bertie Gregory (2026) - A nature documentary special about wolves. (National Geographic, Disney+ and Hulu)
Saturday, November 7, 2026
Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer Season 9, Episode 6: “Hiding in Plain Sight” - The latest installment of an adventure series that takes viewers to exotic locations. (NBC)
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild Season 4, Episode 6: “Healing Australia's Wildlife” - The latest installment of a nature series focused on wildlife conservation. (NBC)
Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler Season 3, Episode 5: “High-Heel Homicide” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries involving murder trials in Texas. (Oxygen)
Romantic Riviera (1951) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores the French Riviera. (TCM)
Stray Kids World Tour <RUN IT> LIVE VIEWING (2026) - A concert film starring the titular K-pop boy band. (In Theaters)
The Wonderful World of Tupperware (1965) - A short industrial film about Tupperware. (TCM)
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Austin City Limits Season 52, Episode 10: “Sebastián Yatra” - The latest installment of a long-running music series. (PBS)
The Biggest Little Farm Series Episodes 1 & 2: “This Little Lamb” & “A Pup’s Purpose” - The first two installments of a 12-part docuseries sequel to the film The Biggest Little Farm that continues the story of the Chesters, their land, and their animals. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. (YouTube)
Catfish Murders Season 1, Episode 4: “Plenty of Lies” - The latest installment of a true-crime series about murders involving catfish scenarios. (Oxygen)
Hollywood Scout (1945) - A short film about a talent scout for casting animals in Hollywood productions. (TCM)
Snapped: Killer Moms Season 1, Episode 4: “Jerrollyn Hunt” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries about mothers who kill to protect or avenge their children. (Oxygen)
Monday, November 9, 2026
Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra (1942) - A short music film starring the titular dance band as they perform four songs. (TCM)
Gus Arnheim and His Cocoanut Grove Orchestra (1928) - A music film starring pianist Gus Arnheim and his orchestra as they perform a few songs. (TCM)
Harlan Coben’s Final Twist Season 2, Episode 6: “State Secrets” - The latest installment of a true-crime docuseries exposing shocking murders and scandals. This episode involves the killing of an Arkansas politician. (CBS and Paramount+)
Pati Jinich Explores Panamericana Season 2, Episode 3: “Arizona -- Abundance in the Desert” - The latest installment of a docuseries starring the titular chef about Pan-American food, culture, and history. (PBS)
Tuesday, November 10, 2026
All About Elephants (2024) - A documentary about Africa’s last elephants and the need for conservation. (DVD)
The Beatles: Up Close and Personal (2008) - A documentary feature about the titular band through the memories of Pete Best. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Black Zombie (2026) - A documentary about the history of zombie lore and its origins in Haitian spiritual traditions. Read our review. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Coldplay: Phenomenon (2005) - A documentary feature about the titular band. (DVD and Blu-ray)
The Curse of Oak Island Season 14, Episode 1: “Silver Lining Playbook” - The latest installment of a docuseries about treasure-hunting brothers. (History)
The Doors: Videobiography (2007) - A medium-length documentary about the titular rock band. (DVD and Blu-ray)
E-Life (2008) - A documentary feature about what happens to computers, smartphones, and other electronics when they’re thrown away. (DVD)
Enter the Samurai (2020) - A documentary feature about the making of the movie Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Frog Fathers: Lessons from the Normandy Surf (2024) - A documentary feature narrated by John C. McGinley about four Navy SEAL veterans who visit Normandy to honor their fallen friends and ancestors. (VOD)
Frog Fathers 2: Last Battle of the Pacific (2026) - A documentary feature narrated by John C. McGinley about four U.S. Special Ops veterans who visit Okinawa to restore coral reefs damaged during World War II. (VOD)
Frontline Season 45, Episode 7: “Coal’s Human Cost” - The latest installment of a PBS documentary anthology series. This episode involves Appalachian coal miners and black lung disease. (PBS)
The Fuzztones vs the World (2025) - A documentary feature about the titular garage band. (DVD)
Get Huge: Looksmaxxing to Death (2026) - A docuseries about male influencer culture. (Hulu)
Hal Kemp and His Orchestra (1941) - A short music film starring the titular group as they perform four songs. (TCM)
Harlem (2025) - A documentary feature about the historic architecture of the titular New York City neighborhood. (DVD)
Havana Curveball (2014) - A medium-length documentary about a boy who wishes to send baseballs to poor kids in Cuba. (DVD)
History’s Mystery Files Season 1, Episode 1: “Hidden Treasures” - The first installment of a docuseries about mysteries that challenge what is known about the past and what’s possible. (History)
Ireland: ‘the Emerald Isle’ (1934) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores rural Ireland. (TCM)
Italy. Cities, Squares, Cathedrals (2023-2026) - A docuseries about Italy’s cultural and artistic heritage. (DVD)
The Kinks: Live in Performance (2007) - A documentary feature that showcases the titular band performing live in concert. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Love & Hip Hop: The Final Chapter (2026) - A six-part series that concludes Love & Hip Hop and looks back on its impact. (VH1)
Maleika’s African Tales - Survival in the Kalahari (2020) - A documentary about cheetahs in the Kalahari desert. (DVD)
Sounds of the South (2022) - A medium-length documentary about Dutch musician Ruben Hein and his trip to Antarctica. (DVD)
The Space Architect (2025) - A medium-length documentary about Constance Adams, an architect who worked in the space program. (DVD)
The Water Rats (2022) - A medium-length documentary about strangers swimming in London’s Hampstead Heath during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. (DVD)
We Chose to Go to the Moon (2026) - A “live documentary” about America’s mission to go to the Moon. (PBS)
Why, What, Where? Season 1 - The first season of a series that answers questions kids ask. (DVD)
Wicked Witches of Oz (2026) - A documentary feature about the wicked witch characters of the Oz stories. (DVD)
Zeek’s Animal World (2007-2009) - A docuseries starring a robot that showcases animals around the world. (DVD)
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Avedon (2026) - A biographical documentary feature by Ron Howard (Pavarotti) about the photographer Richard Avedon. See our highlights section for more info and a brief review. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)
Forged by War: The Navy SEALs (2026) - A documentary special that chronicles the history of the Navy SEALs. (History)
Magic in the Mundane - A documentary about the miracles of everyday experience. (VOD)
Mission to Honor: A 250th Salute to American Veterans (2026) - A documentary special commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States and paying tribute to its military veterans. (History)
Nova Season 53, Episode 17: “Evolution: On the Run” - The final installment of a five-part Nova series about evolution on Earth over billions of years. This episode looks at the evolution of running. (PBS)
Off the Scale Season 1, Episode 1 - The first installment of a series about weight loss journeys. (TLC)
Soul Patrol (2026) - A documentary feature about the men who were in the first Black special ops team in the Vietnam War. See our highlights section for more info and a link to our review. *NONFICS PICK* (Nationwide Screening Event)
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Crown of Deceit: Inside the Miss Universe Scandal (2026) - A three-part docuseries about the 2025 Miss Universe finals in Thailand. (TLC)
An Eye for an Eye (2025) - A true-crime documentary feature about a woman convicted of killing her husband and now facing execution under Sharia law. Read our review. (In Theaters - NYC Release)
The Jigsaw Puzzle Murder (2026) - A two-part true-crime documentary about a mysterious case involving the discovery of unidentified body parts. (Paramount+)
Lisa Dahl: Blessed By Grace (2025) - A short documentary about the titular chef and how she began cooking while grieving for her son. (VOD)
MGM Parade Show #16 (1955) - An installment of a Hollywood-focused docuseries. This film showcases the MGM movies Maytime, That Inferior Feeling, Prophet Without Honor, and I’ll Cry Tomorrow. (TCM)
Mysteries Unearthed with Danny Trejo Season 3, Episode 1: “Famous Fortunes” - The latest installment of a docuseries exploring hidden worlds. (History)
The Space Architect (2025) - A medium-length documentary about Constance Adams, an architect who worked in the space program. (OVID)
Sneak Peek At What’s Coming Soon
11/13 - TheyDream - A Sundance award-winning, partly animated first-person documentary feature executive produced by John Leguizamo about a Puerto Rican family over 20 years. (In Theaters)
11/17 - Never Stop Chasing - A documentary feature that follows storm chaser Reed Timmer in his dangerous profession. (VOD)
11/18 - The Hotline - A short documentary about an anonymous overdose hotline. (HBO Max)
11/20 - The Bulldogs - A documentary feature that follows the residents of East Palestine, Ohio, after a disastrous train derailment. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (In Theaters)
11/20 - Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall - A concert film by Paul Thomas Anderson starring the titular musician. (In Theaters)
11/20 - Primetime Preacher$ - A documentary feature by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost trilogy) about the rise of televangelists in the 1980s. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Netflix)
11/20 - Ash & 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 war. (In Theaters)
11/23 - Storming: Seasons of Care - A documentary about a family caring for their comatose son. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (PBS)
11/24 - The Buffalo Miracle - A short documentary by two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot (The Queen of Basketball, The Last Repair Shop) and executive produced by Bills quarterback Josh Allen about a McDonald’s restaurant in Buffalo that sheltered strangers during the blizzard of 2022. Watch the new trailer for the film below. *NONFICS PICK* (HBO and HBO Max)
11/24 - The Slightest Touch - A documentary feature about a woman living with a rare and extremely painful genetic condition involving her skin and her friendship with actor Colin Farrell. (HBO and HBO Max)
11/24 - One Last Order - A short documentary about a popular drive-thru worker as she plans to retire from the fast food restaurant. Watch the new trailer for the film below. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)
11/27 - 14th - A Critics Choice-documentary feature by Ava DuVernay (13th) about the 14th Amendment. (In Theaters)
11/30 - The Boy Who Stole Billions? - A three-part docuseries by Nanette Burstein (Hillary) about a man who was convicted of stealing billions in crypto from his customers. Watch the new trailer for the series below. (Prime Video)
12/4 - Into the Unknown - A documentary executive produced by Steve Buscemi about paramedics. (VOD)
12/4 - The Bend in the River - A 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 previously appeared in Moss’s films Riverdogs and The Same River Twice. Read our review. Watch the new trailer for the film below. *NONFICS PICK* (Netflix)