The New Year In Documentary: 25 Most Anticipated Of 2025

Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - January-December 2025

Welcome to the second year of Nonfics on Substack! For our paid subscribers, we’re previewing our most anticipated documentaries of 2025. Foreseeing release dates is not easy with nonfiction films, so most of these titles are Sundance selections. That’s as far in advance as we know what’s coming soon, but many of them will be released throughout the next 12 months. Also, it’s still true that most of the year’s best docs make their first appearance in Park City in January.

Here are 25 documentaries coming in 2025 that we can’t wait to watch:

25. Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever

Chris Smith (American Movie; Tiger King) continues his prolific reign in the streaming era with a feature documentary about another highly compelling figure. Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever profiles Bryan Johnson, the entrepreneur and venture capitalist with a signature anti-aging plan called “Project Blueprint.” Will it work? This film won’t prove it one way or another, so don’t let it be a blueprint for your life — at least not for another half-century.

Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever premieres on Netflix on January 1, 2025.

24. One To One: John & Yoko

The Beatles are becoming so played out in documentary form that they’re bound to finally lose some fans — if not also some historical cachet — over their oversaturation. Didn’t seem possible, but after the bore of Beatles ‘64, I am almost uninterested in this documentary from Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September; Marley) and Sam Rice-Edwards (the editor who recently made his directorial debut with the disappointing Meet Me in the Bathroom). I even skipped the other John and Yoko doc that just came out (Daytime Revolution). But I’ll give Lennon and Ono another shot for this look at the 1972 One to One charity concert.

Following its Venice Film Festival premiere in 2024, One to One: John & Yoko makes its U.S. debut at Sundance before presumably releasing in 2025.

23. Man On The Run

And yet another documentary about one of The Beatles, Man on the Run follows the history of Paul McCartney’s formation of Wings after the Fab Four’s breakup. This one is by another Oscar winner: Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom; Piece by Piece). He never makes an uninteresting documentary, in content or form, so I’ll give this one a shot as well.

According to Neville, Man on the Run will be released sometime in 2025.

22. Becoming Led Zeppelin

I tend to be less excited for concert films and other music docs because they’re more often than not rather generic. But I’m biased as I also don’t care for live music much anymore. I’ve always been a big fan of Led Zeppelin, but my eyes don’t care about them as much as my ears do. Still, I’ve never known much about their origin story, so I’m curious about how it’s told in Becoming Led Zeppelin, which also reportedly received a 10-minute standing ovation for its work-in-progress premiere at the Venice Film Festival last fall.

Becoming Led Zeppelin opens theatrically on February 7, 2025.

21. Run To The Hills: The Story Of Iron Maiden

Another music documentary that could be very good or just serviceable to fans of the artist, Run to the Hills: The Story of Iron Maiden follows the story of the titular heavy metal band. According to the announcement of this one, it’s directed by “renowned music filmmaker” David Morgan. I admit I have no idea who that is.

Run to the Hills: The Story of Iron Maiden is set to be released on Netflix in March 2025.

20. Untitled Fleetwood Mac Documentary

Frank Marshall is working on a Fleetwood Mac documentary with his The Beach Boys writer Mark Monroe. He’s also working on a Barbra Streisand docuseries. I think this one will be out first, and given the band’s story, it’ll have to be worth watching.

Frank Marshall’s Untitled Fleetwood Mac Documentary is due out in 2025.

19. Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore

Actress Shoshannah Stern makes her directorial debut with Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore. It’s one of many celebrity profiles we’ll get in the new year, as is the current trend for financial reasons. Marlee Matlin is a worthy subject, the deaf Oscar winner known for Children of a Lesser God and CODA. Maybe an actress is the best person to make a documentary about an actress?

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore premieres at Sundance on January 23, 2025, but currently does not have an official release date.

18. David Attenborough: Ocean

Sir David Attenborough is about to turn 99 this year, but he’s still hard at work. He’s an institution and a brand at this point, but there’s still no one like him as far as documentary narration or nature film production goes. With this feature, he guides us through all things oceanic, from its exploration to its importance.

David Attenborough: Ocean is expected to debut sometime in 2025.

17. It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

The latest from Oscar nominee Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil; Janis: Little Girl Blue) is another music documentary. This one examines the cut-short life of musician Jeff Buckley, who died in 1997 at 30.

It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley premieres at Sundance on January 24, 2025, but it is currently without an official release date.

16. Predators

David Osit, the Emmy-winning director of 2020’s Mayor, turns his attention from foreign politics to American television with this documentary about the series To Catch a Predator. The feature is sure to dive into its popularity as well as its criticisms and controversies, including the presumed reasons for its cancellation following its part in the suicidal death of an assistant district attorney.

Predators premieres at Sundance as part of the U.S. Documentary Feature competition on January 25, 2025, but currently, the film doesn’t have an official release date.