This Week In Documentary
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - January 10-16, 2025
The year is off to a devastating start with the Los Angeles fires. The disaster has impacted many people, including some of my colleagues and favorite filmmakers. Tracy Droz Tragos, one of the directors of Rich Hill, shared with The Hollywood Reporter that she lost her home in the Pacific Palisades. She also compared her present experience with what she saw working as a producer on Ron Howard’s Rebuilding Paradise, about the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California. Her latest project was lost in the fire. It was stored at her mother’s home, which is also completely gone.
My heart goes out to Tracy and her family and everyone else losing something to this tragedy, no matter how small. I haven’t decided on a place to give to yet, as there are a lot of unclear attempts to help out there. And don’t get me started on the chaotic misinformation on social media, which isn’t uncommon but is especially dark during a catastrophe like this. Conspiracy theories are not what is needed right now.
As a possible distraction, here are this week’s highlights, listings, and coming attractions, including our Pick of the Week. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to receive more in-depth highlights and reviews in the future. Or, use that money toward helping someone in need, if you know of a proper charity or fund.
Nonfics Pick Of The Week: Every Little Thing (2024)
Four years ago, I championed Sally Aitken’s Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story, about the titular diver and her advocacy for the conservation of an animal she once helped villainize. With her latest film, Every Little Thing, Aitken profiles another woman who has devoted her life to a misunderstood species. The documentary follows author Terry Masear, who has spent the last 20 years rehabilitating hummingbirds. Through her efforts, she has become an expert on the tiny birds, and her knowledge and insight is shared alongside her biographical story.
Every Little Thing isn’t nearly as interesting as Playing with Sharks, but despite the films’ shared zoological concerns, they’re very different in format. This documentary entails more original footage, and while it reveals a lot about hummingbirds, these aren’t creatures in need of greater favor the way sharks are. Still, I found myself completely engaged, appreciating hummingbirds more than I ever have thanks to Masear and appreciating Masear by way of the appeal of the hummingbirds. There’s a lot of beautiful slow motion cinematography showcasing the birds that alone makes the film worth watching.
I also recommend Every Little Thing if you like All That Breathes, the 2022 film about brothers in India rehabilitating black kites (the birds). It’s not as rich visually or narratively but its heart is in a similar place. Also, I’m all for documentaries that have me seeing animals in a new light, as was done with Playing with Sharks and last year with Secrets of the Octopus. Now I’m particularly obsessed with the way hummingbirds decorate their nests’ exterior with paint chips. I could have used a bit more on that.
Every Little Thing opens in theaters on Friday, January 10.
Other Documentary Highlights
DGA Nominees
Last week, some of Hollywood’s major guilds announced their nominees for this year’s awards. The PGA Awards already did documentary nominees last month, the WGA Awards notice has been postponed to this week, and the SAG Awards don’t have anything to do with nonfiction, but the Directors Guild of America named their picks. The nominees for the DGA Award for Award for Outstanding Directing – Documentaries (and where to watch them now) are:
Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev for Porcelain War (In Theaters)
Julian Brave Noisecat & Emily Kassie for Sugarcane (Hulu and Disney+)
Johan Grimonprez for Soundtrack To A Coup D’etat (VOD)
Ibrahim Nash’at for Hollywoodgate (In Theaters)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton for Daughters (Netflix)
I also want to acknowledge some of the DGA nominees in the Michael Apted First-Time Theatrical Feature Film category who’ve previously made documentaries before tackling narrative/drama/fiction. Nickel Boys helmer RaMell Ross made the feature doc Hale County This Morning, This Evening). All We Imagine as Light’s Payal Kapadia made the feature doc A Night of Not Knowing). And Didi director Sean Wang made the feature docs A Marble Travelogue and Lady of the Harbour plus the Oscar-nominated short doc Nai Nai & Wài Pó.
The directors of episodes of two Max docuseries, Conan O’Brien Must Go and Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show were additionally honored in the Reality Programs category.
Cinema Eye Winners
The 18th Cinema Eye Honors were held in New York City on Thursday, with winners announced in many categories celebrating nonfiction cinema and television. In addition to the previously announced Legacy Award going to the classic documentary Hearts and Minds, these films and series that came out on top (plus where to watch):
Nonfiction Feature Honoree: No Other Land (In Theaters on 1/31)
Direction Honoree: Mati Diop for Dahomey (MUBI)
Editing Honoree: Rik Chaubet for Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (VOD)
Production Honoree: Brett Story, Stephen Maing, Mars Verrone, Samantha Curley, & Martin DiCicco for Union (not available)
Cinematography Honoree: Christopher LaMarca & Emily Kassie for Sugarcane (Hulu and Disney+)
Original Music Score Honoree: Uno Helmersson for The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Sound Design Honoree: Ranko Pauković & Alek Goosse for Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (VOD)
Visual Design Honoree: Brendan Dawes for Eno (not available)
Audience Choice Prize: Porcelain War (In Theaters)
Debut Feature Honoree: No Other Land (In Theaters on 1/31)
Nonfiction Short Honoree: Incident (The New Yorker)
Spotlight Award: Black Snow (not available)
Heterodox Award: Songs from the Hole (In Theaters)
Broadcast Film Honoree: Slave Play. Not a Movie. A Play (Max)
Nonfiction Series Honoree: Telemarketers (Max)
Anthology Series Honoree: How to with John Wilson Season 3 (Max)
Broadcast Editing Honoree: Amy Foote for Girls State (Apple TV+)
Broadcast Cinematography Honoree: Nate Hurtsellers for Ren Faire (Max)
Diane Warren: Relentless (2024)
I regretfully have not seen Diane Warren: Relentless, mostly because this week had me busy with some Critics Choice Awards postponement duties. I’ve met Diane Warren a couple of times (thanks to the Critics Choice Awards, actually). She’s great. I’d love to get to know her more with this biographical documentary directed by Bess Kargman (First Position). It might be sad, though, since the prolific songwriter and perpetual Oscar nominee just lost her home during the Los Angeles fires. I figure that home appears in the film but can’t say for sure.
Diane Warren: Relentless opens in theaters on Friday, January 10, and will be available to rent or buy on VOD on Thursday, January 16.
Golden Reel Nominees
Last week, another guild, the Motion Picture Sound Editors, announced its nominees for this year’s Golden Reel Awards. Here are the documentary contenders (full credits can be found at the link above) and where to watch — and, well, listen to — them:
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary
The Blue Angeles (Prime Video)
Dahomey (MUBI)
Elton John: Never Too Late (Disney+)
Music by John Williams (Disney+)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Max)
Will & Harper (Netflix)
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary
Apollo 13: Survival (Netflix)
The Beach Boys (Disney+)
Fly (Hulu and Disney+)
Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 6, Episode 8: “Forza Ferrari” (Netflix)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+)
Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing – Documentary
Beatles ‘64 (Disney+)
Elton John: Never Too Late (Disney+)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Music by John Williams (Disney+)
Hollywoodgate (2024)
The Oscar-shortlisted documentary Hollywoodgate, which was also nominated for two Cinema Eye Honors, was in the news last week for its real-world impact. The film, about Taliban forces taking over a former CIA base in Kabul, aided an investigation and led to a report of new information about a Russian intelligence operation that put bounties on American heads in Afghanistan. Journalist Christo Grozev acknowledged, “If not for Hollywoodgate, this mystery would not have been solved. It just proves how vital a role documentary filmmaking plays in exposing truths and shedding light on important stories, in this case, a story with global consequences.”
Hollywoodgate is streaming on Jolt through January 31.
I Am Ready, Warden (2024)
Another film nominated at this year’s Cinema Eye Honors, MTV’s I Am Ready, Warden was showcased in November when it debuted on streaming. Now I’m highlighting the Oscar-shortlisted documentary again because it’s being made available free at more than 250 law schools across the U.S. from January 11 through January 18. Here’s a bit of what I previously wrote about the short:
“I Am Ready, Warden seems to have a forced premise. The 37-minute film follows a convicted murderer on death row as he reaches out to the son of his victim. But the emotional evolution of the son is anything but forced. By the end, I was a mess. It’s such an affecting look at the complexity of justice and forgiveness.”
I Am Ready, Warden is also currently streaming on Paramount+.
In the Shadow of Beirut (2023)
Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton present this documentary as executive producers, but the name that should sell this film more is Garry Keane. He was one of the directors of Gaza, the little-seen 2019 feature that almost made the titular Palestinian territory seem like an okay place to live before showing the unfortunate side to what was normal for people residing in the region. With In the Shadow of Beirut, he’s again driving the empathy machine at full speed. This time, , he and his new collaborator, cinemagrapher-director Stephen Gerard Kelly, immediately get into the misery of life in Beirut’s poorest neighborhoods.
In the Shadow of Beiruit is easily described as poverty porn, yet it’s still not as bleak as Gaza because it doesn’t treat the four families it follows as normal even if their situations have sadly become commonplace for many, particularly refugees, in places like Lebanon. What the film lacks in compelling narratives, it makes up for in heavy-handed focus, as it spends a lot of time on the children of these families. They work or become engaged way too young, suffer skin cancer, watch a parent afflicted with addiction. Still, none of it feels especially exploitative. It’s just not clear what we’re meant to do with what we watch other than to witness these sad stories and know they exist out there.
In the Shadow of Beirut will be available to rent or purchase digitally on most major VOD platforms starting Tuesday, January 14.
Kon-Tiki (1950)
Documentaries don’t get more thrilling in an action and adventure sense than this record of explorer/filmmaker Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 raft voyage across the Pacific Ocean. Kon-Tiki turns 75 years old on Monday, January 13, and it still holds up, even after a dramatic remake has come and gone. That 2012 movie of the same name is good — it even received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film — but the Oscar-winning original shows the real thing, so why wouldn’t that be your first experience of the story? I’m always amazed when people manage to film themselves doing things that would seem not to allow for additional equipment, especially the sort needed more than 75 years ago. Kon-Tiki is as impressive an undertaking as it gets.
Kon-Tiki is currently streaming for free on Kanopy, Tubi, and Pluto TV.
Look Into My Eyes (2024)
This documentary, nominated for three Cinema Eye Honors, was previously a Pick of the Week, and while it didn’t win anything, it’s still recommended as it begins its streaming life. Here’s the start of my review of Look Into My Eyes from last September:
“Did a documentary just make me believe in psychics? I wouldn’t go that far, but Lana Wilson’s Look Into My Eyes has certainly made me believe in the individuals who work as psychics. Some of them aren’t even sure they believe what they’re doing is paranormal or genuinely what it’s purported to be, but they all trust that what they’re doing is helping people. The documentary introduces a handful of psychics in New York City, showcases them practicing their trade, and digging into their lives to share what led them to this work.”
Look Into My Eyes begins streaming on Max on Friday, January 10.
Documentary Release Calendar 1/10/25 - 1/16/25
Friday, January 10, 2025
Campus Monde (2024) - A medium-length documentary about people from the Ivory Coast looking to emigrate to the West. (True Story)
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter Episodes 5 & 6: “The Hell Loop” & “Breaking the Chains” - The last two episodes of this third and final season of the true-crime docuseries about an infamous adult who pretended to be a little girl. (Investigation Discovery)
Diane Warren: Relentless (2024) - A feature documentary about the titular award-winning songwriter. (In Theaters)
Every Little Thing (2024) - A feature documentary about a woman who cares for injured hummingbirds. (In Theaters)
Look Into My Eyes (2024) - A feature documentary directed by Lana Wilson (After Tiller) about New York psychics. (Max)
Lucy Worsley Investigates Season 2, Episode 2: “The Gunpowder Plot” - The latest episode of this docuseries digs into the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. (PBS)
My Best Friend’s an Animal Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2: “Sammi, Rose, and Casey” & “Bandit, Max, and George” - The return of this docuseries about friendships between humans and wild animals. (National Geographic Wild)
My Maysoon (2023) - A medium-length documentary by Batoul Karbijha about her sister’s disappearance in the Mediterranean Sea. (Ovid)
My Worst Enemy (2023) - A documentary by Mehran Tamadon that asks exiled Iranians to interrogate the filmmaker as if they were agents of the Islamic Republic. (Ovid)
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Believe It or Not #9 (1931) - This installment of the Robert L. Ripley documentary franchise features a one-cent restaurant and more. (TCM)
To Catch A Smuggler: Mediterranean Season 2, Episode 5: “Patrolling in Turbulent Waters” - The latest episode of this spinoff docuseries involving the Spanish Coast Guard and drug traffickers. (National Geographic)
My Best Friend’s an Animal Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2: “Sammi, Rose, and Casey” & “Bandit, Max, and George” - The return of this docuseries about friendships between humans and wild animals. (Hulu and Disney+)
Sunday, January 12, 2025
La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935) - A short film in which Hollywood stars (including Judy Garland, Harpo Marx, and Ida Lupino) participate in a Mexican-themed festival in Santa Barbara. (TCM)
Sunkist Stars at Palm Springs (1936) - A short film following the Lucky Stars National Dance Contest winners as they arrive in Palm Springs and encounter such movie stars as Buster Keaton, Betty Grable, and Jackie Coogan. (TCM)
Monday, January 13, 2025
Before the End: Searching for Jim Morrison (2025) - A documentary that gets to the truth of the man behind the persona of rocker Jim Morrison. (VOD)
MGM Parade Show #23 (1956) - This installment of the Hollywood-focused docuseries showcases the MGM films Anchors Aweigh, The King Without a Crown, and The Last Hunt. (TCM)
Without Arrows (2024) - A documentary following a Lakota family. Presented as an episode of Independent Lens. (PBS)
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
Buying Her (2022) - A documentary about men who pay for sex. (VOD)
Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy (2025) - A documentary about the titular rapper and record producer from his beginnings through his sexual misconduct charges. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Peacock)
Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North Episode 7 - The latest installment of the Hard Knocks franchise follows the titular NFL division, including the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers. (HBO/Max)
Horror’s Greatest Season 2 - A docuseries about the best horror movies. (Prime Video)
Icons Unearthed: Marvel (2023) - The fourth season of Icons Unearthed, which covers the Marvel Cinematic Universe over eight episodes. (Blu-ray)
In the Shadow of Beirut (2023) - A feature documentary executive produced by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton about four families living in Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila neighborhoods. (VOD)
Life Below Zero Season 22, Episode 13: “Into The Tundra” - The latest episode of this docuseries following secluded life in Alaska. (National Geographic)
Lucy Worsley Investigates Season 2, Episode 3: “William the Conqueror” - The latest episode of this docuseries involves William the Conqueror’s invasion of England. (PBS)
My Names is Alfred Hitchcock (2022) - A feature documentary by Mark Cousins (The Eyes of Orson Welles) exploring lesser-known techniques in Alfred Hitchcock’s films. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Paradise (2025) - A documentary about an iconic mountain man who has been living off the grid for 50 years. (DVD and Blu-ray)
Touched by Darkness (2024) - A documentary about former Latin Kings gang member Kenneth Sternberg, a.k.a. Krazy Kenny. (DVD)
Touristic Intents (2021) - A documentary about a never-completed Nazi resort. (Digital/VOD, DVD, and Blu-ray)
Vintage Arizona: The Heart of Winemaking (2024) - A documentary about Arizona’s wine industry. (DVD)
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Fugitive Hunters Mexico Season 1, Episode 3: “A Life of Crime” - The latest episode of this new docuseries involves a convicted murderer and a fugitive posing as an ICE agent. (A&E)
Hollywood My Home Town (1965) - A medium-length documentary presenting home movies of Hollywood stars. (TCM)
Homicide Squad New Orleans Season 1, Episode 4: “Know Thy Neighbor” - The latest episode of this new docuseries involves a man murdered near his mother’s home. (A&E)
Martin Margiela: In His Own Words (2019) - A documentary about the titular fashion designer. (Ovid)
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights Season 4, Episode 2: “Guilt Will Get You” - The return of this true-crime docuseries involving high school football and murder looks into the disappearance of two coaches. (Investigation Discovery)
A Real Bug’s Life Season 2 - The return of the fantastically well-shot, Pixar-inspired, Awkwafina-narrated nature series about insects. All five new episodes are released simultaneously. (Disney+)
UFOs: Investigating the Unknown Season 2, Episode 2: “Pilots Speak Out” - The return of this docuseries on unidentified flying objects. This episode involves commercial pilots who have seen UFOs. (National Geographic)
An Update on Our Family (2024) - A three-part docuseries about vloggers who adopted a child from China and then gave him up. (Max)
Thursday, January 16, 2025
The Bunker (2024) - A true-crime docuseries about a woman who was drugged, kidnapped, and held in a bunker. (Viaplay)
Diane Warren: Relentless (2024) - A feature documentary about the titular award-winning songwriter. (VOD)
Lost Treasures of the Bible Season 1, Episode 5: “Mystery of King Solomon” - The latest episode of this Biblical history docuseries looks into the story of King Solomon. (National Geographic)
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (2025) - A four-part docuseries celebrating the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. (Peacock)
The Sojourn (2024) - A short film offering a poetic meditation on Taiwan's rural landscapes and indigenous culture. (Ovid)
Taking Venice (2023) - A feature documentary about the scheme to fix the winner of the 1964 Venice Film Festival. (Kino Film Collection)
UFOs: Investigating the Unknown Season 2, Episode 2: “Pilots Speak Out” - The return of this docuseries on unidentified flying objects. This episode involves commercial pilots who have seen UFOs. (Hulu and Disney+)
Sneak Peak At What’s Coming Soon
1/17 - Grand Theft Hamlet - A documentary about a production of Hamlet staged inside the video game Grand Theft Auto. (In Theaters)
1/27 - Ladies and Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music - A documentary by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer of Soul) and Oz Rodriguez about music performances on Saturday Night Live. (NBC)
1/31 - Time Passages - A “time traveling” documentary by Kyle Henry about his own family as his mother’s health declines. Watch the film’s trailer below. (In Theaters)
2/6 - Moment of Fear - A docuseries about how people overcome the trauma of surviving dramatic events. (Viaplay)
2/7 - Paint Me a Road Out of Here - A documentary centered around a 1971 painting intended for the incarcerated women on Riker’s Island. (In Theaters)
2/13 - Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius) - A feature documentary by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (Summer of Soul) about Sly and the Family Stone. Find it on our list of the most anticipated documentaries of 2025. (Hulu)
2/25 - Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP - A documentary about the titular civil rights activist and NAACP leader. (PBS)
2/27 - Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke - A three-part docuseries about the titular YouTuber who went to prison for child abuse. (Hulu)