The Best Documentaries of 2026 (So Far)

JAŸ-Z (fka Jay-Z) is back in a big way this year. There was his headline-making return to the stage at May’s Roots Picnic; the announcement of a series of shows and global activations to celebrate the 30th and 25th anniversaries of his classic albums Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint, respectively; and now, an eight-part HBO docuseries to be released this fall. JAŸ-Z In 8 sees the 56-year-old rapper sit down with Rick Rubin to discuss his life and music. It’s similar in format to Rubin’s McCartney 1,2,3—and isn’t the first time Rubin and JAŸ-Z have worked together (the former produced “99 Problems” for JAŸ-Z’s The Black Album in 2003).

Release date: Fall 2026 on HBO

What more is there to be said about Jean-Michel Basquiat? It turns out, quite a lot. A new documentary, Jean-Michel, enlists the late artist’s sisters to reveal the childhood, struggles, and true character of the young man behind the artistic myth. The documentary, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival before being acquired by Netflix, follows Basquiat’s journey from the Brooklyn brownstone he shared with his family to his rebellious adolescence and wild career success that put him at the center of the art world’s fascination and downtown New York’s most creative scenes. It also traces his eventual addiction to, and death from, heroin—and explores the outsize impact his too-short life has had on culture ever since.

Release date: Fall 2026 on Netflix

William Greaves, known for avant-garde films like Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One and his experimental approach to cinema, shot a very important scene in 1972: a party he arranged at Duke Ellington’s home, where he brought together the last living figures of the Harlem Renaissance. While Greaves passed away in 2014, his son, David, was there that day as a cameraman, and he assembled the footage into a rare, intimate look at that pivotal moment in time with Once Upon a Time in Harlem.

Release date: October 16 in theaters

Only John Wilson could make a documentary about concrete seem appealing. With The History of Concrete, the humorist makes his feature directorial debut, and his filmmaking trick here is to apply the Hallmark movie formula to a film about cement. If it’s anything like his How to With John Wilson docuseries, it’ll be equal parts funny, moving, thought-provoking, and absurd.

Release date: September 18 in theaters

Over the course of fifty years, Barbara Hammer became a leading pioneer of the lesbian film movement, creating works that celebrated and affirmed her identity and life experiences while knocking down barriers along the way. In this intimate portrayal of Hammer’s life, legacy, and creative process, filmmaker Brydie O’Connor draws on archival footage and Hammer’s voice to pay tribute to a legend.

Release date: September 4 in theaters

From executive producer Sarah Jessica Parker, this documentary offers the first in-depth look at the life of public-access icon Robin Byrd. The now 70-year-old was an early advocate for sex positivity, discussing typically taboo issues with listeners who called into her show. She was a safe sex activist, free speech champion, friend of the marginalized, and larger-than-life personality on the downtown NYC queer scene. Bang My Box sees Byrd reflecting on her legacy as she approaches her 70th birthday, looking back on a life well lived.

Release date: June 9 at Tribeca Film Festival June 9; June 30 on HBO

Questlove has added another entry into his burgeoning canon of stories about iconic Black musicians. From his documentaries Summer of Soul to Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), The Roots artist has been steadily creating his own historical archive. Now, he’s back with one more: this time, a deep dive into the creation of legendary funk group Earth, Wind & Fire. The film was made with the full support of the band, including exclusive access to decades of archival footage and material. Best watched in September.

Release date: June 7 on HBO

Co-directors Sean Ono Lennon and Brian Gonzalez spent five years with threeASFOUR, the NYC fashion collective known for their “couture-on-the-street” designs and avant-garde ethos. Designers Gabi Asfour, Angela Donhauser, and Adi Gil—who come from Lebanon, Russia, and Israel—have been working together for over 25 years, with their custom creations worn by figures like Björk, Chloë Sevigny, and Lady Gaga and earning them a 2015 Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian National Design Award. But threeASFOUR: Full Circle is an intimate look at the struggles independent designers go through, financially, creatively, and relationally, to stay afloat and thriving.

Release date: June 7 at Tribeca Film Festival

Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Chris Smith tackles the Eternal Values cult of the late ’80s and ’90s with Bring Me the Beauties. Through interviews and archival footage, the investigative film follows Hoyt Richards, one of many high-profile models of the era who were pulled into the Frederick Von Mierers-founded group. Richards recounts his story and eventual escape with the help of fellow model Fabio Lanzoni, and includes interviews with former Eternal Values member and model Jacki Adams.

Release date: June 1 on HBO

The Crash revisits a shocking 2022 incident in which 17-year-old Mackenzie Shirilla drove a car into a brick building at 100 miles per hour, killing her passengers (her boyfriend, Dominic, and their friend, Davion), and nearly dying herself. At first thought to be a tragic accident, Shirilla was later convicted of murder (plus several other felonies) and sentenced to 15-years-to-life in an Ohio prison. The Crash reinvestigates the months leading up to the car wreck, the event itself, and the fallout—including a jailhouse interview with Shirilla, who claims to remember nothing, and the friends and family of all involved.

Release date: May 15 on Netflix

E. Jean Carroll became one of the few people to beat Trump in court when she successfully sued him for sexual abuse and defamation toward the end of his first term. Before that, though, she spent decades at the top of the male-dominated publishing world, making a name for herself as an investigative journalist who wasn’t afraid to live as a single, independent woman during a time when that was less than common. Her advice column for Elle went on to reach millions of readers facing dilemmas that her unique perspective made her uniquely qualified to address. Ask E. Jean chronicles Carroll’s experiences from reporter to household name, with extensive interviews with Carroll herself.

Release date: May 22 in theaters

From the creators of the Beckham doc comes a new three-part documentary about Australian icon Kylie Minogue. The series will chart her rise from acting on Aussie soap Neighbours in the 1980s to becoming a chart-topping pop star with a global fanbase and decades of hits. Minogue herself participated in the series, which will draw on footage from her personal archive (including home movies), photographs, and interviews with collaborators, friends, family, and Minogue herself to learn what makes her tick.

Release date: May 20 on Netflix

Billed by director Lawrence Kasdan as the “definitive documentary” on Martin Short, Marty, Life Is Short chronicles the rise and career of the 75-year-old comedian, from his early days as a performer on “SCTV” in the 1970s to his starring roles in hit movies like Father of the Bride, and Three Amigos, plus his Emmy-nominated run on Only Murders in the Building.

Release date: May 12 on Netflix

Journalism is going through a period of reinvention, to say the least, and no one understands innovation in the field better than Amy Goodman. The veteran investigative reporter and creator of the daily news show Democracy Now! shares the stories behind the stories, taking audiences behind the scenes of her harrowing lifelong journey to uncover the truth. Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Carl Dean and Tia Lessin, Steal This Story, Please! is also an urgent call to action to protect freedom of the press and the integrity of the fourth estate.

Release date: April 10 in NYC, April 17 in LA

Interest in the mainstream Mormon church has reached a pop culture pitch, but this four-part documentary digs into a more radical offshoot: the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). The series chronicles the rise of Samuel Bateman, who has proclaimed himself the next leader of the church, and is told from the perspective of a couple—cult expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband Tolga Katas—who infiltrate Bateman’s world to try and save the vulnerable people he is preying upon.

Release date: April 8 on Netflix

Sofia Coppola’s first documentary trains her lens on her best friend and collaborator, Marc Jacobs. Told through archival footage, photos, and intimate interviews—and with plenty of Coppola’s signature stylized flourishes—Marc by Sofia is both a look back at a hopeful, inventive, rebellious time in fashion and downtown NYC culture and a love letter to one of fashion’s most enduring creative minds.

Release date: March 27 in theaters; available on VOD on Prime

Who better to tackle the complexity of artificial intelligence’s swift proliferation than the Everything Everywhere All at Once filmmakers? Daniel Kwan is one of the producers behind The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, created by Daniel Roher (director of the Oscar-winning 2023 doc Navalny) and filmmaker Charlie Tyrell. For this film, the duo takes on the complicated, emotionally charged topic by enlisting both AI skeptics and evangelists to debate the technology’s merits in full.

Release date: March 27 in theaters; now streaming on Peacock

From their close childhood bonds to their rise on the Los Angeles music scene in the 1980s and beyond, the Red Hot Chili Peppers—including lead singer Anthony Kiedis and guitarist Flea—look back on the journey that took them from unknowns to global superstars.

Release date: March 20 on Netflix

British documentarian Louis Theroux, known for expertly letting his subjects hang themselves with their own rope, trained his lens on the growing network of podcasters, streamers, and influencers who make up the manosphere. Talking to controversial internet figures with massive global audiences—people like Sneako, Myron Gaines, and Harrison Sullivan (aka HSTikkyTokky, pictured here), Theroux examines their misogynistic worldviews, business models, and appeal to their fans. Better for audiences unfamiliar with the manosphere, the documentary examines some of the current structures and cultural, economic, and political trends that have led to the rise in popularity of such content, but spends most of its time pointing out its more obvious weaknesses.

Release date: March 11 on Netflix

When America’s Next Top Model first premiered in 2003, host and creator Tyra Banks had the explicit goal of pushing back against the suffocating norms of the fashion industry to spotlight a new generation of models. What followed was a 24-season pop culture juggernaut that did indeed expose the underbelly of the modeling industry, but not necessarily in the way Banks originally intended. A new three-part documentary goes behind-the-scenes of the series, with interviews from the competition show’s core judges: Jay Manuel, J. Alexander, Nigel Barker, and Banks herself, plus many of the contestants who went through ANTM’s most controversial ordeals. As Banks admits in the doc’s first trailer, she’s well-aware that she “went too far.”

Release date: February 16 on Netflix

Neighborly disputes can be the stuff of nightmares, and in this series, executive-produced by Josh Safdie with A24, the terrors come to life. Each episode is a self-contained story about two different ongoing wars between neighbors (over things like property lines, animal ownership, and beach access), highlighting the wacky, weird, and at times, moving dynamics between modern American neighbors.

Release date: February 13 on HBO

Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It debuted at SXSW two years ago, but the music doc is finally getting a theatrical release. The biopic-doc tells the story of Preston, a Grammy-winning keyboardist who played with everyone from The Beatles to Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, and The Rolling Stones (he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021, 15 years after his death). While Preston’s artistic impact is legendary, his life is less well-known—until now.

Release date: February 20 at New York’s Film Forum Theater

This feature from Tribeca Films explores George Takei’s legacy through the lens of his time on Star Trek—and with the help of lost footage from a 1985 student film that he participated in making. “We were interested in figuring out what it is about Star Trek that makes people care so much—what made these student filmmakers spend 35 years making a fan film, what made George participate in it, what makes all of the fans so passionate,” directors Timour Gregory and Sasha Schneider said in a statement. “We found that it really comes back to this idea of ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations’ that’s been baked into the show from the beginning and resonates now more than ever.”

Release date: February 17 in theaters; available on VOD on Prime

Director Suzannah Herbert’s new documentary tells the story of Natchez, Mississippi—a small town and antebellum tourist destination grappling with how its unsettling history continues to define its present. Natchez won the Best Documentary Feature prize at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival and will soon get a wider theater release.

Release date: January 30 in theaters; now streaming on Prime

Courtney Love will tell her own story in this documentary from directors Edward Lovelace and James Hall. The film will include Love’s look back at her relationship with Kurt Cobain, yes, but it’ll also explore the creativity that’s driven her own highly influential art. Love is also reportedly working on a memoir and releasing new music for the first time in over a decade. It’s about time for a retrospective on the Gen X icon.

Release date: January 27 at Sundance

Another documentary from one of the most disarming comedians of our time: In Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story, Bamford takes viewers on a journey through her childhood and successful comedy career while exploring the mental health issues that have followed her at every turn.

Release date: January 22 at Sundance

With audiences flocking to theaters to see both Wicked movies, The Wizard of Oz remains more culturally relevant than ever. Still, not everyone knows the story behind the incredibly challenging production of the 1939 film. Events from that set have become the stuff of Hollywood lore, and the new documentary Oz, from Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way, will explore exactly what happened and why the film still has so much resonance today.

Release date: TBD 2026