Documentary Movies 2025: New & Upcoming Documentary Movies 2025 List

Cast & Crew: Ryan Olson • Isaac Gale • David McMurry

An unconventional documentary about convention-defying singer, songwriter and record producer Jerry Williams, aka Swamp Dogg, one of the great cult figures of 20th-century American music whose singular voice and ideas have shaped the history not merely of soul music, but of country, hip-hop and a dozen other genres.

Cast & Crew: Crystal Moselle • Jon Kasbe

Brings us inside the pursuit to create the world's most life-like A.I.

Cast & Crew: David Attenborough

Takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival, more full of life, wonder, or surprise, than the ocean.

Cast & Crew: Peter Miller

Marcella Hazan didn’t just teach Italian cooking—she changed the way America eats. Fearless, passionate, and exacting, she introduced authentic recipes to millions. Julia Child called Marcella “my mentor in all things Italian.” Featuring Jacques Pépin, Danny Meyer, April Bloomfield, and Lidia Bastianich, this intimate portrait reveals the bold woman who forever shaped home kitchens.

Cast & Crew: Davis Guggenheim • Tim Rarus • Nyle DiMarco • Bridgetta Bourne-Firl • Jerry Covell • Greg Hlibok

Deaf President Now! recounts the eight days of historic protests held at Gallaudet University in 1988 after the school’s board of trustees appointed a hearing president over several very qualified Deaf candidates. After a week of rallies, boycotts and protests, the students of Gallaudet University triumph as the hearing president resigns and beloved dean Dr. I. King Jordan becomes the university’s first Deaf president. The protests marked a pivotal moment in civil rights history, with an impact that extended well beyond the Gallaudet campus, and paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “Deaf President Now!” features exclusive interviews with the five key figures of the movement, including the Gallaudet Four — Jerry Covell, Bridgetta Bourne-Firl, Tim Rarus and Greg Hlibok — alongside I. King Jordan, as well as archival and scripted elements. The film also incorporates an experimental narrative approach called Deaf Point of View, using impressionistic visual photography and intricate sound design to thrust the audience into the Deaf experience.

Cast & Crew: Brad Pitt • Andrew Dominik • Jeremy Kleiner • Dede Gardner • Jon Kamen • Dave Sirulnick

Bono: Stories of Surrender is a vivid reimagining of Bono’s critically-acclaimed one-man stage show, "Stories of Surrender: An Evening of Words, Music and Some Mischief…," as he pulls back the curtain on a remarkable life and the family, friends, and faith that have challenged and sustained him, revealing personal stories about his journey as a son, father, husband, activist and rockstar. Along with never-before-seen, exclusive footage from the Beacon Theatre shows, the film features Bono performing many of the iconic U2 songs that have shaped his life and legacy.

Cast & Crew: Matthew Belen • Kei Pritsker • Michael T. Workman • Benjamin Haggerty • Macklemore • Munir Atalla • Ben Becker

With raw, emotional footage and in-depth interviews with whistleblowers, professors, and the central organizers, The Encampments tells the full story of the Columbia encampment and the global movement it spawned. The film chronicles the protest’s escalation from Columbia’s administration banning student organizations for Palestine to the mass arrests that broke a 50-year police ban on campus.

Cast & Crew: Perri Peltz • Matthew O'Neill

A gripping documentary that exposes the dark side of social media and its devastating impact on young users.

Cast & Crew: Christopher Ninness • Eric Kimelton

A documentary film about the 1995 Disney classic, A Goofy Movie. A true story about underdogs, the power of art and the fandom that embraced it.

Cast & Crew: Emmanuel Itier

Water is essential for all life on earth, but also holds many untold secrets. Experts discuss water’s healing effects, how it can capture positive and negative energy, and the importance of conserving this precious resource before it’s too late. Join these scientists, authors, and healers as they explore the relationship between water, people, and the rest of the world.

Cast & Crew: Hendrik Faller

From dog-lawyers in Detroit to clone-farms in Iowa, "Dogs Are People Too" explores the four-legged civil rights movement sweeping across America. Dogs may soon be considered ‘non-human persons’, changing the human-dog bond forever.

Cast & Crew: Jeremy Kleiner • Steve Condie • Dede Gardner • Bradd Pitt • Kevin Macdonald • Marc Robinson • David Joseph

An expansive and revelatory inside look at the 18 months John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent living in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, One to One: John & Yoko delivers an immersive cinematic experience that brings to life electrifying, never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of Lennon's only full-length, post-Beatles concert. With mind-blowing remastered audio overseen by their son, Sean Ono Lennon, the film is a seismic revelation that will challenge pre-existing notions of the iconic couple.

Cast & Crew: Antony Crook

Over 25 years and 10 studio albums—using powerful sonic force mixed with subtlety and grace—Mogwai have defined their own musical genre and built a cult following. The film takes us on a journey from their very beginnings, in the mid 1990s, to creating their tenth studio album in their hometown of Glasgow in 2020. While at first seemingly impossible to make, they ultimately made history with it.

Cast & Crew: Bryce Dallas Howard

A documentary that explores the extraordinary relationship that exists between animals and their people all around the world. Highlighting dogs, cats, pigs, goats and even birds of prey, “Pets” takes us on a hilarious and poignant journey that celebrates love, loss, and licks along the way.

Cast & Crew: Will Gadd • Pete Thompson • Sammy Podhurst • Pine Pienaar • Zach Smith • Chris Tomer

An extreme sports enthusiast tries to paraglide across the state of Colorado after unsuccessful previous attempts. He’ll have to brave dangerous thunderstorms, create nightly camps, and hike for miles to find a suitable launch point. Documenting every minute of the journey, he takes the viewer along for the ride for all the beautiful vistas Colorado has to offer from the seat of the paraglider.

A raw and intimate documentary that unveils the hidden struggles behind Nick Carter (Backstreet Boys) and Aaron Carter’s fame. Told through the eyes of their sister, Angel, this powerful film unpacks the family’s complex dynamics, leading to the tragic deaths of three siblings and their father.

Cast & Crew: Greg Tillman

Filmmaker Greg Tillman delves into the harrowing events of April 19, 1995, when a bomb devastated the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The film features crime scene recreations, firsthand accounts from survivors, first responders, law enforcement, and audio-recorded interviews with domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh, the man responsible for the bombing — all shedding new light on the tragedy that claimed 168 lives. Probing how the FBI collaborated with local authorities, the documentary takes a detailed look into the investigative methods — and strokes of pure luck — used to bring McVeigh and his co-conspirators to justice, while also exploring the personal demons driving McVeigh's radical, far-right, insurrectionist agenda.

Cast & Crew: Vicky Du

In her deeply personal and moving directorial debut, filmmaker Vicky Du unravels her family’s war-torn history across three generations and three countries—China, Taiwan, and the United States. Light of the Setting Sun is a poetic exploration of the unspoken, revealing how inherited trauma, insecurity, and the echoes of war shape both identity and legacy. Through archival footage, personal reflections, and intimate interviews, Du crafts a candid and compassionate meditation on survival and the lasting impact of her family’s escape from the 1949 Chinese Communist Revolution.

Cast & Crew: Pippa Ehrlich • Nick Shumaker • Craig Foster • Swati Thiyagarajan • George Chignell • Jessica Grimshaw • David Levine

A man finds new purpose when he helps rescue a baby pangolin, one of the most trafficked animals in the world, in a sting operation in South Africa. He leaves the city and embarks on a heartfelt mission to rehabilitate and prepare the vulnerable animal for a life of freedom in the wild.

Cast & Crew: Blake Lively • James Cameron • Bertie Gregory

On the twentieth anniversary of National Geographic’s Academy-Award Winning “March of The Penguins”, SECRETS OF THE PENGUINS changes everything we ever believed to be true. From the Emperor Penguins’ revelatory bonds of friendship to the gritty resolve of Gentoos and Rockhoppers, and the astonishing ingenuity of the migrant penguins that reached deserts and far beyond, their incredible traditions and societies echo ours in ways we never dreamt possible – until now. For over two years, BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning wildlife cinematographer Bertie Gregory collaborates with world leading scientists, using cutting-edge camera technology and unique access to capture three world-first episodes that resonate with our lives like never before.

Cast & Crew: Brendan Fraser

In “Sea Lions of the Galápagos,” Leo eventually leaves his mother’s colony to find his own home following swimming lessons, fishing expeditions and some growing up. Male sea lions must fight to earn the best spots, and only the strongest will become beachmasters. Leo’s lifelong quest is fraught with challenges and filled with new encounters with an array of creatures, from marine iguanas and racer snakes to yellow fin tuna and huge Galapagos sharks.

Cast & Crew: Assaf Beker

They witnessed what no child should ever see. For the first time, they're telling their story.

Cast & Crew: Cheech Marin • Tommy Chong • David Bushell

Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie defies documentary expectations and instead offers up a wildly imaginative take on genre convention, a true-life tale told through a heady mix of animation and archival madness, all underscored by a classic cinematic road trip.

Cast & Crew: Jim Wahlberg

In a world losing itself to screens, teenage mystic Carlo Acutis saw beyond our social media-addicted society and offered an answer—if we’re willing to listen. Carlo Acutis: Roadmap to Reality explores the life of the first millennial saint while following teens on a phone-free pilgrimage to his tomb, immersing them in his story, his passion for Christ, and a search for meaning in a digital age.

Cast & Crew: Errol Morris

Untangles a web of conspiracy involving the CIA, LSD, Jack Ruby, the Manson Family, and Vincent Bugliosi, casting doubt on the official story of the 1960s’ most infamous killing spree.

Cast & Crew: Bob Maddux

A look into the lives of three individuals who face an extraordinary life-altering event. Bri, once a promising student, finds her academic dreams derailed by an illness that’s deteriorating her body. For seven years, she's caught in a cycle of failed medical treatments and excruciating pain, pushing her toward assisted suicide. Steve’s life spirals out of control after a workplace accident that leaves him dependent on opioids. Jobless and desperate, he attempts to end it all with an overdose. Mary, a mother of five, faces debilitating pain from a spinal injury that leaves her unable to care for her children—until a vivid dream sparks an unexpected turning point. Unbeknownst to them, their paths are about to intersect when a traveling preacher, Mario Murillo, and his old-school tent revival happens to come to town. This chance encounter offers a glimmer of hope in their darkest hour.

Cast & Crew: Daniel Sivan • Mor Loushy

This three part docuseries from directors Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan gives an in-depth look at how the world mobilized to hunt down Osama Bin Laden after his orchestrations of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the United States. Featuring interviews with key people within the US government who helped in the global chase, this series focuses on the decade-long mission to capture one of the world’s most notorious terrorists.

Cast & Crew: Debra Messing • Wendy Sachs

Documents a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel demonstrations followed the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Cast & Crew: Olivia Serafini-Saul

Endless Calls For Fame takes place on the gritty streets of 1990s New York City during a time when punk and indie rock was moving from the underground into the mainstream after the cultural tsunami of Nirvana. Using her rediscovered personal archival footage, the director shares this first-hand story of a moment in the city’s musical zeitgeist through the lens of one promising band's experience, The New Rising Sons. Caught up in a major label signing spree intended to capitalize on this emerging underground sound, the band signed a million-dollar record deal and was poised for rock stardom. Endless Calls For Fame chronicles a vibrant musical era through the director and the bands’ lived experience, as the story follows the band’s brush with stardom, their dissolution, and their journey to redemption 20 years after they were formed.

Cast & Crew: Ben Braun • Chiaki Yanagimoto

The shocking story of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult that unleashed a deadly nerve gas in Tokyo’s subway system in 1995. Founded by disillusioned yoga teacher Shoko Asahara, Aum transformed into a terrorist organization while Japan’s police and media turned a blind eye. Featuring rare archival footage and an interview with one of Asahara’s former high-ranking disciples. A Sundance premiere.

Cast & Crew: Jesse Eisenberg • Jeremy Workman

The unbelievable true story behind the urban legend about a group of friends who created a secret apartment in the busy Providence Place Mall in the early 2000s.

Cast & Crew: Shim Hyeong-Jun

Fu Bao was the first giant panda born in Korea, but she was always meant to return to China someday. My Dearest Fu Bao tells the heartwarming story of her and her handlers' tearful goodbye with a mix of documentary footage and animation.

Cast & Crew: Martin Sheen • Paula Fouce • William Haugse

Aquariums: The Dark Hobby is an expose of the death of exotic fish, the reef and the ocean at the hands of the home aquarium trade. Today Hawaii is ground zero in the worldwide struggle to save reef wildlife. The film follows Native Hawaiian Elders, conservationists and scientists who will stop at nothing to ensure the survival of these tiny creatures that are targets of a global trade worth billions. These heroes valiantly fight reef degradation, exploitation, and ensure the survival of marine habitat and species.

Cast & Crew: Angela Bassett • Viola Davis • Halle Berry • Whoopi Goldberg • Bryan Smiley • Mishka Brown • Reginald Hudlin • Mark Monroe

Celebrates Black achievement in the film industry and what it takes for Black women actors to find success in Hollywood.

Cast & Crew: Matthew Belen • Kei Pritsker • Michael T. Workman • Benjamin Haggerty • Macklemore • Munir Atalla • Ben Becker

With raw, emotional footage and in-depth interviews with whistleblowers, professors, and the central organizers, The Encampments tells the full story of the Columbia encampment and the global movement it spawned. The film chronicles the protest’s escalation from Columbia’s administration banning student organizations for Palestine to the mass arrests that broke a 50-year police ban on campus.

Cast & Crew: Kevin Hart • Jamie Foxx • Reginald Hudlin • Dan Cogan • Datari Turner

Celebrates Black achievement in the film industry and what it takes for Black male actors to find success in Hollywood, featuring the stories and experiences of Black male actors of the past who paved the way for Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart and more.

Cast & Crew: Ben Braun • Chiaki Yanagimoto

The shocking story of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult that unleashed a deadly nerve gas in Tokyo’s subway system in 1995. Founded by disillusioned yoga teacher Shoko Asahara, Aum transformed into a terrorist organization while Japan’s police and media turned a blind eye. Featuring rare archival footage and an interview with one of Asahara’s former high-ranking disciples. A Sundance premiere.

Cast & Crew: Tim Moriarty • James Wahlberg • Deacon Steve Greco

In Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, we embark on a global journey to rediscover and revive the transformative power of the Eucharist. Engaging in dialogue with notable Catholic figures, the film explores the biblical origins of the Eucharist and shares personal stories of individuals whose lives have been transformed by the Blessed Sacrament. This exploration makes it unmistakably clear that the Eucharist is not merely a symbol, but is indeed Jesus Christ Himself — fervently desiring to quench our spiritual thirst with His boundless love.

Cast & Crew: Bernard MacMahon

Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.

Cast & Crew: Basel Adra • Hamdan Ballal • Yuval Abraham • Rachel Szor

Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fighting his community's mass expulsion by the Israeli occupation since childhood. Basel documents the gradual erasure of Masafer Yatta, as soldiers destroy the homes of families - the largest single act of forced transfer ever carried out in the occupied West Bank. He crosses paths with Yuval, an Israeli journalist who joins his struggle, and for over half a decade they fight against the expulsion while growing closer. Their complex bond is haunted by the extreme inequality between them: Basel, living under a brutal military occupation, and Yuval, unrestricted and free. This film, by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four young activists, was co-created during the darkest, most terrifying times in the region, as an act of creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice.

Cast & Crew: Bernard MacMahon

Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story. The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.

Cast & Crew: Beth Lane

UnBroken chronicles the seven Weber siblings who evaded certain capture and death, and ultimately escaped Nazi Germany following their mother’s incarceration and murder at Auschwitz. After being hidden in a laundry hut by a benevolent farmer, the children spent two years on their own in wartorn Germany.

Cast & Crew: Jake Rademacher • Isaac Rademacher • Norman S. Powell • Joe Rademacher

In Brothers After War, Jake Rademacher reconnects with his brothers and soldiers he embedded with in Iraq. He creates a unique “then and now” journey into the toll of war and a never before seen look at war fighters and the veterans they become.

Cast & Crew: Chris Smith • Ashlee Vance • Daniel Koehler

How far would you go to live forever - or even just slow down the aging process? This startling documentary by Chris Smith (Fyre, 100 Foot Wave) is told through intimate access to Bryan Johnson, a man who has dedicated his life to defy aging. Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever dives into the controversial wellness practices one man is using to maintain youth and vitality, and the effect this journey has on himself and those around him.

Cast & Crew: Brandon Salisbury • Robbie McGregor

George A. Romero’s Resident Evil is a stylized documentary, utilizing archived footage, unearthed documents, and newly filmed interviews with a wide variety of personalities. The documentary combines elements from Capcom’s hit video game series and the raw, visceral style of George A. Romero to full immerse the audience in a cinematic horror aesthetic.

Cast & Crew: Sally Aitken

Author and wildlife rehabber Terry Masear has an ambitious goal: to save every injured hummingbird in Los Angeles. But the path to survival is fraught with danger. This heart-expanding Sundance hit introduces audiences to Terry's diminutive patients through breathtaking slow-motion photography and emotional storytelling. Over the course of director Sally Aitken’s moving documentary, we become deeply invested in baby hummingbirds like Cactus and Wasabi, celebrating their tiny victories and lamenting their tragedies. Through Terry's eyes, each bird becomes memorable, mighty and heroic. Her compassion and empathy serves as a reminder that grace can be found in the smallest of acts and the tiniest of creatures.

Cast & Crew: Lana Wilson • Kyle Martin

A group of New York City psychics conduct deeply intimate readings for their clients, revealing a kaleidoscope of loneliness, connection, and healing... Over a series of interviews and with a camera that is not afraid to get up close and personal, [director] Lana Wilson highlights the ins and outs of being a psychic and what that entails, while constructing a tender portrayal of the clients. A thoughtfully paced and oftentimes deeply personal piece, it unfolds the grief, turmoil, and loneliness that come along with being a human. On the flip side, the joys of gaining clarity, achieving closure, and even having a pet are experienced..

Cast & Crew: Laura Jones • Justine Kershaw • Ari Mark • Phil Lott • Sumit David • Stephanie Frederic • Sara Lavery

An exclusive look at Sean Combs long before he was known as Puff or Diddy. Featuring never-before-seen footage and stories from those who know him best, Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy sheds light on his childhood, rise to fame, and recent criminal allegations, challenging viewers to rethink everything they thought they knew about the mogul behind the music—and the mugshot.

Cast & Crew: Mark Cousins

2022 marks the hundred-year anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock's first feature - Number 13 (1922). A century on, Hitchcock remains one of the most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. But how does his vast body of work and legacy hold up in today’s society?

Cast & Crew: Anna Wild Toomey

The powerful and inspiring story of a group of determined moms who band together to create the first public dyslexic school in New York City, the largest school district in America.

Cast & Crew: Tom Hanks • Gary Goetzman • Beth McCarthy-Miller • Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood: Reflection captures a one-of-a-kind production conceived by Carrie Underwood specifically for Las Vegas to celebrate highlights of her career. The show features her greatest hits from nearly 20 years as an award-winning international recording and touring artist, including 14 No. 1 hits and songs from eight of her studio albums.

Cast & Crew: Jeff Gipe

Tells the story of how the U.S. secretly manufactured thousands of atomic weapons in the suburbs of Denver, leaving behind a toxic legacy that will persist for generations. Colorado’s Rocky Flats plant produced a staggering 70 thousand atomic bombs, each serving as a “trigger” for thermonuclear warheads. Concealed by government secrecy, the plant's fires, leaks, and illicit dumping of nuclear waste contaminated the Denver area with long-lived radioactive toxins. A major and highly visible plutonium fire sparked a decade of mass protests, culminating in an unprecedented FBI raid that ultimately shuttered the plant. Today, the radioactive legacy of Rocky Flats continues to threaten public health, yet surprisingly few people are aware the plant ever existed. Through powerful testimonials and extraordinary archival media, HALF-LIFE OF MEMORY exposes Rocky Flats' dark past and enduring impact, prompting critical reflection on the implications of the nation’s renewed nuclear weapons buildup.

Cast & Crew: Shelby Wimler • Matt Poitras • David W Schade • George Appling • Jessica Van Richten • Silas Holtz

Meet the diverse group of dedicated men and women who bring the Middle Ages to the present day, training for years to perfect their skills. They become expert horseback riders and caretakers, learn to full-contact joust in full armor [vs choreographed stunts], and perfect intricate swordplay to thrill audiences day after day. They endure bruises, broken bones, and heartbreaking losses all in pursuit of being crowned the champion of the Knight Life and keeping this art form and sport alive.

Cast & Crew: Matthew Salleh

A contemporary portrait of America, told through a collection of stories observed within the walls of former Pizza Hut buildings across the country. These nostalgic spaces hold memories of a bygone era, but through the power of transformation, they provide something new and special for the communities that continue to flow through them. From an LGBTQ+ church in Florida, to a karaoke bar in Texas, to a cannabis dispensary in rural Colorado, these modern-day portraits are paralleled with the origin story of Pizza Hut - one of America's most iconic brands, and the two brothers who founded the company in Wichita, Kansas in 1958.