Celebrate David Chang's birthday today by watching 'Ugly Delicious.' It is as accessible and enjoyable as documentary series get. www.nonfics.com/p/ugly-delic...

In honor of Adam Yauch, who was born on this date in 1964, we recommend watching 'Gunnin' for that #1 Spot' and 'Awesome! I Shot That,' both of which he directed, 'Beastie Boys Story,' about his iconic hip hop group, and any documentaries from Oscilloscope Laboratories, which he founded.

We look back at the first three documentary features by Errol Morris: www.nonfics.com/p/errol-morr...

Werner Herzog's 'Grizzly Man' is now streaming for free with ads on YouTube. Here's our recent look back at the film for its 20th anniversary: buff.ly/4BObBAk

In honor of Pat Smear's birthday today, we recommend watching some of our favorite punk rock documentaries. You can even see Smear with the Germs in 'The Decline of Western Civilization.' buff.ly/2MqMHoI

15 years ago today, Alison Ellwood & Alex Gibney's 'Magic Trip: Ken Kesey’s Search For A Kool Place' was released in theaters. We just republished our review of the documentary, which is now available on Tubi, Kanopy, Fandango at Home, and YouTube: www.nonfics.com/p/magic-trip...

Today in Documentary 'Hell’s Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films' is re-released in theaters with a 2K restoration A new episode of '911: Did the Killer Call?' debuts on Investigation Discovery Find more to watch: www.nonfics.com/p/week-in-do...

This Week In Documentary

Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - July 31-August 6, 2026

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Today is writer Wendell Berry's 92nd birthday. Honor him today by watching 'Look & See: A Portrait of Wendell Berry' on Netflix and then reading our interview with director Laura Dunn: www.nonfics.com/p/laura-dunn...

“I love Terry Gilliam...Have you ever seen an animal, still alive, fighting for life in a steel trap? That's Terry’s utterly unique, genius lunatic creativity fighting the system.” - Duncan Jones recommending 'Lost in La Mancha,' which is now on Tubi. See more of Jones's doc picks: bit.ly/36ttr5S

Neil Armstrong was born on this date in 1930. As if we really need an excuse to watch 'Apollo 11' for the 100th time. You can stream it on Netflix or Kanopy. Here's our review to remind you why: buff.ly/2WofOin

Here are 5 essential climate change documentaries, including the Fisher Stevens-helmed, Leonardo DiCaprio-produced film 'Before the Flood': buff.ly/FmpmI6H

The election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States has been commemorated with the crowd-sourced participatory documentary '11/4/08.' It's one of the most important films documenting Black history in the making, listed here: buff.ly/2ntwzZc

Jonathan Olshefski’s timeless debut, ‘Quest,’ chronicles a dramatic coming-of-age during the Obama years. Watch it now via OVID, Tubi, GuideDoc, or Kanopy, and read our review: buff.ly/2z8Q5jq

In our latest column on Oscar-winning documentaries, we look at the 4 films that tied for the first and last Academy Award for Best Documentary (and why it shouldn't be considered the first Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature): www.nonfics.com/p/first-osca...

Revisit Barack Obama's presidency on his birthday by watching 'The Final Year.' Now streaming on HBO MAX. Here's our review: buff.ly/2APQQQl

'Lost in La Mancha' is now available to stream on Tubi. It remains one of the best documentaries about the struggles of filmmaking, as listed here: buff.ly/3WWJIv9

On this date in 2012, Peter Mettler's 'The End of Time' premiered at the Locarno Film Festival. Watch it now on Kanopy and check out our spotlight on Mettler's films here: buff.ly/2RsIDr4

Diana Whitten's 'Vessel' is now streaming for free with ads on YouTube. We briefly reviewed the film here: www.nonfics.com/p/evolution-... and included it on a list of necessary documentaries about reproductive rights here: www.nonfics.com/p/four-essen...

Michel Brault, Marcel Carrière, and Pierre Perrault's classic documentary 'Pour la suite du monde' was released on this date in 1963 via the National Film Board of Canada (watch for free on their website). Read all about it in our primer on Québec’s Cinéma Direct: www.nonfics.com/p/quebecs-ci...

Today in Documentary Tons of Ken Burns documentaries are out on DVD and/or Blu-ray, including his latest, 'The American Revolution' The final episode of 'Once Upon a Time in Space' premieres on PBS Find more to watch this week: www.nonfics.com/p/week-in-do...

This Week In Documentary

Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - July 31-August 6, 2026

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For Barack Obama's birthday today, we recommend watching 'Crip Camp,' the first documentary he executive-produced. It's on Netflix. Also, here are directors Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht on how the film immerses us in the disability rights movement. buff.ly/2WSpIeK

TCM is airing the Oscar-nominated 'Main Street Today' this morning. It's a sequel to the Oscar-winning 'Main Street on the March!' which we recently wrote about here: www.nonfics.com/p/of-pups-pu...

For Tom Brady's birthday today, we recommend watching 'The Dynasty: New England Patriots' on Apple TV. We wrote about the series here: www.nonfics.com/p/layers-of-...

Penny Lane's 'Wild Inside' is now in theaters and our Pick of the Week. Find our review in the latest newsletter here: www.nonfics.com/p/week-in-do...

'The Queen of Versailles' is now streaming for free with ads on YouTube. Here's director Lauren Greenfield on the film, discussing the importance of good cinematography in documentaries and more: bit.ly/37VDCAJ

'Viktor,' which made our list of the best documentaries of 2025 (buff.ly/Am5p8ff), is now available to watch on Mubi. Here's our review: buff.ly/o3TD3Wd

5 Women Documentary Pioneers You Should Know www.nonfics.com/p/5-women-do...

The best baseball documentaries, including 'Screwball,' 'Fastball,' and 'Knuckleball!' www.nonfics.com/p/best-baseb...

Jonathan Demme's 'Neil Young: Heart of Gold' is now available on Kanopy. See where the documentary ranks on our list of the best concert films of all time: bit.ly/2YfiHUd

Today was the first day of school for many kids in America. So here's our list of favorite documentaries about student life and the education system: www.nonfics.com/p/10-documen...