Documentary Feature Film
Nominees:

“2000 Meters to Andriivka”
“The Alabama Solution”
“Apocalypse in the Tropics”
“Coexistence, My Ass!”
“Come See Me in the Good Light”
“Cover-Up”
“Cutting through Rocks”
“Folktales”
“Holding Liat”
“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”
“Mistress Dispeller”
“My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
“Seeds”
“Yanuni”

Per the Academy’s press release:

Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature Film category for the 98th Academy Awards. Two hundred one films were eligible in the category. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

Nominations voting begins on Monday, January 12, 2026, and concludes on Friday, January 16, 2026. Nominations for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2026. The 98th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS

2000 METERS TO ANDRIIVKA • PBS Distribution

Mstyslav Chernov | Director
Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath, Mstyslav Chernov | Producers

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT • Apple Original Films

Ryan White | Director
Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen | Producers

COVER-UP • Netflix

Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | Directors
Yoni Golijov, Olivia Streisand, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus | Producers

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN • Kino Lorber

David Borenstein | Director
Helle Faber | Producer

THE PERFECT NEIGHBOR • Netflix

Geeta Gandbhir | Director
Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne, Sam Bisbee, Geeta Gandbhir | Producers

WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?

This year’s Documentary Feature race largely feels like Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor versus everything else, as it’s the clear frontrunner in the category. The boldest move the Documentary Branch could make would be to leave it out entirely and keep the field wide open. But if it does secure a nomination, I’d put all my money on it winning. As for the remaining slots, there’s a strong case to be made for nearly every contender. Most have either won major precursors or premiered at festivals like Sundance, which frequently serve as pipelines to Oscar nominations. My predictions have flip-flopped throughout the season, and at this point, I’ve essentially thrown a few darts and landed on the films I think have the best chance of breaking through.

I’ve seen 2000 Meters to Andriivka and Mr. Nobody Against Putin, and both feel worthy of a nomination. While they each focus on the Russia–Ukraine conflict, I do wonder whether the Academy will ultimately nominate both. For now, though, that’s the bet I’m making. Another documentary centered on the same subject, My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow, has been winning some major precursors, raising the question of whether the Academy might lean in that direction instead. Its runtime exceeds five hours, but as O.J.: Made in America demonstrated, length alone isn’t necessarily a deterrent. Even so, I’m leaving it out of my final predictions.

Come See Me in the Good Light is a film that’s been popping up consistently throughout awards season. Its subject matter — centered on a woman battling cancer alongside her loved one — feels squarely in the Academy’s wheelhouse, and by most accounts, it’s a tearjerker. Rounding out my picks is Cover-Up, from director Laura Poitras, who has three Oscar nominations and one win (Citizenfour), making her a clear Academy favorite and a strong candidate for another nomination.

Other films I strongly considered include The Alabama Solution, which has appeared on many pundits’ prediction lists for much of the season, and Apocalypse in the Tropics, which has been earning recognition in several corners. The Documentary Branch also has a habit of embracing at least one surprise nominee each year, so if I had to wager on an unexpected upset, it would be Cutting Through Rocks.

“2000 Meters to Andriivka”

July 25, 2025 | PBS Distribution | 108 min | Ukrainian, English | Documentary

Mstyslav Chernov

Synopsis: A Ukrainian platoon’s mission: traverse a heavily fortified mile of forest to liberate a strategic village from Russian forces. A journalist accompanies them, witnessing the ravages of war and the growing uncertainty about its conclusion.

✰ American Society of Cinematographers Awards Nominee
✰ Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Directors Guild of America Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Gotham Awards Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Top Five
✰ Stockholm Film Festival Winner
✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ Bergen International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Athens International Film Festival Nominee
✰ CPH:DOX Winner
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Nominee
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Docudays UA International Doc Human Rights Film Festival Winner
✰ DocAviv Film Festival Winner
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
✰ It’s All True – International Documentary Film Festival Nominee
✰ Ukrainian Film Critics Awards Winner
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ OKO International Ethnographic Film Festival Winner

“The Alabama Solution”

October 10, 2025 | HBO Documentary Films | 115 min | English

Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman

Synopsis: Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of the United States’ deadliest prison systems.

✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ International Documentary Association Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ PGA Awards Nominee
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Winner
✰ Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Music City Film Critics’ Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ North Dakota Film Society Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee

“Apocalypse in the Tropics”

July 14, 2025 | Netflix | 109 min | Portuguese, English

Petra Costa

Synopsis: An exploration of the profound impact of evangelism on Brazil’s political landscape.

✰ Denver Film Festival Nominee
✰ International Documentary Association Awards Winner
✰ Miami Film Festival Nominee
✰ Stockholm Film Festival Nominee
✰ São Paulo Association of Art Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Antenna Documentary Festival Winner
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Nominee
✰ Montclair Film Festival Winner
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
✰ Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Nominee

“Coexistence, My Ass!”

January 26, 2025 | mTuckman Media | 95 min | English, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian

Amber Fares

Synopsis: Comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi’s one-woman show tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the struggle for equality, challenging audiences with uncomfortable truths when her pursuit of coexistence starts sounding absurd.

✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ Valladolid International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival Winner
✰ Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon Nominee
✰ BendFilm Festival Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Winner
✰ Dokufest International Documentary Film Festival Winner

“Come See Me in the Good Light”

November 14, 2025 | Apple Original Films | 104 min | English

Ryan White

Synopsis: Facing an incurable diagnosis, two poet lovers embark on a poignant yet unexpectedly humorous exploration of love, mortality, and life’s moments.

✰ American Society of Cinematographers Awards Nominee
✰ Cleveland International Film Festival Winner
✰ Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ GLAAD Media Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee
✰ International Documentary Association Award Winner
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Awards Winner (Top Five)
✰ Provincetown International Film Festival Winner
✰ San Francisco International Film Festival Winner
✰ Seattle International Film Festival Winner
✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ Toronto Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Winner
✰ Virginia Film Festival Winner
✰ Boulder International Film Festival Winner
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Calgary International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Winner
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Montclair Film Festival Winner
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards Nominee
✰ North Dakota Film Society Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Girls on Film Awards Nominee

“Cover-Up”

December 19, 2025 | Netflix | 118 min | English, Vietnamese, Arabic

Mark Obenhaus, Laura Poitras

Synopsis: Seymour Hersh has been at the front lines of political journalism in the United States. Hersh’s breakthrough reportage has brought to the public’s attention many of the most damning constitutional wrongdoings and cover-ups.

✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Denver Film Festival Winner
✰ Directors Guild of America Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Hamptons International Film Festival Nominee
✰ International Documentary Association Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ London Critics Circle Film Awards Nominee
✰ National Board of Review Awards Winner
✰ PGA Awards Nominee
✰ Stockholm Film Festival Nominee
✰ Athens International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Winner
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Montclair Film Festival Winner
✰ AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
✰ Music City Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ North Dakota Film Society Awards Nominee
✰ Columbus Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Girls on Film Awards Nominee
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Film Awards Nominee

“Cutting through Rocks”

November 21, 2025 | Madman Films | 95 min | Persian

Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki

Synopsis: First female councilor in her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi challenges tradition by teaching girls to ride motorcycles and fighting child marriage, while facing doubts about her motives.

✰ International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Winner
✰ Directors Guild of America Awards Nominee
✰ Galway Film Fleadh Awards Nominee
✰ Giffoni Film Festival Winner
✰ Humanitas Prize Nominee
✰ Leipzig DOK Festival Winner
✰ Newport Beach Film Festival Winner
✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ Sydney Film Festival Nominee
✰ Warsaw International Film Festival Winner
✰ Woodstock Film Festival Winner
✰ Athens International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Nominee
✰ Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon Winner
✰ Cinema for Peace Awards Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Winner
✰ DocsBarcelona Awards Nominee
✰ New Zealand International Film Festival Winner
✰ Social Impact Media Awards Nominee
✰ Guanajuato International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Montclair Film Festival Nominee
✰ Maine International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Berkshire International Film Festival Nominee
✰ DMZ International Documentary Film Festival Winner
✰ Festival Internacional de Cinema Social de Catalunya Winner
✰ This Human World Award Winner
✰ Festival des Libertés Award Winner
✰ Middle East Now Awards Winner
✰ MDOC – Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival Winner
✰ Festival international du film d’Éducation Winner
✰ Verzio International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Winner
✰ Anthem Awards Winner
✰ Centre Film Festival Winner
✰ Terraviva Film Festival Winner

“Folktales”

July 25, 2025 | Magnolia Pictures | 105 min | Norwegian

Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Synopsis: Teenagers attend a folk high school in Arctic Norway, relying on themselves, peers, and sled dogs as they navigate the path to adulthood and uncharted personal growth.

✰ American Society of Cinematographers Awards Nominee
✰ Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominee

“Holding Liat”

February 16, 2025 | The Film Collaborative | 97 min | English, Hebrew

Brandon Kramer

Synopsis: After Liat Beinin Atzili is kidnapped on October 7th, her Israeli-American family faces their own conflicting perspectives to fight for her release and the future of the places they call home.

✰ Berlin International Film Festival Winner
✰ Hamptons International Film Festival Winner
✰ Hong Kong International Film Festival Nominee
✰ DocAviv Film Festival Winner

“Mr. Nobody Against Putin”

March 22, 2025 | Kino Lorber | 90 min | Russian, English | Documentary

David Borenstein

Synopsis: A Russian teacher secretly documents his small town school’s transformation into a war recruitment center during the Ukraine invasion, revealing the ethical dilemmas educators face amid propaganda and militarization.

✰ Ann Arbor Film Festival Winner
✰ PGA Awards Nominee
✰ Danish Film Awards Nominee
✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ Prague One World Film Festival Winner
✰ Göteborg Film Festival Nominee
✰ Calgary International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Cinema for Peace Awards Nominee
✰ The Hague Movies that Matter Festival Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Winner
✰ DocsBarcelona Awards Winner
✰ DocAviv Film Festival Nominee
✰ Biografilm Festival Winner
✰ Millennium Docs Against Gravity Awards Winner
✰ ZagrebDox Awards Winner
✰ Docville Awards Winner

“Mistress Dispeller”

October 24, 2025 | Oscilloscope Laboratories | 94 min | English, Mandarin

Elizabeth Lo

Synopsis: A Chinese woman hires someone to secretly end her husband’s extramarital relationship in an attempt to save her marriage.

✰ Camerimage Awards Winner
✰ Chicago International Film Festival Winner
✰ Cleveland International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Denver Film Festival Winner
✰ Directors Guild of America Awards Nominee
✰ Gijón International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Munich Film Festival Nominee
✰ New Orleans Film Festival Winner
✰ Philadelphia Film Festival Winner
✰ RiverRun International Film Festival Winner
✰ Venice Film Festival Winner
✰ Prague One World Film Festival Nominee
✰ Zurich Film Festival Nominee
✰ Sonoma International Film Festival Winner
✰ DOXA Documentary Film Festival Winner
✰ Camden International Film Festival Nominee
✰ New Hampshire Film Festival Winner
✰ Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Nominee
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Nominee
✰ One World Int’l Human Rights Docu Film Festival Winner
✰ QCinema International Film Festival Winner
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
✰ ZagrebDox Awards Winner
✰ Docville Awards Nominee
✰ El Gouna Film Festival Nominee

“My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”

August 15, 2025 | Marminchilla | 324 min | Russian

Julia Loktev

Synopsis: Julia Loktev documents independent journalists in Moscow facing government crackdown as Russia invades Ukraine, capturing their fight for speech amid risks of being branded “foreign agents” and the country’s drift towards authoritarianism.

✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Gotham Awards Winner
✰ Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee
✰ International Documentary Association Awards Nominee
✰ Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ National Society of Film Critics Awards Winner
✰ New York Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Nominee
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
✰ Film Comment Magazine Awards Nominee

“The Perfect Neighbor”

October 10, 2025 | Netflix | 96 min | English

Geeta Gandbhir

Synopsis: A minor disagreement between neighbors in Florida takes a lethal turn, with police body camera footage and interviews probing the aftermath of the state’s controversial “stand your ground” laws.

✰ Critics Choice Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Directors Guild of America Awards Nominee
✰ Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Satellite Awards Nominee
✰ Gotham Awards Nominee
✰ Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominee
✰ Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ London Critics Circle Film Awards Nominee
✰ Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Miami Film Festival Nominee
✰ National Society of Film Critics Awards Nominee
✰ PGA Awards Nominee
✰ Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ SXSW Film Festival Nominee
✰ Black Reel Awards Nominee
✰ CPH:DOX Winner
✰ Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Winner
✰ Capri, Hollywood Winner
✰ Austin Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Cinema Eye Honors Awards Winner
✰ North Texas Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards Winner
✰ New York Film Critics Online Awards Nominee
✰ Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards Nominee
✰ Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ African-American Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Georgia Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Boston Online Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ Utah Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Women Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Phoenix Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Winner
✰ Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Atlanta Film Critics Circle Awards Winner
✰ Music City Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Online Association of Female Film Critics Awards Winner
✰ Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards Winner
✰ North Dakota Film Society Awards Nominee
✰ Chicago Indie Critics Awards Nominee
✰ Columbus Film Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Nominee
✰ Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Nominee
✰ Portland Critics Association Awards Nominee
✰ Girls on Film Awards Nominee
✰ Michigan Movie Critics Guild Awards Winner
✰ Hollywood Creative Alliance Astra Film Awards Nominee

“Seeds”

January 25, 2025 | Walking Productions | 123 min | English

Brittany Shyne

Synopsis: A look into the lives of Black generational farmers, unveiling the challenges of maintaining legacy and the value of land ownership.

✰ Cleveland International Film Festival Nominee
✰ Denver Film Festival Winner
✰ Hong Kong International Film Festival Nominee
✰ International Documentary Association Winner
✰ BFI London Film Festival Nominee
✰ Provincetown International Film Festival Winner
✰ RiverRun International Film Festival Winner
✰ San Francisco International Film Festival Winner
✰ Seattle International Film Festival Winner
✰ Sundance Film Festival Winner
✰ Black Reel Awards Nominee
✰ Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival Nominee
✰ Zurich Film Festival Nominee
✰ Dokufest International Documentary Festival Nominee
✰ Montclair Film Festival Winner
✰ Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominee
✰ El Gouna Film Festival Winner
✰ Columbus Film Critics Association Awards Nominee

“Yanuni”

November 7, 2025 | Malaika Pictures | 112 min | English

Richard Ladkani

Synopsis: In this intimate portrayal of friendship, transition and America, Will Ferrell and his close friend of thirty years decide to go on a cross-country road trip to explore a new chapter in their relationship.

✰ International Documentary Association Awards Winner
✰ Palm Springs International Film Festival Winner
✰ Savannah Film Festival Winner
✰ Red Nation Film Festival Winner

Oscars Shortlist: 15 Documentary Feature Films Shortlisted for 98th Academy Awards

Documentary Feature Film
Nominees: