This Week In Documentary: 2025 Oscar Nominees Ranked, 'Celtics City'
Theatrical & Streaming Releases - New & Recommended - February 28-March 6, 2025
We have one more day of Black History Month (but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop watching Black History films). Then it’s on to March and Women’s History Month. MUBI is celebrating the occasion with a spotlight on films directed by women, including the documentaries Dahomey, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, Grand Theft Hamlet, Cow, Bunker, Sweetgrass, multiple works by Alanis Obomsawin, and Laura Poitras’s Citizenfour, the last of which is new to the streaming service beginning Saturday.
The PBS documentary showcase Independent Lens also has a curation for Women’s History Month, including the films Space: The Longest Goodbye, Dolores, Hidden Letters, and more. I also recommend our list of great women’s history films, many of which are directed by women, including Freida Lee Mock, Chris Hegedus, Shola Lynch, Ricki Stern, and Anne Sundberg. We also have an essential list of women documentary pioneers you should know about, like Esfir Shub and Shirley Clarke.
Unrelated to women’s history, Timothée Chalamet could win Best Actor at the Oscars this weekend for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in the biopic A Complete Unknown (he shocked the industry with his Screen Actors Guild Awards win last weekend). The film also received seven other Academy Awards nominations (including two for women, so I guess it counts, especially since one of them is for a portrayal of the historically significant singer Joan Baez). In recognition of this and the upcoming anniversary of certain events, I wrote about the Bob Dylan documentary Don’t Look Back for our paid subscribers (with a tease for everyone else) and hope you’ll read it.
Now, without further ado, below you’ll find 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.
Nonfics Picks Of The Week: The 2025 Oscar-Nominated Documentary Feature Films
The 97th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, meaning you have only a few days left to catch up with any nominees you haven’t watched yet. I previously reviewed and ranked this year’s contenders for the Oscar for Best Documentary Short. I’ve also previously written about all of the feature nominees, including Elton John: Never Too Late (now streaming on Disney+), which is up for Best Music (Original Song) for the new Elton John tune (written by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt, and Bernie Taupin) “Never Too Late,” which plays during its closing credits.
Now it’s time for my last-minute ranking of the nominees for Best Documentary Feature Film and prediction for which contender will win the award:
1. No Other Land (now in theaters)
2. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (streaming on Kanopy and the Kino Film Collection)
3. Sugarcane (streaming on Hulu and Disney+)
4. Black Box Diaries (streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime)
5. Porcelain War (now in theaters)
Considering No Other Land has won most awards (losing only a few major honors to non-nominee Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story), it should be the favorite to win the Oscar, and while it’s not as easily seen publicly as the others, it has been a huge box office hit in its limited theatrical run. Another prediction I’ve seen is for Porcelain War, which was the only one not to make my list of the best documentaries of 2024. Voters may have been partial to that one, given current events regarding the war in Ukraine, though the same could be true for No Other Land.
My prediction and biased wish (given its two Critics Choice Documentary Awards wins) is that Sugarcane will split the difference. Directors Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat have been everywhere lately promoting the film, and that campaigning — for awareness of its vitally important subject as much as for awards recognition — could pay off on Sunday. I think this year’s crop of nominees are all deserving of an Oscar, though. They’re all well-made and spotlight important stories and issues. The latter element isn’t always necessary, but this year, I think it’s best to let a worthy cause be given the international stage.
Other Documentary Highlights
Celtics City (2025)
Given the popularity of We Beat the Dream Team on Max, the streamer is smart to have another basketball documentary at the ready. Celtics City is a much bigger project, though, with nine episodes covering the history of the titular NBA team and airing weekly through the end of April. It’s mostly for diehard basketball fans, especially those in Boston, obviously, and the episodes I’ve watched focus on players rather than compelling sports narratives (at least not the kind that held my attention). It’s a well-produced history for those who fit its target audience.
The first episode of Celtics City premieres on HBO and Max on Monday, March 3, with subsequent episodes arriving every Monday through April 28.
The Decline Of Western Civilization Trilogy (1981-1998)
This Women’s History Month, celebrate the work of Penelope Spheeris, whose three entries in the Decline of Western Civilization trilogy are classics of the music documentary genre. While today there are criticisms of The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years for mining substance abuse for comedy, it’s still a wild record of the excess of the 1980s heavy metal scene in Los Angeles. Plus, it surely gave someone the idea that Ozzy Osborne needed a reality show.
As for the other two installments, the 1981 original is by itself among the best documentaries about punk rock, though our review of the Decline of Western Civilization Collection box set recognizes the value in watching all three films:
“Watching Decline as a series rather than individual films only enriches each entry, contextualizing these separate titles as an ethnographic portrait of various L.A. music scenes over two decades. Separately, each Decline depicts subcultures at their idiosyncratic margins, attempting to make clear the rules, values, and styles as described by those who take part. But altogether, this set constitutes an ambitious study of how urban youth cultures form and fade away — how they build upon or negate one another, attempt to one-up or erase what’s come before, and change according to numerous conditions visible inside and outside the music scene, whether they be economic, social, or political.”
All three parts of the Decline of Western Civilization trilogy begin streaming on The Criterion Channel on Saturday, March 1.
Frederick Wiseman Documentaries
This is the last week of the Film at Lincoln Center program “Frederick Wiseman: An American Institution,” meaning it’s your last chance to see some Frederick Wiseman documentaries on the big screen in 4K. If you’re not in New York, here are the films to follow along with (mostly via Kanopy): Ex Libris: The New York Public Library on Friday; At Berkeley and In Jackson Heights on Saturday; La Danse: Paris Opera Ballet and Menus-Plaisirs Les Troisgros (streaming on PBS Passport, not yet available on Kanopy) on Sunday; Near Death and Central Park on Tuesday; and Ballet, Domestic Violence, and Domestic Violence 2 on Wednesday.
Golden Reel & Independent Spirit Awards Winners
More film honors in the lead up to the Oscars were held last week, including the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards. The MPSE recognized Music by John Williams (streaming on Disney+) in their Outstanding Achievement in Music Editing - Documentary category, The Blue Angels (streaming on Prime Video) for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary, and Apollo 13: Survival (streaming on Netflix) for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Non-Theatrical Documentary. Also, an episode of the Apple TV+ docuseries Earthsounds (“Australian Forest”) beat out its fiction show competitors for the award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Broadcast Short Form.
Meanwhile, No Other Land picked up yet another honor, winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature. Former Oscar-nominated documentarian Sean Wang (Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó) also deserves a shoutout for winning the awards for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay for his autobiographical drama Didi.
Joe Brewster & Michèle Stephenson Documentaries
Married filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson have been making documentaries together for more than 30 years, though their first collaboration as co-directors didn’t see the light of day until 2013 — intentionally. That film, American Promise, followed their son and his friend for 12 years (sadly, Boyhood got all the attention at the time for doing the same thing fictionally). Another one of their docs, Slaying Goliath, is also focused on their son. The rest are more varied, yet primarily deal with Black lives. Last year, they had their greatest success with Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, an Emmy-winning feature about the titular poet.
Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson are being celebrated in March on The Criterion Channel, where American Promise, Slaying Goliath, and Stateless (helmed solo by Stephenson) begin streaming on Saturday. Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project is currently streaming on Max, and their recent short documentary Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games is streaming on Disney+, while two other Brewster and Stephenson shorts, Elena and Decolonizing Mental Health, are streaming on Kanopy.
Last Breath (2019)
This weekend’s major new theatrical release is Last Breath, a dramatic remake of the 2019 documentary of the same name. The 2025 version is also co-scripted and directed by Alex Parkinson, who wrote the original and helmed the film with Richard da Costa. Normally, I would recommend the doc option, but it’s pretty underwhelming despite the intensity of its story. I haven’t seen the remake, though, so I can’t say it’s better.
Both films are about the miraculous rescue of a diver trapped in the North Sea, 100 meters below the surface, during a routine repair of an oil rig. For most of its runtime, the documentary keeps it a secret that the diver survived, which wouldn’t be so crummy if its storytelling was at least engaging. The diver’s explanation of what happened and where his mind went the whole time is the most interesting part. Still, if you’re interested in seeing the new film, you might be curious to see this one as well.
Last Breath is available to rent or buy from all the major digital platforms.
Shaking It Up: The Life And Times Of Liz Carpenter (2024)
The titular journalist, press secretary, and feminist leader gets the relatively brief but adequately compact biographical treatment with Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter. As a film, it’s nothing special, but Liz Carpenter (who died 15 years ago this March) remains a fiery personality in the archival clips and soundbites presented. Given the way the U.S. is going right now with rising exclusion, dismissal of news media, and further political divisiveness, this documentary reminds us that we need to make America great again in ways other than what MAGA represents.
Shaking It Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter premieres on PBS and its website on Saturday, March 1.
Documentary Release Calendar 2/28/25 - 3/6/25
Friday, February 28, 2025
Aitana: Metamorphosis (2025) - A six-part docuseries about the titular Spanish singer. (Netflix)
Beyond the Line of Duty (1942) - An Oscar-winning short film about Army Air Forces Captain Hewett T. Wheless, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in the early days of World War II. (TCM)
Brothers After War (2025) - A follow-up to Brothers at War that follows Iraq War veterans as they reconnect. (In Theaters)
Fur Babies Episodes 3 & 4: “Cockapoos And Mini Zoos” & “Pups A-Plenty And Chicks A-Laying” - The latest episodes of this new docuseries focused on pets’ pregnancies. (National Geographic WILD)
Operation Raintree (1957) - A short documentary about the making of the movie Raintree County. (TCM)
Outliers and Outlaws (2025) - A documentary about the hundreds of lesbians who migrated to Eugene, Oregon, from the 1960s through the 1980s. (In Theaters)
Touristic Intents (2021) - A documentary about a never-completed Nazi resort. (OVID)
The United States of Rugby Episode 2 - The latest episode of this docuseries about the Chicago Hounds. (The Roku Channel)
Saturday, March 1, 2025
American Promise (2013) - A feature documentary by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster following two African-American families over 12 years. Read our review of American Promise. (The Criterion Channel)
Citizenfour (2014) - An Oscar-winning film by Laura Poitras documenting whistleblower Edward Snowden’s leak of classified U.S. documents. Read our review of Citizenfour. (MUBI)
Crime Scene Sweden Seasons 1-4 - A docuseries about murder investigators in Sweden. (Viaplay)
The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) - A documentary by Penelope Spheeris about the L.A. punk scene. Read our review of the Decline of Western Civilization trilogy collection box set. (The Criterion Channel)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988) - A documentary by Penelope Spheeris about the L.A. heavy metal scene. (The Criterion Channel)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998) - A documentary by Penelope Spheeris about the L.A. gutter punk scene. (The Criterion Channel)
Filming “The Trial” (1981) - A documentary by Orson Welles about the making of his 1962 Kafka adaptation, The Trial. (The Criterion Channel)
The Great Heart (1938) - An Oscar-nominated short about Father Damien and his work with lepers on Molokai Island. (TCM)
Incredible Northern Vets Episodes 7 & 8: “Rainbow Puppy” & “Tip of the Iceberg” - The latest installments of a docuseries following the work of three Indigenous veterinarians. (National Geographic WILD)
Mourning Son (2015) - A documentary about rocker Dave Navarro focused on his childhood trauma of his mother being murdered by an ex-boyfriend. (VOD)
New York Homicide Season 3, Episode 5: “A Hurricane of Deceit” - The latest episode of this true-crime docuseries about recent murder cases in New York City is about a killing that occurred during a natural disaster. (Oxygen)
Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler Season 2, Episode 6: “A Family Divided” - The latest episode of this true-crime docuseries involves the death of a former NFL star and his wife. (Oxygen)
Shaking It Up: The Life & Times of Liz Carpenter (2024) - A feature documentary about the titular writer and feminist. (PBS)
Slaying Goliath (2008) - A documentary by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster about an amateur youth basketball team. (The Criterion Channel)
Stateless (2020) - A feature documentary by Michèle Stephenson about the Dominican Republic’s decision to strip residents of citizenship if they have Haitian parents. (The Criterion Channel)
Story of a Dog (1945) - An Oscar-nominated short documentary following dogs training to be a part of the U.S. Coast Guard. (TCM)
Sunday, March 2, 2025
The Americas Episode 3: “The Wild West” - The latest episode of this 10-part nature docuseries narrated by Tom Hanks continues to showcase the flora and fauna of North and South America. (NBC)
Fatal Family Feuds Season 2, Episode 3: “Killer Custody Battle” - The latest episode of this true-crime series about murders committed due to family feuds involves the disappearance of a retired police officer’s daughter. (Oxygen)
Fire Department, Inc. (2025) - A documentary about the legal battle after a village privatizes its fire department. (In Theaters)
The Food That Built America Season 6, Episode 2: “Movie Theater Munchies” - The new season of this historical foodie docuseries focuses on concession stand favorites. (History)
Malawi Wildlife Rescue Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2: “How to Catch a Lizard” & “An Island Home” - The return of this nature docuseries involves veterinary stories focused on a baboon, a pangolin, a duiker, and more. (National Geographic WILD)
No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski Episodes 3 & 4: “Justin Theroux’s Italian Quest” & “James Marsden’s German Dish Up” - The latest episodes of this new docuseries focus on the culinary ancestries of actors Justin Theroux and James Marsden. (National Geographic)
Prophet Without Honor (1939) - An Oscar-nominated short about Matthew Fontaine Maury, who developed the first maps charting the oceans' winds and currents. (TCM)
Smart as a Fox (1946) - An Oscar-nominated short showing the life of a fox cub. (TCM)
WWE Rivals Season 5, Episode 3: “Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior” - The latest episode of this docuseries about pro wrestling rivalries. (A&E)
Monday, March 3, 2025
Celtics City Chapter I: “Founding Fathers” - The first installment of this nine-part docuseries about the Boston Celtics looks at the team’s origin story. (HBO and Max)
Malawi Wildlife Rescue Season 2, Episodes 1 & 2: “How to Catch a Lizard” & “An Island Home” - The return of this nature docuseries involves veterinary stories focused on a baboon, a pangolin, a duiker, and more. (Hulu and Disney+)
No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski Episodes 3 & 4: “Justin Theroux’s Italian Quest” & “James Marsden’s German Dish Up” - The latest episodes of this new docuseries focus on the culinary ancestries of actors Justin Theroux and James Marsden. (Hulu and Disney+)
Visiting St. Louis (1944) - A short documentary installment of James A. FitzPatrick’s TravelTalks travelogue franchise that explores St. Louis. (TCM)
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Building on Tainted Soil (2022) - A short documentary about American Indian boarding schools. (OVID)
Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid (2024) - A documentary about political consultant and strategist James Carville. Read our review of Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid. (DVD)
The Dogmatics: A Dogumentary (2023) - A feature-length documentary about the titular band. (DVD)
Kings of the Turf (1941) - An Oscar-nominated Sports Parade short about a Standardbred horse named Mortimer. (TCM)
Life Below Zero Season 23, Episode 20: “The Last Snow” - The latest episode of this docuseries that follows secluded life in Alaska. (National Geographic)
Portrait of a Genius (1943) - A short documentary about Leonardo Da Vinci’s genius as an inventor. (TCM)
Sin City Gigolo: A Murder in Las Vegas (2025) - A three-part true-crime docuseries about a sex worker known for appearing on a reality TV show who later murdered a client. (Paramount+)
Stolen Spirits (2024) - An episode of Foreign Correspondent about the search for graves of Native American children in Nebraska who had been sent to boarding schools. (OVID)
Symptoms in Schizophrenia (1938) - A short documentary about the symptoms of schizophrenia. (TCM)
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
The Amazing Mr. Nordill (1947) - A short film in MGM’s Passing Parade series about an infamous counterfeiter. (TCM)
Homicide Squad New Orleans Season 1, Episode 11: “Beware Thy Neighbor” - The latest episode of this new docuseries involves the murder of a woman over an argument regarding pets. (A&E)
Trango (2025) - A documentary following a skiing adventure at Great Trango Glacier in Pakistan. (In Theaters)
Thursday, March 6, 2025
A Cinderella Named Elizabeth (1965) - A short documentary about the casting of Elizabeth Hartman in the film A Patch of Blue. (TCM)
For the Win: NWSL (2025) - A four-part docuseries about the 2024 National Women's Soccer League playoffs and championship. (Prime Video)
I Am Somebody (1970) - A short documentary about Black women hospital workers who went on strike in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1969. (TCM)
Larissa: The Other Side of Anitta (2025) - A documentary about the Brazilian singer born Larissa de Macedo Machado, famously known as Anitta. (Netflix)
Mills Blue Rhythm Band (1934) - A short music film featuring performances by the titular orchestra. (TCM)
Open Your Eyes, Jeffrey (2025) - A documentary about a man in Houston trying to find his identity. (In Theaters)
Writing with Fire (2021) - An Oscar-nominated feature documentary about women journalists in India. (OVID)
Sneak Peak At What’s Coming Soon
3/9 - Breaking the Bird - A four-part docuseries about Twitter, from its origins to the eventual sale to Elon Musk. (CNN)
3/11 - Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna - A documentary about cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was accidentally killed by a gun fired by Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie Rust. Watch the new trailer for the film below. (Hulu)
3/14 - October 8 - A documentary about the rise of antisemitism on college campuses and social media after the October 7 attacks in Israel. (In Theaters)
3/17 - The Calling: A Medical School Journey - A documentary following a group of medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. (PBS)
3/19 - Aum: The Cult at the End of the World - A documentary about Aum Shinrikyo, the cult behind the Tokyo subway gas attack in 1995. (In Theaters)
3/28 - Thank You Very Much - A documentary about actor and comedian Andy Kaufman. (In Theaters and VOD)