Best New Documentaries Movies of 2026

Critics Consensus: A spirited and uplifting documentary, Everybody to Kenmure Street triumphantly captures a community's witty, determined stand against injustice through the power of collective action.

Synopsis: Anti-establishment struggles and activism run in the veins of Glasgow inhabitants. So when In May 2021, a U.K. Home Office raid is launched at dawn... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Felipe Bustos Sierra

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: William Greaves, David Greaves

Critics Consensus: Blessed with an enthralling raconteur as its subject, The 99 Year Old Man! is an affectionate and hilarious retrospective as well as a wistful reminder that even a long life well-lived has its fair share of heartbreak.

Starring: Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Nick Kroll

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A filmmaker applies lessons from a Hallmark movie writing workshop to pitch a documentary about concrete.

Directed By: John Wilson

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Sharon Liese

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Itab Azzam, Jack MacInnes

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Starring: Barbara Hammer

Directed By: Brydie O'Connor

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and four tenacious young women strive to be a top-selling "Cookie Queen," navigating an $800 million business in which innocence... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Alysa Nahmias

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: AMERICAN DOCTOR is a vérité non-fiction film following three prominent physicians--Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian--friends who couldn't be more different but are bound by their shared... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Thaer Ahmad, Mark Perlmutter, Feroze Sidhwa

Directed By: Poh Si Teng

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: From founding a revolutionary theater troupe alongside César Chávez to bringing the Mexican American experience to mainstream America with Zoot Suit and La Bamba, Luis... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Taylor Hackford, Cheech Marin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rose Portillo

Directed By: David Alvarado

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Amir Bar-Lev

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: An environmental nuclear bomb looms in Utah, two intrepid scientists and a political insider race the clock to save their home from an unprecedented catastrophe.

Starring: Bonnie Baxter

Directed By: Abby Ellis

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Salman Rushdie's recovery path after the attack, capturing both physical healing and renewed hope.

Starring: Salman Rushdie

Directed By: Alex Gibney

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A rural Iowa schoolteacher becomes a national voice against racism after leading a controversial 1968 lesson in discrimination with her all-white third-grade class. Now nearly... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jane Elliott, Killer Mike, Ibram X. Kendi

Directed By: Judd Ehrlich

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Michał Marczak

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A polar bear is forced to navigate a human world of tourists, wildlife officers, and hunters as its ancient migration collides with modern life. When... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Starring: Maria Bamford

Directed By: Judd Apatow, Neil Berkeley

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: From his Saturday Night Live beginnings to a string of classic comedies, Chevy Chase has always had huge comedic range. He is also a complex... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Chevy Chase

Directed By: Marina Zenovich

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Facing the death of his country's glaciers and the loss of his beloved grandparents, Icelandic writer Andri Snær Magnason turns his archives into a time... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andri Snær Magnason, Andri Snær Magnason

Directed By: Sara Dosa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Sinéad O'Shea

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Hungarian chess prodigy Judit Polgár challenges champion Garry Kasparov and her controlling father over 15 years, breaking gender barriers to become the greatest female player... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Judit Polgár, Garry Kasparov

Directed By: Rory Kennedy

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A found footage documentary from a concert tour in 1995 that features live performances, candid interviews and a behind the scene view of what it's... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Tamra Davis

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: From the Academy Award®-winning filmmakers behind Everything Everywhere All at Once and Navalny; a father-to-be tries to figure out what is happening with all this... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: Daniel Roher, Charlie Tyrell

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: An intimate, unconventional portrait of Marc Jacobs, crafted by Sofia Coppola to capture the genius and singular universe of the iconic American designer.

Starring: Marc Jacobs, Sofia Coppola, Spike Jonze

Directed By: Sofia Coppola

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: With rare access and no holds barred, the acclaimed documentarian investigates a growing ultra-masculine network and its controversial influencers.

Starring: Louis Theroux, Myron Gaines, Justin Waller, Eddie Matthews

Directed By: Adrian Choa

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Sam Green

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Directed By: Valerie Veatch

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Public Access is the untold story of the most subversive media experiment ever to take over our television sets. ​​​​​​​Public Access takes viewers through the... View Full Synopsis

Directed By: David Shadrack Smith

Critics Consensus: Presented with great pomp and circumstance but little insight, this documentary purports to be an up-close view of the First Lady while curiously revealing very little about her.

Synopsis: Amazon MGM Studios' film MELANIA offers unprecedented access to the 20 days leading up to the 2025 Presidential Inauguration -- through the eyes of the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Melania Trump

Directed By: Brett Ratner