Documentaries are now more vital than ever, offering both a snapshot of the present and essential historical perspective. The standout documentaries of 2025 include portraits of iconic women, celebrations of pivotal music moments, and a powerful new entry in the true-crime genre. Here are the highlights:
Apocalypse in the Tropics
Following her Oscar-nominated film The Edge of Democracy, which examined the fall of Brazil’s left-wing governments, director Petra Costa turns her lens to the role of evangelical Christianity in the rise of Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right presidency. The film features interviews with key figures across the ideological spectrum, including current President Lula, former President Bolsonaro, and evangelical minister Silas Malafaia. More than just a political exposé, it explores how religious faith can both energize and challenge democracy.
Becoming Katharine Graham
Katharine Graham led The Washington Post from 1963 to 1991, overseeing its coverage of the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate scandal. While her life has been chronicled in books and a Steven Spielberg film, this new documentary by George and Teddy Kunhardt offers a fresh look. It features new interviews with friends, family, and former colleagues—including Warren Buffett, Gloria Steinem, and Bob Woodward—along with revealing excerpts from the Nixon tapes.
The Encampments
Directed by Michael T. Workman and Kei Pritsker, this documentary takes a thoughtful and compassionate look at the Gaza solidarity movement on U.S. college campuses in 2024. Moving beyond stereotypes, it centers the voices of young people directly connected to the cause, such as Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil and Palestinian journalist Bisan Owda.
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
Director Ally Pankiw explores the iconic Lilith Fair, the women-focused music festival founded by Sarah McLachlan in 1997. The film features interviews with McLachlan and a roster of artists including Sheryl Crow, Brandi Carlile, and Erykah Badu. Be prepared for a strong dose of ’90s nostalgia.
Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey
Oscar-winning director Pippa Ehrlich (My Octopus Teacher) returns with a film about a wildlife photographer who rescues a baby pangolin from the illegal animal trade in South Africa and works to return it to the wild. The documentary is a detailed and moving portrait of cross-species friendship and a call for conservation.
Pee-wee as Himself
This two-part HBO docuseries reveals a deeper side of Pee-wee Herman. In it, Paul Reubens (who died in 2023) comes out as gay, reframing his public struggles in the late ’90s and offering a new perspective on his iconic character.
Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
The 2021 documentary about punk pioneer Marianne Elliott-Said, known as Poly Styrene, is now available on U.S. streaming platforms.This film goes beyond being just another entry in the women-in-punk genre, recently popularized by portraits of figures like Kathleen Hanna, Suzi Quatro, and The Slits. Co-directed and narrated by Celeste Bell, Poly Styrene’s daughter, it focuses on a turbulent mother-daughter relationship and features actress Ruth Negga reading from the punk musician’s diaries.
Pretty Dirty: The Life and Times of Marilyn Minter
As explosively colorful—and occasionally unsettling—as the artist’s own work, this film by Jennifer Ash Rudick and Amanda M. Benchley portrays an endlessly creative and influential American artist. It takes poignant detours through themes of familial trauma and addiction, making for a powerfully compelling story regardless of how you view Minter’s dewy, sticky, and fog-smeared style.
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster
Director Mark Monroe investigates the OceanGate Titan implosion, which killed its five-member crew during a 2023 expedition to the Titanic wreck site. An international news story and a modern cautionary tale, the Titan becomes, in Monroe’s film, a 21st-century counterpart to the Titanic—a symbol of the hubris born from combining tech innovation with extreme wealth. The film centers on OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, whose reckless design of the submersible led to his death aboard the Titan.
We Want the Funk!
This new musical documentary from Emmy winner and MacArthur Fellow Stanley Nelson, whose previous films explored the intersection of the Black experience and American counterculture, offers an equally intellectual history of funk music. It traces the genre from its West African, soul, and jazz roots to its later incarnations in disco, new wave, and hip-hop, featuring new and archival interviews with Black and white innovators like James Brown, George Clinton, and David Bowie.
The Yogurt Shop Murders
This searing docuseries about the brutal 1991 murder of four teenage girls in an Austin, Texas yogurt shop was riveting even before the case was likely solved in September 2025. The fact that a major break in the decades-old case came just months after the HBO Max release of the series—directed by Margaret Brown and produced by a team including Emma Stone and her husband, Dave McCary—makes the timing of this long-awaited, carefully researched project all the more eerie.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs The Best Documentaries of 2025
General Beginner Questions
Q What makes a documentary one of the best of the year
A Its a combination of critical acclaim audience impact innovative storytelling the importance of its subject and its technical excellence in areas like cinematography or editing
Q Where can I watch these top 2025 documentaries
A They are typically spread across various streaming platforms and some may have limited theatrical releases or be available for digital rental
Q Im new to documentaries Whats a good 2025 film to start with
A Look for a film on a subject youre already curious about If you love nature start with a groundbreaking nature film If youre interested in true crime or social issues choose one of the acclaimed human portrait documentaries The best entry point is always a topic that grabs you
Q Are these documentaries based on true stories
A Yes by definition documentaries are nonfiction films based on real events people or phenomena However they use creative filmmaking techniques to tell those true stories in a compelling way
Content Recommendations
Q What are some standout themes for documentaries in 2025
A Based on the slate expect continued exploration of climate change and the natural world deep dives into artificial intelligence and technologys impact intimate personal identity stories and investigative films on pressing global social issues
Q Can you give an example of a groundbreaking nature film from 2025
A While specific titles are forthcoming look for documentaries that use new camera technology to reveal neverbeforeseen animal behaviors or ecosystems often with a strong conservation message
Q What defines an intimate human portrait documentary
A These films focus deeply on one person or a small group often over a long period They prioritize emotional truth and personal experience over broad facts giving viewers a powerful closeup look at someone elses life struggles or achievements
Q Are there any mustwatch documentary series in 2025 or just films