Oscar 2023 documentary watchlist

Follows the life of beloved actor and advocate Michael J. Fox, exploring his personal and professional triumphs and travails, and what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease.

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.

The life and career of Little Richard, the one-of-a-kind rock 'n' roll icon who shaped the world of music.

Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. Filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses to fill in their absence.

In this deeply intimate documentary, musician Jon Batiste attempts to compose a symphony as his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, undergoes cancer treatment.

Follows Ugandan opposition leader, activist and musical star Bobi Wine. He used his music to fight the regime led by Yoweri Museveni, the person who led the country for 35 years.

A champion and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another. Despite different paths taken, they meet at the pinnacle of the free-diving world, experiencing the thrilling rewards and inescapable risks of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.

The story of several families as they attempt to escape oppression in North Korea, revealing a world most of us have never seen.

Examines the rapid ascent, fall from grace, and journey forward for controversial fashion designer John Galliano.

Explores the elemental phenomenon of sound and its power to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us.

New York, 2010. Jeff Harris, a music journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenório Júnior, a young Brazilian samba-jazz pianist who disappeared in Buenos Aires on March 18, 1976.

A funeral car cruises the streets of Medellin, while a young director tells the story of his past in this violent and conservative city. He remembers the pre-production of his first film, a Class-B movie with ghosts.

A hybrid documentary/scripted feature based on Dr. Kendi's National Book Award-winning "Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas".

In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion.

Years after leaving her Palestinian village to pursue an acting career in France, Hiam Abbass returns home with her daughter, in this intimate documentary about four generations of women and their shared legacy of separation.

A groundbreaking documentary film that uses Lady Bird's audio diaries to tell the story of one of the most influential and least understood First Ladies in history.

A camera aboard a drone flies over a territory. The aerial images show barren landscapes, dotted with shabby houses, animals and a few human figures. We scarcely have time to wonder where we are when a text appears on the screen directly addressing the viewer: we are in Syrian Kurdistan, liberated from the occupation of the Islamic State, whose jihadist members are currently in prison. The woman who speaks has been given permission to question them; about their ideas, their past and the future. The Kurdish filmmaker Zaynê Akyol, who made a great impression on the Visions du Réel audience in 2016 with GULÎSTAN, LAND OF ROSES, shows towards them dialectic behaviour typical of those who want to understand before they pass sentence. Their stories thus take shape, framed by a mise en scène that shifts between words, faces and aerial views of the landscape. An unexpected look at a far-reaching current political issue and a film whose subject matter and rhythm create an impressive cinematographic object.

Downtown Recife's classic movie palaces from the 20th century are mostly gone. That city area is now an archaeological site of sorts that reveals aspects of life in society which have been lost. And that's just part of the story.

The cultural roots of coal continue to permeate the rituals of daily life in Appalachia even as its economic power wanes. The journey of a coal miner's daughter exploring the region's dreams and myths, untangling the pain and beauty.

26-year-old American missionary John Chau was killed as he attempted to make contact with an Indigenous group off the coast of India, one of the last communities on the planet still living in isolation.

Augusto and Paulina have been together for 25 years. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Both fear the day he no longer recognizes her.

A raw depiction of the lives of four black trans sex workers as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves.

A look at the life of poet, Nikki Giovanni and the revolutionary historical periods through which she lived, from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter.

A portrait of modern-day Lebanon as seen through the eyes of four families living in the impoverished Sabra and Shatila neighborhoods of the city, the scene of an infamous massacre in 1982.

Anselm Kiefer is one of the greatest contemporary artists. His past and present diffuse the line between film and painting, thus giving a unique cinematic experience that dives deep into an artist's work and reveals his life path.