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The 2025 Humanitas Prize nominations have been announced, once again honoring television and film writers who masterfully explore the depth of the human experience. This year’s awards will be presented at a Sept. 7 ceremony in Hollywood hosted by actress and comedian Fortune Feimster.

On the TV side, drama nominees include Emmy contenders The Pitt, The Last of Us, The Handmaid's Tale, and Brilliant Minds. Comedy contenders include The Studio, The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh, A Man on the Inside, and Clean Slate. Limited series being honored include Dying for Sex, Interior Chinatown, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, and Say Nothing.

In the film categories, last year's Oscar contenders Conclave, Nickel Boys, and Sing Sing will battle it out for Best Drama Feature, while Dìdi (弟弟), My Old Ass, and A Real Pain compete in comedy. Inside Out 2, Out of My Mind, and The Wild Robot are nominated for Best Family Feature.

The Humanitas org has revealed nominations for this year’s Humanitas Prizes, which will reveal winners at Avalon Hollywood on Sept. 7, hosted by actress/writer/comedian Fortune Feimster. Among the nominees on the TV side are “The Pitt,” “The Last of Us” and “The Studio,” while film nods include “Inside Out 2” and “The Nickel Boys.”

Also announced on Wednesday: Gina Prince-Bythewood will join Mara Brock Akil in presenting Lena Waithe with one of Humanitas’ top honors, the Voice for Change Award. As Variety first revealed in May, Waithe was chosen for this year’s prize because it “honors those who have created or championed visionary and courageous storytelling.”

A nonprofit that seeks to “honor and empower writers of film and television exploring the human experience,” Humanitas last year honored projects including “Hacks,” “Fellow Travelers,” “Black Cake” and Ava DuVernay‘s “Origin.”

The Humanitas Prizes are for film and television...

K-Pop star Lisa, best known as one of the members of Blackpink, will be the subject of a new documentary film from Sony Music Vision and director Sue Kim.

During a presentation of the film at the Sony Music Vision upfront last night, Kim confirmed she worked with Lisa for over a year. The documentary, which does not yet have a release date, includes footage of Lisa’s 2025 debut solo performance at Coachella and at home in Thailand. Kim said it will focus on showing the singer in her offstage moments,...

A new documentary on pop superstar Lisa is in the works, Sony Music Vision revealed during the company’s inaugural content showcase in Los Angeles on Thursday evening.

Produced in partnership with Lloud Co/RCA Records and Tremolo Productions, the documentary — directed by Sue Kim — follows Lisa for a year in her life as she pursues her solo career away from K-pop supergroup Blackpink. That journey has included the release of her debut album, Alter Ego, which notably landed in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and debuted at No. 1 on the top album sales chart. She also performed her first solo set at Coachella as well, and starred in season three of The White Lotus.

Aside from her solo endeavors, Lisa will be heading on tour with Blackpink this summer. However, the documentary promises to “give fans exclusive access to Lisa with an in-depth look at the artist’s groundbreaking...

Global superstar Lisa, who rose to fame with Blackpink and is now balancing that group with a successful solo recording career and move into acting, is the subject of a documentary film in production from Sony Music Vision and director Sue Kim, it was announced Thursday night.

The news came during an upfront Sony Music Vision held in Hollywood to dive into a slate of music film projects that the company currently has in the works. Kim was on hand to discuss her movie about Lisa, as were fellow directors Baz Luhrmann, who spoke at length about a recently announced Elvis Presley documentary he has in the rough-cut stage, and Frank Marshall, who showed a few minutes of footage from his Barbra Streisand doc-in-progress.

Kim said she spent a year working with Lisa on the forthcoming film, for which no release date was given. The filmmaker’s previous acclaimed directorial...

Leading US independent A24 is closing its documentary department, producer of recent features including The Last Of The Sea Women and Steve McQueen’s Occupied City, Screen Daily has confirmed.

The closure will result in five lay-offs at the company, though division head Nicole Stott and head of documentary production Emily Osborne will stay in their roles while they finish work on current projects.

The company will continue to handle recently completed documentary films including Architecton and Andre Is An Idiot and to work on in-production projects such as Danny and Michael Philippou’s film on the world of deathmatch wrestling.

A24 has shuttered its documentary division Deadline has learned and also laid off five employees in the department.

A24 had no comment.

Division head Nicole Stott and Emily Osborne, head of documentary production, will remain at A24 long enough to complete work on ongoing projects. Those projects include André Is an Idiot and Architecton.

Some of the docs produced by A24 include The Last of the Sea Women, The Sixth and Morgan Neville’s Steve Martin documentary Steve!.

They also produced Amy, which won the 2016 best documentary Oscar, and 2021 Val Kilmer documentary Val. Other non-fiction fare included the design docuseries “Home,” “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” “The Deepest Breath” and Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City.”...

A24 is scaling back its documentary division, laying off five employees from its nonfiction branch, IndieWire has learned. It’s potentially the sign of a shift away from documentary films at the indie distributor.

A24 in recent years has backed docs that have been or will be released theatrically by A24 itself, like the upcoming “André Is an Idiot,” which made its premiere at Sundance 2025, or last year’s “Look Into My Eyes.” Other recent A24 docs include some licensed films for streaming, including “The Last of the Sea Women,” the two-part Steve Martin documentary “Steve!,” and other bio-docs like “Amy,” “Val,” “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” and “The Deepest Breath.”

Nicole Stott, who leads the division, is remaining at A24, as is Emily Osborne, the head of documentary production. They will stay on to work on other documentary projects already in the works, including Victor Kossakovsky’s doc “Architecton” about concrete,...

A24 is shutting down it’s documentary division, The Wrap has learned. Five staffers are being laid off amid the change.

The division run by Nicole Scott most recently produced “Look Into My Eyes,” “The Last of the Sea Women,” “The Sixth” and Steve Martin doc “Steve!” Also affected is head of production Emily Osborne, who joined A24 from RadicalMedia. Both Scott and Osborne will stay on with A24 while completing work on remaining projects.

The entertainment company will continue to manage non-fiction projects that are either completed or currently in production, such as “André Is an Idiot,” “Architecton,” wrestling doc “Death Match” from the Philippou Brothers (“Talk to Me”) and true crime series “The Yogurt Shop Murders.” A24 hasn’t ruled out working on future docs with filmmakers, but an insider said the market has become too challenging to support an entire division.

The move comes as the mini-studio...

A24 is shutting down its documentary filmmaking department with five people departing from that division, Variety has confirmed.

Headed by Nicole Stott, the division has produced recent docs including “Look Into My Eyes,” “The Last of the Sea Women,” “The Sixth” and Morgan Neville’s Steve Martin documentary “Steve!”

Stott and Emily Osborne, head of documentary production, will remain at A24 long enough to complete work on ongoing projects.

Non-fiction projects that are already finished or in production, such as “André Is an Idiot” and “Architecton” will continue to be handled by A24. The same goes for other projects still in production such as the Philippou brothers’ wrestling doc “Deathmatch” and “The Yogurt Shop Murders.”

The company is not ruling out working with filmmakers on further documentary projects, but the market has become too challenging to support an entire division, sources indicated.

A documentary filmmaker who did want to be...

The 2025 Peabody Awards have announced the first batch of this year’s nominees.

Nominations in the documentary, news, public service and radio/podcast categories, recognizing impactful stories from broadcasting and streaming media, were revealed on Tuesday.

Noteworthy documentary contenders selected by the Peabody board of jurors include Oscar-nominated docs Black Box Diaries and Sugarcane, as well as the following Academy Award-hopeful documentaries: Bread & Roses, Daughters, Hollywoodgate, The Last of the Sea Women, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper.

News, public service and radio/broadcast nominees include reports from ABC and NBC News, PBS, Vice News, Al Jazeera, The Marshall Project, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Meadowlark Media and Audible. The contenders explore a range of domestic and international issues, including a number of projects focused on the Israel-Hamas war.

This year’s nominees were selected by a unanimous vote...

On Tuesday, the 85th Peabody Awards unveiled its 2025 nominees in the categories of documentary, news, public service, and radio/podcast. The remaining categories for arts, children's/youth, entertainment, and interactive/immersive programming and media will be announced April 17.

Twenty-seven jurors selected these nominees from more than 1,000 entries, and the winners will be revealed May 1. The annual ceremony recognizes excellence in media and will take place June 1 in Beverly Hills, hosted by comedian Roy Wood Jr. Andrea Mitchell will receive the Career Achievement Award and Saturday Night Live will accept the Institutional Award. Jeffrey Jones, Peabody's executive director, highlighted the nominees' exploration of diverse themes.

Two of this year's Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature now contend at the 2025 Peabody Awards: Black Box Diaries and Sugarcane. A pair of other film docs that made waves this awards season also heard their names called this morning: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper.

The Peabody Awards revealed the nominees on Tuesday in the Documentary, News, Public Service and Radio/Podcast categories, which were selected by the Board of Jurors. Nominees were chosen by a unanimous vote of 27 jurors from more than 1,000 entries from multiple categories.

In the Documentary category, Oscar-nominated films “Sugarcane” and “Black Box Diaries” lead the way, along with Will Ferrell’s “Will & Harper,” “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” “The Last of the Sea Women” and 14 other nominees.

In the News category, 10 documentaries are in the running including investigative programs from PBS’ “Frontline,” “PBS NewsHour,” Al Jazeera English, Vice News, ABC News and NBC News. Topics range from China’s rise to a global superpower, the Israeli military’s attacks on Gaza and allegations of fraud and abuse in South Korea amid the country’s foreign adoption boom.

Four nominees make up the Public Service category, while a dozen nominations represent the Radio/Podcast shortlist,...

The twin documentary films both premiere on March 28.

Being a movie star in Hollywood is as thrilling as it is difficult. For Black actors and actresses, the job comes with its own unique set of rewards and challenges. Those are explored deeply and intimately in “Number One on the Call Sheet,” the new pair of documentary films debuting on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 28. The films are a must-watch for anyone who loves movies, and you can stream them exclusively on Apple TV+.

How to watch ‘Number One on the Call Sheet’ When: Premiering Friday, March 28 at 12:01 a.m. Et TV: Apple TV+ Stream: Watch with a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+. From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a Vpn. Everything you need to know about ‘Number One on the Call Sheet’

How to watch ‘Number One on the Call Sheet’

When does ‘Number One on the Call Sheet’ premiere?...

As we have mentioned many times before, the documentary is currently experiencing one of its golden periods, with the fact that reality goes beyond any script becoming quite obvious throughout the plethora of entries we have been seeing during that last few years. Furthermore, as a number of courageous filmmakers shed light to issues that are dangerous to depict (to say the least) or even hard to watch, the quality of the category continues to improve. Add to that the biographical ones, the ones that present real but relatively unknown sides of each country’s society and you have the majority of reasons for what we mentioned in the beginning.

Without further ado, here are the 15 Best Asian Documentaries of 2024, in reverse order. Some may have premiered in 2023, but since they mostly circulated in 2024, we decided to include them.

15. Parama: A Journey With Aparna Sen Aparna Sen © Mayaleela Films

“When actors become mainstream stars,...

Gold House has unveiled its fifth annual Gold List with “Wicked” and “Moana 2” among the films being honored.

The list spotlights the most exceptional achievements in film by Asian Pacific creatives over the past year. It also serves as a guide for awards voters and celebrates a monumental year for Asian Pacific representation in cinema.

Since its launch five years ago, the Gold List has celebrated an emerging tide of increasing representation in film by honoring over 200 Asian Pacific films and creatives, with many proceeding to receive Academy Awards. Among those films are “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Minari,” “Rrr,” “Parasite,” “The Boy and the Heron” and “The Elephant Whisperer.”

In a year when Asian Pacific creativity dominated the box office —”Moana 2″ and Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” alone grossed over $1.2 billion globally — the Gold List celebrates these blockbusters alongside “All We Imagine As Light,” “Dìdi” and “Monkey Man.

One of this year’s acclaimed Oscar-contending documentaries goes below the waves with a remarkable community of women free divers off the coast of South Korea. They’re formally known as “haenyeo,” but sometimes referred to as “Korea’s mermaids.”

Filmmaker Sue Kim’s term for them: “A bad-ass girl gang.”

The director of the Apple Original Film The Last of the Sea Women first observed the haenyeo as a child.

“The very first time I ever saw them in person, it was on my first trip ever to Korea with my family when I was 8 years old,” Kim recalled at a recent Q&a. “My parents took me and my brother down to Jeju Island — Jeju’s like the Hawaii of Korea… We were walking along the coast and just very spontaneously and organically saw this large group of women who were all dressed in their wetsuits… I just...

The Academy has unveiled the list of feature films that are eligible for consideration in the animated feature, documentary feature Film, and international feature at the 2025 Oscars.

In animation, 31 films will vie for one of the five spots, including “The Wild Robot,” “Inside Out 2,” “Memoir of a Snail,” “Flow,” and “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.”

In documentary feature, 169 films are eligible. Among them are “No Other Land,” “Daughters,” “Martha,” “I Am: Celine Dion,” and “Dahomey,” which is Senegal’s submission for international feature.

In international feature, there are 85 hopefuls, including frontrunner “Emilia Pérez” (France), “I’m Still Here” (Brazil), “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Germany), “Kneecap” (Ireland), and “Flight 404” (Egypt).

The shortlists of 15 films for documentary and international features will be released on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

Oscar nominations will be announced on Friday, Jan. 17. The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will be held on Sunday, March 2 at 7 p.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pulled back the curtain on the films eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature categories for the 97th Academy Awards next year.

The list includes 31 toon features, 169 docs and international pics from 85 countries. Preliminary voting for the 97th Oscars runs December 9-13, and all three shortlists will be revealed December 17. The Oscars will be handed out Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood.

Here are the animated, documentary and international features eligible for the 2024 Oscars:

Best Animated Feature

Art College 1994

Captain Avispa

Chicken for Linda!

The Colors Within

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

Despicable Me 4

Flow

The Garfield Movie

Ghost Cat Anzu

The Glassworker

The Imaginary

Inside Out 2

Kensuke’s Kingdom

Kung Fu Panda 4

Living Large

Look Back

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Mars Express

Memoir of a Snail...

A total of 31 animated features, 169 documentary features and 85 international features are eligible for Oscar nominations this season, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed on Thursday.

In the animated feature category, high-profile studio films like Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and Universal/DreamWorks’s The Wild Robot and acclaimed indies like Memoir of a Snail are joined in the running by longer shots like The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, a film jettisoned by Warner Bros. that wound up with the distributor Ketchup Entertainment.

The documentary feature race, meanwhile, includes titles that have dominated at the doc community’s precursor awards, including Nat Geo’s Sugarcane, Netflix’s Daughters and MTV’s Black Box Diaries; two that count Malala Yousafzai as an executive producer, Apple’s Bread & Roses and The Last of the Sea Women, and two that count Jennifer Lawrence as an EP,...

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story swept the board at the 9th Critics Choice Documentary Awards, winning all six categories in which it was nominated.

The UK-us feature won best director for Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui, as well as tying for best documentary feature with Netflix title Will & Harper.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Super/Man also picked up best editing, score, archival documentary and biographical documentary.

Produced by Bonhote, Robert Ford and Lizzie Gillett for the UK’s Passion Pictures and Misfits Entertainment, Super/Man depicts Reeve’s rise to becoming a film star,...

Christopher Reeve as Superman in the documentary feature ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ (Photo © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)

The Christopher Reeve biopic Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story was the big winner at the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards held on November 10th in New York City. Super/Man earned six awards, including tying with Will & Harper in the Best Documentary Feature category. The Last of the Sea Women, Simone Biles Rising, and Sugarcane took home two wins each.

Additional winners included Daughters, Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces, The Greatest Night in Pop, Music by John Williams, The Only Girl in the Orchestra, and 30 for 30.

“Tonight brought about some wonderful surprises as we celebrated a fantastic array of documentaries and the remarkable people whose stories they told. Our ninth show was certainly our most inspiring yet. Congratulations to all the winners!” stated Christopher Campbell, Vice President of Documentaries for the Cca....

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” swept the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, winning all six of its nominated categories. The Warner Bros. movie tied Netflix’s “Will and Harper” for Best Documentary Feature. See the full winners list below.

“Super/Man” also scored wins for Best Director (Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui), Best Editing (Otto Burnham), Best Score(Ilan Eshkeri), Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary. “The Last of the Sea Women,” “Simone Biles Rising,” and “Sugarcane” each took home two awards.

The 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards were held Sunday, November 10 in New York City. The Pennebaker Award was presented to acclaimed documentarian Rory Kennedy. The award is named in honor of D A Pennebaker, a past winner. It was presented to Kennedy by Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s long-time collaborator and widow.

2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards

Best Documentary Feature

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)

Daughters (Netflix...

The Critics Choice Association (Cca) unveiled the winners of the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards at a gala event in New York City on Sunday night. “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper” shared the top award of the evening, as the films tied for Best Documentary Feature. It was a huge night for “Super/Man,” which swept all six of its nominated categories, including wins for Best Director for Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, Best Editing for Otto Burnham, Best Score for Ilan Eshkeri, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary.

“The Last of the Sea Women,” “Simone Biles Rising,”and “Sugarcane” each took home two awards. “The Last of the Sea Women” won the awards for Best Cinematography for Iris Ng, Eunson Choo, and Justin Turkowski, and Best Science/Nature Documentary. “Simone Biles Rising” won Best Sports Documentary and Best Limited Documentary Series. “Sugarcane” picked...

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story led the pack of winners, sweeping with six accolades in all of its nominated categories at the ninth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, held today at The Edison Ballroom in New York City. In a surprise moment, the film also shared a win with Netflix’s Will & Harper for best documentary feature.

Also honored during the ceremony was Oscar-nominated documentarian Rory Kennedy, who received the Pennebaker Award, named for the late Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award winner D. A. Pennebaker (The War Room). Pennebaker’s widow and producing partner Chris Hegedus presented the award.

The celebration was live-streamed on platforms YouTube, X and Facebook, with viewing also made available on the Critics Choice Association website beginning at 7 p.m. Et.

Debuting at Sundance Film Festival, Super/Man became a favorite among critics upon its premiere. The movie tells the emotional story of Reeve’s rise...

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper tied for best documentary feature at the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards on Sunday night.

The first film won in all six of the categories in which it was nominated.

In addition to best documentary feature, Super/Man, about the actor who played the Man of Steel and his advocacy for disability awareness after he was paralyzed in a tragic accident, won best director (Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui), best editing (Otto Burnham), best score (Ilan Eshkeri), best archival documentary and best biographical documentary.

Sugarcane, which scored the most nominations this year with eight, won two awards, for best political documentary and best true-crime documentary. The Last of the Sea Women and Simone Biles Rising also won two awards each. The first film, which counts Malala Yousafzai among its producers, won the awards for best cinematography (Iris Ng, Eunson Choo and Justin Turkowski...

Jeju Island is off the southern coast of South Korea. It has beautiful scenery where the ocean meets rough terrain. It is also home to a remarkable group of women who have broken traditional gender roles for generations. In Haenyeo, “sea women” refers to a unique cultural event beyond a job and shows how deeply people are connected to the ocean.

Since the Middle Ages, these amazing women have dove into East China and the Yellow Seas to catch seafood using only their breath and unwavering drive. Their job isn’t just a job; it’s a sacred ritual that has been passed down through the mothers and is a big part of the island’s culture. In 2016, Unesco added the haenyeo custom to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List, recognizing its unique importance.

In the past, the haenyeo could stay economically stable in tough situations. Men usually stayed on land,...

The Critics Choice Association on Thursday revealed its full list of honorees for the organization’s third annual Celebration of Aapi Cinema & Television, recognizing standout performances and work by the Aapi entertainment community. The event is set for November 12 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

The list includes Squid Game Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae receiving the Trailblazer Award, The Daily Show‘s Ronny Chieng the Comedy Award, Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anora producer Samantha Quan the Producer Award, Ghostlight star Dolly de Leon the Supporting Actress Award – Film and Ghosts star Utkarsh Ambudkar the Actor Award – Series.

Additional honorees include Industry‘s Ken Leung for Supporting Actor Award – Series, The Last of the Sea Women director-producer Sue Kim the Documentary Award (also being recognized with a Starz #TakeTheLead designation), Interior Chinatown star Jimmy O. Yang the Breakthrough Actor Award, Rescue: Hi-Surf star Kekoa Scott Kekumano the Rising Star Award...

The 15th annual Doc NYC festival unveiled the titles in its Short List sections, an early precursor lineup in advance of the Oscar nominations next January in the categories of Best Documentary Feature and Documentary Short.

America’s largest documentary festival, based in the Chelsea and Greenwich Village neighborhoods of New York City, launches on Nov. 13 with the opening night premiere of “Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story.”

The titles in the Short Lists include Benjamin Ree’s “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” Raoul Peck’s “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” Carla Gutiérrez’s “Frida,” Mati Diop’s “Dahomey” and “No Other Land,” directed by a four-person collective of Israeli and Palestinian artists.

Additional films, nearly all screening with filmmakers in person for Q&As, include “Will and Harper,” about the friendship between Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, “The Last of the Sea Women,” produced by Nobel Peace Prize winner...

Christopher Reeve as Superman in the documentary feature ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ (Photo © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)

The top Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda) nominees include Sugarcane, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, Daughters, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. Sugarcane leads the list with eight nominations, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best New Documentary Filmmakers, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Historical Documentary, Best Political Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary.

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, Daughters, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story followed close behind with six each. Winners will be announced on Sunday, November 10, 2024 in a ceremony hosted by Erich Bergen. The awards gala will be live-streamed on YouTube, X, Facebook, and the Critics Choice Association website.

“This year’s nominated films and series offered us new ways to see the world, celebrate our heroes, and better understand difficult histories,” said Christopher Campbell,...

National Geographic’s “Sugarcane” leads the ninth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations with eight nominations, including best documentary feature. The film’s other nominations are Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie for director and new documentary filmmakers, Christopher Lamarca and Emily Kassie for cinematography, Nathan Punwar and Maya Daisy Hawk for editing, historical documentary, political documentary, and true crime documentary.

Also nominated alongside Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s critically acclaimed film is “Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” “Daughters,” “The Greatest Night in Pop,” “Jim Henson Idea Man,” “Music by John Williams,” “Piece by Piece,” “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” and “Will & Harper.”

The Critics Choice Association honors the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV, and major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified Cca members. The ninth annual awards ceremony is produced...

Sugarcane leads the nominations for the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, with eight nods, including for best documentary feature.

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, Daughters and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story received six nominations each, including for best documentary feature.

The other best documentary feature nominees are The Greatest Night in Pop, Jim Henson Idea Man, Music by John Williams, Piece by Piece, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin and Will & Harper.

In addition to best doc feature, Sugarcane, which investigates the abusive legacy of Catholic-run Native American missionary schools, is up for best director and best new documentary filmmakers (Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie), best cinematography (Christopher Lamarca and Emily Kassie), best editing (Nathan Punwar and Maya Daisy Hawk), best historical documentary, best political documentary and best true crime documentary.

Billy & Molly‘s Charlie Hamilton James is up for best new documentary filmmaker and, with Johnny Rolt and Bertie Gregory,...

The Critics Choice Association unveiled the nominees for its 9th annual documentary awards on Oct. 14. “Sugarcane” leads with eight bids including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director for Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, Cinematography, and Editing. This film about child abuse at an Indian residential school also contends in the historical, political, and true crime categories while the helmers are up for the newcomers prize.

Three films netted a half dozen nominations each: “Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” “Daughters,” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” All three contend for Best Documentary Feature. That race is rounded out by “The Greatest Night in Pop,” “Jim Henson Idea Man,” “Music by John Williams,” “Piece by Piece,” “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” and “Will & Harper.”

Last year, “American Symphony” earned a leading six nominations from the Ccda but was then snubbed by the documentary branch of the academy. The big...

“Sugarcane” led all films with eight nominations for the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which announced its nominees on Monday morning.

The documentary by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie explores the network of boarding schools that existed for indigenous peoples in Canada and the abuse therein; it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by National Geographic Documentary Films.

The films “Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” “Daughters” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” received six nominations each.

Other nominees in the Best Documentary Feature category are “The Greatest Night in Pop,” “Jim Henson Idea Man,” “Music by John Williams,” “Piece by Piece,” “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin” and “Will and Harper.”

Nominees in the Best Director category are NoiseCat and Kassie for “Sugarcane,” Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui for “Super/Man,” Josh Greenbaum for “Will & Harper,” Ron Howard for “Jim Henson Idea Man,” Natalie Rae...

Sugarcane, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, and Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story are the leading nomination vote getters for the Critics Choice Association’s Ninth Annual Documentary Awards with winners to be named in a ceremony at the Edison Ballroom in NYC on November 10, 2024. Full Disclosure: I am a Cca member and served on the Documentary selection committee again this year.

Sugarcane, a powerful film about an investigation into abuse and missing children at an Indian residential school and its effect on the nearby Sugarcane Reservation, received a leading 8 nominations, while Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story received 6 nominations for its remarkable and moving tale of a unique friendship between a man and an otter in remote Shetland Islands.

The latter is the kind of wonderful unheralded film that could play exceptionally well with the Academy in the same way that My Octopus Teacher did as...

In anticipation of their Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Association has unveiled their list of nominees, led by National Geographic’s “Sugarcane” with eight nominations. The documentary covers an investigation into abuse and missing children at a Canadian Indian residential school system and is nominated for Best Director, Best New Documentary Filmmakers, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Historical Documentary, Best Political Documentary, Best True Crime Documentary, and Best Documentary Feature.

“Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” “Daughters,” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” all follow “Sugarcane” with six nominations, including Best Documentary Feature. Other films with multiple nominations include Ron Howard’s “Jim Henson Idea Man” and Will Ferrell’s road trip doc “Will & Harper,” which recently dropped on Netflix. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” which won the Audience Award and the Directing Award in the World Cinema category at Sundance this year, is...

This week’s top pick, “The Last of the Sea Women,” isn’t a top-tier Best Documentary contender, but it’s in the conversation, thanks to its moving subject matter, beautiful cinematography, and Netpac Prize win at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The A24-produced doc tells the story of the haenyeo divers of South Korea’s Jeju Island. For centuries, women have been diving — without oxygen — to the ocean floor to harvest seafood for their livelihood. But most of the current haenyeo are senior citizens, and their traditional way of life is threatened by modernity and climate change. But the haenyeo are feisty old scrappers, and they fight back against polluters using social media as a messaging and recruitment tool. You’ll want to join them after you see their camaraderie and resilience. It’s now streaming on Apple TV+.

Here are some other movies to stream this weekend:...

Around 37 minutes into The Last of the Sea Women, Sue Kim’s stunning documentary now streaming on Apple TV+, Woo Jeong-min dives into a sea so dark that its teal depths look almost solid. As she drifts toward an unseen seabed, you get the sense she might disappear entirely — that she might even want to. It’s a moment, caught in aching clarity by cinematographer Justin Turkowski, that neatly sums up the women at the heart of this film — people so connected to the ocean that they’re almost a part of it.

Shaping the world into a better place has been an active mission for Malala Yousafzai. As an activist for girls and human rights globally recognized since age 12, the Nobel Peace Prize winner — the youngest in history to receive the award — is no stranger to cameras in her own life. After her acclaimed 2015 documentary He Named Me Malala, inspired by her bestselling memoir I Am Malala, she produced the Oscar-nominated short doc Stranger at the Gate. At the 2024 Toronto Film Festival, Yousafzai premiered the Apple doc The Last of the Sea Women, from her production company Extracurricular, which premieres on Apple TV+ on Oct. 11. The film examines the world of South Korea’s all female haenyeo divers, whose centuries-long tradition of harvesting sea life in the waters off Jeju Island is endangered.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg spoke with the 27-year-old Yousafzai as part of the annual TIFF Industry Conference’ Visionaries conversation series.

A vanishing way of life is captured in “The Last of the Sea Women.” Sue Kim’s feature directorial debut trains focus on the haenyeo — female divers associated primarily with Jeju Island off South Korea’s southernmost coast. Operating without oxygen tanks, these women swim to considerable depths in search of seafood whose sale provides their livelihood. But this unique vocation is dying out, a victim of various phenomena—but mostly the lack of new recruits to replenish its aging practitioners. This affectionate and humorous look at an ebbing tradition premieres Friday on Apple TV+, also opening the same date on one Laemmle screen in Los Angeles.

Considering themselves “guardians of the sea,” haenyeo have only adopted wetsuits, flippers and goggles within the last 40 years or so; they now utilize motorboats rather than rowboats to reach diving sites. But resisting technological advances is a point of pride, as well as...

Transformers One leads new releases at the UK and Ireland box office this weekend as the Paramount animation opens in 583 cinemas.

It is the third widest opening of the eight-title franchise, behind 2018’s Bumblebee in 587 locations and 2023’s Rise Of The Beasts in 595.

The franchise steps away from live-action for an animated origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron. A starry ensemble lends their voices with cast including Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi and Keegan-Michael Key.

The Transformers films have a strong track record at the box office. Leading the pack is its third...

Imagine if your 72-year-old grandmother put on a wetsuit and goggles then dove to the raging ocean floor to fish for crustaceans and sea urchins with a metal hook. The Last of the Sea Women tells the incredible story of an honored tradition that has lasted for hundreds of years, but is sadly in danger of vanishing due to climate change, pollution, and honest difficulty. Haenyeo are South Korean women who live on Jeju Island. They've supported their families through this dangerous occupation for generations, swimming from craggy rock beaches in order to spend hours diving back and forth to earn a sustainable income.

A Great Documentary from Malala, A24, and Sue Kim

4/5 The Last of the Sea Women (2024)

In this documentary set on the shores of Jeju Island, a fierce group of South Korean divers fights to save their vanishing culture from looming threats.

Release Date October 11, 2024Director Sue...

Some short films stay with you. One of those for me was Liz Chae’s 2009 Tribeca-winning The Last Mermaids, which profiled the matriarchal skin-divers - known as “haenyeo” - of Jeju Island, an ageing set of swimmers who free-dive for seafood, including seafood and abalone. Some 15 years later, they’re taking centre stage on film again, in Apple TV+’s The Last of the Sea Women, which though again celebrating this unique craft feels like rather less of a deep dive into the subject despite its longer running time.

Quite a lot has changed for the haenyeo since 2009, although the problem of an ageing cohort remains; once they numbered 30,000 out of Jeju’s population of 200,000, now there less than 4,000 left. Some things have improved, however, not least the recognition that they get. Unesco put them on its “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” list in 2016 and this year the...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings and our monthly breakdown of What’s on Streaming.

With over 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable and streaming, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

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Marking the debut of Sue Kim and Malala Yousafzai‘s new production company, Extracurricular, “The Last of the Sea Women” focuses on haenyeo, a group of Korean women sea divers now declared Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Last of the Sea Women is screening at Busan International Film Festival

These women have been depicted before in cinema, as much as their Japanese equivalent, Ama, but “The Last of the Sea Women” probably offers the most thorough and impressive presentation. Essentially split in three parts, the documentary begins by showing the individuals that make up the haenyo group in Jeju, all of which seem to be in their 60s, 70s, and even 80s. The depiction of how these women, who would be considered elderly all over the world, still manage to free dive a number of times every day in order to catch sea urchins and make a living for them and their families,...

Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger has become a hero to Democrats for turning on Donald Trump, but it’s come at great personal and political cost.

In a new interview for Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast, Kinzinger reveals he, his wife, and their toddler have become the target of constant death threats from Trump supporters after he had the audacity to join the January 6th select congressional committee investigating the former president’s role in the capital insurrection. He says even his parents were subjected to abuse from family members and friends angered by Kinzinger’s principled actions.

We recorded our interview with Kinzinger at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he headed for the world premiere of The Last Republican, the documentary directed by Steve Pink that explores Kinzinger’s evolution from rising GOP star to party pariah. The duo – one a Hollywood liberal, the other a proud conservative...

Predicting the winner of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar becomes a lot easier on December 17 when the academy announces the 15 films that make the shortlist. Those semi-finalists will be culled from the more than 100 titles that qualified this year for consideration. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2025 Oscar predictions for Best Documentary Feature.)

To winnow those down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500-plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. Each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.

All of these ballots are collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members are then encouraged to watch films on that list which they haven’t seen yet before casting another preferential ballot with their top five choices.

Apple TV+ is known for its award-winning original movies and shows, and some great new movies and TV shows will arrive on the platform in Otober 2024. Apple TV+ positioned itself as an alternative to services like Netflix by offering exclusive original content not found elsewhere. Unlike other streaming services, the Apple TV+ catalog remains mostly constant, typically only adding original content and rarely adding licensed material, keeping it unique among streaming options. October sees the service adding more originals with new seasons of Shinrking and Curses! and much more.

In June, Apple TV+ removed all the popular licensed movies it previously added as a limited engagement. These additions were unusual because AppleTV+ has very few licensed movies and TV shows, and since August, Apple TV+ remained constant in only producing original content. The biggest September 2024 releases are still available, including the Apple TV+ original series Slow Horses, which is also...

Apple TV+ has announced the programming that will be added to the streaming service next month. The Apple TV Plus October 2024 lineup includes Before, Curses! Season 2, Disclaimer, The Last of the Sea Women, Shrinking Season 2, Tú También lo Harías, and Where’s Wanda.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment. It is available to watch across all of a user’s favorite screens.

Shrinking Season 2 Apple TV Plus October 2024 Schedule

Available October 2

Where’s Wanda? (Comedy Series)

“Where’s Wanda?” is an eight-episode German-language dark comedy produced by UFA Fiction, starring International Emmy Award nominee Heike Makatsch (“Love Actually”), German Comedy Award winner Axel Stein (“The Vault”), multiple award-winning actress Lea Drinda (“The Gryphon”), newcomer Leo Simon, entrepreneur, actress, and author Nikeata Thompson (“How to Dad”), presenter and actress Palina Rojinski (“Welcome to Germany”), Kostja Ullmann (“My Blind Date With Life...

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival comes to a close, with Zhao Tao (who starred in Jia Zhang-ke’s “Caught by the Tides”) and Malala-produced haenyo documentary “The Last of the Sea Women” recognized. Notably, Taiwanese cinema also fared very well this year. The two Taiwanese films at the fest have been strong runner-ups for awards — including John Hsu’s supernatural comedy “Dead Talents Society” for the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award and Sylvia Chang for “Daughter’s Daughter.”

But without further ado, here are the rest of the awards:

“Dead Talents Society” by John Hsu

People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award presented by Rogers is: The Substance, dir. Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom/USA/France

The first runner-up is: Dead Talents Society, dir. John Hsu | Taiwan

The second runner-up is: Friendship, dir. Andrew DeYoung | USA

People’s Choice Documentary Award presented by Rogers is: The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal,...