You cannot unsee it': what happened next for this year's Oscar documentary nominees?

"2025 was a banner one for nonfiction film, with several extraordinary documentaries that provided windows to unfathomable acts of courage, heart and vulnerability. Less so, unfortunately, for nonfiction cinema, it's a difficult time for the production of politically challenging documentaries, whether in and about the US or abroad, and many projects struggled to find distribution after torturous paths to completion."

"The very existence of these films feels improbable: one is composed almost entirely of police footage acquired through legal action. Another was filmed on contraband cell phones within Alabama state prisons. There's a remarkably candid approach to processing terminal illness; an unprecedented record of Vladimir Putin's propaganda efforts, filmed by a schoolteacher in rural Russia and smuggled out of the country; and an extremely rare glimpse into small-scale women's rights efforts in north-west Iran."

"Five incredible films make up the Oscars documentary slate this year—films that demonstrate how individual actions can challenge immense systems of oppression; how national agendas trickle into the idiosyncratic, marginal every day; and how one can find transcendence in the smallest of daily miracles."

2025 marked a strong year for nonfiction cinema, with five remarkable documentaries nominated for Oscars that demonstrate individual actions challenging systems of oppression and finding transcendence in daily life. However, politically challenging documentaries face significant distribution difficulties, with some projects like Cutting Through Rocks lacking streaming availability. The nominated films employ extraordinary production methods: one uses police bodycam footage obtained through legal action, another filmed on contraband cell phones in Alabama prisons, one documents terminal illness candidly, another records Putin's propaganda efforts filmed by a Russian schoolteacher and smuggled out, and one captures women's rights activism in northwest Iran. All five premiered at Sundance in January 2025 before receiving staggered global releases. The frontrunner, The Perfect Neighbor, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, examines the murder of Ajike AJ Owens through 96 minutes of police bodycam footage.

Read at www.theguardian.com