6 More Oscar Best Documentary Feature Winners

By Vlad Zakh · June 17, 2026

The Documentary Feature Oscar rewards urgent, revelatory nonfiction. Navalny follows a Russian opposition leader investigating his own poisoning, American Factory has a Chinese billionaire reopening an Ohio plant, and Icarus has a doping experiment uncovering a state-sponsored scandal. Searching for Sugar Man, The Cove and Bowling for Columbine round out the six.

Navalny (2022)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A Russian opposition leader investigates his own poisoning while confronting the regime that wants him silenced.

Directed by Daniel Roher · 1h 38m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

American Factory (2019)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A Chinese billionaire reopens a shuttered Ohio factory, exposing deep culture clashes between American and Chinese workers.

Directed by Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert · 1h 50m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Icarus (2017)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 92% Metacritic 68

An amateur cyclist's doping experiment stumbles into exposing Russia's state-sponsored Olympic scandal.

Directed by Bryan Fogel · 2h 01m

Won 1 Oscar9 wins & 14 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 95% Metacritic 79

Two South African fans investigate what really happened to a forgotten American musician.

Directed by Malik Bendjelloul · 1h 25m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar44 wins & 33 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Hulu · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Cove (2009)

IMDb ★ 6.1

Activists secretly film a hidden Japanese cove where dolphins are captured and slaughtered.

Directed by Boo Junfeng · 0h 19m

Where to watch

Stream: Film Movement Plus

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

IMDb ★ 7.9 RT 95% Metacritic 72

An investigation into America's gun culture in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting.

Directed by Michael Moore · 2h 00m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar39 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 More Oscar Best Documentary Feature Winners

Navalny (2022)

American Factory (2019)

Icarus (2017)

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

The Cove (2009)

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

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