| Rank |
Film |
Director(s) and Producer(s) |
Distributor |
| 1 |
“Good Night Oppy” |
Ryan White (director), Matt Carroll, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Matt Goldberg, Jessica Hargrave (producers) |
Amazon Studios |
| The film follows Opportunity, the Mars Exploration Rover affectionately dubbed Oppy by her creators and scientists at NASA. Oppy was originally expected to live for only 90 days but she ultimately explored Mars for nearly 15 years. |
| 2 |
“Sr.” |
Chris Smith (director), Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Emily Barclay Ford, Kevin Ford (producers) |
Netflix |
| Follow the tender but appropriately irreverent account of the life and career of Robert Downey, Sr., the fearless and visionary American director who set the standard for countercultural comedy in the 1960s and 1960s. |
| 3 |
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” |
Laura Poitras (director and producer), Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons (producers) |
Neon |
| It follows the life of artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, the pharmaceutical dynasty who was greatly responsible for the opioid epidemic’s unfathomable death toll. |
| 4 |
“Fire of Love” |
Sara Dosa (director, producer), Shane Boris, Ina Fichman (producers) |
National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon |
| Intrepid scientists and lovers Katia and Maurice Krafft died in a volcanic explosion doing the very thing that brought them together: unraveling the mysteries of volcanoes by capturing the most explosive imagery ever recorded. |
| 5 |
“Retrograde” |
Matthew Heineman (director), Caitlin McNally (producer) |
National Geographic Films |
| Tells the story of the last months of the 20-year war in Afghanistan through the intimate relationship between American Green Berets and the Afghan officers they trained. |
| Next in Line |
| 6 |
“Descendant” |
Margaret Brown (director, producer), Essie Chambers, Kyle Martin (producers) |
Netflix |
| Follows descendants of the survivors from the Clotilda, the last ship that carried enslaved Africans to the United States, as they reclaim their story. |
| 7 |
“Turn Every Page” |
Lizzie Gottlieb (director, producer), Joanne Nerenberg, Jen Small (producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| Follows the iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro and his editor, the literary giant Robert Gottlieb, in this chronicle of a unique 50-year professional relationship. |
| 8 |
“Moonage Daydream” |
Brett Morgen (director, producer) |
Neon |
| A cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie’s creative and musical journey. From visionary filmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate. |
| 9 |
“All That Breathes” |
Shaunak Sen (director and producer), Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann (producers) |
HBO Documentary Films |
| The darkening backdrop of Delhi’s apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protect one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the Black Kite. |
| 10 |
“Bad Axe” |
David Siev (director, producer), Jude Harris, Diane-Moy Quon, Katarina Vasquez (producers) |
IFC Films |
| A real-time portrait of 2020 unfolds as an Asian-American family in Trump’s rural America fights to keep their restaurant and American dream alive in the face of a pandemic, Neo-Nazis, and generational scars from the Killing Fields. |
| Other Top-Tier Contenders |
| 11 |
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” |
Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine (directors, producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| 12 |
“The Territory” |
Alex Pritz (director, producer), Darren Aronofsky, Sigrid Dyekjær, Lizzie Gillett, Will N. Miller, Gabriel Uchida |
National Geographic |
| 13 |
“Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues” |
Sacha Jenkins (director, producer), Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Julie Anderson (producers) |
Apple Original Films |
| 14 |
“Return to Seoul” |
Davy Chou (director), Katia Khazak, Charlotte Vincent (producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| 15 |
“Second Chance” |
Ramin Bahrani (director, producer), Charles Dorfman, Johnny Galvin, Jacob Grodnik, Daniel M. Turcan (producer) |
Showtime |
| 16 |
“In Her Hands” |
Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen (directors), Juan Camilo Cruz, Jonathan Schaerf (producers) |
Netflix |
| 17 |
“Aftershock” |
Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee (directors) |
Hulu/Onyx |
| 18 |
“Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” |
Luca Guadgnino (producer), Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti (producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| 19 |
“Is That Black Enough for You?” |
Elvis Mitchell (director), Ciara Lacy (producer) |
Netflix |
| 20 |
“Navalny” |
Daniel Roher (director), Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae (producers) |
CNN/Warner Bros. |
| Also In Contention |
| 21 |
“Sidney” |
Derik Murray (director), Oprah Winfrey (producer) |
Apple Original Films |
| 22 |
“Eternal Spring” |
Jason Loftus (director, producer), Kevin Koo, Yvan Pinard |
Self-Distributed |
| 23 |
“Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” |
Evgeny Afineevsky (director, producer), Inna Goncharova, Galyna Sadomtseva-Nabaranchuk, Shahida Tulaganova, Will Znidaric (producers) |
No U.S. distribution |
| 24 |
“The Princess” |
Ed Perkins (director), Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn (producers) |
HBO |
| 25 |
“Nothing Lasts Forever” |
Jason Kohn (director, producer), Amanda Branson Gill, Jared Goldman (producers) |
Showtime |
| 26 |
“The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile” |
Christopher Clements, Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn, Kathlyn Horan |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| 27 |
“Let Me Be Me” |
Dan Crane, Katie Taber (director), Joe Plummer (producer) |
Greenwich Entertainment |
| 28 |
“Wildcat” |
Trevor Beck Frost, Melissa Lesh (directors), Alysa Nahmias, Joshua Altman (producers) |
Amazon Studios |
| 29 |
“Riotsville, U.S.A.” |
Sierra Pettengill (director), Sara Archambault, Jamila Wignot (producers) |
Magnolia Pictures |
| 30 |
“Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” |
Alek Keshishian (director, producer), Michelle An, Caitlin Daley, Aleen Keshishian, Katherine LeBlonde, Stephanie Meurer, Zack Morgenroth (producers) |
Apple Original Films |
| All Contenders Listed (Unranked-Alphabetical) |
| — |
“A Compassionate Spy” |
Steve James (director and producer), David Lindorff, Mark Mitten (producers) |
No U.S. Distribution |
| — |
“A Couple” |
Frederick Wiseman (director) |
No U.S. Distribution |
| — |
“Aftershock” |
Paula Eiselt, Tonya Lewis Lee (directors) |
Hulu/Onyx |
| — |
“All That Breathes” |
Shaunak Sen (director and producer), Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann (producers) |
HBO Documentary Films |
| — |
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” |
Laura Poitras (director and producer), Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John S. Lyons (producers) |
Neon |
| — |
“Art & Krimes by Krimes” |
Alysa Nahmias (director) |
MTV Documentary Films |
| — |
“The Automat” |
Lisa Hurwitz (director) |
Self-Distributed |
| — |
“Bad Axe” |
David Siev (director, producer), Jude Harris, Diane-Moy Quon, Katarina Vasquez (producers) |
IFC Films |
| — |
“Battleground” |
Cynthia Lowen (director, producer), Rebecca Stern (producer) |
Abramorama |
| — |
“Being BeBe” |
Emily Branham (director, producer), Jonathan Goodman Levitt, Marc Smolowitz |
To be added |
| — |
“Bitterbrush” |
Emelie Mahdavian (director, producer), Su Kim (producer) |
Magnolia Pictures |
| — |
“Black Ice” |
Hubert Davis |
Elevation Pictures |
| — |
“Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power” |
Nina Menkes (director, producer), Dehanza Rogers (producer) |
Kino Lorber |
| — |
“Buried: The 1982 Alpine Meadows Avalanche” |
Jared Drake, Steven Siig (directors) |
Greenwich Entertainment |
| — |
“Civil” |
Nadia Hallgren (director, producer), Kenya Barris, Roger Ross Williams (producers) |
Netflix |
| — |
“Descendant” |
Margaret Brown (director, producer), Essie Chambers, Kyle Martin (producers) |
Netflix |
| — |
“Fire of Love” |
Sara Dosa (director, producer), Shane Boris, Ina Fichman (producers) |
National Geographic Documentary Films/Neon |
| — |
“Framing Agnes” |
Chase Joynt (director, producer), Morgan M. Page (producer) |
Kino Lorber |
| — |
“Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” |
Evgeny Afineevsky (director, producer), Inna Goncharova, Galyna Sadomtseva-Nabaranchuk, Shahida Tulaganova, Will Znidaric (producers) |
No U.S. distribution |
| — |
“Good Night Oppy” |
Ryan White (director), Matt Carroll, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Matt Goldberg, Jessica Hargrave (producers) |
Amazon Studios |
| — |
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend” |
R.J. Cuutler, David Furnish (directors) |
Disney+ |
| — |
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” |
Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| — |
“Hidden Letters” |
Violet Feng (director) |
Cargo Film & Releasing |
| — |
“I Didn’t See You There” |
Reid Davenport (director), Keith Wilson (producer) |
POV |
| — |
“Icarus: The Aftermath” |
Bryan Fogel (director, producer), Jon Bertain, Mark Monroe, Jake Swantko (producers) |
No U.S. distribution |
| — |
“If These Walls Could Sing” |
Mary McCartney (director), John Battsek, Sarah Thomson (producers) |
Walt Disney Pictures |
| — |
“In Her Hands” |
Tamana Ayazi, Marcel Mettelsiefen (directors), Juan Camilo Cruz, Jonathan Schaerf (producers) |
Netflix |
| — |
“Is That Black Enough for You?” |
Elvis Mitchell (director), Ciara Lacy (producer) |
Netflix |
| — |
“Jerry Lewis: Trouble in Mind” |
Ethan Coen (director), Peter Afterman, Steve Bing, T Bone Burnett, Mick Jagger, Victoria Pearman (producers) |
A24 |
| — |
“Last Flight Home” |
Ondi Timoner (director), David Turner (producer) |
MTV Documentary Films |
| — |
“Let Me Be Me” |
Dan Crane, Katie Taber (director), Joe Plummer (producer) |
Greenwich Entertainment |
| — |
“Loudmouth” |
Josh Alexander (director, producer), Daniel J. Chalfen, Mike Jackson, Kedar Massenburg (producers) |
To be added |
| — |
“Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues” |
Sacha Jenkins (director, producer), Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Julie Anderson (producers) |
Apple Original Films |
| — |
“Mickey: The Story of a Mouse” |
Jeff Malmberg (director), Morgan Neville, Chris Shellen, Meghan Walsh (producers) |
Walt Disney Pictures |
| — |
“Mija” |
Isabel Castro (director, producer), Tabitha Breese, Yesenia Tiahuel (producers) |
Walt Disney Pictures |
| — |
“Moonage Daydream” |
Brett Morgen (director, producer) |
Neon |
| — |
“My Old School” |
Jono McLeod (director), John Archer, Olivia Lichtenstein (producers) |
Magnolia Pictures |
| — |
“Navalny” |
Daniel Roher (director), Diane Becker, Shane Boris, Melanie Miller, Odessa Rae (producers) |
CNN/Warner Bros. |
| — |
“No Time to Fail” |
Sara Archambult (director), Margo Guernsey (producer) |
To be added |
| — |
“Nothing Compares” |
Kathryn Ferguson (director), Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie (producers) |
Showtime |
| — |
“Nothing Lasts Forever” |
Jason Kohn (director, producer), Amanda Branson Gill, Jared Goldman (producers) |
Showtime |
| — |
“Retrograde” |
Matthew Heineman (director), Caitlin McNally (producer) |
National Geographic Films |
| — |
“Return to Seoul” |
Davy Chou (director), Katia Khazak, Charlotte Vincent (producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| — |
“Riotsville, U.S.A.” |
Sierra Pettengill (director), Sara Archambault, Jamila Wignot (producers) |
Magnolia Pictures |
| — |
“Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” |
Luca Guadgnino (producer), Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Gabriele Moratti (producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| — |
“Second Chance” |
Ramin Bahrani (director, producer), Charles Dorfman, Johnny Galvin, Jacob Grodnik, Daniel M. Turcan (producer) |
Showtime |
| — |
“Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me” |
Alek Keshishian (director, producer), Michelle An, Caitlin Daley, Aleen Keshishian, Katherine LeBlonde, Stephanie Meurer, Zack Morgenroth (producers) |
Apple Original Films |
| — |
“Sidney” |
Derik Murray (director), Oprah Winfrey (producer) |
Apple Original Films |
| — |
“Sr.” |
Chris Smith (director), Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Emily Barclay Ford, Kevin Ford (producers) |
Netflix |
| — |
“The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales” |
Abigail E. Disney and Kathleen Hughes (directors) |
Fork Films |
| — |
“The Corridors of Powers” |
Dror Moreh (director, producer), Sol Goodman, Estelle Fialon (producers) |
Showtime |
| — |
“Eternal Spring” |
Jason Loftus (director, producer), Kevin Koo, Yvan Pinard |
Self-Distributed |
| — |
“The Janes” |
Tia Lessin (director), Emma Pildes (producer and director), Daniel Arcana, Jessica Levin (producers) |
HBO Documentary Films |
| — |
“The Princess” |
Ed Perkins (director), Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn (producers) |
HBO |
| — |
“The Return of Tanya Tucker: Featuring Brandi Carlile” |
Christopher Clements, Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn, Kathlyn Horan |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| — |
“The Territory” |
Alex Pritz (director, producer), Darren Aronofsky, Sigrid Dyekjær, Lizzie Gillett, Will N. Miller, Gabriel Uchida (producers) |
National Geographic |
| — |
“The Voice of Dust and Ash” |
Mandana Biscotti (producer), Frank Coraci, Fuschia Sumner (producers) |
Matilda Productions |
| — |
“Turn Every Page” |
Lizzie Gottlieb (director, producer), Joanne Nerenberg, Jen Small (producers) |
Sony Pictures Classics |
| — |
“We Are Art: Through the Eyes of Annalaura” |
Annalaura di Luggo (director, producer) |
No U.S. distribution |
| — |
“Wildcat” |
Trevor Beck Frost, Melissa Lesh (directors), Alysa Nahmias, Joshua Altman (producers) |
Amazon Studios |
| — |
“Icarus: The Aftermath” |
Bryan Fogel (director) |
No U.S. distribution |
| — |
“The Volcano: Rescue From Whakaari” |
Rory Kennedy (director, producer), Mark Bailey, Sara Bernstein, Dallas Brennan, Justin Wilkes (producers) |
Netflix |
