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The Oscar Documentary Feature Submissions of Film Year 2021 I’ve Seen, Ranked [Shortlist Completed]

This is the official list, and we seem to have a lower number of films long-listed for the 94th Academy Awards [138 films, down from last year's 238 eligible titles].

This is my ongoing personal record, and ranking, of those I've seen.

As of the last update, I've seen all shortlisted titles.

My Other Documentary Features Lists: [ 2024 ] [ 2023 ] [ 2022 ] [ 2021 ] [ 2020 ]

Read notes
  • Mr. Bachmann and His Class

    89

  • All About My Sisters

    97

  • Ennio

    54

  • Revolution of Our Times

    29

  • Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry

    63

  • The Sparks Brothers

    70

  • The Paradigm of Money

    130

  • Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time

    31

  • The Velvet Underground

    32

  • Faya Dayi

    4

  • Bring Your Own Brigade

    76

  • Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

    16

  • TINA

    61

  • Procession

    74

  • Dave Chappelle: Live in Real Life

    108

  • Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

    2

  • Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America

    6

  • Attica

    18

  • sco

    50

  • President

    7

  • The Real Charlie Chaplin

    9

  • Convergence: Courage in a Crisis

    64

  • Qazaq

    131

  • The Jesus Music

    28

  • Val

    73

  • All Light, Everywhere

    77

  • The Rescue

    11

  • Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

    30

  • A Cop Movie

    78

  • Minnesota! The Modern Day Selma

    124

  • Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker

    15

  • LFG

    58

  • Jacinta

    79

  • Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

    53

  • Whirlybird

    90

  • Enemies of the State

    93

  • Finding Kendrick Johnson

    112

  • Like A Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres

    24

  • The Race to Save the World

    94

  • Aware: Glimpses of Consciousness

    100

  • Pray Away

    71

  • Operation Varsity Blues: The College issions Scandal

    69

  • Beijing Spring

    102

  • Rebel Hearts

    8

  • Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain

    95

  • Children of the Enemy

    106

  • In the Same Breath

    23

  • Iron Temple

    116

  • Ascension

    17

  • Speer Goes to Hollywood

    43

  • Simple As Water

    60

  • Found

    86

  • Marx Can Wait

    20

  • The Capote Tapes

    25

  • Mayor Pete

    40

  • Sisters on Track

    80

  • The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52

    84

  • American 965

    98

  • Not Going Quietly

    127

  • Julia

    3

  • The Lost Leonardo

    34

  • Playing with Sharks

    38

  • Citizen Ashe

    82

  • Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

    91

  • Wuhan Wuhan

    92

  • 45 Days: The Fight for a Nation

    96

  • The First Wave

    5

  • Paper & Glue

    14

  • Ailey

    33

  • Final

    37

  • Becoming Cousteau

    41

  • The Faithful: The King, The Pope, The Princess

    110

  • The Alpinist

    48

  • Magaluf Ghost Town

    75

  • The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

    83

  • Tigre Gente

    137

  • The Meaning of Hitler

    10

  • The Velvet Queen

    26

  • Writing with Fire

    35

  • Moby Doc

    52

  • Ostrov - Lost Island

    129

  • Torn

    138

  • My Name Is Pauli Murray

    45

  • A Crime on the Bayou

    88

  • My Childhood, My Country: 20 Years in Afghanistan

    36

  • Homeroom

    47

  • Sabaya

    49

  • Misha and the Wolves

    59

  • Introducing, Selma Blair

    62

  • Lily Topples The World

    67

  • 2020: The Dumpster Fire

    72

  • Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It

    81

  • Courage

    107

  • The Mustangs: America's Wild Horses

    125

  • Flee

    1

  • RUTH - Justice Ginsburg in her own Words

    46

  • Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters

    104

  • Hell or High Seas

    115

  • Fire Music

    113

  • Five Years North

    114