20 Documentaries That Deserved a Best Picture Oscar Nomination, From ‘Hoop Dreams’ to ‘Flee’

In nearly a century of Academy Awards, no documentary has ever been nominated for Best Picture. This glaring omission persists even as nonfiction films like ‘Hoop Dreams’ (1994), ‘Flee’ (2021), and others have reshaped cultural conversations and become defining works of their eras. The Academy’s separate documentary category, while important, has effectively ghettoized the form, keeping these powerful stories out of the top race. Films such as ‘Hoop Dreams’, which followed two Chicago teenagers for five years, and ‘Flee’, an animated refugee memoir, demonstrate the narrative depth and emotional impact that rival any scripted feature. Their exclusion raises questions about how the Academy values nonfiction storytelling and whether the Best Picture category truly represents the breadth of cinema. As audiences increasingly embrace documentaries in theaters and on streaming platforms, the pressure grows for the Academy to recognize these works alongside traditional narratives. The list of 20 deserving titles is a reminder that truth can be as compelling as fiction—and that the Oscars have yet to fully acknowledge it.