Winners Only by Category:
Documentary (Feature)

Listed below are the Academy Award winners in the category of Documentary (Feature) (non-winning nominations have been omitted from this list). Click on the name of a film or person in the list to display more information about that film or person. Or, click on a category in the column on the right to display the winners in that category.

1943  (16th)

(Feature)

Desert Victory, British Ministry of Information; 20th Century-Fox. (UK)

1944  (17th)

(Feature)

The Fighting Lady, United States Navy; 20th Century-Fox.

1945  (18th)

(Feature)

The True Glory, United States Office of War Information; Columbia. (UK, USA) The Governments of Great Britain and the United States of America.

1947  (20th)

(Feature)

Design for Death, RKO Radio. Sid Rogell, Executive Producer; Theron Warth and Richard O. Fleischer, Producers.

1948  (21st)

(Feature)

The Secret Land, United States Navy; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Orville O. Dull, Producer.

1949  (22nd)

(Feature)

Daybreak in Udi, British Information Services. (UK) Crown Film Unit.

1950  (23rd)

(Feature)

The Titan: Story of Michelangelo, Michelangelo Company; Classic Pictures, Inc. (Switzerland, West Germany) Robert Snyder, Producer.

1951  (24th)

(Feature)

Kon-Tiki, Artfilm Production; RKO Radio. (Norway, Sweden) Olle Nordemar, Producer.

1952  (25th)

(Feature)

The Sea Around Us, RKO Radio. Irwin Allen, Producer.

1953  (26th)

(Feature)

The Living Desert, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. [True Life Adventures Series] Walt Disney, Producer.

1954  (27th)

(Feature)

The Vanishing Prairie, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. [True Life Adventures Series] Walt Disney, Producer.

1955  (28th)

(Feature)

Helen Keller in Her Story, Nancy Hamilton Presentation. Nancy Hamilton, Producer.

1956  (29th)

(Feature)

The Silent World, Filmad-F.S.J.Y.C. Production; Columbia. (France, Italy) Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Producer.

1957  (30th)

(Feature)

Albert Schweitzer, Hill and Anderson Production; Louis de Rochemont Associates. (USA, France) Jerome Hill, Producer.

1958  (31st)

(Feature)

White Wilderness, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. [True Life Adventure Series] Ben Sharpsteen, Producer.

1959  (32nd)

(Feature)

Serengeti Shall Not Die, Okapia-Film GmbH Production; Transocean-Film. (West Germany) Bernhard Grzimek, Producer.

1960  (33rd)

(Feature)

The Horse with the Flying Tail, Walt Disney Productions; Buena Vista. Larry Lansburgh, Producer.

1961  (34th)

(Feature)

Le Ciel et la Boue (Sky Above and Mud Beneath), Ardennes Films and Michael Arthur Film Productions; Rank Film Distributors of America, Inc. (France, Liechtenstein) Arthur Cohn and Rene Lafuite, Producers.

1962  (35th)

(Feature)

Black Fox, Image Productions, Inc.; Heritage Films, Inc. Louis Clyde Stoumen, Producer.

1963  (36th)

(Feature)

Robert Frost: A Lover’s Quarrel with the World, WGBH Educational Foundation; Holt, Reinhart and Winston, Inc. Robert Hughes, Producer.

1964  (37th)

(Feature)

Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s World Without Sun, Filmad-Les Requins Associes-Orsay-CEIAP; Columbia. (France, Italy) Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Producer.

1965  (38th)

(Feature)

The Eleanor Roosevelt Story, Sidney Glazier Production; American International Pictures. Sidney Glazier, Producer.

1966  (39th)

(Feature)

The War Game, BBC Production for the British Film Institute; Pathe Contemporary Films. (UK) Peter Watkins, Producer.

1967  (40th)

(Feature)

The Anderson Platoon, French Broadcasting System. (France) Pierre Schoendoerffer, Producer.

1968  (41st)

(Feature)

Journey into Self, Western Behavioral Sciences Institute. Bill McGaw, Producer.

1969  (42nd)

(Feature)

Arthur Rubinstein—The Love of Life, Midem Production. (France) Bernard Chevry, Producer.

1970  (43rd)

(Feature)

Woodstock, Wadleigh-Maurice Ltd. Production; Warner Bros. Bob Maurice, Producer.

1971  (44th)

(Feature)

The Hellstrom Chronicle, David L. Wolper Productions; Cinema 5, Ltd. Walon Green, Producer.

1972  (45th)

(Feature)

Marjoe, Cinema X Production; Cinema 5, Ltd. Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan, Producers.

1973  (46th)

(Feature)

The Great American Cowboy, Kieth Merrill Associates-Rodeo Film Productions. Kieth Merrill, Producer.

1974  (47th)

(Feature)

Hearts and Minds, Touchstone-Audjeff-BBS Production; Howard Zucker/Henry Jaglom-Rainbow Pictures Presentation. Peter Davis and Bert Schneider, Producers.

1975  (48th)

(Feature)

The Man Who Skied down Everest, Crawley Films Presentation. (Canada, Japan, USA) F. R. Crawley, James Hager and Dale Hartleben, Producers.

1976  (49th)

(Feature)

Harlan County, U.S.A., Cabin Creek Films. Barbara Kopple, Producer.

1977  (50th)

(Feature)

Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?, Korty Films and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates in association with Sanrio Films. (Japan, USA) John Korty, Dan McCann and Warren L. Lockhart, Producers.

1978  (51st)

(Feature)

Scared Straight!, Golden West Television Production. Arnold Shapiro, Producer.

1979  (52nd)

(Feature)

Best Boy, Only Child Motion Pictures, Inc. Ira Wohl, Producer.

1980  (53rd)

(Feature)

From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China, The Hopewell Foundation. Murray Lerner, Producer.

1981  (54th)

(Feature)

Genocide, Arnold Schwartzman Productions, Inc. Arnold Schwartzman and Rabbi Marvin Hier, Producers.

1982  (55th)

(Feature)

Just Another Missing Kid, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. (Canada) John Zaritsky, Producer.

1983  (56th)

(Feature)

He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’, Edgar J. Scherick Associates Production. Emile Ardolino, Producer.

1984  (57th)

(Feature)

The Times of Harvey Milk, Black Sand Educational Productions, Inc. Robert Epstein and Richard Schmiechen, Producers.

1985  (58th)

(Feature)

Broken Rainbow, Earthworks Films Production. Maria Florio and Victoria Mudd, Producers.

1986  (59th)

(Feature)

Artie Shaw: Time Is All You’ve Got, Bridge Film Production. (Canada) Brigitte Berman, Producer.

Down and Out in America, Joseph Feury Production. Joseph Feury and Milton Justice, Producers.

1987  (60th)

(Feature)

The Ten Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table, Aviva Films Production. Aviva Slesin, Producer.

1988  (61st)

(Feature)

Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, The Memory Pictures Company. (West Germany, France, USA) Marcel Ophuls, Producer.

1989  (62nd)

(Feature)

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, Telling Pictures and The Couturie Company Production. Robert Epstein and Bill Couturie, Producers.

1990  (63rd)

(Feature)

American Dream, Cabin Creek Films. (USA, UK) Barbara Kopple and Arthur Cohn, Producers.

1991  (64th)

(Feature)

In the Shadow of the Stars, Light-Saraf Films Production. Allie Light and Irving Saraf, Producers.

1992  (65th)

(Feature)

The Panama Deception, Empowerment Project Production. (USA, UK) Barbara Trent and David Kasper, Producers.

1993  (66th)

(Feature)

I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School, Verité Films Production. Susan Raymond and Alan Raymond.

1994  (67th)

(Feature)

Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, American Film Foundation/Sanders and Mock Production. Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders.

1995  (68th)

(Feature)

Anne Frank Remembered, Jon Blair Film Company Limited Production; Sony Pictures Classics. (UK, USA, Netherlands) Jon Blair.

1996  (69th)

(Feature)

When We Were Kings, DASFilms Ltd. Production; Gramercy Pictures. Leon Gast and David Sonenberg.

1997  (70th)

(Feature)

The Long Way Home, Moriah Films Production at the Simon Wiesenthal Center; Seventh Art. Rabbi Marvin Hier and Richard Trank.

1998  (71st)

(Feature)

The Last Days, Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation Production; October Films. James Moll and Ken Lipper.

1999  (72nd)

(Feature)

One Day in September, Arthur Cohn Production. (Switzerland, Germany, UK) Arthur Cohn and Kevin Macdonald.

2000  (73rd)

(Feature)

Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, Sabine Films Production; Warner Bros. (UK, USA) Mark Jonathan Harris and Deborah Oppenheimer.

2001  (74th)

(Feature)

Murder on a Sunday Morning, Maha Productions/Pathé Doc/France 2/HBO Production. (France, USA) Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and Denis Poncet.

2002  (75th)

(Feature)

Bowling for Columbine, Salter Street Films/VIF 2/Dog Eat Dog Films Production; United Artists and Alliance Atlantis. (USA, Canada, Germany) Michael Moore and Michael Donovan.

2003  (76th)

(Feature)

The Fog of War, Globe Department Store Production; Sony Pictures Classics. Errol Morris and Michael Williams.

2004  (77th)

(Feature)

Born into Brothels, Red Light Films, Inc. Production; THINKFilm. Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski.

2005  (78th)

(Feature)

March of the Penguins, Bonne Pioche Production; Warner Independent Pictures. (France) Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau.

2006  (79th)

(Feature)

An Inconvenient Truth, Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production; Paramount Classics and Participant Productions. Davis Guggenheim.

2007  (80th)

(Feature)

Taxi to the Dark Side, X-Ray Production; THINKFilm. Alex Gibney and Eva Orner.

2008  (81st)

(Feature)

Man on Wire, Wall to Wall in association with Red Box Films Production; Magnolia Pictures. (UK, USA) James Marsh and Simon Chinn.

2009  (82nd)

(Feature)

The Cove, Oceanic Preservation Society Production; Roadside Attractions. Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens.

2010  (83rd)

(Feature)

Inside Job, Representational Pictures Production; Sony Pictures Classics. Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs.

2011  (84th)

(Feature)

Undefeated, Spitfire Pictures Production; The Weinstein Company. TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas.

2012  (85th)

(Feature)

Searching for Sugar Man, Red Box Films and Passion Pictures in association with Canfield Pictures Production; Sony Pictures Classics. (Sweden, UK, Finland) Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn.

2013  (86th)

(Feature)

20 Feet from Stardom, A Gil Friesen Productions and Tremolo Production; RADiUS-TWC. Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers.

2014  (87th)

(Feature)

CitizenFour, a Praxis Films Production; Radius. (USA, Germany, UK) Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky.

2015  (88th)

(Feature)

Amy, an On the Corner Films Production; A24. (UK) Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees.

2016  (89th)

(Feature)

O.J.: Made in America, An ESPN Films/Laylow Films production; ESPN Films. Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow.

2017  (90th)

(Feature)

Icarus, A Netflix Documentary in assoc. with Impact Partners, Diamond Docs, Chicago Media Project and Alex Production; Netflix. Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan.

2018  (91st)

(Feature)

Free Solo, A National Geographic Documentary Films/Little Monster Films/Itinerant Media/Parkes+MacDonald/Image Nation Production; National Geographic. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill.

2019  (92nd)

(Feature)

American Factory, A Higher Ground Productions and Participant Media Production; Netflix. Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert.

2020  (93rd)

(Feature)

My Octopus Teacher, A Netflix Original Documentary in assoc. with Off the Fence and The Sea Change Project Production; Netflix. (South Africa) Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster.

2021  (94th)

(Feature)

Summer of Soul, A Vulcan Productions/Concordia Studio/Play/Action Pictures/LarryBilly Productions/Mass Distraction; Searchlight/Onyx Collective/Hulu. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein.

2022  (95th)

(Feature)

Navalny, Fishbowl Films/RaeFilm Studios/Cottage M Prod.; Warner Bros./CNN Films/HBO Max. Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris.

2023  (96th)

(Feature Film)

20 Days in Mariupol, Frontline/The Associated Press Production; PBS Distribution. (Ukraine) Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath.