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The Miracle Theatre's red carpet has twice caught my tears as I sobbed over the Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Short Film, each evoking powerful emotions and personal memories. The films for consideration were Children No More: Were and are Gone, Perfectly A Strangeness, The Devil is Busy, Armed only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, and, finally, the winner, All of the Empty Rooms. While each film carried its own individual weight, from witnessing families destroyed by international wars to providing security at a Southern abortion clinic, All The Empty Rooms especially sent me into an emotional spiral. As a child of the twenty-first century and a product of many active-shooter drills—and because I am from Los Angeles and knew many students at Saugus High School during the 2019 shooting—I understood the deep personal impact these portrayals have. Seeing Dominic Blackwell and her family and the familiar Santa Clarita setting reminded me of why I had tried to forget. I felt guilty buying a ticket to witness someone’s grief, but then again, I do it every day.
Millions of other Americans and I help to make sure Netflix's crime shows rank in the top ten every week. An avid watcher of Criminal Minds, the Amazon Prime documentary series on the Idaho Killings in 2022, name it, I have watched it. After watching the nominees for the Academy Award, I felt guilty for a few things, but curious as to why I was constantly consuming sad media. Is this adding to my day-to-day sadness?
There is a lot of beauty in the world, film being an excellent example, so for a few seconds I was confused as to why humanity focused so much artistic space on bad news. Why even film the documentaries that make you disgusted with humanity? Aren’t we struggling enough?
In recent years, the winners of documentary short films have been of mixed emotions, ranging from the 2023 winner, The Last Repair Shop, which is about a music store in Los Angeles. The film details the power of music and music education. Last year's winner, The Only Girl In the Orchestra, was also a more positive film, which, according to the film’s website, is an “unsung hero story celebrating a trailblazing musician.” But these happier documentaries are not what appear to keep viewers talking. The documentary series that have recently captured American attention are not mentioned in the nominee lists as the years go back.
Viewers’ obsession with documentaries focusing on trauma, especially those about serial killers and horrific events, shapes what dominates our screens. Examples include remakes like Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story and current dramas such as FX's American Love Story, which romanticize real-life tragedies yet rarely leave audiences uplifted.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis article isn't meant to guilt you away from your television – which currently has the new Dateline episode ready to go – but more to offer up a question: Why not consume a hopeful documentary? There is bad news occurring every day; there is no need to remind yourself via television.
While producing a film that leaves viewers smiling isn't the main focus for filmmakers these days, there are some new documentary releases that focus on the joys in life. Here are three documentaries from 2026 that I would recommend to the average crime-show watcher:
- Barbara Forever, 2026
Barbara Forever is a documentary that appears to “immortalize an icon of queer cinema,” as described by the Sundance Film Festival. Barbara Hammer was an American filmmaker who passed away in 2019, and while I wish she could see her work on screen, any celebration of female art is a win in my book.
- Earth, Wind, and Fire, set to premiere in 2026
Set to premiere on HBO Max in 2026, this film, as described in the title, is a look into the iconic group, Earth, Wind, and Fire. Questlove, who already has an Oscar for his film Summer of Soul, announced he was working on the film in 2024 and has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to produce the highly anticipated picture.
- Everybody to Kenmure Street, 2026
The film was directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra and is the winner of the Sundance Film Festival Award for World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance. Everybody to Kenmure Street was filmed primarily in Glasgow, literally on Kenmure street and documents a community effort of civil disobedience to help protect neighbors from deportation. The documentary is a testament to the inherent good in people and the power voices can hold.
While I cannot promise you that consuming less-tragedy-focused documentaries will make you happier, I can promise there are still hopeful matters to be seen, documented, and observed. Stories that will inspire millions do exist; they just haven't been given a screen yet. As a creator, I push myself to look for these stories, but as a viewer, to find them, share them with my community, and make them more easily accessible than the next serial killer film.
