De Academy Award voor beste documentaire (Engels: Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, ook bekend als de Oscar voor beste documentaire) is sinds 1943 een jaarlijkse prijs van de Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voor documentaires.
Winnaars en genomineerden Onderstaande jaartallen vertegenwoordigen het jaar dat de film genomineerd werd voor de prijs. De daadwerkelijke uitreiking is het jaar erna.The Official Academy Awards Database
1942-1949 1942 (vier winnaars): The Battle of Midway Kokoda Front Line Moscow Strikes Back Prelude to War
1943: Desert Victory 1944: The Fighting Lady 1945: The True Glory 1946: geen 1947: Design for Death 1948: The Secret Land 1949: Daybreak in Udi
1950-1959 1950: The Titan: Story of Michelangelo 1951: Kon-Tiki 1952: The Sea Around Us 1953: The Living Desert 1954: The Vanishing Prairie 1955: Helen Keller in Her Story 1956: The Silent World 1957: Albert Schweitzer 1958: White Wilderness 1959: Serengeti Shall Not Die
1960-1969 Jaar Film Genomineerde(n) 1960 The Horse with the Flying Tail Larry Lansburgh Rebel in Paradise Robert D. Fraser 1961 Le Ciel et la Boue (Sky Above and Mud Beneath) Arthur Cohn en Rene Lafuite La Grande Olimpiade (Olympic Games 1960) dell Istituto Nazionale Luce, Comitato Organizzatore Del Giochi Della XVII Olimpiade 1962 Black Fox Louis Clyde Stoumen Alvorada (Brazil's Changing Face) Hugo Niebeling 1963 Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World Robert Hughes Le Maillon et la Chaine (The Link and the Chain) Paul de Roubaix Terminus Edgar Anstey Nadat de nominaties waren aangekondigd werd ontdekt dat deze film was uitgebracht voor de in aanmerking komende periode, en de nominatie werd ingetrokken. The Yanks Are Coming Marshall Flaum 1964 Jacques-Yves Cousteau's World without Sun Jacques-Yves Cousteau The Finest Hours Jack Le Vien Four Days in November Mel Stuart The Human Dutch Bert Haanstra Over There, 1914-18 Jean Aurel 1965 The Eleanor Roosevelt Story Sidney Glazier The Battle of the Bulge... The Brave Rifles Laurence E. Mascott The Forth Road Bridge Peter Mills Let My People Go Marshall Flaum To Die in Madrid Frédéric Rossif 1966 The War Game Peter Watkins The Face of Genius Alfred R. Kelman Helicopter Canada Peter Jones en Tom Daly The Really Big Family Alex Grasshoff Le Volcan Interdit (The Forbidden Volcano) Haroun Tazieff 1967 The Anderson Platoon Pierre Schoendoerffer Festival Murray Lerner Harvest Carroll Ballard A King's Story Jack Le Vien A Time for Burning William C. Jersey 1968 Journey into Self Bill McGaw Tijdens de 41ste Oscaruitreiking op 14 april 14 1969, werd Young Americans aangekondigd als winnaar van de categorie "Beste documentaire". Op 7 mei 1969 werd de film niet verkiesbaar verklaard nadat was ontdekt dat de film had gedraaid in oktober 1967, waardoor deze niet in aanmerking kwam voor een Oscar voor 1968. De nummer twee, Journey into Self, kreeg de Oscar op 8 mei 1969. A Few Notes on Our Food Problem James Blue The Legendary Champions William Cayton Other Voices David H. Sawyer Young Americans Robert Cohn en Alex Grasshoff 1969 Arthur Rubinstein - The Love of Life Bernard Chevry Before the Mountain Was Moved Robert K. Sharpe In the Year of the Pig Emile de Antonio The Olympics in Mexico Comite Organizador de los Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada The Wolf Men Irwin Rosten
1970-1979 Jaar Film Genomineerde(n) 1970 Woodstock Bob Maurice Chariots of the Gods Harald Reinl Jack Johnson Jim Jacobs King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis Ely Landau Say Goodbye David H. Vowell 1971 The Hellstrom Chronicle Walon Green Alaska Wilderness Lake Alan Landsburg On Any Sunday Bruce Brown The RA Expeditions Lennart Ehrenborg en Thor Heyerdahl The Sorrow and the Pity Marcel Ophüls 1972 Marjoe Howard Smith en Sarah Kernochan Ape and Super-Ape Bert Haanstra Malcolm X Marvin Worth en Arnold Perl Manson Robert Hendrickson en Laurence Merrick The Silent Revolution Eckehard Munck 1973 The Great American Cowboy Kieth Merrill Always a New Beginning John D. Goodell Battle of Berlin Bengt von zur Muehlen Journey to the Outer Limits Alex Grasshoff Walls of Fire Gertrude Ross Marks en Edmund F. Penney 1974 Hearts and Minds Peter Davis en Bert Schneider The 81st Blow Jacquot Ehrlich, David Bergman en Haim Gouri Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman Judy Collins en Jill Godmilow The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art Herbert Kline The Wild and the Brave Natalie R. Jones en Eugene S. Jones 1975 The Man Who Skied down Everest F.R. Crawley, James Hager en Dale Hartleben The California Reich Walter F. Parkes en Keith F. Critchlow Fighting for Our Lives Glen Pearcy The Incredible Machine Irwin Rosten The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir Shirley MacLaine 1976 Harlan County, USA Barbara Kopple Hollywood on Trial James Gutman en David Helpern jr. Off the Edge Michael Firth People of the Wind Anthony Howarth en David Koff Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry Donald Brittain en Robert Duncan 1977 Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? John Korty, Dan McCann en Warren L. Lockhart The Children of Theatre Street Robert Dornhelm en Earle Mack High Grass Circus Bill Brind, Torben Schioler en Tony Ianzelo Homage to Chagall--The Colours of Love Harry Rasky Union Maids James Klein, Julia Reichert en Miles Mogulescu 1978 Scared Straight! Arnold Shapiro The Lovers' Wind Albert Lamorisse Mysterious Castles of Clay Alan Root Raoni Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, Barry Williams en Michel Gast With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade Anne Bohlen, Lyn Goldfarb en Lorraine Gray 1979 Best Boy Ira Wohl Generation on the Wind David A. Vassar Going the Distance Paul Cowan en Jacques Bobet The Killing Ground Steve Singer en Tom Priestley The War at Home Glenn Silber en Barry Alexander Brown
1980-1989 Jaar Film Genomineerde(n) 1980 From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China Murray Lerner Agee Ross Spears The Day After Trinity Jon Else Front Line David Bradbury The Yellow Star - The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933-45 Bengt von zur Muehlen en Arthur Cohn 1981 Genocide Arnold Schwartzman en Marvin Hier Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey Suzanne Bauman, Paul Neshamkin en Jim Burroughs Brooklyn Bridge Ken Burns Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott Mary Benjamin, Susanne Simpson en Boyd Estus El Salvador: Another Vietnam Glenn Silber en Tete Vasconcellos 1982 Just Another Missing Kid John Zaritsky After the Axe Sturla Gunnarsson en Steve Lucas Ben's Mill John Karol en Michel Chalufour In Our Water Meg Switzgable A Portrait of Giselle Joseph Wishy 1983 He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' Emile Ardolino Children of Darkness Richard Kotuk en Ara Chekmayan First Contact Bob Connolly en Robin Anderson The Profession of Arms Michael Bryans en Tina Viljoen Seeing Red James Klein en Julia Reichert 1984 The Times of Harvey Milk Robert Epstein en Richard Schmiechen High Schools Charles Guggenheim en Nancy Sloss In the Name of the People Alex W. Drehsler en Frank Christopher Marlene Karel Dirka en Zev Braun Streetwise Cheryl McCall 1985 Broken Rainbow Maria Florio en Victoria Mudd Las Madres--The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Susana Muñoz en Lourdes Portillo Soldiers in Hiding Japhet Asher The Statue of Liberty Ken Burns en Buddy Squires Unfinished Business Steven Okazaki 1986 Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got Brigitte Berman Down and Out in America Joseph Feury en Milton Justice Chile: Hasta Cuando? David Bradbury Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer Kirk Simon en Amram Nowak Witness to Apartheid Sharon I. Sopher 1987 The Ten-Year Lunch: The Wit and Legend of the Algonquin Round Table Aviva Slesin Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years/Bridge to Freedom 1965 Callie Crossley en James A. DeVinney Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima John Junkerman en John W. Dower Radio Bikini Robert Stone A Stitch for Time Barbara Herbich en Cyril Christo 1988 Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie Marcel Ophüls The Cry of Reason - Beyers Naudé: An Afrikaner Speaks Out Robert Bilheimer en Ronald Mix Let's Get Lost Bruce Weber en Nan Bush Promises to Keep Ginny Durrin Who Killed Vincent Chin? Renee Tajima en Christine Choy 1989 Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt Robert Epstein en Bill Couturié Adam Clayton Powell Richard Kilberg en Yvonne Smith Crack USA: County Under Siege Vince DiPersio en William Guttentag For All Mankind Al Reinert en Betsy Broyles Breier Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren Judith Leonard en Bill Jersey
1990-1999 Jaar Film Genomineerde(n) 1990 American Dream Barbara Kopple en Arthur Cohn Berkeley in the Sixties Mark Kitchell Building Bombs Mark Mori en Susan Robinson Forever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Judith Montell Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey Robert Hillmann en Eugene Corr 1991 In the Shadow of the Stars Allie Light en Irving Saraf Death on the Job Vince DiPersio en William Guttentag Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House Alan Raymond en Susan Raymond The Restless Conscience Hava Kohav Beller Wild by Law Lawrence Hott en Diane Garey 1992 The Panama Deception Barbara Trent en David Kasper Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker David Haugland Fires of Kuwait Sally Dundas Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II William Miles en Nina Rosenblum Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann Margaret Smilow en Roma Baran 1993 I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School Susan Raymond en Alan Raymond The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter David Paperny en Arthur Ginsberg Children of Fate Susan Todd en Andrew Young For Better or For Worse David Collier en Betsy Thompson The War Room D.A. Pennebaker en Chris Hegedus 1994 Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision Freida Lee Mock en Terry Sanders Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter Deborah Hoffmann D-Day Remembered Charles Guggenheim Freedom of My Mind Connie Field en Marilyn Mulford A Great Day in Harlem Jean Bach 1995 Anne Frank Remembered Jon Blair The Battle over Citizen Kane Thomas Lennon en Michael Epstein Fiddlefest--Roberta Tzavaras and Her East Harlem Violin Program Allan Miller en Walter Scheuer Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream Mike Tollin en Fredric Golding Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern Jeanne Jordan en Steven Ascher 1996 When We Were Kings Leon Gast en David Sonenberg The Line King: The Al Herschfeldt Story Susan W. Dryfoos Mandela Jo Menell en Angus Gibson Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse Anne Belle en Deborah Dickson Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press Rick Goldsmith 1997 The Long Way Home Marvin Hier en Richard Trank 4 Little Girls Spike Lee en Sam Pollard Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life Michael Paxton Colors Straight Up Michèle Ohayon en Julia Schachter Waco: The Rules of Engagement Dan Gifford en William Gazecki 1998 The Last Days James Moll en Ken Lipper Dancemaker Matthew Diamond en Jerry Kupfer The Farm: Angola, U.S.A. Jonathan Stack en Liz Garbus Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth Robert B. Weide Regret to Inform Barbara Sonneborn en Janet Cole 1999 One Day in September Arthur Cohn en Kevin Macdonald Buena Vista Social Club Wim Wenders en Ulrich Felsberg Genghis Blues Roko Belic en Adrian Belic On the Ropes Nanette Burstein en Brett Morgen Speaking in Strings Paola di Florio en Lilibet Foster
2000-2009