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David Attenborough in Ocean With David Attenborough.

David Attenborough has a new film for his 99th birthday – and it’s surprisingly optimistic

The legendary documentary maker is sharing the importance of the ocean to the planet’s future.

  • Garry Maddox

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Pope Francis took part in a new feature-length documentary in collaboration with Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese.

Martin Scorsese to produce documentary made with Pope Francis

The award-winning filmmaker met Pope Francis over the years, and their conversations informed some famous films.

  • Jake Coyle
Hamdan Ballal, Oscar-winning Palestinian director of No Other Land, is released from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba a day after being detained by the Israeli army following an alleged attack by Jewish settlers.

Israeli police release Oscar-winning director

Hamdan Ballal says he was blindfolded while soldiers placed objects on his head and mocked him, saying: “This is the Oscar-winning filmmaker.”

  • Natan Odenheimer, Aaron Boxerman and Adam Rasgon
Hamdan Ballal (third from left) with Basel Adra (left), Rachel Szor, and Yuval Abraham won best documentary feature film for No Other Land, at the Oscars earlier this month.

Oscar-winning director allegedly attacked by Israeli settlers, detained by army

Filmmaker Hamdan Ballal was one of three Palestinians detained, according to witnesses. His co-director says they have been regularly attacked since winning the Academy Award for best documentary feature.

  • Julia Frankel
Raccoons in the Big Apple?

Are natural history shows getting softer or are we less squeamish?

Forget the “jaws and claws” documentaries of old, in The Americas the cute and furry animals are living to fight another day.

  • Michael Idato
Every Little Thing captures the paradoxical lives of hummingbirds.

Gangs, brawls and defying gravity: Inside the secret lives of hummingbirds

No heavier than a marshmallow and no longer than an adult’s little finger, the colourful birds can also be ferocious.

  • Sandra Hall
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Gabriel Shipton at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne, February 2025.

How Julian Assange’s brother and a crypto artist raised $74m to free him

Gabriel Shipton and the cyber artist Pak joined forces to create an NFT artwork that played a major role in securing the WikiLeaks founder’s release.

  • Karl Quinn
Seam ‘Diddy’ Combs is suing NBC Universal.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sues major media company over new documentary

Combs has been held in custody in Brooklyn since his arrest in September on racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking charges.

  • Philip Marcelo
Stills from Frederick Wiseman’s new documentary, Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros.

Yes, Chef: This epic doco shows what fine dining really looks like

Fancy a four-hour sitting at one of the best restaurants in the world? This new documentary is the closest you’ll get to the real thing.

  • Tom Ryan
English rock band Led Zeppelin in 1969.

Led Zeppelin never wanted an official documentary – until now

The iconic band are finally telling their electric origin story, offering a peek behind the curtain, as director Bernard MacMahon reveals.

  • Michael Dwyer

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/documentaries-1n2t