O Oscar ó mellor documental é un premio que galardoa os mellores filmes documentais.
Gañadores e nomeados
1940 En 1942, había unha soa categoría de Documental, con vinte e cinco nomeados e catro gañadores. 1942 - Gañadores: The Battle of Midway Kokoda Front Line! Moscow Strikes Back Prelude to War Nomeados: Africa, Prelude to Victory Combat Report Conquer by the Clock The Grain That Built a Hemisphere Henry Browne, Farmer High Over the Borders High Stakes in the East Inside Fighting China It's Everybody's War Listen to Britain Little Belgium Little Isles of Freedom Mr. Blabbermouth! Mister Gardenia Jones The New Spirit The Price of Victory A Ship Is Born Twenty-One Miles We Refuse to Die The White Eagle Winning Your Wings
Dende 1943, a categoría foi separada en dúas (documental e curta documental). 1943 - Desert Victory Baptism of Fire The Battle of Russia Report from the Aleutians War Department Report 1944 - The Fighting Lady Resisting Enemy Interrogation 1945 - The True Glory The Last Bomb 1946 - non entregado 1947 - Design for Death Journey Into Medicine The World Is Rich 1948 - The Secret Land The Quiet One 1949 - Daybreak in Udi Kenji Comes Home
1950 1950 - The Titan: Story of Michelangelo With These Hands 1951 - Kon-Tiki I Was a Communist for the FBI 1952 - The Sea Around Us The Hoaxters Navajo 1953 - The Living Desert The Conquest of Everest A Queen Is Crowned 1954 - The Vanishing Prairie The Stratford Adventure 1955 - Helen Keller in Her Story Crèvecoeur 1956 - Le Monde du silence Hvor bjergene sejler The Naked Eye 1957 - Albert Schweitzer On the Bowery Torero 1958 - White Wilderness Antarctic Crossing The Hidden World Psychiatric Nursing 1959 - Serengeti Shall Not Die The Race for Space
1960 1960 - The Horse with the Flying Tail Rebel in Paradise 1961 - Sky Above and Mud Beneath, dirixido por Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau La grande olimpiade, dirixido por Romolo Marcellini 1962 - Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler Alvorada-Hugo Niebeling 1963 - Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World Le Maillon et la chaîne The Yanks Are Coming 1964 - World Without Sun 14-18 Alleman The Finest Hours Four Days in November 1965 - The Eleanor Roosevelt Story The Battle of the Bulge... The Brave Rifles The Forth Road Bridge Let My People Go: The Story of Israel Mourir à Madrid 1966 - The War Game The Face of a Genius Helicopter Canada The Really Big Family Le Volcan interdit 1967 - The Anderson Platoon Festival Harvest A King's Story A Time for Burning 1968 - Journey into Self A Few Notes on Our Food Problem Legendary Champions Other Voices 1969 - Arthur Rubinstein – The Love of Life Before the Mountain Was Moved In the Year of the Pig Olimpiada en México The Wolf Men
1970 1970 - Woodstock Erinnerungen an die Zukunft Jack Johnson King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis Say Goodbye 1971 - The Hellstrom Chronicle Alaska Wilderness Lake Le chagrin et la pitié On Any Sunday Ra 1972 - Marjoe Bij de beesten af Malcolm X Manson The Silent Revolution 1973 - The Great American Cowboy Always a New Beginning Journey to the Outer Limits Schlacht um Berlin Walls of Fire 1974 - Hearts and Minds Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman The Challenge... A Tribute to Modern Art The 81st Blow The Wild and the Brave 1975 - The Man Who Skied Down Everest The California Reich Fighting for Our Lives The Incredible Machine The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir 1976 - Harlan County, USA dirixido por Barbara KoppleHollywood on TrialOff the EdgePeople of the WindVolcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry1977 - Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?The Children of Theatre StreetHigh Grass CircusHomage to Chagall: The Colours of LoveUnion Maids1978 - Scared Straight!Mysterious Castles of ClayRaoniLe vent des amoureuxWith Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade1979 - Best BoyGeneration on the WindGoing the DistanceThe Killing GroundThe War at Home 1980 1980 From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China dirixido por Murray Lerner Agee The Day After Trinity Front Line The Yellow Star – The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933-451981 Genocide dirixido por Arnold Schwartzman Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey Brooklyn Bridge Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott El Salvador: Another Vietnam1982 Just Another Missing Kid dirixido por John Zaritsky A Portrait of Giselle After the Axe Ben's Mill In Our Water1983 He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' dirixido por Emile Ardolino Children of Darkness First Contact The Profession of Arms Seeing Red1984 The Times of Harvey Milk dirixido por Rob Epstein e Richard Schmiechen High Schools In the Name of the People Marlene Streetwise1985 Broken Rainbow dirixido por Maria Florio e Victoria Mudd The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo Soldiers in Hiding The Statue of Liberty Unfinished Business1986: Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got e Down and Out in America Chile: Hasta Cuando? Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer Witness to Apartheid1987 The Ten-Year Lunch Eyes on the Prize Hellfire: A Journey from Hiroshima Radio Bikini A Stitch for Time1988 Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie The Cry of Reason: Beyers Naude – An Afrikaner Speaks Out Let's Get Lost Promises to Keep Who Killed Vincent Chin?1989 Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt – Rob Epstein e Bill Couturié Adam Clayton Powell – Richard Kilberg e Yvonne Smith Crack USA: County Under Siege – Vince DiPersio e William Guttentag For All Mankind – Al Reinert e Betsy Broyles Breier Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren'' – Judith Leonard e Bill Jersey
1990 Ano Filme Nomes 1990<small>(63ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |American Dream|Barbara Kopple e Arthur CohnBerkeley in the SixtiesMark KitchellBuilding BombsMark Mori e Susan RobinsonForever Activists: Stories from the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln BrigadeJudith MontellWaldo Salt: A Screenwriter's JourneyRobert Hillmann e Eugene Corr 1991<small>(64ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |In the Shadow of the Stars|Allie Light e Irving Saraf|- |Death on the Job |Vince DiPersio e William Guttentag |- |Doing Time: Life Inside the Big House |Alan Raymond e Susan Raymond |- |The Restless Conscience: Resistance to Hitler Within Germany 1933-1945 |Hava Kohav Beller |- |Wild by Law |Lawrence Hott e Diane Garey |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1992(65ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |The Panama Deception|Barbara Trent e 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 |Bill Miles e Nina Rosenblum |- |Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann |Margaret Smilow e Roma Baran |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1993<small>(66ª) |- style="background:#FAEB86" |I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School|Susan Raymond e Alan Raymond|- |The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter |David Paperny e Arthur Ginsberg |- |Children of Fate |Susan Todd e Andrew Young |- |For Better or For Worse |David Collier e Betsy Thompson |- |The War Room |D. A. Pennebaker e Chris Hegedus |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1994(67ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision|Freida Lee Mock|- |Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter |Deborah Hoffmann |- |D-Day Remembered |Charles Guggenheim |- |Freedom on My Mind |Connie Field e Marilyn Mulford |- |A Great Day in Harlem |Jean Bach |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1995<small>(68ª) |- style="background:#FAEB86" |Anne Frank Remembered|Jon Blair|- |The Battle Over Citizen Kane |Thomas Lennon e Michael Epstein |- |Fiddlefest: Roberta Tzavaras and Her East Harlem Violin Program |Allan Miller e Walter Scheuer |- |Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream|Mike Tollin e Fredric Golding |- |Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern|Jeanne Jordan e Steven Ascher |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1996(69ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |When We Were Kings|Leon Gast e David Sonenberg|- |The Line King: The Al Hirschfeld Story |Susan W. Dryfoos |- |Mandela |Jo Menell e Angus Gibson |- |Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse |Anne Belle e Deborah Dickson |- |Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press |Rick Goldsmith |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1997<small>(70ª) |- style="background:#FAEB86" |The Long Way Home|Marvin Hier e Richard Trank|- |Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life |Michael Paxton |- |Colors Straight Up |Michèle Ohayon e Julia Schachter |- |4 Little Girls |Spike Lee e Sam Pollard |- |Waco: The Rules of Engagement |Dan Gifford e William Gazecki |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1998(71ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |The Last Days|James Moll e Ken Lipper|- |Dancemaker |Matthew Diamond e Jerry Kupfer |- |The Farm: Angola, U.S.A. |Jonathan Stack e Liz Garbus |- |Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth |Robert B. Weide |- |Regret to Inform |Barbara Sonneborn e Janet Cole |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 1999<small>(72ª) |- style="background:#FAEB86" |One Day in September|Arthur Cohn e Kevin Macdonald''' |- |Buena Vista Social Club|Wim Wenders e Ulrich Felsberg |- |Genghis Blues|Roko Belic e Adrian Belic |- |On the Ropes|Nanette Burstein e Brett Morgen |- |Speaking in Strings''Paola di Florio e Lilibet Foster
2000 Ano Filme Nomes 2000(73ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport|Mark Jonathan Harris e Deborah Oppenheimer|- |Legacy |Tod Lending |- |Long Night's Journey into Day |Deborah Hoffmann e Frances Reid |- |Scottsboro: An American Tragedy |Daniel Anker e Barak Goodman |- |Sound and Fury |Josh Aronson e Roger Weisberg |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 2001<small>(74ª)Murder on a Sunday MorningJean-Xavier de Lestrade e Denis PoncetChildren UndergroundEdet BelzbergLaLee's Kin: The Legacy of CottonDeborah Dickson e Susan FrömkePromisesB.Z. Goldberg e Justine ShapiroWar PhotographerChristian Frei 2002(75ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |Bowling for Columbine|Michael Moore e Michael Donovan|- |Daughter from Danang |Gail Dolgin e Vicente Franco |- |Prisoner of Paradise |Malcolm Clarke e Stuart Sender |- |Spellbound |Jeffrey Blitz e Sean Welch |- |Winged Migration |Jacques Perrin |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 2003<small>(76ª)The Fog of WarErrol Morris e Michael WilliamsBalserosCarlos Bosch e Josep Maria DomenechCapturing the FriedmansAndrew Jarecki e Marc SmerlingMy ArchitectNathaniel Kahn e Susan R. BehrThe Weather UndergroundSam Green e Bill Siegel 2004(77ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |Born into Brothels|Ross Kauffman e Zana Briski|- |The Story of the Weeping Camel |Byambasuren Davaa e Luigi Falorni |- |Super Size Me |Morgan Spurlock |- |Tupac: Resurrection |Karolyn Ali e Lauren Lazin |- |Twist of Faith |Kirby Dick e Eddie Schmidt |- | rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| 2005<small>(78ª)A viaxe do EmperadorLuc Jacquet e Yves DarondeauDarwin's NightmareHubert SauperEnron: The Smartest Guys in the RoomAlex Gibney e Jason KliotMurderballHenry Alex Rubin e Dana Adam ShapiroStreet FightMarshall Curry 2006(79ª)An Inconvenient TruthDavis GuggenheimDeliver Us from EvilAmy Berg, Frank Donner, e Matthew CookeIraq in FragmentsJames Longley e Yahya SinnoJesus CampHeidi Ewing e Rachel GradyMy Country, My CountryJocelyn Glatzer e Laura Poitras 2007(80ª)</small> |- style="background:#FAEB86" |Taxi to the Dark Side|Alex Gibney e Eva Orner|- |No End in Sight |Charles Ferguson e Audrey Marrs |- |Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience |Richard Robbins |- |Sicko |Michael Moore e Meghan O'Hara |- |War/Dance |Sean Fine e Andrea Nix |-