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Documentaries are not expressly barred from competing for best picture at the Oscars, and A24 is campaigning You Can See Everything for the top award as part of a push across 11 categories, Variety reports. The campaign puts a spotlight on a rare kind of crossover: nonfiction films seeking recognition beyond the documentary feature race.
Directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, the film had a surprise world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2026 and opened in theaters on October 16. Through its fourth weekend, it had grossed nearly $80 million domestically.
Its nominations and individual category eligibility remain to be determined. But the campaign gives Oscar watchers a reason to examine how documentaries have fared elsewhere on the ballot—and why the answer depends on which award is being considered.
What the crossover record shows
Feature documentaries have received 33 nominations outside documentary feature across 98 Oscar ceremonies, according to Academy statistics cited by Variety. Three of those nominations resulted in wins.
The figures show that nonfiction features have reached other Oscar races, but they do not describe a single route to that recognition. Since the 85th ceremony in 2013, documentaries have collected 14 nominations outside their feature category, the trade reports. Ten were for original song, leaving four nominations in other categories.
That concentration is important when assessing the prospects of You Can See Everything. A song nomination counts toward a documentary’s crossover record, but it is a different achievement from a nomination for the film as best picture. The overall tally does not, by itself, establish how many documentaries have reached the best picture ballot or predict whether this one will.
A24’s reported campaign also includes documentary feature, director and supporting actress. Those categories put different aspects of the film before voters, rather than treating its documentary status as the only basis for recognition.
The campaign’s published scope has changed. A24’s awards site initially listed You Can See Everything for production design, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, and sound; an updated version no longer included those categories, according to Variety. The trade reports 11 categories in the wider campaign, but a campaign listing is a request for consideration, not an Oscar nomination.
Likewise, the absence of an explicit prohibition on documentaries entering other races should not be mistaken for a finding that every nonfiction film qualifies for every category. The historical figures show that crossover nominations happen; they do not settle the rules or outcome for any individual entry.
Why the voting groups matter
The documentary feature and best picture races involve different electorates. The Academy’s Documentary Branch participates in deciding the documentary feature category, while the full Academy voting membership chooses the best picture nominees. Support within the documentary branch is therefore not necessarily a measure of support across the wider Academy.
Formed in 2001, the Documentary Branch has 719 voting members, according to Academy figures cited by Variety. That makes it the third-largest branch, behind actors and executives. Its size gives the nonfiction field a substantial presence within the Academy, though best picture nominations draw on voters beyond that group.
For the documentary feature race, preliminary voting is scheduled for December 7–11, 2026. A 15-film shortlist is due on December 15, followed by the announcement of five nominees on January 21, 2027.
Those milestones will provide the next public indications of how the film is progressing in the documentary race. They will not, on their own, answer whether its broader campaign has succeeded: recognition for best picture, directing or supporting acting would come through separate category contests.
For audiences who encountered the film at Telluride or in theaters, its commercial performance is one part of the story. The awards question is a different test. Previous documentaries have won attention outside their dedicated category, but the recent record is heavily weighted toward original songs, making a broad campaign across multiple races a more specific challenge than the crossover total alone suggests.
