Something peculiar is going on in Sweden, a strange phenomenon affecting children that has defied explanation by doctors and psychiatrists. In recent years hundreds of kids around the Scandinavian country have slipped into a mysterious, coma-like state lasting many months or more—transformed from bright, active…

When the Academy announced its shortlist of 15 feature documentaries still in contention for the Oscars, one title on it was no surprise: For Sama , directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts . It is the single-most honored nonfiction film of the year, winning dozens of prizes at film festivals across the globe from…

EXCLUSIVE: Mobile streaming service Ficto has formed several new content partnerships and fleshed out its content offering of more than 50 shows as it prepares to go live in the first quarter of 2020. Led by CEO and co-founder Mike Esola , a former agent at UTA and WME, Ficto was first announced about a year ago. The…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released its Oscar shortlists for nine categories at once. Here are the films vying for final slots for the 92nd annual Academy Awards in Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, International Feature Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Music…

EXCLUSIVE : Sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg is the subject of Greta (working title) , an original documentary that will premiere on Hulu in 2020. The? documentary is produced by Cecilia Nessen and Frederik Heinig via B-Reel Films and directed by Nathan Grossman . The logline: In August 2018, Thunberg, a…

EXCLUSIVE : HBO Documentary Films has acquired North American television and streaming rights to Welcome to Chechnya , the documentary by David France , the Oscar-nominated director of How to Survive a Plague and The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson . The deal was struck in advance of the film making its world premiere…

Hey Alexa, how is artificial intelligence reshaping our world? Robert Downey Jr. will explain in The Age of A.I.,? a new documentary series from YouTube originals that premieres December 18. Check out the first trailer above and key art below. The eight-episode series takes a deep dive into the fascinating world of the…

Lifetime has set a premiere date and released a trailer for its sequel documentary series Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning : The follow-up to the much-watched , Emmy-nominated Surviving R. Kelly series debuts January 2 and will air on three consecutive nights. Part II: The Reckoning will feature interviews with…

Rock bands New Order and Duran Duran will get the documentary treatment on Showtime later this month, the premium cabler announced today. Both films will debut Dec. 27. See trailers for both documentaries below. New Order: Decades , part concert and part documentary, will follow the band’s preparations for the…

EXCLUSIVE : Discovery and Channel 4 are teaming up to co-produce a U.S. version of the hit British documentary series 24 Hours In Police Custody . Deadline has learned that ITV Studios -owned production company The Garden Productions has been working on the show for a number of months after securing access to the Kansas…

When filmmaker Petra Costa was two years old her native Brazil returned to civilian rule after more than two decades of dictatorship. For her, government of the people, by the people and for the people felt like the natural order. "I grew up believing that democracy was my birthright," Costa tells Deadline. “My…

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has ordered Cheer , a six-episode docuseries about competitive college cheerleaders, from Last Chance U creator Greg Whiteley and his One Potato Productions, Boardwalk Pictures and Caviar. Cheer is set to premiere January 8 on Netflix. Directed and executive produced by Whiteley, Cheer follows the…