The

Unforgettables

The Unforgettables list of the year’s most notable and significant nonfiction film subjects is our annual recognition and celebration of the unique collaboration between filmmakers and their subjects.

Honorees by year

All Years

2014–2027

2020s

Honorees

Dr. Mark Perlmutter in American Doctor
Dr. Feroze Sidhwa in American Doctor
Dr. Thaer Ahmad in American Doctor
E. Jean Carroll in Ask E. Jean
Soraya Akhlaghi in A Fox Under a Pink Moon
Billie Jean King in Give Me the Ball
Israa in One in a Million
Amy Goodman in Steal This Story, Please!

See the 2027 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Noam Shuster-Eliassi in Coexistence, My Ass!
Andrea Gibson in Come See Me in the Good Light
Megan Falley in Come See Me in the Good Light
Seymour Hersh in Cover-Up
Sara Shahverdi in Cutting Through Rocks
Pavel Talankin in Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Jacinda Ardern in Prime Minister
Fatma Hassona in Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk

See the 2026 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Shiori Ito in Black Box Diaries
Brian Eno in Eno
Lhakpa Sherpa in Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Basel Adra in No Other Land
Yuval Abraham in No Other Land
Patrice Jetter in Patrice: The Movie
Jenna Marvin in Queendom
Chris Smalls in Union
Harper Steele in Will & Harper

See the 2025 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Jon Batiste in American Symphony
Suleika Jaouad in American Symphony
Apolonia Sokol in Apolonia, Apolonia
Bobi Wine in Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Penny Lane in Confessions of a Good Samaritan
Shere Hite in The Disappearance of Shere Hite
Augusto Góngora in The Eternal Memory
Paulina Urrutia in The Eternal Memory
Nikki Giovanni in Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project
Bethann Hardison in Invisible Beauty
Joan Baez in Joan Baez I Am a Noise
Daniella Carter in Kokomo City
Koko Da Doll in Kokomo City
Liyah Mitchell in Kokomo City
Dominique Silver in Kokomo City
John le Carré in The Pigeon Tunnel
Margaret “Mati” Engel in A Still Small Voice
Michael J. Fox in Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Aaju Peter in Twice Colonized
Ravish Kumar in While We Watched

See the 2024 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Mohammad Saud in All That Breathes
Nadeem Shehzad in All That Breathes
Nan Goldin in All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Chun Siev in Bad Axe
Rebeca Huntt in Beba
Katia Krafft in Fire of Love
Maurice Krafft in Fire of Love
Gabby Giffords in Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down
Reid Davenport in I Didn’t See You There
Zarifa Ghafari in In Her Hands
Eli Timoner in Last Flight Home
Doris Muñoz in Mija
Brandon Lee in My Old School
Alexei Navalny in Navalny
Sinead O’Connor in Nothing Compares
Robert Downey Sr. in Sr.
Bitaté Uru-eu-wau-wau in The Territory
Neidinha Bandeira in The Territory

See the 2023 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Amin in Flee
Denilson Garibo in Homeroom
Selma Blair in Introducing, Selma Blair
Jacinta Hunt in Jacinta
Lily Hevesh in Lily Topples the World
Kenny G in Listening to Kenny G
Mr. Bachmann in Mr. Bachmann and His Class
Pauli Murray in My Name is Pauli Murray
Ady Barkan in Not Going Quietly
Joe Eldred in Procession
Mike Foreman in Procession
Ed Gavagan in Procession
Dan Laurine in Procession
Michael Sandridge in Procession
Tom Viviano in Procession
Rick Stanton in The Rescue
Rita Moreno in Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It
Anthony Bourdain in Roadrunner: A Film about Anthony Bourdain
Ron Mael in The Sparks Brothers
Russell Mael in The Sparks Brothers
Meera Nevi in Writing with Fire

See the 2022 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Stephen Garza in Boys State
Rene Otero in Boys State
Cătălin Tolontan in Collective
Judith Heymann in Crip Camp
Dick Johnson in Dick Johnson is Dead
Gunda in Gunda
Greta Thunberg in I Am Greta
John Lewis in John Lewis: Good Trouble
Musa Hadid in Mayor
Sergio Chamy in The Mole Agent
Waltter Mercado in Mucho Mucho Amor
Boniface Mwangi in Softie
Maria Ressa in A Thousand Cuts
Delores “Nunu” in Through the Night
Patrick “PopPop” Hogan in Through the Night
Fox Richardson in Time
Olga Baranova in Welcome to Chechnya
David Isteev in Welcome to Chechnya

See the 2021 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Lea Tsemel in Advocate
The Amazing Johnathan in The Amazing Johnathan Documentary
Dr. Ruth Westheimer in Ask Dr. Ruth
Dr. Amani Ballour in The Cave
Benedetta Barzini in The Disappearance of My Mother
Waad in For Sama
Hamza al-Kateab in For Sama
Lucien Greaves in Hail Satan?
Hatidze Muratova in Honeyland
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Knock Down the House
Tracy Edwards in Maiden
Juan Ochoa in Midnight Family
Fatima Hussaini in Midnight Traveler
Hassan Fazilli in Midnight Traveler
Freddy McConnell in Seahorse
Judy Hill in What You Gonna Do When the World’s On Fire?
Chelsea Manning in XY Chelsea

See the 2020 Unforgettables in full →

2010s

Honorees

Anette Ontell in 306 Hollywood
América in América
Issei Sagawa in Caniba
Alex Honnold in Free Solo
Julita Salmerón in Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle
Nick Bollettieri in Love Means Zero
M.I.A. in Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.
Kiere Johnson in Minding the Gap
Bing Liu in Minding the Gap
Zack Mulligan in Minding the Gap
Abu Osama in Of Fathers and Sons
Nadia Murad in On Her Shoulders
Ruth Bader Ginsburg in RBG
Scotty Bowers in Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood
Georges Cardona in Shirkers
Jasmine Ng in Shirkers
Sophie Siddique in Shirkers
Sandi Tan in Shirkers
Edward Galland in Three Identical Strangers
David Kellman in Three Identical Strangers
Robert Shafran in Three Identical Strangers
Fred Rogers in Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

See the 2019 Unforgettables in full →

Honorees

Chanterelle Sung in Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Hwei Lin Sung in Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Jill Sung in Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Thomas Sung in Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Vera Sung in Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
Bobbi Jene Smith in Bobbi Jene
Abdalaziz Alhamza in City of Ghosts
Hamoud Almousa in City of Ghosts
Mohamad Almusari in City of Ghosts
Ola Kaczanowska in Communion
Dina Buno in Dina
Scott Levin in Dina
Dolores Huerta in Dolores
Agnès Varda in Faces Places
Daje Shelton in For Akheem
Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov in Icarus
Dr. Jane Goodall in Jane
Jim Carrey in Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – The Story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman with a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton
Christine’a Rainey in Quest
Christopher “Quest” Rainey in Quest
PJ Rainey in Quest
William Withers in Quest
Yance Ford in Strong Island
Jennifer Brea in Unrest
Brian in The Work
Charles in The Work
Chris in The Work
Dark Cloud in The Work
Kiki in The Work
Vegas in The Work