Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program is awarded to one program each year. The category was split in 2018 to separately recognize documentary/nonfiction and reality programs.^[1]

Quick Facts for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program, Awarded for ...

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Awarded for	Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
Currently held by	Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, Girls State (2024)
Website	emmys.com

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In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The years given are those in which the ceremonies took place:

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Winners and nominations

1970s

More information Year, Program ...

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
1979	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[2]^{[note 1]}
Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?	John Korty	ABC

1980s

More information Year, Program ...

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
1983	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[3]^{[note 2]}
The Body Human: The Living Code	Charles A. Bangert and Alfred R. Kelman	PBS
1984	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[4]^{[note 3]}
He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'	Emile Ardolino	PBS
A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers	"Marshall, Texas"	David Grubin	PBS
1986	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[5]^{[note 4]}
The Spencer Tracy Legacy: A Tribute by Katharine Hepburn	David Heeley	PBS
1987	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming - Directing^[6]^{[note 5]}
American Masters	"Unknown Chaplin"	Kevin Brownlow and David Gill	PBS
Minnelli on Minnelli: Liza Remembers Vincente	Richard Schickel
1989	Outstanding Directing in Informational Programming^[7]^{[note 6]}
Destined to Live	Linda Otto	NBC
Entertainment Tonight	"Lucille Ball Memorial"	Ron de Moraes	Syndicated

1990s

More information Year, Program ...

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
1990	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[8]^{[note 7]}
American Masters	"W. Eugene Smith: Photography Made Difficult"	Gene Lasko	PBS
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic	Jack Haley Jr.	CBS
1991	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[9]^{[note 8]}
Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia	Bob Eisenhardt, Susan Froemke, Peter Gelb and Albert Maysles	PBS
The Astronomers	"Waves of the Future"	Linda Feferman	PBS
Motel	Christian Blackwood
The Power of the Past with Bill Moyers: Florence	David Grubin
1992	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[10]^{[note 9]}
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse	Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper and Eleanor Coppola	Showtime
1993	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[11]^{[note 10]}
Earth and the American Dream	Bill Couturié	HBO
Gridiron Gang	Lee Stanley	Syndicated
Dancing	"Dance Centerstage"	Geoff Dunlop	PBS
"New Worlds, New Forms"	Orlando Bagwell
Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson	Barbara Kopple	NBC
Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers	"The Mystery of Chi"	David Grubin	PBS
Lincoln	Peter Kunhardt	ABC
1994	Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming^[12]^{[note 11]}
Cats & Dogs	"Dogs Segment"	Robin Lehman	TBS
I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School	Susan Raymond	HBO

2000s

More information Year, Program ...

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
2003 ^[13]	Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming
American Experience	"The Murder of Emmett Till"	Stanley Nelson Jr.	PBS
American Idol	"Finale"	Bruce Gowers	Fox
Da Ali G Show	"Politics"	James Bobin	HBO
Expedition: Bismarck	Andrew Wight and James Cameron	Discovery
Journeys with George	Alexandra Pelosi and Aaron Lubarsky	HBO
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives	Ed Bell and Thomas Lennon
2004 ^[14]
Jockey	Kate Davis	HBO
American Experience	"Tupperware!"	Laurie Kahn	PBS
American Masters	"Judy Garland: By Myself"	Susan Lacy
Born Rich	Jamie Johnson	HBO
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy	"Richard Miller"	Becky Smith	Bravo
2005 ^[15]
Death in Gaza	James Miller (posthumously)	HBO
American Idol	"Finale"	Bruce Gowers	Fox
The Apprentice	"Finale"	Glenn Weiss	NBC
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition	"The Dore Family"	Patrick Higgins	ABC
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson	Ken Burns	PBS
2006 ^[16]
Baghdad ER	Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill	HBO
All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise	Shari Cookson	HBO
American Masters	"John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend"	Samuel D. Pollard	PBS
"No Direction Home: Bob Dylan"	Martin Scorsese
Children of Beslan	Ewa Ewart and Leslie Woodhead	HBO
2007 ^[17]	When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts	Spike Lee	HBO
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib	Rory Kennedy	HBO
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed	Kevin Burns	History
Thin	Lauren Greenfield	HBO
This American Life	"God's Close-Up"	Christopher Wilcha	Showtime
2008 ^[18]	This American Life	"Escape"	Adam Beckman and Christopher Wilcha	Showtime
The Amazing Race	"Honestly, They Have Witch Powers or Something"	Bertram van Munster	CBS
Autism: The Musical	Tricia Regan	HBO
Project Runway	"En Garde!"	Tony Sacco	Bravo
The War	"Pride of Our Nation (June–August 1944)"	Ken Burns and Lynn Novick	PBS
2009 ^[19]	Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired	Marina Zenovich	HBO
The Amazing Race	"Don't Let a Cheese Hit Me"	Bertram van Munster	CBS
Project Runway	"Finale, Part 1"	Paul Starkman	Bravo
This American Life	"John Smith"	Adam Beckman and Christopher Wilcha	Showtime
Top Chef	"The Last Supper"	Steve Hryniewicz	Bravo

2010s

More information Year, Program ...

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
2010 ^[20]	American Experience	"My Lai"	Barak Goodman	PBS
The Amazing Race	"I Think We're Fighting the Germans, Right?"	Bertram van Munster	CBS
By the People: The Election of Barack Obama	Amy Rice and Alicia Sams	HBO
Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut)	"Lust for Glory"	Bill Jones and Ben Timlett	IFC
Terror in Mumbai	Dan Reed	HBO
2011 ^[21]	Gasland	Josh Fox	HBO
The Amazing Race	"You Don't Get Paid Unless You Win"	Bertram van Munster	CBS
American Masters	"A Letter to Elia/Reflecting on Kazan"	Kent Jones and Martin Scorsese	PBS
Becoming Chaz	Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato	OWN
Top Chef	"Give Me Your Huddled Masses"	Paul Starkman	Bravo
2012 ^[22]	George Harrison: Living in the Material World	Martin Scorsese	HBO
The Amazing Race	"Let Them Drink Their Haterade"	Bertram van Munster	CBS
American Masters	"Woody Allen: A Documentary"	Robert B. Weide	PBS
Project Runway	"Finale, Part 2"	Craig Spirko	Lifetime
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory	Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky	HBO
2013 ^[23]	American Masters	"Mel Brooks: Make a Noise"	Robert Trachtenberg	PBS
Ethel	Rory Kennedy	HBO
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God	Alex Gibney
Survivor	"Live Finale and Reunion (Caramoan: Fans vs. Favorites)"	Glenn Weiss	CBS
"Live Finale and Reunion (Philippines)"	Michael Simon
2014 ^[24]	The Square	Jehane Noujaim	Netflix
The Amazing Race	"Part Like the Red Sea"	Bertram van Munster	CBS
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey	"Standing Up in the Milky Way"	Brannon Braga	Fox
Project Runway	"Sky's the Limit"	Craig Spirko	Lifetime
Shark Tank	"Episode 501"	Ken Fuchs	ABC
2015 ^[25]	Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief	Alex Gibney	HBO
Citizenfour	Laura Poitras	HBO
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways	"Washington D.C."	Dave Grohl
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst	"Chapter 2: Poor Little Rich Boy"	Andrew Jarecki
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck	Brett Morgen
2016 ^[26]	Making a Murderer	"Fighting for Their Lives"	Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi	Netflix
Cartel Land	Matthew Heineman	A&E
Chef's Table	"Gaggan Anand"	David Gelb	Netflix
He Named Me Malala	Davis Guggenheim	Nat Geo
What Happened, Miss Simone?	Liz Garbus	Netflix
2017 ^[27]	O.J.: Made in America	"Part 3"	Ezra Edelman	ESPN
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds	Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens	HBO
Planet Earth II	"Cities"	Fredi Devas	BBC America
"Islands"	Elizabeth White
13th	Ava DuVernay	Netflix
2018 ^[28]	Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
Jane	Brett Morgen	Nat Geo
Icarus	Bryan Fogel	Netflix
The Vietnam War	"Episode 8: The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)"	Ken Burns and Lynn Novick	PBS
Wild Wild Country	"Part 3"	Chapman Way and Maclain Way	Netflix
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling	Judd Apatow	HBO
2019 ^[29]
Free Solo	Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin	Nat Geo
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened	Chris Smith	Netflix
Leaving Neverland	Dan Reed	HBO
RBG	Julie Cohen and Betsy West	CNN
Three Identical Strangers	Tim Wardle

2020s

More information Year, Program ...

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
2020 ^[30]
American Factory	Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert	Netflix
Apollo 11	Todd Douglas Miller	CNN
Becoming	Nadia Hallgren	Netflix
The Cave	Feras Fayyad	Nat Geo
The Last Dance	"Episode 7"	Jason Hehir	ESPN
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness	"Cult of Personality"	Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin	Netflix
2021 ^[31]
Dick Johnson Is Dead	Kirsten Johnson	Netflix
Allen v. Farrow	"Episode 3"	Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering	HBO
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart	Frank Marshall
Boys State	Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss	Apple TV+
The Social Dilemma	Jeff Orlowski	Netflix
Tina	Dan Lindsay and T. J. Martin	HBO
2022 ^[32]
The Beatles: Get Back	"Part 3: Days 17-22"	Peter Jackson	Disney+
The Andy Warhol Diaries	"Shadows: Andy & Jed"	Andrew Rossi	Netflix
George Carlin's American Dream	Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio	HBO Max
Lucy and Desi	Amy Poehler	Prime Video
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy	"Venice"	Ian Denyer	CNN
We Need to Talk About Cosby	"Part 1"	W. Kamau Bell	Showtime
2023 ^[33]
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie	Davis Guggenheim	Apple TV+
Judy Blume Forever	Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok	Prime Video
Moonage Daydream	Brett Morgen	HBO
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields	Lana Wilson	Hulu
The Territory	Alex Pritz	Nat Geo
The U.S. and the Holocaust	"Episode 3: The Homeless, Tempest-tossed (1942-)"	Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein	PBS
2024 ^[34]
Girls State	Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss	Apple TV+
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life	Rob Reiner	HBO
Beckham	"What Makes David Run"	Fisher Stevens	Netflix
The Greatest Night in Pop	Bao Nguyen	Netflix
Jim Henson Idea Man	Ron Howard	Disney+
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces	Morgan Neville	Apple TV+

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Individuals with multiple nominations

4 nominations

Ken Burns

3 nominations

2 nominations

Notes

[N 1]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 2]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 3]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 4]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 5]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominees did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
[N 6]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominees did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
[N 7]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 8]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 9]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 10]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
[N 11]
As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.

References

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