Historically, the Golden Globes doesn’t feature a category for Best Documentary Film, and you won’t see one announced in Sunday night’s ceremony. But that doesn’t mean two prominent nonfiction filmmakers can’t call themselves Golden Globes winners.
Leading up to the telecast, directors Eugene Jarecki and Ross McElwee received bespoke trophies as recipients of the recently created Golden Globes Prize for Documentary, presented by Artemis Rising Foundation.
“The Prize is a landmark collaboration between the Golden Globes and Artemis Rising Foundation, which underscores a shared commitment to the cultural and artistic impact of documentary storytelling,” notes a release. “It honors a non-fiction film or filmmaker whose work demonstrates both exceptional creative merit and keen potential to inspire positive social change.”
Julian Assange in ‘The Six Billion Dollar Man’
Watermelon Pictures/Charlotte Street
Jarecki earned the inaugural edition of the prize at the Cannes Film Festival last May for The Six Billion Dollar Man, his documentary that reexamines the work – and the incarceration – of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. At the Venice Film Festival last September, the prize was awarded to McElwee’s documentary Remake, “a deeply personal film exploring his journey as a filmmaker alongside the life of his son, Adrian, who was tragically lost to substance abuse.”
In recognition of their achievements, Jarecki and McElwee were presented with a specially created statuette, bearing an Artemis Rising Foundation inscription, at a cocktail reception in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Director Ross McElwee attends the photocall for ‘Remake’ at the Venice Film Festival on September 3, 2025.
TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images
“There is an urgent need for non-fiction stories to be made, recognized and seen,” commented Artemis Rising Foundation Founder and CEO Regina K. Scully. “This Prize is an extension of the work Artemis Rising Foundation has engaged in for decades to champion powerful stories about some of the most challenging social justice issues of our time; I hope it helps to push these incredible creative works further into the spotlight.”
Think-Film Impact Production, an international film impact producer with a mission “to ensure powerful independent films resonate widely to change society for the better,” also played a pivotal role in launching the documentary prize and spotlighting the honor at the Cannes and Venice film festivals.
The Globes will present awards in 28 competitive categories Sunday night. There are indications that a documentary category may be added in the future.
“The Globes is proud to take the lead with this initiative to uplift documentary filmmaking,”, Golden Globes President Helen Hoehne said at the Thursday night reception, “which I hope will lead to wider industry recognition of the crucial documentary genre.”
For good measure, a release announcing the presentation of the award added, “As the Globes prepares for its main ceremony this weekend, which includes a new podcast award, many in the industry are now asking when a documentary category will be included.”