# 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.
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:

## Winners and nominations
### 1970s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 1979 | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Informational Programming |
| 1979 | Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? | Who Are the DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? | John Korty | ABC |

### 1980s

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

### 1990s

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

### 2000s

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

### 2010s

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

### 2020s

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