Deadline Hollywood - Contenders Television: Documentary - 04/18/26
Lettering By DARREN BOOTH
You See L.A.
PRESENTATIONS
Saturday, April 18, 2026
Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
John Candy: I Like Me
Mr. Scorsese
Lost Women of Alaska
Editorial Panel
Kelsey Trainor (EP)
Jeff Luini, (EP)
Harshal Dave (EP)
Cori Close (UCLA Women’s Head Basketball Coach)
Ally Pankiw (Director)
Cassidy Hartmann (EP)
Colin Hanks (Director/Producer)
Chris Candy (EP)
Jennifer Candy-Sullivan (EP)
Rebecca Miller, Director
Octavia Spencer (Narrator/EP)
Matt Robins (EP)
Debra Birnbaum (Editor-in-Chief of Gold Derby)
John Ridley (Writer/Director/Founder of Nō Studios, Co-Host of Deadline’s Doc Talk )
ON TOP OF THEIR GAME
Deadline’s Contenders: Documentary showcases legends of film, music and sports
By Matthew Carey
Fifty years ago this year, a film called Taxi Driver premiered, confirming the emergence of an incredible talent in the medium of cinema: director Martin Scorsese. Five decades after that milestone—and with dozens more extraordinary films to his credit—Scorsese’s stunning artistic achievements
Emmy recognition this year. Scorsese features the participa tion of a who’s who of Hollywood, from the director’s collaborators Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jodie Foster and Sharon Stone to filmmaking colleagues Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee.
An icon of comedy earns a powerful tribute in the emotional John Candy: I Like Me, the film from Prime Video that also joins the Contenders Television: Documentary lineup. Director Colin Hanks and John Candy’s children, Chris Candy and Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, will
their film, which premiered last September at the Toronto International Film Festival in John Candy’s hometown.
Fellow Canadian Sarah McLachlan, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, founded Lilith Fair in 1997, a landmark music festival devoted to women recording artists. The remarkable success of that festival is explored in the Hulu documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery,
We showcase some of the most exceptional another headliner in the lineup. Joining us are director Ally Pankiw and executive producer Cassidy Hartmann (who also, coincidentally, premiered their film at TIFF).
Fresh from winning the NCAA women’s basketball champion ship, UCLA coach Cori Close joins the Contenders starting lineup for a discussion of Fox Sports documentary that chronicles the team’s rise to championship level. Executive producers Kelsey Trainor, Jeff Luini and Harshal Dave also suit up for the conversation.
Oscar winner Octavia Spencer has become one of the enter tainment industry’s most respected and beloved actors, as well as a powerhouse producer. She serves as executive producer and narrator of Alaska, the Investigation Discovery documentary series that chillingly explores the case of a serial killer who targeted Indigenous women. Spencer and fellow EP Matt Robins represent the series at Contenders.
Award-winning filmmakers and
NCAA champions—that’s a formidable team to assemble for our spotlight on major films and series in contention for the Emmys. And now, get ready, it’s
SHOWS THE
APPLE TV
● Mr. Scorsese
This five-part film features never-before-seen footage and in-depth interviews with those closest to the acclaimed director, with a roster that includes his go-to leading actors Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. The series also aims to paint a picture of a man whose singular filmography grapples with the question of whether humans are intrinsically good or evil, taking in 1967’s Who’s That Knocking at my Door, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Last Temptation of Christ, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street and his most recent film, Killers of the Flower Moon.
1 Mr. Scorsese
2 You See L.A.
3 Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery
1
FOX Sports
● You See L.A.
Starring UCLA head coach Cori Close alongside standout players Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, and Kiki Rice, the film sets out to define women’s basketball culture, with commentary from legends of the sport like Reggie Miller and Candace Parker. The hour-long special is a chance for viewers to take an inside look at the Bruins’ program-first run to the 2025 Final Four and see the emotional stakes and community surrounding the tight-knit team and their success.
HULU
● Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery Directed by Ally Pankiw and produced by Dan Levy, Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery reveals the untold story of the groundbreaking music festival—featuring only female artists—that was helmed by Canadian singersongwriter Sarah McLachlan and her team from 1997-1999, with a brief revival in 2010. The film uses backstage footage, contemporary media coverage and interviews with Brandi Carlile, Olivia Rodrigo and Erykah Badu.
THE SHOWS
ID
● Lost Women of Alaska
Executive produced by Octavia Spencer, Christina Douglas and Matt Robins, this three-part series focuses on the case known as the ‘memory card murders’, which gets its name because the killer, Brian Steven Smith, was exposed when graphic images and videos were found on his phone and turned into Anchorage PD in 2019. The documentary highlights this case and the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered indigenous peoples in Alaska.
PRIME VIDEO
● John Candy: I Like Me
This documentary, directed by Colin Hanks and produced by Ryan Reynolds, looks back on the career of Canadian comedianactor John Candy. From featuring candid stories from his days on SCTV to Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Splash and more, the project also includes interviews with his family, closest friends and longtime collaborators.
