A24 Launches Historic Oscar Push for ‘You Can See Everything’

Few films this year have come out of nowhere quite like ‘You Can See Everything’. Just 2 months ago, almost no one had heard of the A24 documentary, which was kept under wraps until a surprise world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on September 6.

Directed by Nathan Fielder in his feature directorial debut alongside Lance Oppenheim, the 174-minute film follows disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Thirty-four days before reporting to prison, Holmes invited a skeptical film crew to document her every move.

The documentary’s theatrical launch has been nothing short of historic. Heading into the weekend, it was tracking for $7 million to $8 million, but it ultimately opened to $15 million from just 855 theaters, finishing second behind ‘Street Fighter’.

That marked the biggest opening for a film on fewer than 1,000 screens since ‘Borat’ in 2006, as well as the biggest non-music documentary debut since ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ in 2004. A24 also reported that 70% of ticket buyers were younger than 35.

Now, A24 is going all in on awards season. The studio will submit ‘You Can See Everything’ for Oscar consideration in Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Documentary Feature.

The campaign also covers a wide range of craft categories. A24 plans to submit the film for Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound and Original Score.

‘YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING’ will be submitted for Oscar consideration in the following categories: • Best Picture • Best Director • Best Supporting Actress • Best Documentary Feature • Best Production Design • Best Cinematography • Best Costume Design • Best Film Editing • Best Makeup and Hairstyling • Best Sound • Best Original Score

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) October 19, 2026

The Best Picture push is especially ambitious. No documentary has ever been nominated in that category, but the film meets the Academy’s official definition of a documentary feature and has already had a qualifying theatrical release.

Pundits are taking the possibility seriously. Gold Derby recently ranked the film 11th among potential Best Picture nominees, with Fielder and Oppenheim listed 8th in the Best Director race, while Kalshi traders give it a 16% chance of winning Best Picture.

The Supporting Actress submission could be the most groundbreaking of all. An Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning star appears in the second half of the film after Holmes reports to prison, and the filmmakers have worked hard to keep her identity a surprise for audiences.

YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING, a documentary by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. Featuring Elizabeth Holmes. Only in theaters this October. https://t.co/b3Pcx0Se2o

— A24 (@A24) September 7, 2026

There is nothing in Academy rules suggesting documentary performances are off-limits, only uncredited ones. Still, no actor has ever been nominated for an Oscar for a film in which they play themselves, which makes this bid a genuine test for voters.

The film has already started racking up recognition. It earned Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations for Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Music Score.

However, its path through the season is complicated. Documentaries are ruled out of the Golden Globes and SAG-AFTRA’s Actor Awards, leaving Critics Choice, the DGA and the PGA as key places where the film could pick up major momentum.

Fielder brings a distinctive style honed on projects like HBO’s ‘The Rehearsal’ and Comedy Central’s ‘Nathan For You’, where he blurred the line between reality and fiction. The documentary’s below-the-line team includes cinematographer David Bolen, editor Adam Locke-Norton, and composer Ari Balouzian.

Critics have showered the film with praise, and its near-perfect reviews have only fueled its awards buzz. Paired with its box office success, it has quickly become one of the most talked-about movies of the year.

With its genre-bending approach and massive audience response, ‘You Can See Everything’ is shaping up to be the wild card of this year’s Oscar race. Whether voters embrace it across the board or keep it confined to the documentary category could become one of the defining stories of awards season.

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