Paramount+ Reveals New Documentary Slate Featuring Sussex-Backed Girl Scout Story
Streaming platforms have heavily invested in documentaries this year as audiences increasingly seek true stories that resonate just as deeply as scripted dramas. Paramount+ is poised to take advantage of this trend, unveiling a new collection of acclaimed titles sourced from the festival circuit rather than developed in-house.
This announcement comes at a particularly dynamic time for the streamer, which has been making headlines with a series of star-studded scripted projects featuring talents like Viola Davis, Richard Madden, Kenneth Branagh, and Anne Hathaway. Now, that momentum extends into the realm of nonfiction storytelling.
Paramount+ has revealed a new lineup of licensed documentary films set to premiere later this year and into early 2027, showcasing works from renowned filmmakers such as Lawrence Bender, Mohammed Ali Naqvi, and Alysa Nahmias, alongside Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The three titles range from a gripping personal rescue story to a real-time survival thriller and an intimate exploration of teenage ambition.
Leading the lineup is ‘The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,’ which won the 2025 TIFF People’s Choice Award for Best Documentary. This film chronicles the harrowing mission of retired Israeli general Noam Tibon as he strives to save his family during the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas terrorists, offering a deeply personal narrative of survival against a significant global backdrop.
Directed and produced by Barry Avrich, known for ‘Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art,’ the film is produced by Mark Selby and executive produced by Lawrence Bender, the Oscar-nominated producer behind ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Good Will Hunting.’ ‘The Road Between Us’ will be available to stream on Paramount+ starting September 29.
Next is ‘Hanging By a Wire,’ a documentary thriller that focuses on a cable car malfunction leaving eight passengers, including six students, suspended high above a mountain valley while rescue teams race against time. Directed by Mohammed Ali Naqvi, whose previous works include Netflix’s ‘Turning Point’ and Showtime’s ‘Shame,’ the film premiered on the first day of the Sundance Film Festival and will arrive on Paramount+ on October 28.
Rounding out the trio is ‘Cookie Queens,’ which won the 2026 SXSW Festival Audience Award. This documentary follows four young girls competing to become top-selling “Cookie Queens” during Girl Scout Cookie season, navigating ambition and friendship within an $800 million industry. Director Alysa Nahmias has described the project as an opportunity to explore girlhood through the ambition, resilience, and vulnerability that emerge as these girls grow up amid the tension between community and commerce. Produced in collaboration with Prince Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions, the film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and will stream on Paramount+ starting January 6, 2027.
By acquiring award-winning films from major festivals like TIFF, Sundance, and SXSW, Paramount+ gains instant credibility with audiences who closely follow the documentary circuit, rather than solely relying on original content to enhance its nonfiction library. Combining this festival pedigree with recognizable producing names—from Bender’s Hollywood legacy to the Sussexes’ expanding media presence—positions this slate as a strategic move to establish Paramount+ as a premier destination for prestigious documentary content.
With three diverse stories set to roll out in the coming months, ranging from war-zone heroism to mountain-peak peril to suburban ambition, Paramount+ is clearly betting that variety, coupled with proven festival buzz, will be the winning formula for its documentary strategy as it heads into 2027.
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