While the A24 documentary “You Can See Everything” remains shrouded in secrecy, it will be of little surprise that a film co-directed by Nathan Fielder blurs the lines between fiction and reality. As shown in the trailer, in addition to helming the film alongside Lance Oppenheim, the enigmatic TV star becomes a participant in the film opposite its subject Elizabeth Holmes.

With that move comes question that always seems to follow Fielder: is he moving through the world in character or being authentically Nathan? Sometimes, like on “The Rehearsal,” where he would play out scripted scenarios with people, he is both.

On the awards front, that makes for projects that are too complex to cleanly fit into one genre. His breakout Comedy Central series “Nathan for You” was seen as a variety sketch series, even though it played out real-life scenarios (don’t forget about Dumb Starbucks being reported on by local news before the show even aired). For his big foray into scripted television, many believed “The Curse,” his Showtime series made with Emma Stone and Benny Safdie, would be a comedy. But, as it aired, it became something stranger. For the Emmys, the show submitted for the Drama Series categories, though it was not nominated.

But what is most key to the conversation around “You Can See Everything” is, again, Fielder’s work on “The Rehearsal.” For the Emmys, although the show was shot like a documentary series, HBO submitted it in the Comedy Series categories. Fielder was Emmy-nominated for both writing and directing the Season 2 episode “Pilot’s Code,” but was also submitted by HBO in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category for playing himself on the show.

So let’s say Fielder reads to an audience of his peers as Nathan the character more than Nathan the person in “You Can See Everything.” What awards could he even be eligible for?

The awards campaign would really start with critics. IndieWire has confirmed that an acting performance within a documentary is eligible in the acting categories at the Critics Choice Awards, and that would most likely be true of the majority of critics circle awards around the country as well, which determine winners by committee and thrive off of inspired choices that intend to expand the creativity of other voting bodies.

But then there is the Golden Globes, which is technically a critics group, but operates a lot differently. For instance, there is no documentary category at the Golden Globes at all. The only Globes category documentaries are eligible for are its Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award, and that’s if the film meets the category’s criteria of earning $100 million at the domestic box office, and $150 million at the global box office.

Lance Oppenheim, Nathan Fielder, and Bill Hader attend ‘You Can See Everything’ LA Special Screening and Q&A moderated by Bill Hader on October 6, 2026 in Los AngelesTodd Williamson/JanuaryImages for A24

The Globes rules clearly state “Documentaries (i.e., non-fiction motion pictures intended to document reality in a factual manner, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a historical record) are not eligible for any of the motion picture award categories, including the Best Motion Picture categories.” The rules even go on to specify “live-action or animated documentaries and docudramas (regardless of the language) with over 25 percent of documentary footage or audio are considered documentaries and, therefore, are not eligible for consideration as motion pictures.”

So if “You Can See Everything” has the green light to be eligible for categories across the board with the Critics Choice Awards, but is ineligible for consideration at the Golden Globes, what else is there? The Actor Awards!

The awards body overseen by the SAG-AFTRA has rules that fall somewhere in the middle. Yes, they clearly state “Motion pictures must be scripted, feature-length films (over 60 minutes in running time). Short films (60 minutes or less in running time) are not eligible,” and that “documentaries are not eligible in motion picture categories.”

However, if a performer like Fielder did want to still try and go for it, the Actor Awards do have a petition process governed by their Awards Committee, who determine all the rules and regulations, eligibility and submissions. “Petitions shall be submitted via email to the Awards Office detailing the basis for the petition and the facts which support its position. Final judgment shall be made by the Awards Committee and determination shall be final and non-reviewable,” reads the Actor Awards website.

On the A24 campaign website, there is currently no mention of an acting performance among the 10 categories on the webpage for “You Can See Everything.” But those working on the film have confirmed that if they did want to mount any kind of acting campaign, it would be eligible at the Oscars.

One of the main challenges on the road to a documentary like “You Can See Everything” being seen as a Best Picture contender has been courting interest from the Actors Branch, the largest branch in the Academy by a large margin, so any sort of campaign to get their attention, like submitting Fielder for an acting category as he did at the Emmys for “The Rehearsal” seems like an additive choice — especially if he is already eligible.