Ron Howard's Richard Avedon documentary heads to Netflix on November 11

Netflix will release Ron Howard's documentary Avedon on 11 November, according to the streamer's own announcement. The film is a portrait of Richard Avedon, one of the best-known photographers of the last century.

Avedon worked behind the camera for six decades. Variety, which published its review on 8 November, reports that he conducted 16,000 sittings, the photographer's word for a portrait session, from 1944 until his death in 2004. Imagine Entertainment, the production company behind the project, describes the film as tracing an artist who used fashion, portraiture and commercial photography to explore identity and power.

The documentary draws on a long list of voices. Variety names interviews with Tina Brown, Larry Gagosian, John Lahr, Twiggy, Adam Gopnik, Hilton Als and Calvin Klein. Avedon's son, John Avedon, also appears in the film. Andrew Morreale edited it, and James Martin, executive director of the Richard Avedon Foundation, is among those involved.

The film's route to audiences has run in stages. It was listed in the Special Screenings section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival lineup in April, and Netflix says it premiered there. The festival is one of the main marketplaces where films meet buyers. In July, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Netflix had acquired the film and planned a 2026 release along with an awards push, a campaign to win over voters for prizes such as the Oscars.

Howard has spoken about the project in interviews with Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter, both from the spring. For a general viewer, the practical details are simple. Avedon arrives on Netflix on 11 November, and it is the streaming service's job to bring it to screens from then on.