The History of Concrete
2026 documentary film by John Wilson
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The History of Concrete is a 2026 American documentary film directed by John Wilson in his feature directorial debut.
- Clark Filio
- Shirel Kozak
- Allie Viti
| The History of Concrete | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Wilson |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | John Wilson |
| Cinematography | Nellie Kluz |
| Edited by | Cori Wapnowska |
Production company | Central Pictures |
| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film is produced by Wilson's frequent collaborators alongside executive producers Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, and Ronald Bronstein. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2026.
Premise
After attending a workshop on how to write and sell a Hallmark movie, filmmaker John Wilson attempts to utilize the same commercial formula to create and sell a documentary about the history of concrete. The project evolves into a humorous and philosophical exploration of urbanism, the built environment, and the mundane textures of American life.[1]
Production
The film marks the feature directorial debut of John Wilson, best known for his critically acclaimed HBO series How To with John Wilson.[2] It is produced by Clark Filio, Shirel Kozak, and Allie Viti.
Executive producers include Josh Safdie, Eli Bush, and Ronald Bronstein, who previously collaborated with Wilson on his HBO series.[3] The film's unique premise—applying the Hallmark movie formula to a documentary subject—was highlighted by Sundance programmers as "effortlessly hysterical and genuinely hard to describe."[4]
Release
The History of Concrete premiered at the "Premieres" section at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2026.[5][6] In March 2026, Magnolia Pictures acquired distribution rights to the film.[7]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 22 critics' reviews are positive.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[9]
In a positive review, Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "many of its emotional grace notes land fully."[10]
Adrian Horton of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars and wrote that it "is consistently laugh-out-loud funny, compelling and surprising, if 20 minutes too long. And, of course, about much more than just concrete."[11]