The Man Will Burn
American documentary series
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The Man Will Burn is a 2026 American documentary series directed and produced by Jehane Noujaim and Vikram Gandhi, exploring the history of Burning Man. With access to the Burning Man Project leadership and archives, the series examines the culture of social experimentation as well as consecutive years of unprecedented crises.[1]
- Tori Letzler
- Steven Richard Davis
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| Genre | Documentary |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
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| Running time | 58-59 minutes |
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| Network | HBO |
| Release | July 9, 2026 – present |
Following a world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June, HBO broadcast the first episode on July 9, 2026.
Episodes
| No. | Title [2] | Directed by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
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| 1 | "The Great Unknown" | Jehane Noujaim Vikram Gandhi | July 9, 2026 | TBD | |
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Originating with Larry Harvey in the 1980s, the Burning Man movement steadily matured into a broad community of creative collaboration. Dilemmas plague the 2021 organizers facing the COVID pandemic. | |||||
| 2 | "Welcome to the Shit Show" | Jehane Noujaim Vikram Gandhi | July 16, 2026 | TBD | |
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The neighboring community of Gerlach, Nevada has evolved with the annual Burning Man festival. The dangerous events of 1996 contrast with the renegade Free Burn in 2021. | |||||
| 3 | "Waking Dreams" | Jehane Noujaim Vikram Gandhi | July 23, 2026 | TBD | |
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Events of the 2022 Burn unfold, with perspectives from organizers, veteran Burners, new artists, and sound car crews. Amidst the gentrification of Black Rock City, new attendees face personal concerns ranging from reclusiveness to PTSD. | |||||
| 4 | "Mud Burn" | Jehane Noujaim Vikram Gandhi | July 30, 2026 | TBD | |
Production
In September 2023, it was announced Jehane Noujaim and Vikram Gandhi would direct and executive produce a documentary series revolving around Burning Man, with principal photography having commenced beginning in 2021. Double Agent financed the series, with no network attached yet.[3] HBO later boarded the series.[4]
Release
The series had its world premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 9, 2026,[4][5][6] Episodes also screened at Sheffield DocFest on June 14, 2026.[7][8] HBO launched the series broadcast on July 9, 2026.[9]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 60%, based on 5 reviews.[10]
John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal wrote: "Noujaim and Gandhi are not out to critique Burning Man, or to celebrate it either. The lushness of the cinematography, with its beautiful people, landscapes, improbable sculptures, impractical machines and galaxy of light and dust, is as voluptuous as the festival itself".[11] Joel Keller of Decider suggested viewing the series writing: "An effective overview of Burning Man, a festival that’s misunderstood by many, while examining how its spirit of creativity and community struggles against the reality of the 2020s."[12]
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter was critical of the series writing: "There’s an edit of The Man Will Burn that would be shorter, tighter and perhaps more sensationalistic, and one that would be longer, richer and more complex, but instead we get an in-between series that’s fun, shallow and, finally, bland in a way Burning Man has always tried to avoid becoming."[13]
