The Critics Choice Association (CCA) unveiled the nominees for the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA) on Monday, October 14, 2024, setting the stage for a celebration of the year's most important and impactful non-fiction films.

Leading Contenders

National Geographic's Sugarcane has emerged as the frontrunner, securing eight nominations. This powerful documentary, directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, delves into the devious history of Indigenous boarding schools in Canada. Its nominations span multiple categories, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best New Documentary Filmmakers, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Historical Documentary, Best Political Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary.

Three documentaries follow closely behind with six nominations each: Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic), Daughters (Netflix), and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films.)

Christopher Campbell, Critics Choice Association's VP, Documentary, stated, "This year's nominated films and series offered us new ways to see the world, celebrate our heroes, and better understand difficult histories. We are excited to honor so many exceptional documentaries as we continue to recognize diverse voices and styles within the realm of nonfiction storytelling."

Best Documentary Feature & Emerging Talent

The Best Documentary Feature category is competitive this year with nominees like The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix), Jim Henson: Idea Man (Disney+), Music by John Williams (Disney+), Piece by Piece (Focus Features), The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix), and Will & Harper (Netflix), among others.

The Best New Documentary Filmmaker(s) category showcases newcomers in the industry, with nominees such as Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev for Porcelain War (Picturehouse) and Carla Gutiérrez for Frida (Amazon MGM Studios).

Event Details

The winners will be announced at a gala event on Sunday, November 10, 2024, at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. Actor Erich Bergen will host the ceremony, which will be live-streamed on YouTube, X, Facebook, and the Critics Choice Association website starting at 7:00 PM ET.

Industry Impact

The Critics Choice Documentary Awards have become an important precursor to the Oscar race, with about 60% of Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature having first received CCDA nominations over the past eight years.

Full List of Nominees

Best Documentary Feature
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Daughters (Netflix)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Music by John Williams (Walt Disney Studios)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Will & Harper (Netflix)

Best Director
Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Josh Greenbaum – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Ron Howard – Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix)
Benjamin Ree – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)

Best New Documentary Filmmaker(s)
Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev – Porcelain War (Picturehouse)
Carla Gutiérrez – Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
Charlie Hamilton James – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Sue Kim – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix)

Best Cinematography
Michael Cambio Fernandez – Daughters (Netflix)
Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt, Bertie Gregory – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho, Justin Turkowski – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Zoë White – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Jessica Young – The Blue Angels (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Editing
Otto Burnham – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Rik Chaubet – Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Paul Crowder, Sierra Neal – Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Troy Lewis, Adelina Bichiș – Daughters (Netflix)
Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Robert Stengård – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)

Best Score
Erland Cooper – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Ilan Eshkeri – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Nathan Halpern – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Uno Helmersson – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Kelsey Lu – Daughters (Netflix)
Marc Shaiman – Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (HBO | Max) 

Best Narration
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
   Written by Mary Mazzio
   Performed by Quannah ChasingHorse & Edward Norton

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
   Written by Charlie Hamilton James
   Performed by Billy Mail & Susan Mail

Dahomey (Mubi)
   Written by Makenzy Orcel
   Performed by Lucrece Houegbelo, Parfait Viayinon, Didier Sedoha Nassegande, and Sabine Badjogoumin

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
   Written and performed by Martin Scorsese

Queens (National Geographic)
   Written by Chloë Sarosh
   Performed by Angela Bassett

Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) 
   Written and performed by Steve Martin

Best Archival Documentary
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

Best Historical Documentary
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
Dahomey (Mubi)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)

Best Biographical Documentary
Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
I Am: Celine Dion (Amazon MGM Studios)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) 
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

Best Music Documentary
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
I Am: Celine Dion (Amazon MGM Studios)
Music by John Williams (Walt Disney Studios)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Hulu)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)

Best Political Documentary
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
Girls State (Apple TV+)
Porcelain War (Picturehouse)
Stopping the Steal (HBO | Max)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)
The Truth vs. Alex Jones (HBO | Max)

Best Science/Nature Documentary
Apollo 13: Survival (Netflix)
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Blink (National Geographic)
The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Secrets of the Octopus (National Geographic)
The Space Race (National Geographic)

Best Sports Documentary
Copa 71 (New Black Films)
The Dynasty: New England Patriots (Apple TV+)
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (Netflix)
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)
The Turnaround (Netflix)

Best True Crime Documentary
American Nightmare (Netflix)
Black Box Diaries (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+)
Incident (The New Yorker)
The Jinx – Part Two (HBO | Max)
Stopping the Steal (HBO | Max)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)

Best Short Documentary
I Am Ready, Warden (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+)
Incident (The New Yorker)
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine (Earle Mack Productions, Storyville Films, Goldcrest Films)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix)
The Turnaround (Netflix)

Best Limited Documentary Series
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
Ren Faire (HBO | Max)
Secrets of the Octopus (National Geographic)
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)

Best Ongoing Documentary Series
30 for 30 (ESPN)
America’s Most Wanted (Fox Broadcasting Company)
The Food That Built America (History)
Independent Lens (PBS)
The Jinx – Part Two (HBO | Max)
POV (PBS)

Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage of the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards here at Austin B Media.

Until next time!