Winners Announced for the Fifth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards

Editor’s Note: As a voter for this award (as well as serving on the nominating committee), it’s delightful to see such an eclectic and interesting crop of winners. The documentaries up for consideration this year for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards were tremendous, covering all sorts of content and issues. The winners this year include both the deeply personal and the universally relevant. Congratulations to all of the winners here, especially the top victor in Dick Johnson is Dead!

The winners of the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards are:

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)

BEST DIRECTOR

Kirsten Johnson, Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)

BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Melissa Haizlip, Mr. SOUL! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Roger Horrocks, My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)

BEST EDITING

Lindy Jankura, Alexis Johnson and Alex Keipper, Totally Under Control (Neon)

BEST SCORE

Marco Beltrami, Brandon Roberts and Buck Sanders, The Way I See It (Focus Features)

BEST NARRATION

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix)

David Attenborough, Narrator

David Attenborough, Writer

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY

MLK/FBI (Field of Vision/IFC Films)

BEST HISTORICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY

John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures/Participant)

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY (TIE)

Beastie Boys Story (Apple)

The Go-Go’s (Showtime)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY

Boys State (Apple)

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY

My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY (TIE)

Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (HBO)

Athlete A (Netflix)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

St. Louis Superman (MTV Documentary Films) (Directors and Producers: Sami Khan and Smriti Mundhra. Producer: Poh Si Teng)

MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECTS OF A DOCUMENTARY (HONOR)

Dr. Rick Bright – Totally Under Control (Neon)

Steven Garza – Boys State (Apple)

The Go-Go’s – The Go-Go’s (Showtime)

Judith Heumann – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)

Dick Johnson – Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)

Maggie Nichols, Rachael Denhollander, Jamie Dantzscher – Athlete A (Netflix)

Fox Rich – Time (Amazon)

Pete Souza – The Way I See It (Focus Features)

Taylor Swift – Miss Americana (Netflix)

Greta Thunberg – I Am Greta (Hulu)

Be sure to tune into the 26^th Critics Choice Awards, live on the CW Network on March 7, 2021. The event will be hosted by acclaimed, multi-talented actor Taye Diggs for his third year in a row. If you have any comments on the winners thus far, or want to mention a film you believe should be nominated, please leave them for us.