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Here is the press release from CCA:
The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has announced the nominees for the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA). The winners will be revealed at a gala event on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. Award-winning television host and producer Ross Mathews will emcee this year’s event, bringing together leading filmmakers, industry professionals, and special guests for an evening celebrating excellence in documentary filmmaking.
14th leads the pack with six nominations, including Best Documentary Feature. The film’s other nominations are Ava DuVernay for Best Director, Spencer Averick for Best Editing, and Jason Moran for Best Music Score, along with Best Political Documentary, and Best Historical Documentary.
“This year’s nominees reflect the range of voices, perspectives, and stories that make documentary filmmaking so compelling,” said Christopher Campbell, Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary. “These films challenge us to see the world in new ways and reinforce the vital role documentaries play in informing, engaging, and inspiring audiences. We are proud to recognize the exceptional talent and creativity behind this year’s nominated films.”
The CCA previously announced that Ron Howard will receive the Critics Choice Impact Award. The prestigious award recognizes filmmakers whose work, influence, and commitment to nonfiction storytelling have made a significant and lasting impact on the documentary form, broadening its reach and championing its continued evolution.
Visionary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, previously announced as the recipient of the CCA’s Pennebaker Award, will have the honor presented by Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator, Chris Hegedus. Named in tribute to trailblazing documentarian D A Pennebaker, the award (formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award) celebrates filmmakers whose careers have made a profound and lasting contribution to the art of documentary storytelling.
Feature-length documentaries, two-part documentaries, and short-form documentaries are eligible for nomination if first released commercially in the U.S. between January 1 and December 31, 2026. Documentaries may be delivered to audiences theatrically or by broadcast, cable, or streaming. Documentary series of three episodes or more are eligible for nomination if a majority of the episodes of the series’ eligible season have been released between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2026. The awards ceremony is produced by Bob Bain of Bob Bain Productions.
National Geographic Documentary Films and Netflix are Catalyst Sponsors for the event.
Milagro Tequila is a sponsor of the event.
Nominees for the 11th Annual
Critics Choice Documentary Awards
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
14th (Netflix)
Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)
Musk (Bleecker Street)
NAZA (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
Remake (Music Box Films)
You Can See Everything (A24)
BEST DIRECTOR
Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor – NAZA (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Felipe Bustos Sierra – Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
Ava DuVernay – 14th (Netflix)
Nathan Fielder & Lance Oppenheim – You Can See Everything (A24)
Ross McElwee – Remake (Music Box Films)
Orlando von Einsiedel – The Cycle of Love (Variance Films)
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
David Greaves – Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Baz Luhrmann – EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman – Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Xander Robin – The Python Hunt (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Poh Si Teng – American Doctor (Watermelon Pictures)
John Wilson – The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
David Bolen – You Can See Everything (A24)
David Bolen & Matt Clegg – The Python Hunt (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Sophie Darlington – Lion (National Geographic)
Franklin Dow – The Cycle of Love (Variance Films)
Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman – Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Clair Popkin, Jimmy Chin, Christopher Murphy – Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
BEST EDITING
Spencer Averick – 14th (Netflix)
Anne de Mare & Lynn True – Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Adam Locke-Norton – You Can See Everything (A24)
Colin Monie – Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
Jonathan Redmond – EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Cori Wapnowska – The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)
BEST NARRATION
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (Focus Features)
Written by Daniel Roher & Caroline Lindy
Performed by Daniel Roher & Caroline Lindy
The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures)
Written by John Wilson
Performed by John Wilson
Lorne (Focus Features)
Written by Morgan Neville, Alan Lowe, Jake Hostetter
Performed by Chris Parnell
Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Written by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons
Performed by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
Written by Pegah Ahangarani
Performed by Pegah Ahangarani
Remake (Music Box Films)
Written by Ross McElwee
Performed by Ross McElwee
BEST MUSIC SCORE
Ari Balouzian – You Can See Everything (A24)
Dan Deacon – Time and Water (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Caroline Ho – Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Jason Moran – 14th (Netflix)
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer – Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Hans Zimmer, Niccolò Pacella, George Hutson Warren – Lion (National Geographic)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World) (HBO Max)
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Man on the Run (Amazon MGM Studios)
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Peter Asher: Everywhere Man (Greenwich Entertainment)
Sara Bareilles: Good Grief (Group Effort Films / Naked Edge Films)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
14th (Netflix)
American Doctor (Watermelon Pictures)
Ask E. Jean (Abramorama)
Everybody to Kenmure Street (Icarus Films)
Musk (Bleecker Street)
NAZA (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Union Town (Cabin Creek Films)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
14th (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of (Netflix)
Soul Patrol (Kino Lorber)
Turning Point: Generation 9/11 (Netflix)
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Avedon (Netflix)
Jean-Michel Basquiat (Netflix)
Lorne (Focus Features)
Marty, Life Is Short (Netflix)
Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (HBO Max)
Musk (Bleecker Street)
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon)
Making Marie Antoinette (Mubi)
Man on the Run (Amazon MGM Studios)
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Neon)
Rehearsals for a Revolution (Sony Pictures Classics)
Remake (Music Box Films)
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (Focus Features)
Ghost Elephants (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Lion (National Geographic)
Nuisance Bear (Mubi)
Secrets of the Bees (National Geographic)
Time and Water (National Geographic Documentary Films)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
The Dynasty: UConn Huskies (Apple TV)
Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Give Me the Ball! (ESPN)
Rafa (Netflix)
Standout: The Ben Kjar Story (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Tyson (Netflix)
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
Baby Doe (Narrative Distribution)
Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story (Dark Star Pictures)
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare (Netflix)
A Killer Story (HBO Max)
Lost Women of Alaska (Investigation Discovery)
Murder in Glitterball City (HBO Max)
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
The Baddest Speechwriter of All (Netflix)
A Derailment (POV)
Escalation (Bonfire Films)
Miller Night Football (HBO Max)
Oh Whale (The New Yorker / Switchboard Magazine)
The Second Life of Freddie Nole (Sweet World Films)
A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil (archilux)
They’re Here (Praxis Films)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
9/11: Reunited (National Geographic)
The Dark Wizard (HBO Max)
The Dynasty: UConn Huskies (Apple TV)
High Horse: The Black Cowboy (Peacock)
Lion (National Geographic)
The Man Will Burn (HBO Max)
Rafa (Netflix)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN)
American Masters (PBS)
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
The Food That Built America (History)
Hazardous History with Henry Winkler (History)
Independent Lens (PBS)
Untold (Netflix)
About the Critics Choice Awards
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards are an offshoot of the Critics Choice Awards, which are bestowed annually by the CCA to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. Historically, the Critics Choice Awards are the most accurate predictor of Academy Award nominations.
The 32nd annual Critics Choice Awards ceremony will be held on January 3, 2027, airing live on E! and USA Network.
About the Critics Choice Association (CCA)
Founded in 1995, the Critics Choice Association (CCA) is one of the largest critics organizations in the world, representing more than 500 media critics and entertainment journalists. It is known for presenting the annual Critics Choice Awards, honoring the finest in cinematic and television achievement for over three decades.
With a commitment to recognizing industry creatives and professionals across genres, CCA has expanded its slate of events over the years to include the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Critics Choice Real TV Awards, and Critics Choice Super Awards. The CCA also produces a series of Celebration events to recognize historically underrepresented communities, including the Celebration of Black Cinema and Television, Celebración of Cinema and Television, Celebration of AAPI Cinema and Television, and Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema and Television.
Most recently, the CCA has announced its plan to present the inaugural Critics Choice Creator Awards in April 2027.
For more information, to stream the ceremony, and to view the full list of nominees, visit CriticsChoice.com. Follow the Critics Choice Association on Instagram and X @CriticsChoice, on TikTok @OfficialCriticsChoice, and on Facebook at /CriticsChoiceAwards.
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