The Ninth Annual November 10, 2024
New York City
WELCOME DOCUMENTARY AFICIONADOS!
The Critics Choice Association welcomes you back to the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Manhattan to present the 9th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, celebrating the finest achievements in documentary filmmaking and nonfiction television over the past year. Documentary filmmakers take real-life stories and create fascinating, illuminating and important art and entertainment. We are so honored to have so many of these remarkably talented storytellers here with us tonight.
We are very grateful to our gifted new master of ceremonies, Erich Bergen, and our esteemed presenters for helping to make the evening magical.
Once again we celebrate the legacy of the great documentarian D A Pennebaker, by presenting our most special award named in his honor to Rory Kennedy, presented by Penny’s partner, Chris Hegedus.
Grateful acknowledgement must go to the longtime leader of all CCA activities in the documentary realm, Board of Directors member Christopher Campbell, who works tirelessly all year round to make this night possible, along with his co-chair of this year’s Nominating Committee, Carla Hay. Of course, we wouldn’t be here tonight without all the hardworking and sometimes bleary-eyed members of our Nominating Committee, who watched countless hours of docs and selected our nominees, and all the CCA members who chose tonight’s worthy winners.
This evening would also not be possible without the generous support of our Catalyst Sponsors, Amazon, National Geographic, Netflix and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” And, once again, NatGeo and the CCA are inviting everyone to keep the party going at Bond 45 after all the awards are handed out!
Special thanks to the great Bob Bain and his talented team led by Paul Flattery, Benn Fleishman, Danny Sanchez, Patrick Doody, Candice Clark and Robin Reinhardt for turning our awards presentation into an evening of entertainment, and our friends at LDM/PR and Slate PR, and everyone else who made this event possible. David Freedman and Laura Mandel did a lot of heavy lifting, aided mightily by Dera Freund, Josh Orenstein, Lisa Waters and the gang at the Edison.
Finally, thanks to all the studios and networks and production companies and distribution platforms and everyone in the room tonight who make it possible for our honorees to do their thing. In such a crazy time in the business of entertainment - and the world at large - making so many terrific documentaries and non-fiction TV programs available to audiences is more important than ever. We are so proud to be able to honor the best of the best.
Joey Berlin, CEO Critics Choice Association
THANKS THE CRITICS CHOICE ASSOCIATION AND PROUDLY CONGRATULATES OUR
CRITICS CHOICE DOCUMENTARY AWARD NOMINEES
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST DIRECTOR
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton
BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER(S)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Michael Cambio Fernandez
BEST EDITING
Troy Lewis & Adelina Bichiș
BEST SCORE
Kelsey Lu
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST DIRECTOR
Benjamin Ree
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
BEST EDITING Robert Stengård
BEST SCORE Uno Helmersson
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST DIRECTOR
Josh Greenbaum
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Zoë White
BEST SCORE
Nathan Halpern
The Critics Choice Association would like to thank our host
ERICH BERGEN
THE PENNEBAKER AWARD RORY KENNEDY
Rory Kennedy is this evening’s recipient of The Pennebaker Award, our most prestigious honor recognizing a lifetime of achievements. Named for the legendary documentarian D A Pennebaker, the award celebrates filmmakers who embody the spirit of his trailblazing style. Much like Pennebaker, Kennedy has committed herself to capturing real-life stories with honesty, intensity, and a refusal to shy away from difficult truths. Their shared approach to filmmaking — prioritizing directness, intimacy, and a focus on human experience — links their legacies, even as Kennedy has crafted a style distinctly her own.
Kennedy’s films combine journalistic rigor with an unwavering focus on lived experience. Her works are deeply researched, often delving into highly charged social and political issues, yet they are always told through the lens of personal stories. In “Ghosts of Abu Ghraib”, for example, Kennedy examines the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers, exploring how ordinary individuals became perpetrators while questioning the moral and systemic failures that allowed the abuse. And the Academy Award-nominated “Last Days in Vietnam” presents the chaotic final days of the Vietnam War through the gripping first-hand accounts of those trying to escape and those who risked everything to help others flee.
In “Ethel”, she turned the camera inward to chronicle the life of her mother, Ethel Kennedy, who passed away last month at the age of 96. The deeply personal film highlights her family’s strength in the face of immense personal and political challenges. More recently, her film “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” investigates corporate negligence following two tragic plane crashes, skillfully exposing the lives that were affected by corporate decisions. Her approach, committed to uncovering injustice, echoes Pennebaker’s fearless dedication to truth-telling.
Kennedy again captures human perseverance in “The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari” as she recounts the 2019 volcanic eruption in New Zealand, emphasizing survival and solidarity. Her recent work, “The Synanon Fix” continues this theme, exploring the lives and legacy of a controversial rehabilitation program. Kennedy’s ability to delve into complex stories and focus on individual resilience makes her films especially impactful.
Her ability to connect audiences with stories that matter is not just an achievement in documentary filmmaking but an invaluable contribution to cultural and political dialogue. In recognition of her body of work, her courageous commitment to truth and her compassionate storytelling, we are honored to present Rory Kennedy with The Pennebaker Award.
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story National Geographic
The Greatest Night in Pop Netflix
Music by John Williams Walt Disney Studios
Daughters Netflix
Jim Henson Idea Man Disney+
BEST DIRECTOR
Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films
Ron Howard
Jim Henson Idea Man Disney+
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton Daughters Netflix
Josh Greenbaum Will & Harper Netflix
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie Sugarcane National Geographic
Benjamin Ree
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin Netflix
BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER(S)
Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev
Porcelain War
Picturehouse
Charlie Hamilton James
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story National Geographic
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie
Sugarcane
National Geographic
Carla Gutiérrez
Frida
Amazon MGM Studios
Sue Kim
The Last of the Sea Women Apple TV+
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton
Daughters Netflix
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Michael Cambio Fernandez
Daughters Netflix
Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie
Sugarcane
National Geographic
Zoë White
Will & Harper
Netflix
Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt, Bertie Gregory
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic
Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho, Justin Turkowski
The Last of the Sea Women Apple TV+
Jessica Young
The Blue Angels
Amazon MGM Studios
CONGRATULATIONS
to our 9 th annual CRITICS CHOICE DOCUMENTARY AWARDS NOMINEES
BEST SCORE
Marc Shaiman
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
Thank you, CRITICS CHOICE ASSOCIATION, for your recognition.
BEST SCORE
Erland Cooper
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic
Nathan Halpern
Will & Harper
Netflix
Kelsey Lu
Daughters
Netflix
Ilan Eshkeri
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios,
HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films
Uno Helmersson
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Netflix
Marc Shaiman
Albert Brooks: Defending My Life
HBO | Max
BEST NARRATION
Bad River
Written by Mary Mazzio
Performed by Quannah ChasingHorse & Edward Norton 50 Eggs Films
Dahomey
Written by Mati Diop and Makenzy Orcel
Performed by Lucrece Houegbelo, Parfait Viayinon, Didier Sedoha Nassegande, and Sabine Badjogoumin Mubi
Queens
Written by Chloë Sarosh
Performed by Angela Bassett
National Geographic
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
Written by Charlie Hamilton James
Performed by Billy Mail & Susan Mail
National Geographic
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Written and performed by Martin Scorsese Cohen Media Group
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces
Written and performed by Steve Martin Apple TV+
BEST EDITING
Otto Burnham
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios,
HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films
Paul Crowder, Sierra Neal
Jim Henson Idea Man
Disney+
Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke Sugarcane
National Geographic
Rik Chaubet
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Kino Lorber
Troy Lewis, Adelina Bichiș Daughters
Netflix
Robert Stengård
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
Netflix
Black Twitter: A People’s History
Hulu/Onyx Collective
Jim Henson Idea Man Disney+
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Kino Lorber
The Greatest Night in Pop
Netflix
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Cohen Media Group
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films
Bad River 50 Eggs Films
The Greatest Night in Pop Netflix
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Kino Lorber
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger
Cohen Media Group
Sugarcane National Geographic
Dahomey Mubi
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
A Documentary in 2 Pieces
Frida Amazon MGM Studios
Jim Henson Idea Man Disney+
Steve! (Martin)
Apple TV+
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin Netflix
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films
I Am: Celine Dion
Amazon MGM Studios
Bad River
Eggs Films
Porcelain War Picturehouse
Sugarcane
Geographic
Stopping the Steal
| Max
The Truth vs. Alex Jones
Girls State Apple TV+
The Greatest Night in Pop Netflix
Music by John Williams
Walt Disney Studios
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
Piece by Piece
Focus Features
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Kino Lorber
I Am: Celine Dion
Amazon MGM Studios
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic
Blink
National Geographic
Secrets of the Octopus
National Geographic
The Last of the Sea Women Apple TV+
The Space Race
National Geographic
Apollo 13: Survival Netflix
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Simone Biles Rising
The Turnaround
Copa 71
Mr. McMahon
The Dynasty: New England Patriots Apple TV+
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
Black Box Diaries
MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+
The New Yorker Stopping
the
Steal HBO | Max The Jinx – Part Two HBO | Max
I Am Ready, Warden MTV
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine
The Turnaround
Earle Mack Productions, Storyville Films, Goldcrest Films
