‘Sugarcane’ Leads the Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominees

In anticipation of their Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Association has unveiled their list of nominees, led by National Geographic’s “Sugarcane” with eight nominations. The documentary covers an investigation into abuse and missing children at a Canadian Indian residential school system and is nominated for Best Director, Best New Documentary Filmmakers, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Historical Documentary, Best Political Documentary, Best True Crime Documentary, and Best Documentary Feature.

“Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” “Daughters,” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” all follow “Sugarcane” with six nominations, including Best Documentary Feature. Other films with multiple nominations include Ron Howard’s “Jim Henson Idea Man” and Will Ferrell’s road trip doc “Will & Harper,” which recently dropped on Netflix. “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” which won the Audience Award and the Directing Award in the World Cinema category at Sundance this year, is also well represented in five categories.

In a statement, the Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary, Christopher Campbell said, “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.”

Winners will be presented with awards at a gala ceremony on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at The Edison Ballroom in Downtown Manhattan. Actor Erich Bergen, known for his role on the long-running CBS series “Madam Secretary” and for playing Bob Gaudio in Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of The Four Seasons musical “Jersey Boys,” will be hosting the event, which will also be live-streamed through YouTube, X, and Facebook. Viewing links will be available on the Critics Choice Association website at 7:00 PM ET on Sunday, November 10. The show is produced by Bob Bain of Bob Bain Productions and Joey Berlin of Berlin Entertainment and nominees are determined by the voting of qualified CCA members. Sponsors include Amazon MGM Studios, National Geographic Documentary Films, and Netflix.

Read all the nominees for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards below.

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 — “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)