Critics Choice Documentary Awards: You Can See Everything, Musk, Once Upon a Time in Harlem, and More

One of my favorite activities each year is serving on the Critics Choice Association Documentary Committee. The big winner this year was the Elizabeth Holmes documentary from Nathan Fielder, but every one of the films on this list is well worth watching.

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) **WINNER

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) **WINNER
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) **WINNER
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) **WINNER
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) **WINNER
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) **WINNER
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) **WINNER
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) **WINNER
“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) **WINNER
“Union Town” (Cabin Creek Films)

BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
“14th” (Netflix)
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon) **WINNER
“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) **WINNER

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) **WINNER
“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) **WINNER
“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) **WINNER
“Give Me the Ball!” (ESPN)
“Rafa” (Netflix)
“Standout: The Ben Kjar Story” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
“Tyson” (Netflix)

BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY (TIE)
“Baby Doe” (Narrative Distribution)
“Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story” (Dark Star Pictures)
“The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare” (Netflix) **WINNER
“A Killer Story” (HBO Max)
“Lost Women of Alaska” (Investigation Discovery) **WINNER
“Murder in Glitterball City” (HBO Max)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
“The Baddest Speechwriter of All” (Netflix) **WINNER
“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) **WINNER
“The Man Will Burn” (HBO Max)
“Rafa” (Netflix)

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
“30 for 30” (ESPN) **WINNER
“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)