Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations: ‘14th’ Nabs 6; Elizabeth Holmes Doc, ‘Once Upon A Time In Harlem’, ‘Nuisance Bear’ Land 5 Each
Ava DuVernay’s documentary examining threats to the 14th Amendment, which held its world premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival, earned a leading six nominations Tuesday as the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees.
Close behind with five nominations each: You Can See Everything, the documentary about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim; Once Upon a Time in Harlem, directed by David Greaves and produced by Liani Greaves; and Nuisance Bear, directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman.
Several films landed four nominations each including Everybody to Kenmure Street, directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra; Rehearsals for a Revolution, directed by Pegah Ahangarani; Remake, directed by Ross McElwee; The History of Concrete, directed by John Wilson; and Everest: The Other Side, directed by Oscar winners E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Scroll for the full list of nominees.
14th’s nominations come in the categories of Best Documentary Feature, Best Political Documentary and Best Historical Documentary, as well as DuVernay for Best Director, Spencer Averick for Best Editing, and Jason Moran for Best Music Score.
Joining 14th in the Best Documentary Feature category are:
- 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)
Winners will be revealed at a gala event November 8 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, with Ross Mathews serving as emcee.
“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.”
As previously announced, Ron Howard will receive the Critics Choice Impact Award, an honor recognizing “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.” Howard’s documentaries include Avedon (2026), Jim Henson Idea Man (2024), We Feed People (2022), Rebuilding Paradise (2020) and Pavarotti (2019).
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, as previously announced, will receive the CCA’s Pennebaker Award, an honor that will be presented by DA Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator Chris Hegedus. “Named in tribute to trailblazing documentarian DA 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-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-December 31, 2026.
Below is the full list of nominees.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN)
American Masters (PBS)
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
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