Friday, March 29, 2024

The 2020 Critics Choice Documentary Award (CCDA) Winners

By Matt Neglia 

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has announced the winners for the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA).

Click below to see the winners.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Athlete A (Netflix)
Belushi (Showtime)
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)
Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)
Feels Good Man (Wavelength Productions/PBS Independent Lens)
The Fight (Magnolia Pictures)
The Go-Go’s (Showtime)
Gunda (Neon)
Mr. SOUL! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)
My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
The Painter and the Thief (Neon)
A Secret Love (Netflix)
The Social Dilemma (Netflix)
Time (Amazon Studios)

BEST DIRECTOR
Garrett Bradley – Time (Amazon Studios)
Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk – Athlete A (Netflix)
Kirsten Johnson – Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)
Victor Kossakovsky – Gunda (Neon)
James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)
Dawn Porter – John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures)
Benjamin Ree – The Painter and the Thief (Neon)

BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Robert S. Bader – Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (HBO)
Chris Bolan – A Secret Love (Netflix)
Melissa Haizlip – Mr. SOUL! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)
Arthur Jones – Feels Good Man (Wavelength Productions/PBS Independent Lens)
Elizabeth Leiter and Kim Woodard – Jane Goodall: The Hope (National Geographic)
Elizabeth Lo – Stray (Magnolia Pictures)
Sasha Joseph Neulinger – Rewind (Grizzly Creek Films/PBS Independent Lens)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw – The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics)
Roger Horrocks – My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
Kirsten Johnson – Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)
Victor Kossakovsky and Egil Håskjold Larsen – Gunda (Neon)
Scott Ressler, Neil Gelinas and Stefan Wiesen – The Last Ice (National Geographic)
Gianfranco Rosi – Notturno (Stemal Entertainment)
Ruben Woodin Dechamps – The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber)

BEST EDITING
Don Bernier – Athlete A (Netflix)
Eli Despres, Greg Finton and Kim Roberts – The Fight (Magnolia Pictures)
Lindy Jankura and Alex Keipper – Totally Under Control (Neon)
Helen Kearns – Assassins (Greenwich Entertainment)
Victor Kossakovsky and Ainara Vera – Gunda (Neon)
Eileen Meyer and Andrew Gersh – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)
Charlotte Munch Bengtsen – The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics)

BEST SCORE
Ari Balouzian and Ryan Hope – Feels Good Man (Wavelength Productions/PBS Independent Lens)
Marco Beltrami, Brandon Roberts and Buck Sanders – The Way I See It (Focus Features)
Tyler Durham, Sven Faulconer and Xander Rodzinski – The Last Ice (National Geographic)
Peter Nashel and Brian Deming – Totally Under Control (Neon)
Daniel Pemberton – Rising Phoenix (Netflix)
Jeff Tweedy – Long Gone Summer (ESPN)
Jeff Tweedy – Spencer Tweedy and Sammy Tweedy, Showbiz Kids (HBO)

BEST NARRATION
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix)
   David Attenborough, Narrator
   David Attenborough, Writer

Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)
   Kirsten Johnson, Narrator
   Kirsten Johnson, Writer
Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds (Apple)
   Werner Herzog, Narrator
   Werner Herzog, Writer
Mr. SOUL! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)
   Blair Underwood, Narrator
   Ellis Haizlip, Writer
My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
   Craig Foster, Narrator
   Craig Foster, Writer
Time (Amazon Studios)
   Fox Rich, Narrator
   Fox Rich, Writer
Totally Under Control (Neon)
   Alex Gibney, Narrator
   Alex Gibney, Writer

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (HBO)
Belushi (Showtime)
Class Action Park (HBO)
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)
MLK/FBI (Field of Vision/IFC Films)
Mr. SOUL! (Shoes in the Bed Productions)
Spaceship Earth (Neon)

BEST HISTORICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY 
Belushi (Showtime)
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)
Howard (Disney+)
John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures)
Mr. SOUL! (Shoes in the Bed Production)
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (Netflix)
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (HBO)

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Beastie Boys Story (Apple) (TIE)
Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan (Magnolia Pictures)
The Go-Go’s (Showtime) (TIE)
Laurel Canyon (Epix)
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band (Magnolia Pictures)
Other Music (Factory 25)
Zappa (Magnolia Pictures)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
All In: The Fight for Democracy (Amazon Studios)
Boys State (Apple)
John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures)
MLK/FBI (Field of Vision/IFC Films)
The Social Dilemma (Netflix)
Totally Under Control (Neon)
The Way I See It (Focus Features)

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
Coded Bias (7th Empire Media/PBS Independent Lens)
Fantastic Fungi (Moving Art)
Gunda (Neon)
I Am Greta (Hulu)
The Last Ice (National Geographic)
My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
Spaceship Earth (Neon)

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (HBO) (TIE)
Athlete A (Netflix) (TIE)

Be Water (ESPN)
A Most Beautiful Thing (50 Eggs Films)
Red Penguins (Universal Pictures)
Rising Phoenix (Netflix)
You Cannot Kill David Arquette (Super LTD)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY 
Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible (ESPN)
   (Directors: Kristen Lappas and Tom Rinaldi. Producers: Craig Lazarus, José Morales, Lindsay Rovegno, Victor Vitarelli and Ben Webber)
The Claudia Kishi Club (Netflix)
   (Director and Producer: Sue Ding) 
Crescendo! (Quibi)
   (Director: Alex Mallis. Producers: Matt O’Neill and Perri Peltz)
Elevator Pitch (Field of Vision)
   (Director and Producer: Martyna Starosta)
Hunger Ward (Spin Film/Vulcan Productions/RYOT Films)
   (Director and Producer: Skye Fitzgerald. Producer: Michael Scheuerman) 
Into the Fire (National Geographic)
   (Director: Orlando von Einsiedel. Producers: Mark Bauch, Harri Grace and Dan Lin)
My Father the Mover (MTV Documentary Films)
   (Director: Julia Jansch. Producer: Mandilakhe Yengo)
The Rifleman (Field of Vision)
   (Director: Sierra Pettengill. Producer: Arielle de Saint Phalle)
The Speed Cubers (Netflix)
   (Director and Producer: Sue Kim. Producers: Evan Krauss and Chris Romano)
St. Louis Superman (MTV Documentary Films)
   (Directors and Producers: Sami Khan and Smriti Mundhra. Producer: Poh Si Teng)

MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECTS OF A DOCUMENTARY (HONOR)
Dr. Rick Bright – Totally Under Control (Neon)
Steven Garza – Boys State (Apple)
The Go-Go’s – The Go-Go’s (Showtime)
Judith Heumann – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix)
Dick Johnson – Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix)
Maggie Nichols, Rachael Denhollander, Jamie Dantzscher – Athlete A (Netflix)
Fox Rich – Time (Amazon)
Pete Souza – The Way I See It (Focus Features)
Taylor Swift – Miss Americana (Netflix)
Greta Thunberg – I Am Greta (Hulu)

Though this year’s gala event was not held in person due to the ongoing pandemic, special acceptance videos from each of the winners can be found by clicking the link HERE.

What do you think of the winners? Who do you think is the frontrunner for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.

You can follow Matt and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @NextBestPicture

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Matt Neglia
Matt Negliahttps://nextbestpicture.com/
Obsessed about the Oscars, Criterion Collection and all things film 24/7. Critics Choice Member.

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