Precursor: 5th Critics Choice Documentary Nominations (2020)

There isn’t much to say about these. Some major documentaries of the past year didn’t make the list, including All-In. Crip Camp was best liked, but John Lewis: Good Trouble was the most obvious nominated documentary missing from the top category.

Nominations Tallies

(6) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
(5) Athlete A, Dick Johnson Is Dead, Gunda, Mr. SOUL!, Totally Under Control
(4) My Octopus Teacher, Time
(3) Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes, Belushi, John Lewis: Good Trouble, The Go-Go’s, The Last Ice

The Nominations

Best Documentary Feature

Athlete A
Belushi
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Feels Good Man
The Fight
The Go-Go’s
Gunda
Mr. SOUL!
My Octopus Teacher
The Painter and the Thief
A Secret Love
The Social Dilemma
Time

Best Director

Garrett Bradley – Time
Bonni Cohen & Jon Shenk – Athlete A
Kirsten Johnson – Dick Johnson Is Dead
Victor Kossakovsky – Gunda
James Lebrecht & Nicole Newnham – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Dawn Porter – John Lewis: Good Trouble
Benjamin Ree – The Painter and the Thief

Best Archival Documentary

Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
Belushi
Class Action Park
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
MLK/FBI
Mr. SOUL!
Spaceship Earth

Best Historical/Biographical Documentary

Belushi
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Howard
John Lewis: Good Trouble
Mr. SOUL!
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado
Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind

Best Music Documentary

Beastie Boys Story
Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan
The Go-Go’s
Laurel Canyon
Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band
Other Music
Zappa

Best Political Documentary

All In: The Fight for Democracy
Boys State
John Lewis: Good Trouble
MLK/FBI
The Social Dilemma
Totally Under Control
The Way I See It

Best Science/Nature Documentary

Coded Bias
Fantastic Fungi
Gunda
I Am Greta
The Last Ice
My Octopus Teacher
Spaceship Earth

Best Sports Documentary

Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
Athlete A
Be Water
A Most Beautiful Thing
Red Penguins
Rising Phoenix
You Cannot Kill David Arquette

Best First Documentary Feature

Robert S. Bader – Ali & Cavett: The Tale of The Tapes
Chris Bolan – A Secret Love
Melissa Haizlip – Mr. SOUL!
Elizabeth Leiter & Kim Woodard – Jane Goodall: The Hope
Elizabeth Lo – Stray
Sasha Joseph Neulinger – Rewind

Best Cinematography

Dick Johnson Is Dead
Gunda
The Last Ice
My Octopus Teacher
Notturno
The Reason I Jump
The Truffle Hunters

Best Editing

Assassins
Athlete A
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
The Fight
Gunda
Totally Under Control
The Truffle Hunters

Best Short Documentary

Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible
The Claudia Kishi Club
Crescendo!
Elevator Pitch
Hunger Ward
Into the Fire
My Father the Mover
The Rifleman
The Speed Cubers
St. Louis Superman

Best Narration

David Attenborough – David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
Craig Foster – My Octopus Teacher
Alex Gibney – Totally Under Control
Werner Herzog – Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
Kirsten Johnson – Dick Johnson Is Dead
Fox Rich – Time
Blair Underwood – Mr. SOUL!

Best Score

Feels Good Man
The Last Ice
Long Gone Summer
Rising Phoenix
Showbiz Kids
Totally Under Control
The Way I See It

Most Compelling Living Subjects of a Documentary

Dr.Rick Bright – Totally Under Control
Steven Garza – Boys State
The Go-Go’s – The Go-Go’s
Judith Heumann – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Dick Johnson – Dick Johnson Is Dead
Maggie Nichols, Rachael Denhollander, Jamie Dantzscher – Athlete A
Fox Rich – Time
Pete Souza – The Way I See It
Taylor Swift – Miss Americana
Greta Thunberg – I Am Greta