Precursor: 6th Critics Choice Documentary Nominations (2021)

A long list of lots of documentaries. Not everything under the sun was nominated, but most of it was. Some Oscar nominees likely. Some not. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Nominations Tallies

(6) Ascension, Summer of Soul
(5) The Rescue
(4) Becoming Cousteau, The Sparks Brothers, Val, The Velvet Underground
(3) Attica, The Crime of the Century, Fauci, Introducing, Selma Blair, LFG, The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52, My Name Is Pauli Murray, The Real Charlie Chaplin

The Nominations

Best Documentary Feature

Ascension
Attica
Becoming Cousteau
The Crime of the Century
A Crime on the Bayou
Flee
Introducing, Selma Blair
The Lost Leonardo
My Name Is Pauli Murray
Procession
The Rescue
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Best Director

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin – The Rescue
Liz Garbus – Becoming Cousteau
Jessica Kingdon – Ascension
Stanley Nelson, Traci A. Curry – Attica
Jonas Poher Rasmussen – Flee
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – Summer of Soul
Edgar Wright – The Sparks Brothers

Best Archival Documentary

Becoming Cousteau
The Real Charlie Chaplin
The Real Right Stuff
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Summer of Soul
Val
The Velvet Underground

Best Historical/Biographical Documentary

Attica
A Crime on the Bayou
Fauci
Final Account
Julia
My Name Is Pauli Murray
No Ordinary Man
Val

Best Music Documentary

Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry
Listening to Kenny G
The Sparks Brothers
Summer of Soul
Tina
The Velvet Underground

Best Political Documentary

The Crime of the Century
Enemies of the State
Four Hours at the Capitol
Influence
Mayor Pete
Missing in Brooks County
Nasrin
Not Going Quietly

Best Science/Nature Documentary

Becoming Cousteau
Fauci
The First Wave
The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52
Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story
Puff: Wonders of the Reef
The Year Earth Changed

Best Sports Documentary

The Alpinist
Changing the Game
The Day Sports Stood Still
Kevin Garnett: Anything Is Possible
LFG
Tiger

Best Short Documentary

Audible
Borat’s American Lockdown
Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis
Day of Rage: How Trump Supporters Took the U.S. Capitol
The Doll
The Last Cruise
The Queen of Basketball
Snowy

Best First Documentary Feature

Jessica Beshir – Faya Dayi
Rachel Fleit – Introducing, Selma Blair
Todd Haynes – The Velvet Underground
Jessica Kingdon – Ascension
Kristine Stolakis – Pray Away
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – Summer of Soul
Edgar Wright – The Sparks Brothers

Best Cinematography

The Alpinist
Ascension
Faya Dayi
The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52
Puff: Wonders of the Reef
The Rescue

Best Editing

Ascension
The First Wave
LFG
The Real Charlie Chaplin
The Rescue
Summer of Soul
The Velvet Underground

Best Narration

David Attenborough – The Year Earth Changed
Jeff Daniels, Vincent Cassel – 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room
Alex Gibney – The Crime of the Century
CJ Hunt – The Neutral Ground
Jack Klimer – Val
Pearl Mackie – The Real Charlie Chaplin

Best Score

Ascension
Final Account
Julia
LFG
The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52
My Name Is Pauli Murray
The Rescue

Most Compelling Living Subjects of a Documentary

Ady Barkan – Not Going Quietly
Selma Blair – Introducing, Selma Blair
Pete Buttigieg – Mayor Pete
Anthony Fauci – Fauci
Ben Fong-Torres – Like a Rolling Stone: The Life and Times of Ben Fong-Torres
Val Kilmer – Val
Ron & Russell Mael – The Sparks Brothers
Rita Moreno – Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It
Valerie Taylor – Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story