‘Fire of Love,’ ‘Good Night Oppy’ lead Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards nominations

Critics’ Choice has announced the nominees for their annual Documentary Awards Sara Dosa’s fated love story Fire of Love led the field with seven nominations including best documentary feature, best director and best narration for Miranda July. The film is a co-distribution of National Geographic and NEON.

Ryan White’s Good Night Oppy, from Amazon Studios, about the Mars rovers, received six nominations, including best documentary feature, best director and best score.

Other top nominees included Navalny (HBO/CNN/Warner Bros. Pictures) and Moonage Dream (HBO/NEON) with five apiece. The Janes (HBO) and (A Slice of Pie Productions) earned four each.

“This year’s nominees prove that documentaries of all lengths and formats are advancing nonfiction media like never before,” said Christopher Campbell, Co-President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch.

Carla Renata, also co-president of the CCA documentary branch added, “We are also thrilled to witness an exemplary number of women filmmakers and female-focused subjects being represented, further solidifying the Critics Choice Documentary Awards’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the documentary landscape.”

One of the more surprising snubs was All the Beauty and the Bloodshed from Laura Poitras, about the life of Nan Goldin and the takedown of the pharmaceutical Sackler family. One of the most celebrated docs of the year, and the first ever to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the film earned just two nominations; one for Poitras in best director and one for best political documentary.

Two-time Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple (1976’s Harlan County U.S.A. and 1990’s American Dream) will receive the Pennebaker Award. The award is named for Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award winner D A Pennebaker, who died in 2019. Pennebaker’s producing partner and wife, Chris Hegedus will present the honor to Kopple.

A win from Critics’ Choice used to be something of a curse for a film’s Oscar chances, as several winners here, including Jane, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Apollo 11 and Dick Johnson is Dead found themselves all snubbed for Oscar nominations. That turned a corner last year when Summer of Soul dominated the season, winning here then at the Academy Awards.

Standup comedian and Emmy winner Wyatt Cenac will host the ceremony, which will take place at the Edison Ballroom in New York, and will be live-streamed through Facebook Live and Instagram Live on Sunday, November 13 at 7:00 PM EST.

Here is the full list of nominations.

Best Documentary Feature

• “Aftershock” (Hulu)
• “The Automat” (A Slice of Pie Productions)
• “Descendant” (Netflix)
• “Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON)
• “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” (Briarcliff Entertainment)
• “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon Studios)
• “The Janes” (HBO)
• “Moonage Daydream” (HBO/NEON)
• “Navalny” (HBO/CNN/Warner Bros. Pictures)
• “Sidney” (Apple TV+)

Best Director

• Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio, “George Carlin’s American Dream” (HBO)
• Margaret Brown, “Descendant” (Netflix)
• Sara Dosa, “Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON)
• Reginald Hudlin, “Sidney” (Apple TV+)
• Brett Morgen, “Moonage Daydream” (HBO/NEON)
• Laura Poitras, “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (HBO/NEON)
• Daniel Roher, “Navalny” (HBO/CNN/Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Ryan White, “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon Studios)

Best First Documentary Feature

• Andrea Arnold, “Cow” (IFC Films)
• Lisa Hurwitz, “The Automat” (A Slice of Pie Productions)
• Jono McLeod, “My Old School” (Magnolia Pictures)
• Amy Poehler, “Lucy and Desi” (Amazon Studios)
• Alex Pritz, “The Territory” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
• David Siev, “Bad Axe” (IFC Films)
• Bianca Stigter, “Three Minutes: A Lengthening” (NEON)

Best Cinematography

• Benjamin Bernhard, Riju Das – “All That Breathes” (HBO)
• Magda Kowalczyk – “Cow” (IFC Films)
• Lucas Tucknott – “McEnroe” (Showtime)
• Gabriela Osio Vanden, Jack Weisman, Sam Holling – “Nuisance Bear” (The New Yorker)
• The Cinematography Team – “Our Great National Parks” (Netflix)
• Alex Pritz, Tangãi Uru-eu-wau-wau – “The Territory” (National Geographic Documentary Films)

Best Editing

• Jabez Olssen – “The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+)
• Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput – “Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON)
• Joe Beshenkovsky – “George Carlin’s American Dream” (HBO)
• Helen Kearns, Rejh Cabrera – “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon Studios)
• Brett Morgen – “Moonage Daydream” (HBO/NEON)
• Langdon Page, Maya Daisy Hawke – “Navalny” (HBO/CNN/Warner Bros. Pictures)
• Katharina Wartena – “Three Minutes: A Lengthening” (NEON)

Best Score

• Hummie Mann – “The Automat” (A Slice of Pie Productions)
• Nicolas Godin – “Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON)
• Blake Neely – “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon Studios)
• Max Avery Lichtenstein – “The Janes” (HBO)
• David Schwartz – “Lucy and Desi (Amazon Studios)
• Marius de Vries, Matt Robertson – “Navalny” (HBO/CNN/Warner Bros. Pictures)

Best Narration

• “Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story” (Fin and Fur Films) – Written by Ben Masters, Performed by Matthew McConaughey
• “Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON) – Written by Shane Boris, Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput, Sara Dosa, Performed by Miranda July
• “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon Studios) – Written by Helen Kearns, Ryan White, Performed by Angela Bassett
• “Our Great National Parks” (Netflix) – Performed by Barack Obama
• “Riotsville, U.S.A. (Magnolia Pictures) – Written by Tobi Haslett, Performed by Charlene Modeste
• “Three Minutes: A Lengthening” (NEON) – Written by Bianca Stigter, Performed by Helena Bonham Carter

Best Archival Documentary

• ”The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+)
• ”Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON)
• ”Moonage Daydream” (HBO/NEON)
• ”Nothing Compares” (Showtime)
• ”Riotsville, U.S.A. ” (Magnolia Pictures)
• ”Three Minutes: A Lengthening” (NEON)

Best Historical Documentary

• ”The Automat” (A Slice of Pie Productions)
• ”Descendant” (Netflix)
• ”The Janes” (HBO)
• ”Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power” (Peacock)
• ”Still Working 9 to 5” (Mighty Fine Entertainment)
• ”Three Minutes: A Lengthening” (NEON)
• ”The U.S. and the Holocaust” (PBS)

Best Biographical Documentary

• ”George Carlin’s American Dream” (HBO)
• ”The Last Movie Stars” (HBO Max)
• ”Lucy and Desi” (Amazon Studios)
• ”The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” (Peacock)
• ”Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• ”Sidney” (Apple TV+)
• ”Sr. ” (Netflix)

Best Music Documentary

• ”The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+)
• ”Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• ”If These Walls Could Sing” (Disney Original Documentary)
• ”Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues” (Apple TV+)
• ”Moonage Daydream” (HBO/NEON)
• ”Nothing Compares” (Showtime)
• ”The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Political Documentary

• “Aftershock” (Hulu)
• “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (HBO/NEON)
• “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” (Briarcliff Entertainment)
• “The Janes” (HBO)
• “Navalny” (HBO/CNN/Warner Bros. Pictures)
• “Retrograde” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
• “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” (Netflix)

Best Science/Nature Documentary

• “All That Breathes” (HBO)
• “Cow” (IFC Films)
• “Fire of Love” (National Geographic Documentary Films/NEON)
• “Good Night Oppy” (Amazon Studios)
• “Nuisance Bear” (The New Yorker)
• “Return to Space” (Netflix)
• “The Territory” (National Geographic Documentary Films)

Best Sports Documentary

• “Citizen Ashe” (Magnolia/HBO)
• “Hockeyland” (Greenwich Entertainment)
• “Kaepernick & America” (Dark Star Pictures)
• “McEnroe” (Showtime)
• “The Redeem Team” (Netflix)
• “Welcome to Wrexham” (FX/Hulu)

Best Short Documentary

• “38 at the Garden” (HBO)
• “Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices From a Plantation Prison” (MTV Documentary Films)
• “The Flagmakers” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
• “Four Seasons Total Documentary” (MSNBC)
• “My Disability Roadmap” (The New York Times Op Docs)
• “Nuisance Bear” (The New Yorker)
• “Stranger at the Gate” (The New Yorker)

Best Limited Documentary Series

• “The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+)
• “Hostages” (HBO)
• “The Last Movie Stars” (HBO Max)
• “The Lincoln Project” (Showtime)
• “Our Great National Parks” (Netflix)
• “The U.S. and the Holocaust” (PBS)
• “We Need to Talk About Cosby” (Showtime)

Best Ongoing Documentary Series

• “30 for 30” (ESPN)
• “American Masters” (PBS)
• “Cheer” (Netflix)
• “The Circus” (Showtime)
• “Unsolved Mysteries” (Netflix)
• “Welcome to Wrexham” (FX/Hulu)

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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