‘Sugarcane’ Leads 9th Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA) Nominations

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, Daughters, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story received six nominations each

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) has announced the nominees for the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA) where Sugarcane leads the pack with eight nominations including in the category of Best Documentary Feature.

The film’s other nominations are Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie for Best Director and Best New Documentary Filmmakers, Christopher LaMarca and Emily Kassie for Best Cinematography, Nathan Punwar and Maya Daisy Hawk for Best Editing, Best Historical Documentary, Best Political Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the directing award for U.S. documentary and then the Golden Gate Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 San Francisco International Film Festival in the spring.

“This year’s nominated films and series offered us new ways to see the world, celebrate our heroes, and better understand difficult histories,” said Christopher Campbell, Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary. “We are excited to honor so many exceptional documentaries as we continue to recognize diverse voices and styles within the realm of nonfiction storytelling.”

The winners will be revealed at a gala event on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. The ceremony will be hosted by actor Erich Bergen.

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story, Daughters, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story received six nominations each. The nominations for Billy & Molly are Best Documentary Feature, Charlie Hamilton James for Best New Documentary Filmmaker, Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt and Bertie Gregory for Best Cinematography, Erland Cooper for Best Score, Best Narration (Written by Charlie Hamilton James and Performed by Billy Mail and Susan Mail), and Best Science/Nature Documentary.

The nominations for Daughters are Best Documentary Feature, Natalie Rae and Angela Patton for Best Director and for Best New Documentary Filmmakers, Michael Cambio Fernandez for Best Cinematography, Troy Lewis and Adelina Bichiș for Best Editing, and Kelsey Lu for Best Score.

The nominations for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story are Best Documentary Feature, Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui for Best Director, Otto Burnham for Best Editing, Ilan Eshkeri for Best Score, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary.

Ron Howard’s Jim Henson Idea Man earned five nominations, including Best Documentary Feature and Best Director and last month won a field best five Emmy Awards in the non-fiction categories including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.

At the last year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie took home five trophies including the top award of the evening, Best Documentary Feature. The film’s other victories were Best Director for Davis Guggenheim, Best Editing for Michael Harte, Best Narration for Michael J. Fox, and Best Biographical Documentary. While the film failed to earn an Oscar nomination for Documentary Feature, it turned around and won four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.

The Catalyst Sponsors for the event are Amazon MGM Studios, National Geographic Documentary Films, and Netflix.

Nominees for the Ninth Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards:

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Daughters (Netflix)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Music by John Williams (Walt Disney Studios)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Will & Harper (Netflix)

BEST DIRECTOR
Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Josh Greenbaum – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Ron Howard – Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix)
Benjamin Ree – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)

BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER(S) 
Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev – Porcelain War (Picturehouse)
Carla Gutiérrez – Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
Charlie Hamilton James – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Sue Kim – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Michael Cambio Fernandez – Daughters (Netflix)
Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt, Bertie Gregory – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho, Justin Turkowski – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Zoë White – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Jessica Young – The Blue Angels (Amazon MGM Studios)

BEST EDITING
Otto Burnham – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Rik Chaubet – Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Paul Crowder – Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Troy Lewis, Adelina Bichiș – Daughters (Netflix)
Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Robert Stengård – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)

BEST SCORE
Erland Cooper – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Ilan Eshkeri – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)
Nathan Halpern – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Uno Helmersson – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Kelsey Lu – Daughters (Netflix)
Marc Shaiman – Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (HBO | Max) 

BEST NARRATION
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
   Written by Mary Mazzio
   Performed by Quannah ChasingHorse & Edward Norton

Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
   Written by Charlie Hamilton James
   Performed by Billy Mail & Susan Mail

Dahomey (Mubi)
   Written by Makenzy Orcel
   Performed by Lucrece Houegbelo, Parfait Viayinon, Didier Sedoha Nassegande, and Sabine Badjogoumin

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
   Written and performed by Martin Scorsese

Queens (National Geographic)
   Written by Chloë Sarosh
   Performed by Angela Bassett

Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) 
   Written and performed by Steve Martin

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
Dahomey (Mubi)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
I Am: Celine Dion (Amazon MGM Studios)
Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) 
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
I Am: Celine Dion (Amazon MGM Studios)
Music by John Williams (Walt Disney Studios)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Hulu)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
Girls State (Apple TV+)
Porcelain War (Picturehouse)
Stopping the Steal (HBO | Max)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)
The Truth vs. Alex Jones (HBO | Max)

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
Apollo 13: Survival (Netflix)
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Blink (National Geographic)
The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Secrets of the Octopus (National Geographic)
The Space Race (National Geographic)

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Copa 71 (New Black Films)
The Dynasty: New England Patriots (Apple TV+)
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (Netflix)
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)
The Turnaround (Netflix)

BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
American Nightmare (Netflix)
Black Box Diaries (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+)
Incident (The New Yorker)
The Jinx – Part Two (HBO | Max)
Stopping the Steal (HBO | Max)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
I Am Ready, Warden (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+)
Incident (The New Yorker)
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine (Earle Mack Productions, Storyville Films, Goldcrest Films)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix)
The Turnaround (Netflix)

BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
Ren Faire (HBO | Max)
Secrets of the Octopus (National Geographic)
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN)
America’s Most Wanted (Fox Broadcasting Company)
The Food That Built America (History)
Independent Lens (PBS)
The Jinx – Part Two (HBO | Max)
POV (PBS)