The Critics Choice Documentary Award nominees include a number of Oscar buzzed films including the excellent “Maiden,” and Ron Howard’s “Pavarotti.” The first annual DA Pennebaker Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Frederick Wiseman. I’m thrilled to see the lost Aretha Franklin gospel film “Amazing Grace” in the mix 47 years after it was shot by Sydney Pollack. I’m not so happy to see “Leaving Neverland,” subject of lawsuits and disproved by fans on the internet, included. (Don’t worry, it won’t win.) The awards will be given out next month at a ceremony in Brooklyn, at BRIC, near the BAM campus.
The nominees are:
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“American Factory” (Netflix)
“Apollo 11” (Neon)
“The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
“The Cave” (National Geographic)
“Honeyland” (Neon)
“The Kingmaker” (Showtime)
“Knock Down the House” (Netflix)
“Leaving Neverland” (HBO)
“Maiden” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“One Child Nation” (Amazon Studios)
“They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.)
DIRECTOR
Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts, For “Sama” (PBS)
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, “American Factory” (Netflix)
John Chester, “The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
Feras Fayyad, “The Cave” (National Geographic)
Peter Jackson, “They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.)
Todd Douglas Miller, “Apollo 11” (Neon)
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, “One Child Nation” (Amazon Studios)
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ben Bernhard and Viktor Kossakovsky, “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics)
John Chester, “The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma, “Honeyland” (Neon)
Nicholas de Pencier, “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch” (Kino Lorber)
Muhammed Khair Al Shami, Ammar Suleiman, and Mohammad Eyad, “The Cave” (National Geographic)
Richard Ladkani, “Sea of Shadows” (National Geographic)
EDITING
Georg Michael Fischer and Verena Schönauer, “Sea of Shadows” (National Geographic)
Todd Douglas Miller, “Apollo 11” (Neon)
Jabez Olssen, “They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.)
Amy Overbeck, “The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
Lindsay Utz, “American Factory” (Netflix)
Nanfu Wang, “One Child Nation” (Amazon Studios)
SCORE
Jeff Beal, “The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
Matthew Herbert, “The Cave” (National Geographic)
Matt Morton, “Apollo 11” (Neon)
Plan 9, “They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.)
H. Scott Salinas, “Sea of Shadows” (National Geographic)
Eicca Toppinen, “Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics)
NARRATION
Alicia Vikander, narrator; Jennifer Baichwal, writer, “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch” (Kino Lorber)
John Chester and Molly Chester, narrators; John Chester, writer, “The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
Petra Costa, narrator; Petra Costa, Carol Pires, David Barker and Moara Passoni, writers, “The Edge of Democracy” (Netflix)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, narrator; Mark Deeble, writer, “The Elephant Queen” (Apple)
Waad Al-Kateab, narrator-writer, “For Sama” (PBS)
Adam Driver, narrator; Oren Rudavsky and Bob Seidman, writers, “Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People” (First Run)
Nanfu Wang, narrator-writer, “One Child Nation” (Amazon Studios)
Bruce Springsteen, narrator-writer, “Western Stars” (Warner Bros.)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Midge Costin, “Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound” (Matson Films)
A.J. Eaton, “David Crosby: Remember My Name” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Pamela B. Green, “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché” (Kino Lorber/Zeitgeist Films)
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, “Honeyland” (Neon)
Richard Miron, “For the Birds” (Dogwoof)
Garret Price, “Love, Antosha” (Lurker Films)
ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
“Amazing Grace” (Neon)
“Apollo 11” (Neon)
“Maiden” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Mike Wallace is Here” (Magnolia)
“Pavarotti” (CBS Films)
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” (Netflix)
“They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.)
“What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali” (HBO)
BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
“David Crosby: Remember My Name” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“The Kingmaker” (Showtime)
“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” (Greenwich)
“Love, Antosha” (Lurker Films)
“Mike Wallace is Here” (Magnolia)
“Pavarotti” (CBS Films)
“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am” (Magnolia)
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
“Amazing Grace” (Abramorama)
“David Crosby: Remember My Name” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” (Greenwich)
“Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool” (Abramorama)
“Pavarotti” (CBS Films)
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” (Netflix)
“Western Stars” (Warner Bros.)
POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
“American Factory” (Netflix)
“The Edge of Democracy” (Netflix)
“Hail Satan?” (Magnolia)
“The Kingmaker” (Showtime)
“Knock Down the House” (Netflix)
“One Child Nation” (Amazon Studios)
SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
“Anthropocene: The Human Epoch” (Kino Lorber)
“Apollo 11” (Neon)
“Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classic)
“The Biggest Little Farm” (Neon)
“The Elephant Queen” (Apple)
“Honeyland” (Neon)
“Penguins” (Disney)
“Sea of Shadows” (National Geographic)
SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
“Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable” (Entertainment Studios)
“Diego Maradona” (HBO)
“Maiden” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Rodman: For Better or Worse” (ESPN)
“The Spy Behind Home Plate” (Ciesla Foundation)
“What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali” (HBO)
MOST INNOVATIVE DOCUMENTARY
“Aquarela” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Cold Case Hammarskjöld” (Magnolia)
“Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese” (Netflix)
“Screwball” (Greenwich)
“Serendipity” (Cohen Media)
“They Shall Not Grow Old” (Warner Bros.)
SHORT DOCUMENTARY
“The Chapel at the Border” (Atlantic Documentaries) (Director and Producer: Jeremy Raff)
“Death Row Doctor” (The New York Times Op-Docs) (Director: Lauren Knapp)
“In the Absence (Field of Vision)” (Director: Yi Seung-Jun. Producer: Gary Byung-Seok Kam)
“Lost World” (Director and Producer: Kalyanee Mam. Producers: Adam Loften and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee)
“Mack Wrestles” (ESPN) (Directors and Producers: Taylor Hess and Erin Sanger. Producers: Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby)
“Period. End of Sentence.” (Netflix) (Director: Rayka Zehtabchi. Producers: Melissa Berton, Garrett K. Schiff and Lisa Taback)
“The Polaroid Job” (The New York Times Op-Docs) (Director: Mike Plante)
“Sam and the Plant Next Door” (The Guardian) (Director and Producer: Ömer Sami)
“The Unconditional” (Director and Producer: Dave Adams. Producers: Adam Soltis, Renee Woodruff Adams, Josie Swantek Heitz, and Chris Tuss)
