’14th’ Leads 2026 Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations

The Critics Choice Association (CCA) is the first major group to weigh in on the year’s Best Documentary Feature by announcing its nominees for the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (CCDA).

Ava DuVernay’s “14th,” which just closed the New York Film Festival, leads the pack with six nominations, with other high-profile documentaries like “NAZA” and “You Can See Everything” also scoring multiple nominations as well.

The winners will be revealed at a gala on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, hosted by award-winning TV personality Ross Mathews. The event will bring together leading filmmakers, industry professionals, and special guests for an evening celebrating excellence in documentary filmmaking.

“This year’s nominees reflect the range of voices, perspectives, and stories that make documentary filmmaking so compelling,” said Christopher Campbell, Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary, via statement. “These films challenge us to see the world in new ways and reinforce the vital role documentaries play in informing, engaging, and inspiring audiences. We are proud to recognize the exceptional talent and creativity behind this year’s nominated films.”

The CCDAs will also honor “Avedon” director Ron Howard with the Critics Choice Impact Award, a prestigious award recognizing filmmakers whose work, influence, and commitment to nonfiction storytelling have made a significant, lasting impact on the documentary form, broadening its reach and championing its continued evolution.

Visionary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim will receive the CCA’s Pennebaker Award, presented by Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator, Chris Hegedus. Named in tribute to trailblazing documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, the award (formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award) celebrates filmmakers whose careers have made a profound and lasting contribution to the art of documentary storytelling.

View the full list of this year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations below.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“14th” (Netflix)
“Everest: The Other Side” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
“Everybody to Kenmure Street” (Icarus Films)
“The History of Concrete” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Musk” (Bleecker Street)
“NAZA” (The Guardian / mk2 films)
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon)
“Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Remake” (Music Box Films)
“You Can See Everything” (A24)

BEST DIRECTOR

Yuval Abraham & Rachel Szor – “NAZA” (The Guardian / mk2 films)
Felipe Bustos Sierra – “Everybody to Kenmure Street” (Icarus Films)
Ava DuVernay – “14th” (Netflix)
Nathan Fielder & Lance Oppenheim – “You Can See Everything” (A24)
Ross McElwee – “Remake” (Music Box Films)
Orlando von Einsiedel – “The Cycle of Love” (Variance Films)

BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

David Greaves – “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon)
Baz Luhrmann – “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (Neon)
Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman – “Nuisance Bear” (Mubi)
Xander Robin – “The Python Hunt” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Poh Si Teng – “American Doctor” (Watermelon Pictures)
John Wilson – “The History of Concrete” (Magnolia Pictures)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

David Bolen – “You Can See Everything” (A24)
David Bolen & Matt Clegg – “The Python Hunt” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
Sophie Darlington – “Lion” (National Geographic)
Franklin Dow – “The Cycle of Love” (Variance Films)
Gabriela Osio Vanden & Jack Weisman – “Nuisance Bear” (Mubi)
Clair Popkin, Jimmy Chin, Christopher Murphy – “Everest: The Other Side” (National Geographic Documentary Films)

BEST EDITING

Spencer Averick – “14th” (Netflix)
Anne de Mare & Lynn True – “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon)
Adam Locke-Norton – “You Can See Everything” (A24)
Colin Monie – “Everybody to Kenmure Street” (Icarus Films)
Jonathan Redmond – “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (Neon)
Cori Wapnowska – “The History of Concrete” (Magnolia Pictures)

BEST NARRATION

“The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” (Focus Features)
Written by Daniel Roher & Caroline Lindy
Performed by Daniel Roher & Caroline Lindy

“The History of Concrete” (Magnolia Pictures)
Written by John Wilson
Performed by John Wilson

“Lorne” (Focus Features)
Written by Morgan Neville, Alan Lowe, Jake Hostetter
Performed by Chris Parnell

“Nuisance Bear” (Mubi)
Written by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons
Performed by Mike Tunalaaq Gibbons

“Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Written by Pegah Ahangarani
Performed by Pegah Ahangarani

“Remake” (Music Box Films)
Written by Ross McElwee
Performed by Ross McElwee

BEST MUSIC SCORE

Ari Balouzian – “You Can See Everything” (A24)
Dan Deacon – “Time and Water” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Caroline Ho – “Everest: The Other Side” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
Jason Moran – “14th” (Netflix)
Cristóbal Tapia de Veer – “Nuisance Bear” (Mubi)
Hans Zimmer, Niccolò Pacella, George Hutson Warren – “Lion” (National Geographic)

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY

“Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World)” (HBO Max)
“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (Neon)
“Man on the Run” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
“Peter Asher: Everywhere Man” (Greenwich Entertainment)
“Sara Bareilles: Good Grief” (Group Effort Films / Naked Edge Films)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY

“14th” (Netflix)
“American Doctor” (Watermelon Pictures)
“Ask E. Jean” (Abramorama)
“Everybody to Kenmure Street” (Icarus Films)
“Musk” (Bleecker Street)
“NAZA” (The Guardian / mk2 films)
“Union Town” (Cabin Creek Films)

BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY

“14th” (Netflix)
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon)
“Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of” (Netflix)
“Soul Patrol” (Kino Lorber)
“Turning Point: Generation 9/11” (Netflix)

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY

“Avedon” (Netflix)
“Jean-Michel Basquiat” (Netflix)
“Lorne” (Focus Features)
“Marty, Life Is Short” (Netflix)
“Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!” (HBO Max)
“Musk” (Bleecker Street)

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY

“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” (Neon)
“Making Marie Antoinette” (Mubi)
“Man on the Run” (Amazon MGM Studios)
“Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon)
“Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Remake” (Music Box Films)

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY

“The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist” (Focus Features)
“Ghost Elephants” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
“Lion” (National Geographic)
“Nuisance Bear” (Mubi)
“Secrets of the Bees” (National Geographic)
“Time and Water” (National Geographic Documentary Films)

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY

“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” (Apple TV)
“Everest: The Other Side” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
“Give Me the Ball!” (ESPN)
“Rafa” (Netflix)
“Standout: The Ben Kjar Story” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
“Tyson” (Netflix)

BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY

“Baby Doe” (Narrative Distribution)
“Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story” (Dark Star Pictures)
“The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare” (Netflix)
“A Killer Story” (HBO Max)
“Lost Women of Alaska” (Investigation Discovery)
“Murder in Glitterball City” (HBO Max)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

“The Baddest Speechwriter of All” (Netflix)
“A Derailment” (POV)
“Escalation” (Bonfire Films)
“Miller Night Football” (HBO Max)
“Oh Whale” (The New Yorker / Switchboard Magazine)
“The Second Life of Freddie Nole” (Sweet World Films)
“A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil” (archilux)
“They’re Here” (Praxis Films)

BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES

“9/11: Reunited” (National Geographic)
“The Dark Wizard” (HBO Max)
“The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” (Apple TV)
“High Horse: The Black Cowboy” (Peacock)
“Lion” (National Geographic)
“The Man Will Burn” (HBO Max)
“Rafa” (Netflix)

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES

“30 for 30” (ESPN Films)
“American Masters” (PBS)
“America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” (Netflix)
“The Food That Built America” (History)
“Hazardous History with Henry Winkler” (History)
“Independent Lens” (PBS)
“Untold” (Netflix)