Critics Choice Documentary Awards: ‘American Symphony’ Dominates Nominations, Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ Breaks Records
• Netflix’s “American Symphony” earns the most nominations at this year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards, receiving six nods for Best Documentary Feature and Best Director.
• Taylor Swift’s concert documentary “The Eras Tour” has broken records with its opening weekend earning $95 to $97 million, potentially the largest October opening ever in North America.
• Steve McQueen has received a nomination for Best Director with his four-hour and 22-minute film “Occupied City.” At the same time, Natalie Portman is nominated for Best Narration in the National Geographic documentary “Secrets of the Elephants.”
• Chris Hegedus will present the Pennebaker Award to esteemed documentarian Ross McElwee.
• Actor and comedian Wyatt Cenac returns as host for the 2021 ceremony, which will be live-streamed from New York City on Nov. 12.
Netflix’s “American Symphony,” a captivating journey with Jon Batiste leading up to his Carnegie Hall performance, emerges as the front-runner in this year’s Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations with six nods. Notably, it is in the running for Best Documentary Feature and Best Director for Matthew Heineman. Tied for second place with five nominations each is PBS’ “20 Days in Mariupol,” Magnolia Pictures’ “Kokomo City,” and Apple Original Films’ “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” All three are also contenders in the top category.
Joining the competition for Best Documentary Feature are noteworthy films like Roadside Attraction’s “Beyond Utopia,” MTV Documentary Films’ “The Eternal Memory,” Amazon’s “Judy Blume Forever,” National Geographic’s “The Mission,” and Netflix’s “The Deepest Breath” and “Stamped from the Beginning.”
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards, now in its eighth year, have previously recognized outstanding films like “O.J.: Made in America” and “Summer of Soul.” Last year’s winner, Ryan White’s “Good Night Oppy,” was overlooked by the Academy, marking the first time a CCA winner failed to make the Academy’s preliminary shortlist.
In an exciting twist, music superstar Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” received a notable nomination in the music documentary category. This concert film, capturing her stunning SoFi Stadium show in Los Angeles, had a record-breaking opening weekend, earning an impressive $95 to $97 million. If it surpasses the $96 million mark, it will secure the title for the largest October opening ever in North America, usurping “Joker” (2019). While it won’t qualify for Oscar recognition due to current Academy rules, it remains a noteworthy accomplishment.
Other notable nominations include Steve McQueen for Best Director with his compelling four-hour and 22-minute film “Occupied City” and Natalie Portman for Best Narration in the National Geographic documentary “Secrets of the Elephants.” Esteemed documentarian Ross McElwee will be honored with The Pennebaker Award, named in tribute to D.A. Pennebaker. Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s producing partner and wife, will present the award to McElwee.
Actor and comedian Wyatt Cenac, known for “Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas,” returns as the host for the second consecutive year. The ceremony will be live-streamed via Facebook, YouTube, and X from the Edison Ballroom in New York City on Nov. 12.
Check out the full list of nominations below.
Best Documentary Feature:
– “20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS)
– “American Symphony” (Netflix)
– “Beyond Utopia” (Roadside Attractions)
– “The Deepest Breath” (Netflix)
– “The Eternal Memory” (MTV Documentary Films)
– “Judy Blume Forever” (Amazon Studios)
– “Kokomo City” (Magnolia Pictures)
– “The Mission” (National Geographic)
– “Stamped from the Beginning” (Netflix)
– “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+)
Best Director:
– Maite Alberdi – “The Eternal Memory” (MTV Documentary Films)
– Madeleine Gavin – “Beyond Utopia” (Roadside Attractions)
– Davis Guggenheim – “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+)
– Matthew Heineman – “American Symphony” (Netflix)
– Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss – “The Mission” (National Geographic)
– Steve McQueen – “Occupied City” (A24)
-Andreas Knausenberger – “Secrets of the Elephants” (National Geographic)
Editing
Sammy Dane, Jim Hession, Matthew Heineman, Fernando Villegas – “American Symphony” (Netflix)
Madeleine Gavin – “Beyond Utopia” (Roadside Attractions)
Michael Harte – “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+)
Michelle Mizner – “20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS)
D. Smith – “Kokomo City” (Magnolia Pictures)
Aaron Wickenden – “The Mission” (National Geographic)
Score
Jon Batiste – “American Symphony” (Netflix)
Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans – “The Mission” (National Geographic)
Nainita Desai – “The Deepest Breath” (Netflix)
Philip Glass, Paul Leonard-Morgan – “The Pigeon Tunnel” (Apple TV+)
Katya Richardson & Kris Bowers – “The Last Repair Shop” (Breakwater Studios)
D. Smith – “Kokomo City” (Magnolia Pictures)
Narration
“20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS) – Written and Performed by Mstyslav Chernov
“32 Sounds” (Abramorama) – Written and Performed by Sam Green
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite” (IFC Films) – Written by Nicole Newnham, Performed by Dakota Johnson
“John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial” (Apple TV+) — Written by TBD, Performed by Kiefer Sutherland
“Secrets of the Elephants” (National Geographic) – Written by Martin Williams, Performed by Natalie Portman
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+) – Written and Performed by Michael J. Fox
Archival Documentary
“Being Mary Tyler Moore” (HBO)
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite” (IFC Films)
“It Ain’t Over” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“JFK: One Day in America” (National Geographic)
“The Lady Bird Diaries” (Hulu)
“The League” (Magnolia Pictures)
Historical Documentary
“The 1619 Project” (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
“JFK: One Day in America” (National Geographic)
“The Lady Bird Diaries” (Hulu)
“Lakota Nation vs. United States” (IFC Films)
“The League” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Occupied City” (A24)
“Stamped from the Beginning” (Netflix)
Biographical Documentary
“Being Mary Tyler Moore” (HBO)
“The Disappearance of Shere Hite” (IFC Films)
“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” (HBO)
“Judy Blume Forever” (Amazon Studios)
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” (Hulu)
“Sly” (Netflix)
“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple TV+)
Music Documentary
“American Symphony” (Netflix)
“Carlos” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop” (Netflix)
“Little Richard: I Am Everything” (Magnolia Pictures/CNN Films)
“Love to Love You, Donna Summer” (HBO)
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (AMC Theatres)
“What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?” (Abramorama)
Political Documentary
“20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS)
“Beyond Utopia” (Roadside Attractions)
“Bobi Wine: The People’s President” (National Geographic)
“Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court” (Showtime)
“Every Body” (Focus Features)
“Lakota Nation vs. United States” (IFC Films)
“Silver Dollar Road” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Science/Nature Documentary
“32 Sounds” (Abramorama)
“Between Earth & Sky” (PBS)
“Life on Our Planet” (Netflix)
“Path of the Panther” (National Geographic)
“Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” (Netflix)
“Secrets of the Elephants” (National Geographic)
“Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West” (Gravitas Ventures)
Sport Documentary SPORTS DOCUMENTARy
“Black Ice” (Roadside Attractions)
“BS High” (HBO)
“The Deepest Breath” (Netflix)
“It Ain’t Over” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“The League” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Reggie” (Amazon Studios)
“Stephen Curry: Underrated” (Apple TV+)
“Welcome to Wrexham” (FX)
True Crime Documentary
“Burden of Proof” (HBO)
“The Jewel Thief” (Hulu)
“John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial” (Apple TV+)
“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (Netflix)
“Telemarketers” (HBO)
“The Thief Collector” (FilmRise)
“Victim/Suspect” (Netflix)
Short Documentary
“The ABCs of Book Banning” (MTV Documentary Films)
“The Barber of Little Rock” (Story Syndicate)
“Between Earth & Sky” (PBS)
“Keys to the City” (New Yorker)
“The Last Repair Shop” (Breakwater Studios)
“Last Song From Kabul” (MTV Documentary Films)
Limited Documentary Series
“The 1619 Project” (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
“Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul” (Netflix)
“Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court” (Showtime)
“JFK: One Day in America” (National Geographic)
“John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial” (Apple TV+)
“Secrets of the Elephants” (National Geographic)
“Shiny Happy People” (Amazon Studios)
“Telemarketers” (HBO)
Ongoing Documentary Series
“30 for 30” (ESPN)
“Frontline” (PBS)
“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (Netflix)
“POV” (PBS)
“Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” (National Geographic)
“Welcome to Wrexham” (FX)
