5th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 2020

The 5th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards were presented on November 16, 2020, honoring the finest achievements in documentary filmmaking and non-fiction television; due to the COVID-19 pandemic the ceremony was held via online.^[1] The nominees were announced on October 26, 2020, with Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, Gunda and Mr. Soul! leading the nominations with five.^[2]

Winners and nominees

Best Documentary Feature Dick Johnson Is Dead (Netflix)^[3] Athlete A (Netflix) Belushi (Showtime) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix) Feels Good Man (Wavelength Productions/PBS Independent Lens) The Fight (Magnolia Pictures) The Go-Go's (Showtime) Gunda (Neon) Mr. Soul! (Shoes in the Bed Productions) My Octopus Teacher (Netflix) The Painter and the Thief (Neon) A Secret Love (Netflix) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) Time (Amazon Studios)	Best Director Kirsten Johnson – Dick Johnson Is Dead Garrett Bradley – Time Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk – Athlete A Victor Kossakovsky – Gunda James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution Dawn Porter – John Lewis: Good Trouble Benjamin Ree – The Painter and the Thief
Best First Documentary Feature Melissa Haizlip – Mr. Soul! Robert S. Bader – Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes Chris Bolan – A Secret Love Arthur Jones – Feels Good Man Elizabeth Leiter and Kim Woodard – Jane Goodall: The Hope Elizabeth Lo – Stray Sasha Joseph Neulinger – Rewind	Best Narration David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet – David Attenborough, narrator and writer Dick Johnson Is Dead – Kirsten Johnson, narrator and writer Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds – Werner Herzog, narrator and writer Mr. Soul! – Blair Underwood, narrator; Ellis Haizlip, writer My Octopus Teacher – Craig Foster, narrator and writer Time – Fox Rich, narrator and writer Totally Under Control – Alex Gibney, narrator and writer
Best Archival Documentary MLK/FBI (Field of Vision/IFC Films) Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (HBO) Belushi (Showtime) Class Action Park (HBO Max) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix) Mr. Soul! (Shoes in the Bed Productions) Spaceship Earth (Neon)	Best Short Documentary St. Louis Superman (MTV Documentary Films) Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible (ESPN) The Claudia Kishi Club (Netflix) Crescendo! (Quibi) Elevator Pitch (Field of Vision) Hunger Ward (Spin Film/Vulcan Productions/RYOT Films) Into the Fire (National Geographic) My Father the Mover (MTV Documentary Films) The Rifleman (Field of Vision) The Speed Cubers (Netflix)
Best Political Documentary Boys State (Apple) All In: The Fight for Democracy (Amazon Studios) John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures) MLK/FBI (Field of Vision/IFC Films) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) Totally Under Control (Neon) The Way I See It (Focus Features)	Best Sports Documentary Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (HBO) Athlete A (Netflix) Be Water (ESPN) A Most Beautiful Thing (50 Eggs Films) Red Penguins (Universal Pictures) Rising Phoenix (Netflix) You Cannot Kill David Arquette (Super LTD)
Best Historical/Biographical Documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia Pictures) Belushi (Showtime) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (Netflix) Howard (Disney+) Mr. Soul! (Shoes in the Bed Production) Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (Netflix) Natalie Wood: What Remains Behind (HBO)	Best Science/Nature Documentary My Octopus Teacher (Netflix) Coded Bias (7th Empire Media/PBS Independent Lens) Fantastic Fungi (Moving Art) Gunda (Neon) I Am Greta (Hulu) The Last Ice (National Geographic) Spaceship Earth (Neon)
Best Music Documentary Beastie Boys Story (Apple) The Go-Go's (Showtime) Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan (Magnolia Pictures) Laurel Canyon (Epix) Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (Magnolia Pictures) Other Music (Factory 25) Zappa (Magnolia Pictures)	Best Score Marco Beltrami, Brandon Roberts and Buck Sanders – The Way I See It Ari Balouzian and Ryan Hope – Feels Good Man Tyler Durham, Sven Faulconer and Xander Rodzinski – The Last Ice Peter Nashel and Brian Deming – Totally Under Control Daniel Pemberton – Rising Phoenix Jeff Tweedy – Long Gone Summer Jeff Tweedy, Spencer Tweedy and Sammy Tweedy – Showbiz Kids
Best Cinematography Roger Horrocks – My Octopus Teacher Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw – The Truffle Hunters Kirsten Johnson – Dick Johnson Is Dead Victor Kossakovsky and Egil Håskjold Larsen, Gunda (Neon) Scott Ressler, Neil Gelinas and Stefan Wiesen – The Last Ice Gianfranco Rosi – Notturno Ruben Woodin Dechamps – The Reason I Jump	Best Editing Lindy Jankura and Alex Keipper – Totally Under Control Don Bernier – Athlete A Eli Despres, Greg Finton and Kim Roberts – The Fight Helen Kearns – Assassins Victor Kossakovsky and Ainara Vera – Gunda Eileen Meyer and Andrew Gersh – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution Charlotte Munch Bengtsen – The Truffle Hunters
Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary Dr. Rick Bright – Totally Under Control Steven Garza – Boys State The Go-Go's – The Go-Go's Judith Heumann – Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution Dick Johnson – Dick Johnson Is Dead Maggie Nichols, Rachael Denhollander, Jamie Dantzscher – Athlete A Fox Rich – Time Pete Souza – The Way I See It Taylor Swift – Miss Americana Greta Thunberg – I Am Greta

Films by multiple nominations and wins

The following films received multiple nominations:

Nominations	Film
6	Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
5	Mr. Soul!
	Dick Johnson Is Dead
	Gunda
	Totally Under Control
	Athlete A
4	My Octopus Teacher
4	Time
3	Feels Good Man
	The Go-Go's
	Belushi
	The Way I See It
	Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
	The Last Ice
	John Lewis: Good Trouble
2	Rising Phoenix
	The Fight
	The Truffle Hunters
	MLK/FBI
	Boys State
	Spaceship Earth
	I Am Greta
	A Secret Love
	The Social Dilemma
	The Painter and the Thief

The following films received multiple awards:

Wins	Film
3	Dick Johnson Is Dead
2	My Octopus Teacher
	The Go-Go's
	Athlete A
	The Way I See It
	Totally Under Control
	Boys State

References

^ "'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Wins Best Feature at Critics Choice Documentary Awards". Variety. November 16, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^ "Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations: 'Mr. Soul', 'Gunda', 'Crip Camp' And 'Totally Under Control' Top List". Deadline. October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
^ Critics Choice Documentary Awards Push Dick Johnson Is Dead’ to Oscars|IndieWire