The 9th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards were presented on Sunday during a gala event in New York City, with the big prize finishing in a tie.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper tied for the top award of the evening, Best Documentary Feature. With a sweep of all six of its nominated categories, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story also scored wins for Best Director for Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, Best Editing for Otto Burnham, Best Score for Ilan Eshkeri, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary.

Winning the top prize can be a blessing or a curse. More often than not, the winning documentary did not earn a nomination at the subsequent Oscars. The only film to earn an Oscar nomination or win in recent years was Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Last year’s prize went to STILL: A Michael J. Fox Story, which did well at the delayed Emmys but did not advance past the Academy’s shortlist. Time will tell if this year’s winners also follow the unfortunate trend.

At the ceremony, the Pennebaker Award was presented to acclaimed documentarian Rory Kennedy. The award is named in honor of D.A. Pennebaker, a past winner. It was presented to Kennedy by Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s long-time collaborator and widow.

The event was hosted by actor and longtime-event supporter Erich Bergen. Presenters and attendees included Ron Howard, Chelsea Clinton with Amanda Zurawski, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Jeremy Piven, Bridget Moynahan, Lorraine Toussaint, Michael Cyril Creighton, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Ali Wentworth, R.J. Cutler, Lauren Greenfield, Andrew Jarecki, Ken Leung, Chai Vasarhelyi, and Marc Shaiman, among many others.

Christopher Campbell, Vice President of Documentaries of the Critics Choice Association said, “Tonight brought about some wonderful surprises as we celebrated a fantastic array of documentaries and the remarkable people whose stories they told. Our ninth show was certainly our most inspiring yet. Congratulations to all the winners!”

The Critics Choice Association honors the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV, and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified CCA members. The ninth annual awards ceremony was produced by Bob Bain Productions.

The Catalyst Sponsors for the event were Amazon MGM Studios, National Geographic Documentary Films, Netflix, and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (TIE)
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)

BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER(S)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho, Justin Turkowski – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)

BEST EDITING
Otto Burnham – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

BEST SCORE
Ilan Eshkeri – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

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

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films)

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Music by John Williams (Walt Disney Studios)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
Sugarcane (National Geographic)

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)

BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
Sugarcane (National Geographic)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix)

BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)

BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN)

The 9th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards were held on November 10, 2024.

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