Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie was the top winner at the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were handed out Sunday night.
Among the other prizes the film collected was the best narration award for Michael J. Fox. It also won best biographical documentary, best direction for Davis Guggenheim and best editing for Michael Harte for a total of five awards overall.
Elsewhere, Jon Batiste won best score for American Symphony on the heels of his five Grammy noms, including album of the year. American Symphony also was named best music doc.
20 Days in Mariupol won two awards, for best first documentary feature and best political doc.
The eighth annual edition of the awards show, hosted by Wyatt Cenac, took place at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
Winners were announced in 18 categories spanning theatrical film, TV and digital platforms. Also this year, the Critics Choice Association honored Ross McElwee with its Pennebaker Award, formerly known as the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award and named for late lifetime achievement honoree D.A. Pennebaker
This year’s ceremony was livestreamed via YouTube, Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter).
A complete list of this year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards winners follows.
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+) (WINNER)
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+) (WINNER)Matthew Heineman – American Symphony (Netflix)Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss – The Mission (National Geographic)Steve McQueen – Occupied City (A24)
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
20 Days in Mariupol (PBS) (WINNER)26.2 to Life (Film Halau)Bad Press (Oklafilm)Bobi Wine: The People’s President (National Geographic)Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures)Orlando, My Political Biography (Sideshow)Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Greenwich Entertainment)The Thief Collector (FilmRise)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tim Cragg – The Deepest Breath (Netflix) (WINNER)Tony Hardmon, Matthew Heineman, Thorsten Thielow – American Symphony (Netflix)Lennert Hillege – Occupied City (A24)Franz Lustig – Anselm (Sideshow)D. Smith – Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures)Toby Strong, James Boon, Bob Poole, Neil Fairlie, Wim Vorster, Joshua Tarr, Pete Allibone, Neil Harvey, Andreas Knausenberger – Secrets of the Elephants (National Geographic)
BEST 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+) (WINNER)Michelle Mizner – 20 Days in Mariupol (PBS)D. Smith – Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures)Aaron Wickenden – The Mission (National Geographic)
BEST SCORE
Jon Batiste – American Symphony (Netflix) (WINNER)Danny Bensi & Saunder Jurriaans – The Mission (National Geographic)Nainita Desai – The Deepest Breath (Netflix)Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan – The Pigeon Tunnel (Apple TV+)Katya Richardson & Kris Bowers – The Last Repair Shop (Breakwater Studios)D. Smith – Kokomo City (Magnolia Pictures)
BEST 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 NewnhamPerformed by Dakota Johnson
John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial (Apple TV+)Written by TBDPerformed by Kiefer Sutherland
Secrets of the Elephants (National Geographic)Written by Martin WilliamsPerformed by Natalie Portman
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV+) (WINNER)Written and Performed by Michael J. Fox
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Being Mary Tyler Moore (HBO | Max) (WINNER)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)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
The 1619 Project (Hulu/Onyx Collective)JFK: One Day in America (National Geographic) (WINNER)The Lady Bird Diaries (Hulu)Lakota Nation vs. United States (IFC Films)The League (Magnolia Pictures)Occupied City (A24)Stamped from the Beginning (Netflix)
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Being Mary Tyler Moore (HBO | Max)The Disappearance of Shere Hite (IFC Films)Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (HBO Documentary Films)Judy Blume Forever (Amazon Studios)Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu)Sly (Netflix)Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV+) (WINNER)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
American Symphony (Netflix) (WINNER)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 | Max)Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (AMC Theatres)What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? (Abramorama/Freestyle Digital Media)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
20 Days in Mariupol (PBS) (WINNER)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)
BEST 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) (WINNER)Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West (Gravitas Ventures)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Black Ice (Roadside Attractions)BS High (HBO | Max)The Deepest Breath (Netflix) (WINNER)It Ain’t Over (Sony Pictures Classics)The League (Magnolia Pictures)Reggie (Amazon Studios)Stephen Curry: Underrated (Apple TV+)Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY (TIE)
Burden of Proof (HBO)The Jewel Thief (Hulu)John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial (Apple TV+) (WINNER)Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (Netflix)Telemarketers (HBO | Max) (WINNER)The Thief Collector (FilmRise)Victim/Suspect (Netflix)
BEST 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) (WINNER)Last Song From Kabul (MTV Documentary Films)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
The 1619 Project (Hulu/Onyx Collective) (WINNER)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 | Max)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN) (WINNER)Frontline (PBS)Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (Netflix)POV (PBS)Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller (National Geographic)Welcome to Wrexham (FX)
