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Ava DuVernay's '14th' Leads Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
Confirmed
In Short: Ava DuVernay's documentary '14th' leads the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations with six nods, followed closely by 'You Can See Everything,' 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem,' and 'Nuisance Bear' with five each.
Ava DuVernay's documentary '14th,' which had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, earned a leading six nominations at the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, announced Tuesday by the Critics Choice Association (CCA).
The film, which explores the 14th Amendment's role in enshrining birthright citizenship and other civil rights protections, received nominations for Best Documentary Feature, Best Director for DuVernay, Best Editing for Spencer Averick, and Best Music Score for Jason Moran. It also garnered nods for Best Political Documentary and Best Historical Documentary.
Joining '14th' in the Best Documentary Feature category are 'You Can See Everything,' 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem,' and 'Nuisance Bear,' each with five nominations. 'You Can See Everything,' directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, focuses on Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos. 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem,' directed by David Greaves and produced by Liani Greaves, and 'Nuisance Bear,' directed by Gabriela Osio Vanden and Jack Weisman, round out the top contenders.
The Critics Choice Association, which is the first major group to announce its nominees for the year's Best Documentary Feature, also honored Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jehane Noujaim with the CCA’s Pennebaker Award. The award, previously known as the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, will be presented by DA Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator Chris Hegedus.
The gala event to reveal the winners will take place on November 8 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, with Ross Mathews serving as emcee. Mathews, a television host and producer, will bring together leading filmmakers, industry professionals, and special guests for an evening celebrating excellence in documentary filmmaking.
Christopher Campbell, the Critics Choice Association’s VP of Documentary, highlighted the range of voices, perspectives, and stories that make documentary filmmaking compelling. 'This year’s nominees reflect the diversity and impact of nonfiction storytelling, broadening its reach and championing its continued evolution,' Campbell said.
Awards Watch noted that '14th' uses advanced technology to create a similar effect to the stereoscope, aiming to immerse viewers in the documentary's narrative. DuVernay explained at the New York Film Festival press conference, 'When I went to the artists who were doing our photoscoping, and our parallax, and our animation process—there’s some of that technology that is in their tools. It creates a similar effect to the stereoscope. That was the goal for that, and that’s why we used it.'
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards, known for their populist approach, often award films that do not receive Oscar nominations. This year’s nominees include 'Everest: The Other Side,' 'Everybody to Kenmure Street,' 'The History of Concrete,' 'Musk,' 'NAZA,' 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem,' 'Rehearsals for a Revolution,' 'Remake,' and 'You Can See Everything.'
What this adds
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards are the first major group to announce their nominees for the year's Best Documentary Feature.
Background
Ava DuVernay's documentary '14th' leads the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations with six nods, followed closely by 'You Can See Everything,' 'Once Upon a Time in Harlem,' and 'Nuisance Bear' with five each.
What's confirmed
- Ava DuVernay’s documentary examining threats to the 14 th Amendment, which held its world premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival, earned a leading six nominations Tuesday as the 11 th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced its nominees.
- Documentary series of three episodes or more are eligible for nomination if a majority of the episodes of the series’ eligible season have been released between January 1-December 31, 2026.
- “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.
- Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, as previously announced, will receive the CCA’s Pennebaker Award, an honor that will be presented by DA Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator Chris Hegedus.
- 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).
- The film’s other nominations are Ava DuVernay for Best Director, Spencer Averick for Best Editing, and Jason Moran for Best Music Score, along with Best Political Documentary, and Best Historical Documentary.
- 14th leads the pack with six nominations, including Best Documentary Feature.
- The CCA previously announced that Ron Howard will receive the Critics Choice Impact Award.
- 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) “14th” (Netflix) “American Doctor” (Watermelon Pictures) “Ask E.
What's still developing
- They have a decent enough crossover with the Oscars, at least for nominees, but are notorious for awarding a film that doesn’t get an Oscar nomination at all.
- What’s super funny is that the CCA has Doc Feature and Political Documentary, as though there is a difference.
- The reason is that the CCA is more populist than the select committee that decides the Documentary nominees at the Oscars.
- 14th is a companion piece to 13th, DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated documentary about the prison industrial complex, through the lens of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- (Available to Stream on HBO Max) Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs.
- Adam Driver discussed his belief in the “dictatorship” of filmmaking.
- “We have to take care of our audiences’ safety,” said festival director Andriy Khalpakhchi.
- On Behalf Of My Son wins three including audience award for fiction.
- Feature-length documentaries, two-part documentaries, and short-form documentaries are eligible for nomination if first released commercially in the U.S.