"Sugarcane" leads the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations

by Cláudio Alves

National Geographic's SUGARCANE is the nomination leader, with citations in eight categories.

Since 2016, the Critics Choice Awards has expanded its repertoire to include various documentary categories. These CCDAs are now separate from the precursor we know so well and stand apart as their own thing. Still, most look at these honors as Oscar predictors. Which is understandable if not wholly supported by a complete correlation between AMPAS and the CCDA. Not even when the latter have double the nominees for their main prize. On their ninth edition, they have opted for a curiously tame selection, at odds with the current political climate. There's a big emphasis on glossy biographical works and celebrity profiles, formalistic conventionality, studio fare, and all that jazz. That being said, Sugarcane leads with eight nods.

Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat's film goes into a case of abuse and missing children at a Sugarcane Reserve's Christian school. Focusing on the Native American community, Sugarcane is certainly not without an urgent message and a perspective on its subject. The same can't be said about all its competitors…

Best Documentary Feature

• BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY, National Geographic
• DAUGHTERS, Netflix
• THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, Netflix
• JIM HENSON: IDEA MAN, Disney+
• MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS, Walt Disney Studios
• PIECE BY PIECE, Focus Features
• THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN, Netflix
• SUGARCANE, National Geographic
• SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY, Warner Bros.
• WILL & HARPER, Netflix

Netflix is the big winner here, taking four out of ten spots – the most out of any studio and distributor. Does that mean the streaming giant will dominate this year's Documentary Oscar? Maybe so, but I have my doubts. In the past few seasons, AMPAS has often zagged after various other precursors zigged, turning in surprising results both in the shortlist and final lineup phase of voting. Critical favorites frequently get snubbed, and even frontrunners aren't safe. Still, let's analyze the relationship between the Critics Choice Documentary Awards' top prize and the Oscars. Since there are just eight past editions to consider, we can pinpoint the differences year by year.

So, these are the Oscar nominees that didn't get into the Best Documentary Feature lineup of the CCDAs:

2016) I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, Raoul Peck
2017) ICARUS, Bryan Fogel
2017) LAST MEN IN ALEPPO, Feras Fayyad
2018) HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING, RaMell Ross
2018) OF FATHERS AND SONS, Talal Derki
2019) THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY, Petra Costa
2019) FOR SAMA, Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts
2020) COLLECTIVE, Alexander Nanau
2020) THE MOLE AGENT, Maite Alberdi
2021) WRITING WITH FIRE, Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh
2022) ALL THAT BREATHES, Shaunak Sen
2022) ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED, Laura Poitras
2022) A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS, Simon Lereng Wilmont
2023) BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT, Christopher Sharp & Moses Bwayo
2023) FOUR DAUGHTERS, Kaouther Ben Hania
2023) TO KILL A TIGER, Nisha Pahuja 

Some patterns become evident once you look at that group. More forthright political pieces tend to scare off the CCDA, especially when they concern non-American cultures and peoples. Indeed, most of these documentaries aren't even in English, which sheds some light on the biases and priorities that may distinguish these voting bodies from each other. So, even though some of the year's best non-fiction films didn't get the CCDA's highest seal of approval, that doesn't mean they are DOA as far as the Oscars are concerned. Of course, it helps to get some kind of support from the organization in other categories. It's always good to have one's name in the conversation.

Of these sixteen examples, nine got zero CCDA mentions. They were:

2016) I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, Raoul Peck
2018) HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING, RaMell Ross
2018) OF FATHERS AND SONS, Talal Derki
2020) COLLECTIVE, Alexander Nanau
2020) THE MOLE AGENT, Maite Alberdi
2021) WRITING WITH FIRE, Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh
2022) A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS, Simon Lereng Wilmont
2023) FOUR DAUGHTERS, Kaouther Ben Hania
2023) TO KILL A TIGER, Nisha Pahuja 

It should be noted that Collective did score a nod from the main CCA voting body, getting into their Best Foreign Language Film race. Then again, by that time, the Romanian doc was widely predicted for an Oscar nomination and we all know how much the CCA's like to act as a mirror to the Academy if they can help it. All this to say that I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the likes of Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, Little, Big and Far, No Other Land, Queendom, and Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, among other non-fiction favorites.

With that out of the way, let's explore the rest of the CCDA ballot, with some added commentary here and there.

Best Director 

• Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui, SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
• Josh Greenbaum, WILL & HARPER
• Ron Howard, JIM HENSON: IDEA MAN
• Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie, SUGARCANE
• Natalie Rae & Angela Patton, DAUGHTERS
• Benjamin Ree, THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN 

Apologies for the snark, but there's no other option but to laugh at that Ron Howard nomination. Also, for a better overview of Jim Henson's career, his artistry, and the tensions running through both, try the Defunctland YouTube series on the man. It's decidedly more worthwhile than that Disney+ fluff piece.

Best New Documentary Filmmakers 

• Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev, PORCELAIN WAR
• Carla Gutiérrez, FRIDA
• Charlie Hamilton James, BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY
• Sue Kim, THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN
• Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie, SUGARCANE
• Natalie Rae & Angela Patton, DAUGHTERS  

Congrats to all the nominees, who collectively make a more exciting lineup than the proper Best Director race. One must assume Sugarcane and Daughters have the advantage since they're also nominated in the other category.

Best Cinematography

• Michael Cambio Fernandez, DAUGHTERS
• Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt & Bertie Gregory, BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY
• Christopher LaMarca & Emily Kassie, SUGARCANE
• Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho & Justin Turkowski, THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN
• Zoë White, WILL & HARPER
• Jessica Young, THE BLUE ANGELS

Vast, wide-open landscapes dominate this category. Even something like Will & Harper could be described as a road movie, and The Blue Angels follows a flight squadron, tearing through the big blue sky.

Best Editing

• Otto Burnham, SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
• Rik Chaubet, SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ÉTAT
• Paul Crowder, JIM HENSON: IDEA MAN
• Troy Lewis & Adelina Bichiș, DAUGHTERS
• Nathan Punwar & Maya Daisy Hawke, SUGARCANE
• Robert Stengård, THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN 

This is the first nomination for Soundtrack to a Coup d'État, which is, in my opinion, one of the year's most essential films. Even beyond the realm of non-fiction, it's a masterwork of propulsive cutting.

Best Score 

• Erland Cooper, BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY
• Ilan Eshkeri, SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
• Nathan Halpern, WILL & HARPER
• Uno Helmersson, THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN
• Kelsey Lu, DAUGHTERS
• Marc Shaiman, ALBERT BROOKS: DEFENDING MY LIFE

Justice for SPERMWORLD and Ari Balouzian's besotting compositions.

Best Narration

• BAD RIVER, Mary Mazzio, Quannah ChasingHorse & Edward Norton
• BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY, Charlie Hamilton James, Billy Mail & Susan Mail
• DAHOMEY, Makenzy Orcel, Lucrece Houegbelo, Parfait Viayinon, Didier Sedoha Nassegande, & Sabine Badjogoumin
• MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER, Martin Scorsese
• QUEENS, Chloë Sarosh & Angela Bassett
• STEVE! (MARTIN) A DOCUMENTARY IN 2 PIECES, Steve Martin

Dahomey should win this in a landslide, but one of the projects with big names attached will probably take it.

Best Archival Documentary

• BLACK TWITTER: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY, Hulu
• THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, Netflix
• JIM HENSON: IDEA MAN, Disney+
• MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER, Cohen Media Group
• SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ÉTAT, Kino Lorber
• SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY, Warner Bros.

I'm rooting for Soundtrack to a Coup d'État, though a part of me would be thrilled with a Made in England win. Anything to get more eyes on it and make the people aware of the genius of Powell and Pressburger, whose every film, even those declared minor works, is essential cinema.

Best Historical Documentary

• BAD RIVER, 50 Eggs Films
• DAHOMEY, Mubi
• THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, Netflix
• MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER, Cohen Media Group
• SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ÉTAT, Kino Lorber
• SUGARCANE, National Geographic 

The presence of Mati Diop's film seems a tad odd here. Though it follows historical artifacts, Dahomey is much more about contemporary post-colonial politics. Indeed, its climax features a group of college students arguing over the return of 26 pieces from France to modern-day Benin.

Best Biographical Documentary

• FRIDA, Amazon MGM Studios
• I AM: CELINE DION, Amazon MGM Studios
• JIM HENSON: IDEA MAN, Disney+
• THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN, Netflix
• STEVE! (MARTIN) A DOCUMENTARY IN 2 PIECES, Apple TV+
• SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY, Warner Bros.

How is Piece by Piece snubbed here if it made it into the Best Documentary lineup over Frida, I Am: Celine Dion, and Steve?

Best Music Documentary

• THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, Netflix
• I AM: CELINE DION, Amazon MGM Studios
• MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS, Walt Disney Studios
• PIECE BY PIECE, Focus Features
• ROAD DIARY: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND, Hulu
• SOUNDTRACK OF A COUP D'ÉTAT, Kino Lorber 

AMPAS is more averse to celebrity documentaries than the CCA but I wonder if Celine Dion's glorious Olympic performance will boost I Am's chances.

Best Political Documentary 

• BAD RIVER, 50 Eggs Films
• GIRLS STATE, Apple TV+
• PORCELAIN WAR, Picturehouse
• STOPPING THE STEAL, HBO | Max
• SUGARCANE, National Geographic
• THE TRUTH VS. ALEX JONES, HBO | Max

I assume Sugarcane will win this one by quite the margin.

Best Science/Nature Documentary

• APOLLO 13: SURVIVAL, Netflix
• BILLY & MOLLY: AN OTTER LOVE STORY, National Geographic
• BLINK, National Geographic
• THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN, Apple TV+
• SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS, National Geographic
• THE SPACE RACE, National Geographic

Unsurprisingly, National Geographic dominates this category and it's probably going to take the prize with Billy & Molly.

Best Sports Documentary

• COPA 71, New Black Films
• THE DYNASTY: NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, Apple TV+
• MOUNTAIN QUEEN: THE SUMMITS OF LHAKPA SHERPA, Netflix
• MR. MCMAHON, Netflix
• SIMONE BILES RISING, Netflix
• THE TURNAROUND, Netflix 

Netflix dominates here, though I wonder if they will win.

Best True Crime Documentary 

• AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, Netflix
• BLACK BOX DIARIES, MTV Documentary Films
• INCIDENT, The New Yorker
• THE JINX – PART TWO, HBO | Max
• STOPPING THE STEAL, HBO | Max
• SUGARCANE, National Geographic

Finally, some love for two of the year's most acclaimed documentaries – Bill Morrison's Incident and Shiori Ito's Black Box Diaries.

Best Short Documentary

• I AM READY, WARDEN, MTV Documentary Films
• INCIDENT, The New Yorker
• MAKAYLA'S VOICE: A LETTER TO THE WORLD, Netflix
• ONCE UPON A TIME IN UKRAINE, Storyville Films
• THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA, Netflix
• THE TURNAROUND, Netflix 

Last year, three of the CCDA nominees went on to receive Oscar nominations, including the eventual winner, The Last Repair Shop. Two other Critics Choice picks made it to the shortlist. Make of that what you will.

Best Limited Documentary Series 

• AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS: DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS, Netflix
• BLACK TWITTER: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY, Hulu
• MR. MCMAHON, Netflix
• REN FAIRE, HBO | Max
• SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS, National Geographic
• SIMONE BILES RISING, Netflix

Well, SPERMWORLD might have been snubbed, but Lance Oppenheim still makes it into the CCDA ballot thanks to Ren Faire.

Best Ongoing Documentary Series

• 30 FOR 30, ESPN
• AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, Fox Broadcasting Company
• THE FOOD THAT BUILT AMERICA, History
• INDEPENDENT LENS, PBS
• THE JINX – PART TWO, HBO | Max
• POV, PBS

What do you make of the 9th Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations? And what are some of your 2024 doc favorites?