A super-crowded documentary field means that many are called and few are chosen. And critics carry more sway than ever in this pandemic year, helping to cull the long list of would-be awards contenders. Every win from whatever source helps to turn a movie into a must-see.
Thus Monday’s fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Award winners — which recognize the year’s achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on digital platforms, for which I voted in several categories — push Best Documentary Feature “Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Netflix) and its Best Director Kirsten Johnson into the lead for the Oscar shortlist of 15, which the Academy will announce on February 9, 2021.
Netflix dominated the field with six wins, including “Dick Johnson is Dead,” popular hit “My Octopus Teacher,” which took home Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary, Best Narration winner “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” and, with “Athlete A,...
Thus Monday’s fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Award winners — which recognize the year’s achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV and on digital platforms, for which I voted in several categories — push Best Documentary Feature “Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Netflix) and its Best Director Kirsten Johnson into the lead for the Oscar shortlist of 15, which the Academy will announce on February 9, 2021.
Netflix dominated the field with six wins, including “Dick Johnson is Dead,” popular hit “My Octopus Teacher,” which took home Best Cinematography and Best Science/Nature Documentary, Best Narration winner “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” and, with “Athlete A,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Dick Johnson Is Dead, Netflix’s personal documentary exploring a daughter’s look into the decline of her aging father, took top honors from the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards for Best Documentary Feature as well as Best Director for Kirsten Johnson.
The awards, which were spread out among several winners, saw no single docu dominate, and in fact another Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, was the only other film to win more than one trophy, taking Best Science/Nature Docu and Best Cinematography.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Gunda had led nominations with five each but were shut out. Mr. Soul! which also had five noms, did take Best First Documentary Feature. Among other significant winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for Best Historical/Biographical docu, and Apple TV+’s Boys State as Best Political Documentary.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a...
The awards, which were spread out among several winners, saw no single docu dominate, and in fact another Netflix film, My Octopus Teacher, was the only other film to win more than one trophy, taking Best Science/Nature Docu and Best Cinematography.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution and Gunda had led nominations with five each but were shut out. Mr. Soul! which also had five noms, did take Best First Documentary Feature. Among other significant winners were John Lewis: Good Trouble for Best Historical/Biographical docu, and Apple TV+’s Boys State as Best Political Documentary.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a...
- 11/16/2020
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards announced the 2020 winners Monday morning, honoring “Dick Johnson Is Dead” for best documentary feature as well as the film’s Kirsten Johnson for best director.
The film focuses on Richard Johnson, the director’s father, who suffers from dementia and imagines different ways in which he could die with a darkly comedic tone. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the special jury award for innovation in non-fiction storytelling.
“My Octopus Teacher” took home two awards for best cinematography and best science/nature documentary.
Like most award shows this year, the Critics Choice Doc Awards had to go virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,...
The film focuses on Richard Johnson, the director’s father, who suffers from dementia and imagines different ways in which he could die with a darkly comedic tone. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the special jury award for innovation in non-fiction storytelling.
“My Octopus Teacher” took home two awards for best cinematography and best science/nature documentary.
Like most award shows this year, the Critics Choice Doc Awards had to go virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more excited about being able to celebrate such a diverse group of films and filmmakers and subjects this year of all years, on the fifth occasion of the CCDAs, and with 2020 being what it is,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Kirsten Johnson’s playful “Dick Johnson Is Dead” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2020 at the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday morning.
Johnson also won the Best Director award for her Netflix film, in which she deals with the impending death of her father by staging his death in a variety of ways.
Melissa Haizlip won the Best First Documentary Feature award for “Mr. Soul!,” while other awards went to “My Octopus Teacher” for cinematography, “Totally Under Control” for editing, “The Way I See It” for music and “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” for narration.
“MLK/FBI” was named Best Archival Documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Best Historical/Biographical Documentary, “Boys State” Best Political Documentary” and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Science/Nature Documentary.
There were two ties: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” tied in the Best Sports Documentary category,...
Johnson also won the Best Director award for her Netflix film, in which she deals with the impending death of her father by staging his death in a variety of ways.
Melissa Haizlip won the Best First Documentary Feature award for “Mr. Soul!,” while other awards went to “My Octopus Teacher” for cinematography, “Totally Under Control” for editing, “The Way I See It” for music and “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” for narration.
“MLK/FBI” was named Best Archival Documentary, “John Lewis: Good Trouble” Best Historical/Biographical Documentary, “Boys State” Best Political Documentary” and “My Octopus Teacher” Best Science/Nature Documentary.
There were two ties: “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” and “Athlete A” tied in the Best Sports Documentary category,...
- 11/16/2020
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Earlier today, the Critics Choice Association, of which I happen to be a member, announced the nominations for the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Cca has obviously had the main awards, the Critics Choice Awards, pushed because of Covid, but the Documentary Awards, known as Ccda, is going to be held on November 16th, so there’s a forthcoming awards show to look forward to. Leading the nominees here were Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, Gunda, and Mr. Soul!, each of which scored five nominations. Read on below for the full list of nominees from the announcement, and stay tuned for winners next month… Here now are the full nominations: Los Angeles, CA — The Critics Choice Association (Cca) has announced the nominees for the fifth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards (Ccda). The winners will be revealed in a Special Announcement on Monday, November 16, 2020. The Critics Choice Associationwill once again...
- 10/26/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
In a year packed with superb documentaries, the Critics Choice Association Documentary Awards nominations, which honor the best non-fiction achievements of 2020, will help other awards groups to winnow down the list of must-sees. “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” (Netflix), “Gunda” (Neon), and “Mr. Soul!” lead this year’s nominations with five each. Netflix leads the field with 31 nominations, followed by Neon with 14 and Magnolia Pictures with nine.
“The Documentary Branch faced its greatest task yet considering the quantity and quality of nonfiction cinema released this year,” said Christopher Campbell, President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch, in an official statement. “Ultimately, these nominees represent the best of the best of a remarkably fruitful moment for documentary filmmaking.”
Winners will be announced on November 16, 2020.
The Sundance debut “Crip Camp” is nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and also earned nods for James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham for Best Director, along with Best Editing,...
“The Documentary Branch faced its greatest task yet considering the quantity and quality of nonfiction cinema released this year,” said Christopher Campbell, President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch, in an official statement. “Ultimately, these nominees represent the best of the best of a remarkably fruitful moment for documentary filmmaking.”
Winners will be announced on November 16, 2020.
The Sundance debut “Crip Camp” is nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and also earned nods for James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham for Best Director, along with Best Editing,...
- 10/26/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
In a year packed with superb documentaries, the Critics Choice Association Documentary Awards nominations, which honor the best non-fiction achievements of 2020, will help other awards groups to winnow down the list of must-sees. “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” (Netflix), “Gunda” (Neon), and “Mr. Soul!” lead this year’s nominations with five each. Netflix leads the field with 31 nominations, followed by Neon with 14 and Magnolia Pictures with nine.
“The Documentary Branch faced its greatest task yet considering the quantity and quality of nonfiction cinema released this year,” said Christopher Campbell, President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch, in an official statement. “Ultimately, these nominees represent the best of the best of a remarkably fruitful moment for documentary filmmaking.”
Winners will be announced on November 16, 2020.
The Sundance debut “Crip Camp” is nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and also earned nods for James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham for Best Director, along with Best Editing,...
“The Documentary Branch faced its greatest task yet considering the quantity and quality of nonfiction cinema released this year,” said Christopher Campbell, President of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch, in an official statement. “Ultimately, these nominees represent the best of the best of a remarkably fruitful moment for documentary filmmaking.”
Winners will be announced on November 16, 2020.
The Sundance debut “Crip Camp” is nominated for Best Documentary Feature, and also earned nods for James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham for Best Director, along with Best Editing,...
- 10/26/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
(Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you don’t want to know what is depicted in “Athlete A”)
Netflix’s new documentary “Athlete A” delves into the sexual abuse scandals reported within USA Gymnastics and focuses on Larry Nassar, the now-infamous gymnastics doctor who was accused of assaulting at least 250 young women since 1992.
Nassar’s victims include many Olympic and United States women’s national gymnastics team gymnasts, and Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Then, in 2018, he was sentenced to 175 years after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of minors. Then, a month later, he received another sentencing of 40 to 125 years after pleading guilty to three more counts of sexual assault — he will die in prison for his crimes.
“I wasn’t proud to be an Olympian,” Jamie Dantzscher, former gymnast and part of the bronze-medal-winning American team at the 2000 Olympics,...
Netflix’s new documentary “Athlete A” delves into the sexual abuse scandals reported within USA Gymnastics and focuses on Larry Nassar, the now-infamous gymnastics doctor who was accused of assaulting at least 250 young women since 1992.
Nassar’s victims include many Olympic and United States women’s national gymnastics team gymnasts, and Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in 2017 after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Then, in 2018, he was sentenced to 175 years after pleading guilty to seven counts of sexual assault of minors. Then, a month later, he received another sentencing of 40 to 125 years after pleading guilty to three more counts of sexual assault — he will die in prison for his crimes.
“I wasn’t proud to be an Olympian,” Jamie Dantzscher, former gymnast and part of the bronze-medal-winning American team at the 2000 Olympics,...
- 6/24/2020
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
In the last two years, a series of scalding and essential documentaries — “Leaving Neverland,” “Surviving R. Kelly,” “Untouchable,” “On the Record,” “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” — have shined a light on the contours of sexual abuse and the supreme, if not obscene, concentration of power that too often allows it to be concealed and perpetuated. In most of these high-profile cases, the power emanates from one figure who is either a celebrity or a backstage manipulator of celebrity: Harvey Weinstein, Michael Jackson, Russell Simmons, Jeffrey Epstein, R. Kelly. The power wielded by these men has been total and destructive: the ability to threaten and terrorize, to twist and ruin careers, to suppress and squash the rule of law.
“Athlete A,” Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk’s disturbing and illuminating documentary about the sexual-abuse scandal that struck the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team in 2016, is centered around an individual who was,...
“Athlete A,” Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk’s disturbing and illuminating documentary about the sexual-abuse scandal that struck the U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics team in 2016, is centered around an individual who was,...
- 6/20/2020
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
[[tmz:video id="0_2o3hf1ni"]] Dominique Moceanu is celebrating the bravery of her fellow Team USA gymnasts who helped bring Larry Nassar to justice ... years after she started sounding the alarm about abuse in the sport. The 1996 gold medalist told us she first heard about Nassar 2 years ago, when Jamie Dantzscher confided in her. Several years earlier, Dominique had accused multiple people -- including coach Bela Karolyi -- of emotional and physical abuse, but says the convo with Jamie was...
- 1/26/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
The former Team USA Gymnastics doctor who is accused of sexually abusing scores of women was back in court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to three more sexual abuse charges as part of a plea deal.
Larry Nassar, 54, appeared in Michigan’s Eaton County Circuit Court where he entered a guilty plea to three counts of criminal sexual conduct, a court spokesperson tells People. Two of the counts were first-degree and one was in the third degree.
Nassar admitted that between 2009 and 2011 he inserted ungloved fingers into the vaginas of three victims, and at least one was under the...
Larry Nassar, 54, appeared in Michigan’s Eaton County Circuit Court where he entered a guilty plea to three counts of criminal sexual conduct, a court spokesperson tells People. Two of the counts were first-degree and one was in the third degree.
Nassar admitted that between 2009 and 2011 he inserted ungloved fingers into the vaginas of three victims, and at least one was under the...
- 11/29/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
The former Team USA Gymnastics doctor who is accused of sexually abusing scores of women has pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to The Detroit News.
Larry Nassar, 54, appeared in Michigan’s Ingham County Circuit Court on Wednesday where he entered the guilty plea in exchange for assurances that he would face no more charges involving dozens of other victims, The Detroit News also reported.
According to MLive, the Ingham County case involves eight women who claim Nassar inserted ungloved fingers into their vaginas and rectums at Michigan State University’s sports-medicine clinic and at...
Larry Nassar, 54, appeared in Michigan’s Ingham County Circuit Court on Wednesday where he entered the guilty plea in exchange for assurances that he would face no more charges involving dozens of other victims, The Detroit News also reported.
According to MLive, the Ingham County case involves eight women who claim Nassar inserted ungloved fingers into their vaginas and rectums at Michigan State University’s sports-medicine clinic and at...
- 11/22/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Three former athletes who accused former USA Gymnastics team doctor Dr. Larry Nassar of sexual abuse are launching a petition calling for change in leadership within the organization in the wake of McKayla Maroney‘s moving post about sexual abuse she also allegedly endured under Nassar.
Jeanette Antolin, Jessica Howard and Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who all accused Nassar of abuse in a February 60 Minutes interview, have started a petition on Change.org to demand that those who knew about, or turned a blind eye to, Nassar’s alleged abuse be held accountable.
“A lot of women have come forward now...
Jeanette Antolin, Jessica Howard and Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who all accused Nassar of abuse in a February 60 Minutes interview, have started a petition on Change.org to demand that those who knew about, or turned a blind eye to, Nassar’s alleged abuse be held accountable.
“A lot of women have come forward now...
- 10/19/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman is calling for an overhaul in the USA Gymnastics organization.
In an interview with the Associated Press following the induction of the famed 2016 Olympics “Final Five” team into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Raisman called for the organization to denounce sexual assault and take better preventive measures to keep athletes safe.
“I feel like there’s a lot of articles about it, but nobody has said, ‘This is horrible, this is what we’re doing to change,’ ” the 23-year-old said.
Raisman’s comments come in response to the massive fallout from the sexual abuse allegations made against USA Gymnastics physician,...
In an interview with the Associated Press following the induction of the famed 2016 Olympics “Final Five” team into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, Raisman called for the organization to denounce sexual assault and take better preventive measures to keep athletes safe.
“I feel like there’s a lot of articles about it, but nobody has said, ‘This is horrible, this is what we’re doing to change,’ ” the 23-year-old said.
Raisman’s comments come in response to the massive fallout from the sexual abuse allegations made against USA Gymnastics physician,...
- 8/20/2017
- by Yvonne Juris
- PEOPLE.com
As USA Gymnastics faces a headline-making sex abuse scandal, a report has surfaced highlighting pleas from USA Swimming officials for the U.S. Olympic Committee to implement policies that would protect young athletes from abuse — warnings the Usoc allegedly failed to heed.
By 2010, dozens of swimming coaches had been banned for life by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, ABC News reported. Now, two letters obtained by USA Today show that USA Swimming urged the Usoc in late 2004 and early 2005 to take steps to ensure the safety of athletes in numerous sports.
In those letters, then USA Swimming executive director Chuck...
By 2010, dozens of swimming coaches had been banned for life by USA Swimming for sexual misconduct, ABC News reported. Now, two letters obtained by USA Today show that USA Swimming urged the Usoc in late 2004 and early 2005 to take steps to ensure the safety of athletes in numerous sports.
In those letters, then USA Swimming executive director Chuck...
- 3/31/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
Three retired gymnasts told the Senate Judiciary Committee of their experiences of child abuse while competing for USA Gymnastics on Tuesday, expressing support for a bill that they hope will put an end to future incidents.
Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard all testified — both Dantzscher and Howard alleging that they were sexually abused by the team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar.
The athletes also claimed they suffered other types of abuse.
“The well-being of the athletes should always come first, and to me, this is one of the most important things in sport,...
Gold medalist Dominique Moceanu, bronze medalist Jamie Dantzscher and three-time national champion rhythmic gymnast Jessica Howard all testified — both Dantzscher and Howard alleging that they were sexually abused by the team’s former doctor, Larry Nassar.
The athletes also claimed they suffered other types of abuse.
“The well-being of the athletes should always come first, and to me, this is one of the most important things in sport,...
- 3/29/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.