Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper tied for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Critics Choice Documentary Awards on Sunday, November 10. The former film won in all six categories in which it was nominated.
In addition to the Best Documentary Feature award, Super/Man, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and became an instant favorite among critics for chronicling Reeve’s rise from an unknown actor to a movie icon due to his range of roles—including his portrayal of the Man of Steel in four Superman films—also won Best Director, Best Editing, Best Score, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Biographical Documentary. Apart from Reeve’s on-screen success, the film also documents his near-fatal horse-riding accident that paralyzed him from the neck down and led him to become an activist for disability rights.
With two awards each, Netflix’s Simone Biles Rising, National Geographic’s Sugarcane, and Apple TV+’s The Last of the Sea Women followed behind.
In addition to the competitive categories, Rory Kennedy received the Pennebaker Award, named after the late Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award Winner D.A. Pennebaker. Pennebaker’s widow and producing partner, Chris Hegedus, presented the award.
The event, hosted by actor Erich Bergen at New York’s Edison Ballroom, was live streamed on platforms including YouTube, X, and Facebook, with viewing also available on the CCA website beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
A complete list of the 9th Annual Critics Choice Awards is as follows:
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films) – WINNER (TIE)
Will & Harper (Netflix) – WINNER (TIE)
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)
BEST DIRECTOR
Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films) – WINNER
Josh Greenbaum – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Ron Howard – Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix)
Benjamin Ree – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER(S)
Natalie Rae & Angela Patton – Daughters (Netflix) – WINNER
Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev – Porcelain War (Picturehouse)
Carla Gutiérrez – Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
Charlie Hamilton James – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Sue Kim – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+)
Julian Brave NoiseCat & Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Iris Ng, Eunsoo Cho, Justin Turkowski – The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+) – WINNER
Michael Cambio Fernandez – Daughters (Netflix)
Charlie Hamilton James, Johnny Rolt, Bertie Gregory – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Zoë White – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Jessica Young – The Blue Angels (Amazon MGM Studios)
BEST EDITING
Otto Burnham – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films) – WINNER
Rik Chaubet – Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Paul Crowder – Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
Troy Lewis, Adelina Bichiș – Daughters (Netflix)
Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke – Sugarcane (National Geographic)
Robert Stengård – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
BEST SCORE
Ilan Eshkeri – Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films) – WINNER
Erland Cooper – Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Nathan Halpern – Will & Harper (Netflix)
Uno Helmersson – The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix)
Kelsey Lu – Daughters (Netflix)
Marc Shaiman – Albert Brooks: Defending My Life (HBO | Max)
BEST NARRATION
Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) – WINNER
Written and performed by Steve Martin
Bad River (50 Eggs Films) – Written by Mary Mazzio, performed by Quannah ChasingHorse & Edward Norton
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic) – Written by Charlie Hamilton James, performed by Billy Mail & Susan Mail
Dahomey (Mubi) – Written by Makenzy Orcel, performed by Lucrece Houegbelo, Parfait Viayinon, Didier Sedoha Nassegande, and Sabine Badjogoumin
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group) – Written and performed by Martin Scorsese
Queens (National Geographic) – Written by Chloë Sarosh, performed by Angela Bassett
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films) – WINNER
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
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’Etat (Kino Lorber)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix) – WINNER
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
Dahomey (Mubi)
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (Cohen Media Group)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
Sugarcane (National Geographic)
BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films) – WINNER
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+)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Music by John Williams (Walt Disney Studios) – WINNER
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
I Am: Celine Dion (Amazon MGM Studios)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Hulu)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
Sugarcane (National Geographic) – WINNER
Bad River (50 Eggs Films)
Girls State (Apple TV+)
Porcelain War (Picturehouse)
Stopping the Steal (HBO | Max)
The Truth vs. Alex Jones (HBO | Max)
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
The Last of the Sea Women (Apple TV+) – WINNER
Apollo 13: Survival (Netflix)
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic)
Blink (National Geographic)
Secrets of the Octopus (National Geographic)
The Space Race (National Geographic)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix) – WINNER
Copa 71 (New Black Films)
The Dynasty: New England Patriots (Apple TV+)
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (Netflix)
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
The Turnaround (Netflix)
BEST TRUE CRIME DOCUMENTARY
Sugarcane (National Geographic) – WINNER
American Nightmare (Netflix)
Black Box Diaries (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+)
Incident (The New Yorker)
The Jinx – Part Two (HBO | Max)
Stopping the Steal (HBO | Max)
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (Netflix) – WINNER
I Am Ready, Warden (MTV Documentary Films/Paramount+)
Incident (The New Yorker)
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World (Netflix)
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine (Earle Mack Productions, Storyville Films, Goldcrest Films)
The Turnaround (Netflix)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix) – WINNER
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu/Onyx Collective)
Mr. McMahon (Netflix)
Ren Faire (HBO | Max)
Secrets of the Octopus (National Geographic)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN) – WINNER
America’s Most Wanted (Fox Broadcasting Company)
The Food That Built America (History)
Independent Lens (PBS)
The Jinx – Part Two (HBO | Max)
POV (PBS)
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