Yes, folks, we’re not even to Thanksgiving, and awards season is already in full swing. Currently in the spotlight: the year’s best documentaries, care of this year’s Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which took place on Sunday, November 9, 2025 at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan. Geeta Gandbhir’s lauded feature “The Perfect Neighbor” was the evening’s big winner, walking away with not just a Best Documentary Feature win and a Best Director win for Gandbhir, but also Best Editing for Viridiana Lieberman, Best Archival Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary.
Hosted by award-winning actor, writer, and producer Aasif Mandvi, the annual event hosted a variety of leading filmmakers, industry professionals, and special guests for an evening celebrating excellence in documentary filmmaking. Other big winners included “Mr. Scorsese,” “Ocean with David Attenborough,” and “Orwell: 2+2=5,” which each won two awards.
The evening also honored legendary documentarian Ken Burns, who received the Critics Choice Impact Award, which was presented by acclaimed actor Christine Baranski; and visionary “Folktales” filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, who received the CCA’s Pennebaker Award (formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award), presented to them by Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator, Chris Hegedus.
“Ten years in, and the art of documentary storytelling has never been more vital or vibrant,” said Christopher Campbell, Vice President of Documentary at the Critics Choice Association in an official statement. “This year’s filmmakers show, through their creativity and courage, just how powerful documentaries can be in shaping our view of the world.”
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards honors the year’s finest achievements in documentaries released in theaters, on TV, and on major digital platforms, as determined by the voting of qualified CCA members (at IndieWire, that includes yours truly, David Ehrlich, Anne Thompson, and Marcus Jones). Nominations were determined by the voting of qualified CCA members with expertise in the documentary field. The 10th annual awards ceremony was produced by Bob Bain of Bob Bain Productions and Joey Berlin of Berlin Entertainment.
Check out the full list of this year’s winners below. All nominees are listed, and winners are indicated in bold.
Best Documentary Feature
“2000 Meters to Andriivka” (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
“The Alabama Solution” (HBO Max)
“Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix)
“Cover-Up” (Netflix)
“Deaf President Now!” (Apple TV)
“Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon)
“Pee-wee as Himself” (HBO Max)
“The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) WINNER
“Riefenstahl” (Kino Lorber)
“The Tale of Silyan” (National Geographic)
Best Director
Mstyslav Chernov – “2000 Meters to Andriivka” (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Petra Costa – “Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix)
Nyle DiMarco and Davis Guggenheim – “Deaf President Now!” (Apple TV)
Geeta Gandbhir – “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) WINNER
Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman – “The Alabama Solution” (HBO Max)
Raoul Peck – “Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon)
Best First Documentary Feature
“Art for Everybody” (Tremolo Productions)
“Grand Theft Hamlet (Mubi)
“My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay” (HBO Max) WINNER
“Seeds” (Interior Films)
“Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost” (Apple TV)
“Strange Journey: The Story of Rocky Horror” (Margot Station)
Best Cinematography
Ben Bernard – “Architecton” (A24)
Jean Dakar – “The Tale of Silyan” (National Geographic)
Elizabeth Lo – “Mistress Dispeller” (Oscilloscope)
Lars Erlend Tubaas Øymo and Tor Edvin Eliassen – “Folktales” (Magnolia Pictures)
Brittany Shyne – “Seeds” (Interior Films)
Toby Strong, Doug Anderson (Underwater Photography) – “Ocean with David Attenborough” (National Geographic)WINNER
Best Editing
Michael Harte – “Deaf President Now!” (Apple TV)
James Lester and Oz Rodríguez, John MacDonald (Music Montage) – “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music” (NBC)
Viridiana Lieberman – “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) WINNER
Page Marsella – “The Alabama Solution” (HBO Max)
Michelle Mizner – “2000 Meters to Andriivka” (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Alexandra Strauss – “Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon)
Best Score
Alexei Aigui – “Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon) WINNER
Kris Bowers – “The Eyes of Ghana” (Breakwater Studios / Higher Ground Media)
Laura Heinzinger – “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix)
Claudia Sarne – “Love + War” (National Geographic)
Sam Slater – “2000 Meters to Andriivka” (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Paweł Szymański – “Trains” (EPF Media / Drygas Film Production)
Best Narration
“2000 Meters to Andriivka” (Frontline Features / The Associated Press)
Written by Mstyslav Chernov
Performed by Mstyslav Chernov
“The American Revolution” (PBS)
Written by Geoffrey C. Ward
Performed by Peter Coyote
“The Americas” (NBC)
Written by Michael Gunton, Holly Spearing, Steve Cole, Kathryn Jeffs, Matt Richards, Giles Badger, Victoria Buckley, Alex Griffiths, Hannah Hoare, Poppy Riddle, Gillian Taylor, Nikki Waldron, Evie Wright, Charlotte Bostock, Victoria Bobin, and Ingrid Kvale
Performed by Tom Hanks
“Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix)
Written by Petra Costa
Performed by Petra Costa
“Octopus!” (Prime Video)
Written by Gabriel Bisset-Smith
Performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge
“Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon) WINNER
Written by George Orwell, Adapted by Raoul Peck
Performed by Damian Lewis
Best Archival Documentary
“One to One: John & Yoko” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon)
“The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) WINNER
“Riefenstahl” (Kino Lorber)
“Trains” (EPF Media / Drygas Film Production)
“WTO/99” (Foghorn Features)
Best Historical Documentary
“The American Revolution” (PBS) WINNER (TIE)
“Cover-Up” (Netflix)
“Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015” (HBO Max)
“Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time” (National Geographic) WINNER (TIE)
“Number One on the Call Sheet” (Apple TV)
“Riefenstahl” (Kino Lorber)
Best Biographical Documentary
“John Candy: I Like Me” (Prime Video)
“Love + War” (National Geographic)
“Mr. Scorsese” (Apple TV) WINNER
“My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay” (HBO Max)
“Pee-wee as Himself” (HBO Max)
“Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost” (Apple TV)
Best Music Documentary
“Becoming Led Zeppelin” (Sony Pictures Classics) WINNER (TIE)
“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” (HBO Max)
“Bono: Stories of Surrender” (Apple TV)
“It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” (Magnolia Pictures)
“Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music” (NBC)
“Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)” (Hulu) WINNER (TIE)
Best Political Documentary
“The Alabama Solution” (HBO Max) WINNER
“Apocalypse in the Tropics” (Netflix)
“Deaf President Now!” (Apple TV)
“The Librarians” (Independent Lens)
“My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow” (Marminchilla)
“Orwell: 2+2=5” (Neon)
Best Science/Nature Documentary
“The Americas” (NBC)
“Checkpoint Zoo” (Abramorama)
“The Last Rhinos: A New Hope” (National Geographic)
“Ocean with David Attenborough” (National Geographic) WINNER
“Octopus!” (Prime Video)
“Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey” (Netflix)
Best Sports Documentary
“America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” (Netflix) WINNER
“America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” (Netflix)
“Big Dreams: Little League World Series 2024 (ESPN Films)
“Full Court Press” (ESPN+)
“Southpaw: The Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott” (ESPN)
“We Beat the Dream Team” (HBO Max)
Best True Crime Documentary
“The Alabama Solution” (HBO Max)
“Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer” (Netflix)
“The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) WINNER
“Predators” (MTV Documentary Films / Paramount+)
“Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” (Netflix)
“The Yogurt Shop Murders” (HBO Max)
Best Short Documentary
“All the Empty Rooms” (Netflix)
“Classroom 4” (PBS)
“The Devil is Busy” (HBO Max)
“Exodus” (Message Pictures)
“Fiddler on the Moon: Judaism in Space” (Ironbound Films)
“Sallie’s Ashes” (Robi Creative)
“Saving Superman” (Switchboard) WINNER
“Shanti Rides Shotgun” (Voyager)
Best Limited Documentary Series
“The American Revolution” (PBS)
“Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015” (HBO Max)
“Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer” (Netflix)
“Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time” (National Geographic)
“Magic City: An American Fantasy” (Starz)
“Mr. Scorsese” (Apple TV) WINNER
“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” (Peacock)
“The Yogurt Shop Murders” (HBO Max)
Best Ongoing Documentary Series
“30 for 30” (ESPN Films) WINNER
“American Masters” (PBS)
“The Reluctant Traveler” (Apple TV)
“Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross” (Roku Channel)
“Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” (National Geographic)
“Trainwreck” (Netflix)
