On Tuesday, the Critics Choice Association (CCA) announced the nominees for its 10th Critics Choice Documentary Awards, and Orwell: 2+2=5 dominated the field with seven nominations.
Directed by Raoul Peck, Neon’s Orwell: 2+2=5 chronicles the life of George Orwell, including how his political observations are still relevant today. Netflix’s The Perfect Neighbor is right behind with six bids. From director Geeta Gandbhir, the eye-opening project utilizes bodycam footage to explore the 2023 killing of Ajike Owens by her next-door neighbor.
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One of the most interesting categories is Best Biographical Documentary, where HBO Max’s Pee-wee as Himself (the recent Emmy winner that earned the late Paul Reubens a posthumous award), faces off against high-profile docs John Candy: I Like Me (about beloved comedian John Candy), Love + War (about war photographer Lynsey Addario), Mr. Scorsese (about film director Martin Scorsese), My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (about Mariska Hargitay‘s mother, Jayne Mansfield), and Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (about Ben Stiller‘s parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara).
‘Pee-wee as Himself’ documentary with Paul ReubensGetty/HBO
Orwell: 2+2=5, The Perfect Neighbor, and Pee-wee as Himself compete in the top Best Documentary Feature category alongside 2000 Meters to Andriivka, The Alabama Solution, Apocalypse in the Tropics, Cover-Up, Deaf President Now!, Riefenstahl, and The Tale of Silyan.
The 10th anniversary gala will take place on Nov. 9 at the Edison Ballroom in Manhattan and will be hosted by stand-up comedian Aasif Mandvi. The winners will be live-streamed at 7 p.m. ET across YouTube, X, and Facebook.
Industry legends to be honored during the ceremony include documentarian Ken Burns for the Critics Choice Impact Award, presented by Christine Baranski, and visionary filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady for the Pennebaker Award, presented by Chris Hegedus.
“The nominated films and series this year remind us how documentary storytelling can illuminate truth, inspire empathy, and deepen our understanding of the world,” says Christopher Campbell, Critics Choice Association’s VP, Documentary, who is “thrilled to recognize” this year’s filmmakers.
Here is the complete list of the 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations in all 18 categories:
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)
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)
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)
Seeds (Interior Films)
Stiller & 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)
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)
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)
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)
—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)
Riefenstahl (Kino Lorber)
Trains (EPF Media/Drygas Film Production)
WTO/99 (Foghorn Features)
BEST HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY
The American Revolution (PBS)
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)
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)
My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay (HBO Max)
Pee-wee as Himself (HBO Max)
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost (Apple TV)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Becoming Led Zeppelin (Sony Pictures Classics)
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)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Alabama Solution (HBO Max)
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)
Octopus! (Prime Video)
Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey (Netflix)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (Netflix)
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)
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)
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)
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (Peacock)
The Yogurt Shop Murders (HBO Max)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
30 for 30 (ESPN Films)
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)
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