This year’s nominees were led by “Ascension” and “Summer of Soul,” two films by first-time documentarians. Each had six nominations. But “Ascension,” Jessica Kingdon’s look at the pursuit of the Chinese dream, failed to score any prizes November 14. “Summer of Soul,” which won the top documentary prize and an Audience Award following its Sundance premiere earlier this year, won five of the six awards it was nominated for at the critics awards: Best Documentary Feature, Best First Documentary Feature, Best Editing, Best Archival Documentary, and Best Director, a prize Thompson shared with “The Rescue” in a tie.

“The Rescue,” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s account of the 2018 rescue of a Thai soccer team from an underground cave, also won Best Cinematography and Best Score. Below find the complete list of nominees for the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, with winners bolded:

Best Documentary Feature

Best Director

Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin – “The Rescue” (National Geographic Documentary Films) (tie) Liz Garbus – “Becoming Cousteau” (Picturehouse/National Geographic Documentary Films) Jessica Kingdon – “Ascension” (MTV Documentary Films) Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry – “Attica” (Showtime) Jonas Poher Rasmussen – “Flee” (Neon) Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (tie) (Searchlight Pictures/Onyx Collective/Hulu) Edgar Wright – “The Sparks Brothers” (Focus Features)

Best First Documentary Feature

Jessica Beshir – “Faya Dayi” (Janus Films) Rachel Fleit – “Introducing, Selma Blair” (Discovery+) Todd Haynes – “The Velvet Underground” (Apple TV+) Jessica Kingdon – “Ascension” (MTV Documentary Films) Kristine Stolakis – “Pray Away” (Netflix) Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Searchlight Pictures/Onyx Collective/Hulu) Edgar Wright – “The Sparks Brothers” (Focus Features)

Best Cinematography

Jessica Beshir – “Faya Dayi” (Janus Films) Jonathan Griffith, Brett Lowell and Austin Siadak – “The Alpinist” (Roadside Attractions) David Katznelson, Ian Seabrook and Picha Srisansanee – “The Rescue” (National Geographic Documentary Films) Jessica Kingdon and Nathan Truesdell – “Ascension” (MTV Documentary Films) Nelson Hume and Alan Jacobsen – “The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52” (Bleecker Street Media) Emiliano Villanueva – “A Cop Movie” (Netflix) Pete West – “Puff: Wonders of the Reef” (Netflix)

Best Editing

Francisco Bello, Matthew Heineman, Gabriel Rhodes and David Zieff – “The First Wave” (National Geographic Documentary Films) Jeff Consiglio – “LFG” (HBO Max and CNN Films) Bob Eisenhardt – “The Rescue” (National Geographic Documentary Films) Affonso Gonçalves and Adam Kurnitz – “The Velvet Underground” (Apple TV+) Jessica Kingdon – “Ascension” (MTV Documentary Films) Joshua L. Pearson – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Searchlight Pictures/Onyx Collective/Hulu) Julian Quantrill – “The Real Charlie Chaplin” (Showtime)

Best Narration

“9/11: Inside the President’s War Room”(Apple TV+) Jeff Daniels, narrator “Becoming Cousteau” (Picturehouse/National Geographic Documentary Films) Vincent Cassel, narrator Mark Monroe and Pax Wassermann, wrriters “The Crime of the Century” (HBO Documentary Films) Alex Gibney, narrator Alex Gibney, writer “The Neutral Ground” (PBS) CJ Hunt, narrator CJ Hunt, writer “The Real Charlie Chaplin” (Showtime) Pearl Mackie, narrator Oliver Kindeberg, Peter Middleton and James Spinney, writers “The Year Earth Changed” (Apple TV+) David Attenborough, narrator

Best Score

Best Archival Documentary

Best Historical or Biographical Documentary

Best Music Documentary

“Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry” (Apple TV+) “Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James” (Showtime) “Listening to Kenny G” (HBO Documentary Films) “The Sparks Brothers” (Focus Features) “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” (Searchlight Pictures/Onyx Collective/Hulu) “Tina” (HBO Documentary Films) “The Velvet Underground” (Apple TV+)

Best Political Documentary

Best Science/Nature Documentary

“Becoming Cousteau” (Picturehouse/National Geographic Documentary Films) “Fauci” (National Geographic Documentary Films) “The First Wave” (National Geographic Documentary Films) “The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52” (Bleecker Street Media) “Playing with Sharks” (National Geographic Documentary Films) “Puff: Wonders of the Reef” (Netflix) “The Year Earth Changed” (Apple TV+)

Best Sports Documentary

“The Alpinist” (Roadside Attractions) “Changing the Game” (Hulu) “The Day Sports Stood Still” (HBO) “Kevin Garnett: Anything Is Possible” (Showtime) “LFG” (HBO Max/CNN Films) “Tiger” (HBO)

Best Short Documentary

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