Nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA). Winners announced November 10th.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
- “Crime + Punishment” – Director: Stephen Maing (Hulu)
- “Dark Money” – Director: Kimberly Reed (PBS)
- “Free Solo” – Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (National Geographic Documentary Films)
- “Hal” – Director: Amy Scott (Oscilloscope)
- “Hitler’s Hollywood” – Director: Rüdiger Suchsland (Kino Lorber)
- “Minding the Gap” – Director: Bing Liu (Hulu)
- “RBG” – Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West (Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media)
- “Three Identical Strangers” – Director: Tim Wardle (Neon, CNN Films)
- “Wild Wild Country” – Directors: Chapman Way, Maclain Way (Netflix)
- “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” – Director: Morgan Neville (Focus Features)
BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES
- “America to Me” (Starz)
- “Dirty Money” (Netflix)
- “Elvis Presley: The Searcher” (HBO Documentary Films, Sony Pictures Television)
- “Flint Town” (Netflix)
- “The Fourth Estate” (Showtime Networks)
- “One Strange Rock” (National Geographic)
- “Wild Wild Country” (Netflix)
- “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling” (HBO)
BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES
- “30 for 30” (ESPN)
- “American Masters” (PBS)
- “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (CNN)
- “Frontline” (PBS)
- The History of Comedy” (CNN)
- “Independent Lens” (PBS)
- “Making a Murderer” (Netflix)
- “POV” (PBS)
BEST DIRECTOR
- Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi – “Free Solo” (National Geographic Documentary Film)
- Bing Liu – “Minding the Gap” (Hulu)
- Morgan Neville – “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” (Focus Features)
- Kimberly Reed – “Dark Money” (PBS)
- Rüdiger Suchsland – “Hitler’s Hollywood” (Kino Lorber)
- Tim Wardle – “Three Identical Strangers” (Neon, CNN Films)
BEST FIRST TIME DIRECTOR
- Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster – “Science Fair” (National Geographic Documentary Films)
- Heather Lenz – “Kusama – Infinity” (Magnolia Pictures)
- Bing Liu – “Minding the Gap” (Hulu)
- Stephen Nomura Schible – “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” (MUBI)
- Rudy Valdez – “The Sentence” (HBO Documentary Films)
- Chapman Way and Maclain Way – “Wild Wild Country” (Netflix)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
- “RBG” – Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West (Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media)
- “Dark Money” – Director: Kimberly Reed (PBS)
- “Fahrenheit 11/9” – Director: Michael Moore (Briarcliff Entertainment)
- “Flint Town” – Directors: Zackary Canepari, Drea Cooper, Jessica Dimmock (Netflix)
- “Hitler’s Hollywood” – Director: Rüdiger Suchsland (Kino Lorber)
- “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” – Directors: George Kunhardt, Peter W. Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt (HBO)
- “The Fourth Estate” – Directors: Liz Garbus, Jenny Carchman (Showtime Networks)
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
- “Andre the Giant” – Director: Jason Hehir (HBO)
- “Being Serena” (HBO)
- “Free Solo” – Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (National Geographic Documentary Film)
- “John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection” – Director: Julien Faraut (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
- “Minding the Gap” – Director: Bing Liu (Hulu)
- “The Workers Cup” – Director: Adam Sobel (Passion River)
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
- “Bad Reputation” – Director: Kevin Kerslake (Magnolia Pictures)
- “David Bowie: The Last Five Years” – Director: Francis Whately (HBO Documentary Films)
- “Elvis Presley: The Searcher” – Director: Thom Zimny (HBO Documentary Films, Sony Pictures Television)
- “Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow” – Director: Stephen Kijak (Showtime Networks)
- “Quincy” – Directors: Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones (Netflix)
- “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” – Director: Stephen Nomura Schible (MUBI)
- “Whitney” – Director: Kevin Macdonald (Roadside Attractions, Miramax)
MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECT OF A DOCUMENTARY
(ALL LISTED IN THE CATEGORY WILL BE HONORED AT THE EVENT)
- Scotty Bowers – “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood” (Greenwich Entertainment, Kino Lorber, Starz!)
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg – “RBG” (Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media)
- Alex Honnold – “Free Solo” (National Geographic Documentary Film)
- Joan Jett – “Bad Reputation” (Magnolia Pictures)
- Quincy Jones – “Quincy” (Netflix)
- David Kellman and Bobby Shafran – “Three Identical Strangers” (Neon, CNN Films)
- John McEnroe – “John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
- Leon Vitali – “Filmworker” (Kino Lorber)
MOST INNOVATIVE DOCUMENTARY
- “306 Hollywood” – Directors: Elan Bogarin, Jonathan Bogarin (PBS, El Tigre)
- “Free Solo” – Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (National Geographic Documentary Film)
- “Hitler’s Hollywood” – Director: Rüdiger Suchsland (Kino Lorber)
- “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda” – Director: Stephen Nomura Schible (MUBI)
- “Wild Wild Country” – Directors: Chapman Way, Maclain Way (Netflix)
- “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” – Director: Morgan Neville (Focus Features)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- “306 Hollywood” – Cinematographers: Elan Bogarin, Jonathan Bogarin, Alejandro Mejía (PBS, El Tigre)
- “The Dawn Wall” – Cinematographer: Brett Lowell (The Orchard)
- “Free Solo” – Cinematographers: Jimmy Chin, Clair Popkin, Mikey Schaefer (National Geographic Documentary Film)
- “Minding the Gap” – Cinematographer: Bing Liu (Hulu)
- “Pandas” – Cinematographer: David Douglas (Warner Brothers)
- “Wild Wild Country” – Cinematographer: Adam Stone (Netflix)
BEST EDITING
- “Dark Money” – Editor: Jay Arthur Sterrenberg (PBS)
- “Filmworker” – Editor: Tony Zierra (Kino Lorber)
- “Free Solo” – Editor: Bob Eisenhardt (National Geographic Documentary Film)
- “John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection” – Editor: Julien Faraut (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
- “Three Identical Strangers” – Editor: Michael Harte (Neon, CNN Films)
- “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” – Editors: Jeff Malmberg, Aaron Wickenden (Focus Features)
