by: Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline
Onyx Collective and Searchlights’s acquisition Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) from Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson took several prizes at the sixth annual Critics Choices Documentary Awards on Sunday, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (a tie), Best First Documentary Feature, Best Editing, Best Archival Documentary and Best Music Documentary.
“Summer of Soul” Searchlight
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin also took Best Director for The Rescue, in addition to Best Cinematography and Best Score.
The awards recognize 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.
“We are proud to be able to recognize such outstanding work at this year’s awards gala, in our return to a live event,” said Christopher Campbell, president of the Critics Choice Association Documentary Branch. “It was a wonderful night of showcasing and honoring the best of the best in documentary storytelling, with a mix of fresh faces and veteran talents lauded by our members. We are excited for our choices to inform the choices of film fans everywhere, as the CCDAs continue to support nonfiction filmmaking and influence the growing audience for documentaries.”
“The Rescue”Greenwich Entertainment
At the ceremony, The D A Pennebaker Award was presented to documentarian R.J. Cutler. The award, formerly known as the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award, is named in honor of Pennebaker, a past winner. It was presented to Cutler by Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s longtime collaborator and widow.
Hosted by Roy Wood Jr., the star-studded event featured presenters and attendees including Amir Arison (The Blacklist), Selma Blair (Introducing, Selma Blair), Wyatt Cenac, Dana Delany (The American Guest), Jessica Hecht (The Sinner), Dr. Vernard Hodges and Dr. Terrence Ferguson (Critter Fixers: Country Vets), Barbara Kopple, Sheila Nevins, Piper Perabo (The Big Leap), Thompson and Mariana van Zeller (Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller), among others.
Here’s the full list of winners:
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
BEST DIRECTOR (TIE)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin – The Rescue
BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
David Katznelson, Ian Seabrook and Picha Srisansanee – The Rescue
BEST EDITING
Joshua L. Pearson – Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
BEST SCORE
Daniel Pemberton – The Rescue
BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
BEST HISTORICAL OR BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
Val
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
The Crime of the Century
BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
Becoming Cousteau
BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
The Alpinist
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
The Queen of Basketball
BEST NARRATION
Val
