# 1st Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

The 1st Critics' Choice Documentary Awards were presented on November 3, 2016 at the BRIC House in Brooklyn, New York, honoring the finest achievements in documentary filmmaking and non-fiction television. This was the inaugural ceremony for these awards, presented by the Critics Choice Association. The nominees were announced on October 10, 2016.

## Winners and nominees

| Best Documentary Feature O.J.: Made in America 13th Cameraperson Fire at Sea Gleason Life, Animated Tickled Tower Weiner The Witness | Best Direction for a Documentary Feature Ezra Edelman – O.J.: Made in America Ron Howard – The Beatles: Eight Days a Week Kirsten Johnson – Cameraperson Keith Maitland – Tower Clay Tweel – Gleason Roger Ross Williams – Life, Animated |
| Best Documentary Feature (TV/Streaming) 13th Fantastic Lies Amanda Knox Audrie & Daisy Before the Flood Holy Hell Into the Inferno Jim: The James Foley Story Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures Rats | Best Direction (TV/Streaming) Ava DuVernay – 13th Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato – Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures Rod Blackhurst and Brian McGinn – Amanda Knox Werner Herzog – Into the Inferno Morgan Spurlock – Rats Fisher Stevens – Before the Flood |
| Best First Documentary Feature Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg – Weiner Otto Bell – The Eagle Huntress David Farrier and Dylan Reeve – Tickled Adam Irving – Off the Rails James D. Solomon – The Witness Nanfu Wang – Hooligan Sparrow | Best Political Documentary 13th O.J.: Made in America Audrie & Daisy Newtown Weiner Zero Days |
| Best First Feature (TV Streaming) Everything is Copy Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four Holy Hell Mavis! My Beautiful Broken Brain Team Foxcatcher | Best Limited Documentary Series O.J.: Made in America The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth The Eighties The Hunt Jackie Robinson Soundbreaking: Stories From the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music |
| Best Ongoing Documentary Series 30 for 30 Frontline Last Chance U Morgan Spurlock Inside Man POV This Is Life with Lisa Ling | Best Sports Documentary O.J.: Made in America Fantastic Lies Dark Horse The Eagle Huntress Gleason Jackie Robinson Keepers of the Game |
| Best Music Documentary The Beatles: Eight Days a Week Gimme Danger Miss Sharon Jones! The Music of Strangers Presenting Princess Shaw We Are X | Most Innovative Documentary Tower Cameraperson Kate Plays Christine Life, Animated Nuts Under the Sun |
| Best Song in a Documentary “I’m Still Here” – Miss Sharon Jones! – Written by Sharon Jones, Performed by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings “Angel by the Wings” – The Eagle Huntress – Written and performed by Sia “The Empty Chair” – Jim: The James Foley Story – Written by Sting and J. Ralph, Performed by Sting “Flicker” – Audrie & Daisy – Written and performed by Tori Amos “Hoping and Healing” – Gleason – Written and performed by Mike McCready “Letters to the Free” – 13th – Written by Common, Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper – Performed by Common featuring Bilal |

## Films by multiple nominations and wins

| Nominations | Film |
| 5 | O.J.: Made in America |
| 5 | 13th |
| 4 | Gleason |
| 3 | Audrie & Daisy |
| 3 | Life, Animated |
| 3 | Cameraperson |
| 3 | The Eagle Huntress |
| 3 | Towe |
| 3 | Weiner |
| 2 | Holy Hell |
| 2 | Amanda Knox |
| 2 | Rats |
| 2 | The Witness |
| 2 | Into the Inferno |
| 2 | Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures |
| 2 | The Beatles: Eight Days a Week |
| 2 | Jim: The James Foley Story |
| 2 | Miss Sharon Jones! |
| 2 | Tickled |
| 2 | Jackie Robinson |
| 2 | Fantastic Lies |
| 2 | Before the Flood |
| Wins | Film |
| 4 | O.J.: Made in America |
| 3 | 13th |