# 2nd Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

The 2nd Critics' Choice Documentary Awards were presented on November 2, 2017, in Brooklyn, New York, honoring the finest achievements in documentary filmmaking and non-fiction television. The nominees were announced on October 11, 2017.

## Winners and nominees

| Best Documentary Feature Jane Abacus: Small Enough to Jail Beware the Slenderman Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds California Typewriter Chasing Coral City of Ghosts Cries from Syria Dawson City: Frozen Time Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis Ex Libris: The New York Public Library Faces Places Kedi One of Us Spettacolo Strong Island | Best Direction for a Documentary Feature Evgeny Afineevsky – Cries from Syria Frederick Wiseman – Ex Libris: The New York Public Library Amir Bar-Lev – Long Strange Trip Matthew Heineman – City of Ghosts Bill Morrison – Dawson City: Frozen Time Doug Nichol – California Typewriter Jeff Orlowski – Chasing Coral Irene Taylor Brodsky – Beware the Slenderman Ceyda Torun – Kedi Agnès Varda & JR – Faces Places |
| Best First Documentary Feature Kedi California Typewriter Nowhere to Hide Step Strong Island Whose Streets? | Best Political Documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail 11/8/16 An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power City of Ghosts Dolores The Reagan Show |
| Best Music Series Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives Contemporary Color Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis I Called Him Morgan Long Strange Trip Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World | Best Sports Documentary Icarus AlphaGo Disgraced Speed Sisters Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton Trophy |
| Best Ongoing Documentary Series (TV/Streaming) American Masters 30 for 30 Frontline Independent Lens POV VICE | Best Limited Documentary Series The Vietnam War The Defiant Ones Five Came Back The Keepers The Nineties Planet Earth II |
| Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary Honorees The Cats of Istambul – Kedi Etty Ausch – One of Us Al Gore – An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power Dolores Huerta – Dolores Gigi Lazzarato – This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous The Sung Family – Abacus: Small Enough to Jail | Most Innovative Documentary Last Men in Aleppo Dawson City: Frozen Time 78/52 Casting JonBenet Karl Marx City Kedi |
| Best Song in a Documentary “Jump” – Step – By Cynthia Erivo “Truth to Power” – An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power – By OneRepublic “Tell Me How Long” – Chasing Coral – By Kristen Bell “Prayers for This World” – Cries from Syria – By Cher “Best I Can” – Dina – By Michael Cera featuring Sharon Van Etten “Served Like a Girl” – Dancing Through the Wreckage – By Pat Benatar |

## Films by multiple nominations and wins

| Nominations | Film |
| 5 | Kedi |
| 3 | Abacus: Small Enough to Jail |
| 3 | California Typewriter |
| 3 | Chasing Coral |
| 3 | City of Ghosts |
| 3 | Cries from Syria |
| 3 | Dawson City: Frozen Time |
| 3 | An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power |
| 2 | Dolores |
| 2 | Step |
| 2 | Beware the Slenderman |
| 2 | Faces Places |
| 2 | Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis |
| 2 | Ex Libris: The New York Public Library |
| 2 | One of Us |
| 2 | Strong Island |
| 2 | Long Strange Trip |
| Wins | Film |
| 2 | Abacus: Small Enough to Jail |
| 2 | Kedi |