You Can See Everything Sweeps 11th Critics Choice Documentary Awards

By Amara Osei

You Can See Everything won five awards from five nominations at the 11th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards on November 8, 2026: Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Score.

Television host and producer Ross Mathews hosted the gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York City, while Bob Bain of Bob Bain Productions produced the ceremony.

The A24 title added four craft awards to Best Documentary Feature. Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim won Best Director for the film, David Bolen won Best Cinematography, Adam Locke-Norton won Best Editing, and Ari Balouzian won Best Score.

Neon’s Once Upon a Time in Harlem was the only other multiple winner, with three awards. David Greaves won Best First Documentary Feature for his film, and the title also won Best Archival Documentary and Best Historical Documentary. The complete list gives no other title more than one award.

Who won the specialist categories?

• Best Narration: The History of Concrete (Magnolia Pictures), written and performed by John Wilson.
• Best Music Documentary: EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Neon).
• Best Political Documentary: NAZA (Neon).
• Best Biographical Documentary: Musk (Bleecker Street).
• Best Science/Nature Documentary: Nuisance Bear (Mubi).
• Best Sports Documentary: Everest: The Other Side (National Geographic Documentary Films).

Did any category end in a tie?

Best True Crime Documentary ended in a tie. Netflix’s The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare shared the category with Investigation Discovery’s Lost Women of Alaska. Best Short Documentary went to Netflix’s The Baddest Speechwriter of All.

• Best Limited Documentary Series: Lion (National Geographic).
• Best Ongoing Documentary Series: 30 for 30 (ESPN).

The 18-category slate contains 19 award-winning entries because the true-crime tie created two recipients in one category.

What does the sweep change for A24?

A24 secures the largest single-title haul in the announced results: You Can See Everything takes Best Documentary Feature and four additional awards across directing, cinematography, editing and score.

The announcement did not disclose vote counts, category margins, a ranked voting table or full-field nomination totals. The five wins establish breadth across the categories in which the film appeared, but they do not show how far ahead it finished in any one category.

How does the 2026 eligibility window work?

Feature-length, two-part and short-form documentaries qualify for nomination if they first release commercially in the United States between January 1 and December 31, 2026. The films can reach audiences theatrically or through broadcast, cable or streaming platforms.

For documentary series, the threshold is three episodes or more. A majority of the episodes in the eligible season must have been released during the same 2026 window. The announcement sets those entry rules but does not explain who votes, how ballots are counted, how many votes a winner needs or how other ties would be handled.

What did the honorary awards recognize?

Frank Oz presented the Critics Choice Impact Award to Ron Howard. The honor recognizes filmmakers whose work, influence and commitment to nonfiction storytelling have made a significant and lasting impact on the documentary form, broadened its reach and championed its evolution.

Jehane Noujaim, identified with The Square and The Vow, received the CCA Pennebaker Award, formerly the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award. Chris Hegedus, Pennebaker’s widow and collaborator, presented the award. Now named for trailblazing documentarian D A Pennebaker, it celebrates filmmakers whose careers have made a profound and lasting contribution to documentary storytelling.

Christopher Campbell, Vice President of Documentary at the Critics Choice Association, said: “This year’s winners reflect the extraordinary creativity, ambition, and innovation shaping documentary filmmaking today.”

Campbell continued: “From bold new storytelling approaches that have expanded the reach of nonfiction films and brought new audiences to the genre, to filmmakers who tackle pressing political and social issues, to those who return to compelling stories to explore them in greater depth, this year’s nominees demonstrate the limitless possibilities of the documentary form.”

He concluded: “We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable talent and diverse perspectives that continue to shape the exciting future of documentary filmmaking.”

The winners are clear; without vote totals, the sweep’s margin remains unmeasured.