'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie' dominates Critics Choice Awards
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, a documentary on Apple TV+, dominated the eighth annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards on Sunday. Directed by Davis Guggenheim, it follows the life of beloved actor Michael J Fox and his struggle with Parkinson's disease. The documentary triumphed in all five categories it was nominated for, including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Editing (Michael Harte), Narration (Fox), and Biographical Documentary.
Why does this story matter?
Hosted by actor-comedian Wyatt Cenac, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards unfolded at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. Since its inception in 2016, the awards have become a notable precursor to the Oscars. Out of the seven previous CCDA winners, two documentaries, O.J.: Made in America (2016) and Summer of Soul (2021), went on to clinch the coveted Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Documentary highlighted Fox's unfiltered journey
The documentary premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in January. It combines archival and scripted elements to recount Fox's extraordinary story in his own words. When he was 29 years old, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Beginning his career as a child actor in the 1970s, Fox rose to prominence portraying Alex P Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989) and Marty McFly in the Back to the Future film trilogy (1985-1990).
'20 Days in Mariupol,' American Symphony': Other notable winners
Mstyslav Chernov's 20 Days in Mariupol clinched top honors as the Best First Documentary and Best Political Documentary. In a triumphant Netflix sweep, American Symphony secured victories in two categories—Best Music Documentary and Best Score for Jon Batiste's outstanding work. Meanwhile, another Netflix documentary, The Deepest Breath earned dual recognition, claiming the Best Sports Documentary title along with the Cinematography award for Tim Cragg.
Meanwhile, HBO's 'Being Mary Tyler Moore' won Best Archival Documentary
HBO saw a notable victory with Being Mary Tyler Moore being awarded Best Archival Documentary. This aside, National Geographic's JFK: One Day in America claimed Best Historical Documentary, while Secrets of the Elephants took the title for Best Science/Nature Documentary. A tie emerged in the True Crime Documentary category between Lennon: Murder Without a Trial and Telemarketers. Lastly, Last Repair Shop secured Best Short Documentary, and The 1619 Project won Best Limited Documentary Series.
