Lead: On Sunday, November 9, 2025, at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan, Geeta Gandbhir’s Netflix feature The Perfect Neighbor dominated the 10th Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Gandbhir took home Best Documentary Feature and Best Director, and the film collected multiple craft prizes including Best Editing. The ceremony, hosted by Aasif Mandvi, celebrated a range of documentaries released in theaters, on television and on streaming platforms.
Key Takeaways
- The Perfect Neighbor won five awards—Best Documentary Feature, Best Director (Geeta Gandbhir), Best Editing (Viridiana Lieberman), Best Archival Documentary, and Best True Crime Documentary—at the November 9, 2025 ceremony.
- The event marked the 10th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards and was held at The Edison Ballroom in Manhattan with Aasif Mandvi as host.
- Other multiple winners included Mr. Scorsese, Ocean with David Attenborough, and Orwell: 2+2=5, each taking two prizes.
- Ken Burns received the Critics Choice Impact Award and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady were honored with the Pennebaker Award, presented by Chris Hegedus and Christine Baranski respectively.
- The ceremony was produced by Bob Bain (Bob Bain Productions) and Joey Berlin (Berlin Entertainment) and judged by qualified CCA members with documentary expertise.
Background
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards, organized by the Critics Choice Association (CCA), recognizes nonfiction filmmaking across theatrical releases, television and major digital platforms. Now in its 10th year, the ceremony has become a bellwether for critical consensus in documentary circles and a showcase for both established auteurs and first-time filmmakers. Voting is conducted by CCA members with demonstrated expertise in documentaries; nominations are similarly determined by members with subject-matter knowledge.
Streaming services and traditional outlets alike have invested heavily in documentary production over the past decade, expanding the field in both volume and ambition. That expansion has widened the competitive pool each awards season, with Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV and theatrical indies regularly represented among nominees and winners. The CCA honors both subject-driven and stylistic achievements, with categories spanning directing, editing, archival use, and topical subgenres like true crime and political documentary.
Main Event
The ceremony opened at The Edison Ballroom on the evening of November 9, 2025, and brought together filmmakers, producers and industry guests to celebrate the year’s nonfiction achievements. Host Aasif Mandvi moderated a program that combined awards presentations with short clips and tributes; the 10th annual event highlighted both contemporary breakout titles and career-spanning achievements. Geeta Gandbhir’s The Perfect Neighbor emerged as the evening’s most-lauded film, winning five categories including the top prize for Best Documentary Feature.
Viridiana Lieberman received Best Editing for her work on The Perfect Neighbor, a win that judges cited for pace and narrative clarity. The film also secured Best Archival Documentary and Best True Crime Documentary, signaling critical recognition across both craft and subject categories. Gandbhir herself was awarded Best Director, underscoring the film’s overall creative leadership.
Other films that fared strongly included Mr. Scorsese, Ocean with David Attenborough, and Orwell: 2+2=5; each took home two awards, including craft and thematic categories. Alexei Aigui won Best Score for Orwell: 2+2=5, and Ocean’s underwater cinematography team took Best Cinematography honors. The ceremony also presented career honors: Ken Burns received the Critics Choice Impact Award, and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady were given the Pennebaker Award.
Analysis & Implications
The Perfect Neighbor’s sweep across feature, directing and archival categories suggests a convergence of strengths—editorial control, archival sourcing and a true-crime framing—that resonated with CCA voters. Winning both Best Documentary Feature and Best Director often amplifies a film’s visibility for awards season and can affect streaming platforms’ promotion and audience reach. For Netflix, the wins may translate into renewed festival bookings, increased playlisting and marketing emphasis heading into year-end lists.
The distribution landscape for documentaries continues to tilt toward hybrid release strategies: theatrical windows remain valuable for prestige, while streaming ensures broad accessibility. Industry observers will watch whether the CCA results influence festival programmers and other awards bodies. Films that combine archival research with rigorous editing—like The Perfect Neighbor—appear particularly well positioned in this awards cycle.
At a broader level, the evening reinforced several trends: established figures (e.g., Ken Burns) still command institutional recognition, while streaming-backed projects continue to dominate nominations and wins. Subject-wise, political and historical documentaries maintained a high profile, reflecting both current events and the public appetite for explanatory nonfiction. The mix of legacy filmmakers and newer voices suggests sustained diversity in funding, storytelling approaches and audience pathways.
| Film | Wins |
|---|---|
| The Perfect Neighbor | 5 |
| Mr. Scorsese | 2 |
| Ocean with David Attenborough | 2 |
| Orwell: 2+2=5 | 2 |
The table above summarizes the films that won multiple awards. The Perfect Neighbor’s five wins made it the ceremony’s most-decorated title. The counts reflect competitive categories across both craft (editing, cinematography) and thematic (true crime, archival) categories, underscoring how a single film can accrue recognition in diverse areas.
Reactions & Quotes
Casting the awards as a sign of the form’s vitality, the Critics Choice Association framed the evening as both celebratory and reflective of documentary reach. The CCA’s public statement emphasized documentary storytelling’s contemporary relevance and courage in tackling complex subjects.
“Ten years in, and the art of documentary storytelling has never been more vital or vibrant.”
Christopher Campbell, Vice President of Documentary, Critics Choice Association (official)
That comment was part of a longer statement from CCA leadership praising the year’s filmmakers for innovation and impact. The CCA attributed nominations and winners to the dedicated voting of members with documentary expertise.
Presenters and honorees also highlighted legacy and collaboration in nonfiction filmmaking. The Impact and Pennebaker awards in particular prompted reflections on the long view of documentary careers and partnerships that shape the field beyond a single season.
“This year’s filmmakers show, through their creativity and courage, just how powerful documentaries can be in shaping our view of the world.”
Christopher Campbell, Vice President of Documentary, Critics Choice Association (official)
Unconfirmed
- Whether The Perfect Neighbor’s wins will materially improve its chances at other awards (such as the Academy Awards) remains unconfirmed pending additional voting body reactions.
- Claims that Netflix will expand the film’s theatrical run and marketing spend after the CCA sweep are unconfirmed and have not been publicly announced.
Bottom Line
The 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards underscored the continued prominence of streaming-backed documentaries while also honoring career achievements that span decades. The Perfect Neighbor emerged as the ceremony’s standout, taking five awards across major and craft categories and signaling substantial critical momentum for the film and its creative team.
Looking ahead, the results are likely to influence year-end coverage, festival bookings and platform promotion, but broader awards trajectories and distribution moves remain to be seen. For viewers and industry observers alike, the ceremony reinforced that documentary filmmaking remains a vital arena for storytelling that blends archival research, editorial craft and topical urgency.
Sources
- IndieWire — Entertainment trade reporting and winners list.
- Critics Choice Association — Official organization information and awards governance.