The Critics Choice Association has revealed its honorees for the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard will receive the Critics Choice Impact Award, while visionary director Jehane Noujaim will be honored with the prestigious Pennebaker Award.
They will be celebrated, along with awards in 18 competitive categories, during the ceremony on Nov. 8, at the Edison Ballroom in New York. Television personality Ross Mathews will host.
While widely celebrated for his narrative feature films, Howard has also built an impressive roster in the nonfiction space. The Critics Choice Impact Award recognizes creators whose dedication to documentary storytelling has significantly broadened the medium’s scope and reach. Howard’s nonfiction credits include The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years, Pavarotti, We Feed People, the Emmy-winning Jim Henson Idea Man, and the new Avedon, which premiered at Cannes in May and will soon debut on Netflix.
Meanwhile, the CCA will present Noujaim with the Pennebaker Award — formerly known as the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award — which celebrates directors who have made an indelible contribution to the art form. Named in honor of documentary legend D.A. Pennebaker, the award will be presented by Pennebaker’s widow and longtime creative collaborator, Chris Hegedus.
Noujaim most recently co-directed HBO’s July 2026 docuseries The Man Will Burn and is currently working on an upcoming project examining the Israel-Palestine conflict alongside journalists based in Gaza.
Nominations for the 11th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, voted on by qualified CCA members specializing in documentaries, will be announced Oct. 13.
