'My Octopus Teacher' wins Best Science/Nature Documentary and Best Cinematography at the 2020 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

For the last winning film at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards that I will examine before Thanksgiving, I'm examining "My Octopus Teacher," a double winner. Watch My Octopus Teacher | Official Trailer | Netflix to see what the movie is about.

A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.

That's a beautifully photographed and moving tease of the movie, which shows why it won two awards and was nominated for two more. To watch the acceptance of its first award, watch BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY - My Octopus Teacher.

Winner of the 5th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Science/Nature Documentary: MY OCTOPUS TEACHER.

That's Pippa Ehrlich, the film's director, accepting the award, and that looks like one of the flanks of Table Mountain above Cape Town, South Africa, behind her. We'll see more of Ehrlich later in this post. In the meantime, watch BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - Roger Horrocks, My Octopus Teacher for the acceptance of the other award.

Winner of the 5th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Cinematography: Roger Horrocks, MY OCTOPUS TEACHER.

In addition to winning these two awards, "My Octopus Teacher" earned nominations for Best Documentary and Best Narration. That's more than either "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet" or "I Am Greta" did, so I expect great things for this documentary at the various craft awards, Environmental Media Association Awards, Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and News and Documentary Emmy Awards. Honestly, I would be happy with any field of nominees at any of these awards that includes all three.

I promised to show more of Ehrlich. The following interview from South Africa's Expresso Show Filmmaker Talks About Award Winning ‘My Octopus Teacher’ Documentary certainly does that, pun intended.


Congratulations to Netflix, Ehrlich, Horrocks, and Craig Foster for these wins and nominations!

I'm taking a break from the Critics' Choice Awards for American Thanksgiving at least. I might return with one more winner after that, "Crip Camp." Stay tuned and an early happy American Thanksgiving to my readers!