This week, the International Documentary Association (IDA) handed out their annual awards for achievement in non-fiction storytelling. On 16 January, 2021, IDA presented a virtual ceremony with previous awards having been already handed to: #Sam Pollard# (Career Achievement), Garrett Bradley (Emerging Documentary Filmmaker), #David France# (Courage Under Fire), Firelight Media’s Marcia Smith, #Stanley Nelson# and Loira Limbal (Pioneer Award, Regina K. Scully (Amicus Award), #Maria Ressa# (Truth to Power Award).
The complete 36th IDA Documentary Award Winners
Best Feature: Crip Camp (US)
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
Best Short: John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (US)
Director/Producer: Matthew Killip
Best Director: Garrett Bradley for Time (US)
Best Curated Series: American Experience (US)
Executive Producers: Susan Bellows and Mark Samels
Best Episodic Series: Last Chance U (US)
Director and Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley
Executive Producers: Joe LaBracio, James D. Stern, Lucas Smith, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard
Best Multi-Part Documentary: Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (US)
Directors and Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre
Exec Prods: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorious, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
Best Short Form Series: POV Shorts (US)
Producer: Opal H. Bennett
Executive Producers: Justine Nagan and Chris White
Best Audio Documentary: Somebody (US)
Reporters and Producers: Alison Flowers, Bill Healy and Sarah Geis
Host: Shapearl Wells
Reporters: Sam Stecklow, Annie Nguyen, Kahari Blackburn, Rajiv Sinclair, Henri Adams, Matilda Vojak, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Frances McDonald, Diana Akmajian, Andrew Fan and Maddie Anderson. Associate Producer: Ellen Glover
Executive Producers: Jamie Kalven, Maria Zuckerman, Christy Gressman, Leital Molad
Best Music Documentary: Universe (US)
Directors: Sam Osborn and Nicholas Capezzera
Producers: Esther Dere and Leah Natasha Thomas
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award: People Like Me (US)
Director/Producer: Marrok Sedgwick
Best Cinematography: The Earth is Blue as an Orange (Ukraine/Lithuania)
Cinematographer: Viacheslav Tsvietkov
Best Editing: Dick Johnson is Dead (US)
Editor: Nels Bangerter
Best Music Score: My Octopus Teacher (US/UK)
Composer: Kevin Smuts
Best Writing: Dick Johnson is Dead (US)
Writers: Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson
ABC News VideoSource Award: Crip Camp (US)
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder
Pare Lorentz Award: My Octopus Teacher (US, winner)
Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed
Producer: Craig Foster
Crip Camp (US, honorable mention)
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder
