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IDA Documentary Awards Announce Nominees
#image_title Today, the IDA announced the nominees for the 40th IDA Documentary Awards. The show will be held on December 5th and hosted by actor and comedian Adam Conover.
From the press release:
Adam Conover to Host the 40th IDA Documentary Awards
The Awards Ceremony will be hosted by actor, comedian, and writer Adam Conover on December 5, 2024, 7:00 PM PT / 10:00 PM ET at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles and streamed live documentary.org and simultaneously on IDA YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram channels. Learn more about the nominees and get your tickets for the ceremony at documentary.org/awards2024
The Big Reveal: See Nominees in 14 Categories
IDA received 700+ entries in all categories from 77 countries, an increase over last year both in the total number of entries and the countries represented. IDA Documentary Awards entries were reviewed by blue-ribbon jurors consisting of 300 documentary professionals from 40+ countries.
Nominees in each of the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories have been selected from the shortlists previously announced on October 24. IDA members will have access to view each of the nominated films and to vote for films in the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories from November 19 to December 1, 2024. To learn about how to become an IDA member, visit documentary.org/membership
The 40th IDA Documentary Awards will be presented in the following categories on December 5, 2024: Best Feature Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Limited Series, Best TV Feature Documentary, Best Audio Documentary, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score and David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award. Winners in two special categories, the ABC News VideoSource Award and the Pare Lorentz Award, will also be announced on December 5, 2024.
IDA Honors Dawn Porter, Shiori Ito, and Directors of No Other Land with Special Awards
At this year’s ceremony, American documentary filmmaker Dawn Porter will receive the Career Achievement Award; Shiori Ito (Black Box Diaries) will receive the Emerging Filmmaker Award; and the four directors of No Other Land (2024), Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor, Yuval Abraham will be presented with the Courage Under Fire Award.
Join the Awards Ceremony on December 5 at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles
The awards show will be held in person at the Orpheum Theater on December 5, 2024 where all winners will be announced. More information about the ceremony including the hosts, presenters, entertainment, and tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. Learn more about the IDA Documentary Awards and get your tickets at documentary.org/awards2024. Watch the recording of the 2023 IDA Documentary Awards on YouTube.
Support for the 40th IDA Documentary Awards comes from IDA members, supporters, staff, volunteers, and media partners KCRW and Variety. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the Awards Ceremony. Please email development@documentary.org to inquire about sponsorship opportunities.
40TH IDA DOCUMENTARY AWARDS NOMINEES
All nominees listed under each category are in alphabetical order by film title.Best Feature Documentary Nominees
- Agent of Happiness (Bhutan, Hungary | Film Movement | Director: Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó | Producer: Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, Máté Artur Vincze, Arun Bhattarai)
- Black Box Diaries (Japan, USA, UK | MTV Documentary Films | Director: Shiori Ito | Producer: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito)
- Dahomey (France, Senegal, Benin | MUBI | Director: Mati Diop | Producer: Eve Robin, Judith Lou Lévy, Mati Diop)
- Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (France, South Africa, USA | Magnolia Pictures | Director: Raoul Peck | Producer: Tamara Rosenberg, Raoul Peck)
- No Other Land (Palestine, Norway, USA | Director: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor & Yuval Abraham | Producer: Fabien Greenberg & bård Kjøge Rønning)
- Queendom (USA, France | Greenwich Entertainment | Director: Agniia Galdanova | Producer: Igor Myakotin, Agniia Galdanova)
- Seeking Mavis Beacon (USA | NEON | Director: Jazmin Renée Jones | Producer: Guetty Felin)
- Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Belgium, France, Netherlands | Kino Lorber | Director: Johan Grimonprez | Producer: Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety)
- Sugarcane (USA | National Geographic | Director: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie | Producer: Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn)
- The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (USA | Netflix | Director: Benjamin Ree | Producer: Ingvil Giske)
Best Short Documentary Nominees
- A Move (Iran, UK | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Elahe Esmaili | Producer: Hossein Behboudi Rad)
- A Movement Against the Transparency of the Stars of the Seas (USA, Philippines | Criterion Channel | Director: Esy Casey | Producer: Esy Casey, Nur Jannah Kaalim)
- Amma ki Katha (India | Director: Nehal Vyas | Producer: Nehal Vyas, Advik Beni)
- Enchukunoto (The Return) (Kenya | Director: Laissa Malih | Producer: Kavita Pillay, Adam Mazo, Tracy Rector, Taylor Hensel)
- Instruments of a Beating Heart (Japan | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki | Producer: Eric Nyari)
- Modern Goose (Canada | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Karsten Wall | Producer: Alicia Smith)
- Nine Easy Dances (Canada | York University | Director/Producer: Nora Rosenthal)
- The Medallion (UK, Ethiopia, USA | The New Yorker, SUDU Connexion | Director: Ruth Hunduma | Producer: Lily Usher, Tolu Stedford)
- The Poem We Sang (Canada, Palestine, Jordan | MAD Solutions | Director: Annie Sakkab | Producer: Annie Sakkab, Paul Lee)
- Until He’s Back (USA, Spain, Morocco | PBS POV & Scripps News | Director: Jacqueline Baylon | Producer: Jacqueline Baylon, Hailey Gavin)
Best Director
- Agniia Galdanova, Queendom (Greenwich Entertainment | USA, France)
- Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor & Yuval Abraham, No Other Land (Palestine, Norway, USA)
- Johan Grimonprez, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber | Belgium, France, Netherlands)
- Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Sugarcane (National Geographic | USA)
- Shiori Ito, Black Box Diaries (MTV Documentary Films | Japan, USA, UK)
Best Cinematography
- Arun Bhattarai, Agent of Happiness (Film Movement | Bhutan, Hungary)
- Alix Blair, Helen and the Bear (N/A | USA)
- Sareen Hairabedian, My Sweet Land (ITVS – PBS / ARTE France / RTS | Jordan, France, USA, Ireland)
- Ruslan Fedotov, Queendom (Greenwich Entertainment | USA, France)
- Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie, Sugarcane (National Geographic | USA)
Best Editing
- Ema Ryan Yamazaki, Black Box Diaries (MTV Documentary Films | Japan, USA, UK)
- Katrina Taylor, Helen and the Bear (N/A | USA)
- Raphaelle Martin-Holger, Sareen Hairabedian, My Sweet Land (ITVS – PBS / ARTE France / RTS | Jordan, France USA, Ireland)
- Rik Chaubet, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber | Belgium, France, Netherlands)
- Nathan Punwar, Maya Daisy Hawke, Sugarcane (National Geographic | USA)
Best Original Music Score
- Víctor Hernández Stumpfhauser, Frida (Amazon MGM Studios | USA)
- Maxwell Sterling, Life and Other Problems (DR Sales | Denmark, UK, Sweden)
- Tigran Hamasyan, My Sweet Land (ITVS – PBS / ARTE France / RTS | Jordan, France, USA, Ireland)
- Mali Obomsawin, Sugarcane (National Geographic | USA)
- Uno Helmersson, The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (Netflix | USA)
Best Writing
- Raoul Peck, Ernest Cole, Ernest Cole: Lost & Found (Magnolia Pictures | France, South Africa, USA)
- Hasan Oswald, Mediha (Together Films | USA)
- Jazmin Jones, Seeking Mavis Beacon (NEON | USA)
- Johan Grimonprez, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Kino Lorber | Belgium, France, Netherlands)
- Morgan Neville, Jason Zeldes, Aaron Wickenden, Oscar Vasquez, Piece by Piece (Focus Features | USA)
Best TV Feature Documentary
- Madu (Disney+ | USA, UK, Nigeria | Directors: Matthew Ogens, Joel ‘Kachi Benson | Producers: Jamie Patricof, Katie McNeill, Rachel Halilej)
- Night Is Not Eternal ( HBO | Max | USA | Director: Nanfu Wang | Producers: Nanfu Wang, Lori Cheatle)
- Stolen Gold (ESPN | UK, USA, Spain | Director: Suemay Oram | Producer: Santi Aguado, Gentry Kirby)
- The Apartheid Killer (BBC World Service | UK, South Africa | Director: Charlie Northcott, Isa Jacobson | Producers: Isa Jacobson, Charlie Northcott)
- Two American Families: 1991-2024 (PBS | USA | Directors: Tom Casciato, Kathleen Hughes | Producers: Tom Casciato, Kathleen Hughes, Frank Koughan, Nina Chaudry)
Best Curated Series
- 30 for 30 (ESPN Films | USA | EPs: Heather Anderson, Marsha Cooke, Brian Lockhart, Burke Magnus)
- 99 – We all share 99% of the same DNA (N/A | France | EP: Jérôme Plan)
- Independent Lens (PBS | USA | EPs: Lois Vossen, Carrie Lozano)
- POV (PBS | USA | EPs: Erika Dilday, Chris White)
- The New York Times Op-Docs (The New York Times Op-Docs | USA | EP: Adam Ellick)
Best Episodic Series
- A Real Bug’s Life (National Geographic | USA, UK | Directors: Alex Ranken, John Capener, Alex Hemingway, Nathan Small, Nat Sharman | Producers: Helen Williamson, Bill Markham, Alex Ranken, John Capener, Alex Hemingway, Nathan Small, Nat Sharman | EPs: Tom Hugh-Jones, Martha Holmes, Grant Mansfield, Justine Schmidt, Pamela Caragol)
- Couples Therapy (Paramount+ | USA | Director: Kim Roberts | Producers: Sophie Kissinger, Matt Parker | EPs: Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg)
- Queens (National Geographic | UK | Directors: Rachael Kinley, Ilaira Mallalieu, Victoria Bromley, Jess Tombs, Faith Musembi | Producers: Rachael Kinley, Ilaira Mallalieu, Victoria Bromley, Jess Tombs, Faith Musembi; Chloë Sarosh | EPs: Vanessa Berlowitz, Angela Bassett, Pamela Caragol)
- The Negotiators (CNA, Mediacorp Pte Ltd | Singapore | Directors: Alyx Ayn Arumpac, Georgie Yukiko Donovan, Indra Nienhaus | Producers: Alyx Ayn Arumpac, Georgie Yukiko Donovan, Indra Nienhaus | EP: Aditya Thayi)
- We’re Here (HBO | Max | USA | Director: Peter LoGreco | Producers: Erin Haglund, Kimberly Greenhut | EP: Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Johnnie Ingram, Stephen Warren, Peter LoGreco, Erin Gamble)
Best Limited Series
- A Town Called Victoria (PBS | USA | Director: Li Lu | Producers: Li Lu, Anthony Pedone | EPs: Deniese Davis, Hunter Arnold, Lois Vossen, Rachel Raney, Royd Chung, Donald Young, Stephen Gong, Li Lu)
- Choir (Disney+ | USA | Director: Rudy Valdez | EPs: Jason Blum, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein, Michael Seitzman, Chris McCumber, Jeremy Gold, Gretchen Palek, Ryan Miller, Rudy Valdez, Ross Dinerstein)
- Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial (Netflix | USA | Director: Joe Berlinger | EPs: Joe Berlinger, Tim Pastore, Patrick Milling-Smith, Matt Renner, Yoshi Stone)
- Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning (HBO | Max | USA | Director: Jason Hehir | Producers: Jason Hehir, Jacob Rogal, Nicholas Eisenberg, Jilllian Moosmamm | EPs: Joie Jacoby, Linda Pizzuti Henry, Dan Krockmalnic, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez)
- STAX: Soulsville U.S.A. (HBO | Max | USA | Director: Jamila Wignot | Producers: Jamila Wignot, Kara Elverson | EPs: Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Nigel Sinclair, Nicholas Ferrall, Scott Pascucci, Sophia Dilley, Michele Smith, Jody Gerson, David Blackman, Charlie Cohen, Ron Broitman, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Tina Nguyen)
Best Music Documentary
- Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story (Banger Films, National Film Board of Canada | Canada | Directors: Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee| Producers: Amanda Burt, Justine Pimlott, Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen, Michael Mabbott)
- Beatles 64 (Disney+ | Director: David Tedeschi | USA | Producers: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon, Martin Scorsese, Margaret Bodde, Jonathan Clyde, Mikaela Beardsley)
- Maestra (BRKLY | USA | Director: Maggie Contreras, Producers: Maggie Contreras, Neil Berkeley, Emma West, Melanie Miller, Lauren Lexton)
- Omar & Cedric: If This Ever Gets Weird (Oscilloscope Laboratories | USA | Director: Nicolas Jack Davies | Producers: Johann Scheerer)
- Songs from the Hole (N/A | USA | Director: Contessa Gayles | Producer: Contessa Gayles, richie reseda, David Felix Sutcliffe)
Best Audio Documentary
- “What’s Up, Michael Freeman?” (Ear Hustle and Radiotopia from PRX | USA | Host: Earlonne Woods, Nigel Poor | Engineers: Earlonne Woods, Fernando Arruda, Harry Culhane | USA | Producers: Amy Standen, Bruce Wallace, Rahsaan Thomas)
- Long Shadow: In Guns We Trust (PRX | USA | Hosts: Garrett M. Graff and Jennifer Mascia | Engineers: Claire Mullen and Yi-Wen Lai-Tremewan | Producers: John Patrick Pullen, Emily Martinez. Matthew Shaer, and Aleah Papes)
- Pack One Bag (Lemonada | USA | Host: David Modigliani | Engineer: Willa Kaufman | Producers: David Modigliani, Willa Kaufman, Nicki Stein, Eric Spiegelman, Whitney Donaldson, Stanley Tucci, Jessica Cordova Kramer, Stephanie Wittels Wachs)
- Shadowball: Rise of the Black Athlete (Audible | USA | Host: Jemele Hill | Engineer: Neil Cabana | Producers: Joy Road Entertainment, PG Cuschieri, Jim Young, Matthew Hatchette, Neil Cabana, Carey Williams, Jemele Hill)
- The Sunday Story: A Song for Grief in China (NPR | USA, China | Hosts: John Ruwitch, Aowen Cao | Engineer: Josh Newel | Producers: Justine Yan, Jenny Schmidt )
David L. Wolper Student Documentary
- Her Name Was Zehava (NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute | USA, Israel | Director: Tamar Baruch | Producer: Tamar Baruch)
- Jerhy ( University of California, Santa Cruz | Costa Rica, USA, | Director: John Ortiz | Producer: John Ortiz)
- Milk (National Film and Television School | UK | Director: Miranda Stern | Producer: Ashionye Ogene)
- The Anarchist and The Fridge (School of Visual Arts MFA Social Documentary Film | USA | Director: Yunchang Zhang | Producer: Yunchang Zhang)
- The Waiter, the Scientist and Jenny (National Film and Television School | UK | Director: Joe Snelling | Producer: Joe Snelling)
40th IDA Documentary Awards Key Dates
- IDA Member Voting Begins: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
- IDA Member Voting Ends: Tuesday, December 1, 2024
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Awards Ceremony: December 5, 2024, The Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles
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IDA Member Viewing Platform Closes: December 31, 2024
