At an awards ceremony at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, Cinema Eye handed out honors to the best of this year’s documentary films. The top award, the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Filmmaking, when to Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop, produced by Jaime D’Cruz. Laura Poitras was named Outstanding Director for The Oath, and Jeff Malmberg Outstanding Debut for his Marwencol. Matt Porterfield’s Putty Hill won the first Filmmaker-sponsored Heterodox Award. One of the most moving moments of the night was a tribute to editor Karen Schmeer, who was killed last year in a hit-and-run, and one of the most inspiring was the Legacy Award given to Albert Maysles and Muffie Meyer. Maysles, who is 84, quipped, “There must be someone in the audience with money for my next 25 films. (The highlight of my evening was taking their picture and having Maysles correct my frame.)

Last night’s was my first time attending the Cinema Eye Honors, and I loved the mixture of awards-show ceremony and warm-hearted community gathering. A.J. Schnack and Esther Robinson were surprisingly good as comedically bantering hosts, zinging punchlines that I’m sure will be somewhat obscure to those watching on the Doc Channel later in the month but which everyone in the room laughed at. Quite often, though, both they and the presenters spoke personally and warmly about the psychic rewards of the often punishing profession of documentary film. (Robinson at one point compared it to drug addiction in that you lose your money and your youth while pursuing it.) The most memorable of these comments was from the late George Hickenlooper, as remembered by Morgan Spurlock. The Super Size Me director recalled a dinner with Hickenlooper a couple of weeks before he died. “How lucky we are to do what we do with our lives,” Hickenlooper said to him. They were words that resonated deeply to all of those in the room.

The complete awards list is below. For more on the Heterodox Award, wait for our Spring issue, in which the five jurors will discuss their decision and the issues raised by the nominees.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION FEATURE FILMMAKING

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Directed by Banksy, Produced by Jaimie D’Cruz

Presented by James Marsh

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION

Laura Poitras

The Oath

Presented by Louie Psihoyos

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross

Last Train Home

Presented by Ross Kaufman

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

Chris King and Tom Fulford

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Presented by Greg Barker, Liz Garbus and Lucia Small

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Lixin Fan

Last Train Home

Presented by Steven Bognar

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE

Norbert Möslang

The Sound of Insects: Record of a Mummy

Presented by John Flansburgh Jury: Paul Brill, John Flansburgh, Darius Marder, Sascha Paladino and Allison Willmore

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ANIMATION

Juan Cardarelli and Alex Tyson

Gasland

Presented by Emily Hubley

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Last Train Home

Directed by Lixin Fan Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross Presented by Jess Search

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN A DEBUT FEATURE FILM

Jeff Malmberg

Marwencol

Presented by Bill Ross and Turner Ross

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION SHORT FILMMAKING

sponsored by The Economist

The Poodle Trainer

Directed by Vance Malone Presented by Patrick Creadon Jury: Shaz Bennett, Patrick Creadon, Mark Olsen and Ondi Timoner

AUDIENCE CHOICE PRIZE

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg Presented by Harry Shearer

LEGACY AWARD

Grey Gardens

Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer and Susan Froemke Presented by Lixin Fan, Jeff Malmberg and Laura Poitras

SPOTLIGHT AWARD

The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaucascu

Directed by Andrei Ujica Presented by Margaret Brown Jury: Kirby Dick, Laura Gabbert, Karina Longworth, Mike Plante and Doug Pray

HETERODOX AWARD sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine

Putty Hill Directed by Matt Porterfield

Presented by Yance Ford and Scott Macaulay

Jury: Yance Ford, Julie Goldman, Ross Kauffman, Joshua Marston and Astra Taylor