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By IDA Editorial Staff
2009 IDA Awards: Seen and Heard
Posted: December 8, 2009 View Profile Login to Comment

On Friday, Dec. 4 Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Australian film Salt took home the top honors at the 2009 International Documentary Association Documentary Awards. Read all about the evening, other winners and honorees right here.

Below are some great pics from the evening.


left to right: IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin, Robb Reiner and Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Anvil, IDA Board President Eddie Schmidt and Anvil! The Story of Anvil director Sacha Gervasi. Said Reiner: "This is not our world, but we're in this world. We're just hanging out. It's a never-ending stream of amazing stuff." 


Irene Taylor Brodsky, who won the Pare Lorentz Award for The Final Inch: "I learned about Pare Lorentz in film school. I can't believe that something I've done is being even remotely placed in the same category as this man."

"To me making a film isn't about making a film, it's about causing action," said Louie Pshioyos, director of The Cove. "I'm not in the business to make awards, but that brings attention to the issue. Making a documentary is tough. But each time you get nominated or win, you might get more people to watch it and take action." The Cove was just named Best Documentary of the Year by the National Board of Review and is on the documentary short list for this year's Academy Awards. 

 
Michael Donaldson on winning the Amicus Award: "I don't take this as a laurel to rest my head on, which is good, because it's kind of hard. It's designed to goose one to more action."

Filmmaker Mai Iskander won the IDA Humanitas Award for Garbage Dreams, which also screened at this year's IDA DocuWeeks showcase. "It was such a great experience to show the film at DocuWeeks," she said. "Everybody was so supportive and the venues were excellent and it was nice to have the theatrical showcase with such other great movies. Getting this award is such a great honor for me and the people profiled in the film."

 


"He absolutely redefined what our description of what a documentary film could be. He made the rules, he changed the landscape. He overhauled a whole genre of filmmaking. Now that's an achievement," said composer Philip Glass while introducing 2009 Career Achievement Award-winner, Errol Morris. "Naturally at the beginning he was vilified for his efforts. Now he's glorified for that same work. Vilified, glorified--what more could an artist hope for?"

 

And to prove that doc filmmakers don't spend all of their time in dark editing rooms, we got a great picture from Pare Lorentz Award-winner Irene Taylor Brodsky after the weekend. She went surfing with some fellow filmmakers and emailed, "I just wanted to say thanks for all the work putting the awards together. I thought it was a really well-run program and I know I can speak for many filmmakers, when I say it was a great time. Everyone really enjoyed getting to know one another. A bunch of us went surfing on Saturday together. Only in LA!" Pictured from left to right: Mick Angus (Salt), Brodsky and her husband, Adrian Belic (Ghengis Blues, Beyond the Call).