After the heated debate over the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Feature Documentary Short List announcement, The Envelope given props to the 2009 IDA Documentary Awards (taking place Fri., Dec. 4, by the way) for its list of nominees and already-announced winners in seven categories, also calling it an indicator for which way the win for the Oscar documentary may go.
Writer Paul Gaita pointed out that snubbed crowd-favorite Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and the popular Afghan Star and Diary of a Times Square Thief made the IDA's list only.
Meanwhile, Documentary Film Online called the IDA's picks, "A soothing aloe on burned skin...to quell the recent rage documentary film fans have had over The Academy Award selection process."
The Envelope also gave the IDA credit for knowing how to pick 'em in the past. From the piece:
As an indicator for which way the Oscar documentary might go, the IDA, which has been celebrating nonfiction film and filmmakers since 1982, accurately picked the 2008 best documentary feature, Man on Wire, which tied with Waltz with Bashir (a nominee for best foreign film that year) for the feature prize. It nominated the 2007 winner, Taxi to the Dark Side, but gave the prize to the PBS/Nova production Walk to Beautiful, and honored the 2006 winner, An Inconvenient Truth, with the Pare Lorentz Award (given to a filmmaker who best represents the spirit of the acclaimed documentarian) while giving top prize to Oscar nominee Iraq in Fragments.
Read the whole Envelope piece here.
Who will come out on top at the IDA Documentary Awards on Friday? Join us as we honor the best documentaries of the year, with host Ira Glass. Purchase tickets now to be there to find out.
Click here to read all about the already-announced winners in seleect categories, other special honorees, including Errol Morris, Nicolas Noxon, Michael Donaldson and special presenters including composer Philip Glass, The Office’s Rainn Wilson, Food Inc. director Robert Kenner and the Sundance Institute’s Cara Mertes. Current Media’s Laura Ling and Euna Lee will introduce a special tribute to filmmakers and journalists who displayed conspicuous bravery in the pursuit of truth.
Check out what others are saying about the 2009 IDA Awards.