A federal court in Texas confirmed last month that the First Amendment protects filmmakers who use the trademarks or service marks of others in the title of a film, as long as the use describes the content of the film and does not indicate that the film is sponsored by or affiliated with the owners of the marks.

It happened in a case in which IDA filed an amicus brief in support of producers who had used the name "Rin Tin Tin," a valuable trademark, in the title of a film about the real Rin Tin Tin. Michael Donaldson, former President of the International Documentary Association (IDA), organized a united coalition of independent film organizations in support of the brief, gaining the assistance of Michael Morales, General Counsel for the IDA, and Susan Cleary, who signed the brief on behalf of the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA). Donaldson is also General Counsel of Film Independent and signed on their behalf.

An amicus brief is written by a non-partisan amicus curiae, or "friend of the court," who offers information on a point of law or some other aspect of the case to assist the court in deciding the matter before it. IDA argued on behalf of First Look Studios, the producers behind the film Finding Rin Tin Tin: The Adventure Continues. IDA told the court that filmmakers should be able to use trademarks in the title of their films if that's the best way to describe the content of the film.

In analyzing the film's use of "Rin Tin Tin," the court held that the use of the name in the title and body of the film constituted a "fair use" because it is not used in a trademark fashion--that is, as an identifier of the source of goods--and therefore was protected by the First Amendment. While the court did not rely on the IDA brief to make its decision, many of the First Amendment principles that the IDA argued in its brief were reflected in the court's 16-page decision.

Rin Tin Tin was a German Shepherd dog who became famous after he starred in several major motion pictures in the 1920s. Rin Tin Tin, Inc., a company focused on maintaining the "Rin Tin Tin" lineage, owns several "Rin Tin Tin" trademarks and came after the creators of Finding Rin Tin Tin, a fictional film based on the real-life story of Rin Tin Tin, after it was released on DVD in 2008.

The court noted that the use of the term "Rin Tin Tin" described the content of the film-- the historical story of the famous dog--rather than as a "source identifier," which would have created an improper insinuation of sponsorship by Rin Tin Tin, Inc., the trademark holder. 

The decision looks to be a great boon for filmmakers (especially documentarians) who find themselves in the relatively common situation in which the use of the trademark is really the best way to describe a film. In those situations, filmmakers shouldn't have to worry about overzealous trademark owners trying to shut down free speech.

 

For the complete Court ruling, click here.

 

IDA's own Meg Madison snapped some elegant black-and-white photos of the IDA Awards after-party that, in their elegance, gives one the impression that the party actually took place in a simpler time, before many of us were born; perhaps while Truman Capote was throwing his Black and White Ball on the East Coast, this alternative universe of revelers on the Left Coast was throwing its own fete, the true impact of which we wouldn't be feeling until some 40 years later! In the photo above are Anvil director Sacha Gervasi (middle) and Anvil star Steve 'Lips" Kudlow, along with a friend. Here are some more:

And for a link to the entire slide show, click here.

And prior to the IDA Awards, the good folks at Eastman Kodak hosted their annual IDA Awards Luncheon for the honorees and nominees, as well as IDA Board and staff. Many thanks to Michael Zakula and Candace Chatmon for their continued support of the IDA. Here are some pix from that event--in color this time around--courtesy of the indefatigable Meg Madison.

 

Irene Taylor Brodsky with Mai Iskander, director/producer/cinematographer/writer of the IDA/Humanitas Award winner, Garbage Dreams.

 

Pioneer Award honoree Nicolas Noxon (right) with Robert Kenner, director/producer of Feature Documentary Nominee Food, Inc.

The Feature Documentary Nominees--left to right: Klaas Bense, director/writer, Diary of a Times Square Thief; Robert Kenner, director/producer, Food, Inc.; Sacha Gervasi, director, Anvil! The Story of Anvil; Havana Marking, director/producer, Afghan Star. Not pictured: Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson, directors, Mugabe and the White African.

The 2nd $25,000 IDA/Pare Lorentz Finishing Fund grant was awarded to Summer Pasture, directed by Lynn True and Nelson Walker. An intimate glimpse into the experiences of a young Tibetan family struggling to reconcile their traditional way of life with a rapidly modernizing world, Summer Pasture was selected for the grant out of a total of 141 submissions. The film was one of three finalists chosen by the selection committee. The two other finalists were War Don Don directed by Rebecca Richman Cohen and Journey From Zanskar directed by Frederick Marx.  

Upon hearing about the grant, director Nelson Walker commented, "We have been working on Summer Pasture for the past 2 1/2 years, from filming in the mountains of Tibet to editing in a small basement office in Harlem. This project has been a real process of discovery and as we enter this critical final phase, we could not be more thrilled to have the support of the IDA-Pare Lorentz Finishing Fund. It's truly an honor to know that our film will help carry on the tradition of Pare Lorentz -- and thanks to the award we'll be able to meet the challenges of post-production and make our film the best it can be."

   

Award finalist Journey From Zanskar is the story of two Tibetan Buddhist monks who lead 17 poor children across the Himalayas to provide them with an education, and finalist War Don Don chronicles the story of the trial of Issa Sesay, a rebel commander of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), and a key player in the peace process, who now stands accused of crimes against humanity. 

   

The IDA/Pare Lorentz $25,000 Finishing Fund Grant is made possible by a generous grant from The New York Community Trust.

 

Slamdance, the scrappy, frisky counterpoint to Sundance, has announced its Shorts and Special Screenings competitions, along with its Feature competitions.

Notable among the special screenings is And Everything Is Going Fine, Steven Soderbergh's  long-awaited doc on Spaulding Gray, the late monologuist/performance artist who committed suicide in 2004. The Documentary Feature competition includes a profile of William S. Burroughs (William Burroughs: A Man Within), a look at Bolivian women wrestlers (Mamachas Del Ring) and a reunion of the greatest artists in the rocksteady genre from 1960s Jamaica (Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae)

The doc shorts in competition include DocuWeeks 09 participant point of entry (Dir.: Zeus Quijano Jr.), 2008 IDA Short Documentary Award nominee Redemption Stone - The Life and Times of Tom Lewis (Dir.: Tom Dziedzic), and a profile of an Aborigine artist (Not a Willing Participant; Dir.: Alex Barnes)

Here's the documentary lineup:

 

Special Screenings

I Am Comic (Dir.: Jordan Brady; US)--Stand-up comedians reveal the art and occupational hazards of their craft. With Sarah Silverman, Tommy Davidson, Carrot Top, Kathy Griffin, Carlos Mencia, Jeff Foxworthy and Phyllis Diller

And Everything Is Going Fine  (Dir.: Steven Soderbergh; US)--An intimate documentary about the life and work of the late performance artist Spaulding Gray.

 

Documentary Competition--Feature Length (All films are from the US unless otherwise noted)

American Jihadist (Dir.: Mark Claywell)--What makes a man willing to kill and die for his religion?

Biker Fox (Dir.: Jeremy Lamberton)--By taking the road less traveled, Biker Fox leads you to another dimension by "cogitating positive vibes to the cortex of your cerebellum" in this part documentary, part self-help testimonial.

Candyman (Dir.: Costa Botes)--Candyman is the story of the rise and fall of David Klein, the man who invented Jelly Belly jelly beans. With Weird Al Yankovich

General Orders No. 9 (Dir.: Robert Persons)--Take one last trip down the rabbit hole before it gets paved over. A history of the State of Georgia or Anywhere. Deer trail becomes Indian trail becomes county road becomes...

Mamachas Del Ring (Dir.: Betty M. Park)--Bolivian women wrestlers throw down in the ring in this documentary about what it really means to fight like a girl. Carmen Rosa the Champion is their passionate leader, and is faced with a brutal decision when she is forced to choose between her love of sport and love of her family.

Mind of a Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story (Dir.: Adam Barker)--The birth of freestyle motocross became the demise of the sport's most infamous legend. Narrated by Lemmy.

Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae (Dir.: Stascha Bader; Canada)--The singers and musicians of Jamaica's Golden Age of music, Rocksteady, come together after 40 years to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform together again at a reunion concert in Kingston, and to tell their story. With Rita Marley

William Burroughs: A Man Within (Dir.: Yony Leyser)--Leyser paints a tender portrait of the Beat author and American icon, whose works at once savaged conservative ideals, spawned vibrant countercultural movements and reconfigured 20th century culture. With David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Peter Weller, Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson.

 

Documentary Competition (all films are from the US unless otherwise noted):

 

point of entry (Dir.: Zeus Quijano Jr.)--An intimate look at modern immigration.

Bout that Bout (Dir.: Nico Sabenorio)--High school seniors in rural Florida come of age competing in an illegal after-school fight club.

Cease & Desist (Dir.: John Carluccio--Branding, addiction, sneaker culture and legal infringement are explored when artist/designer Ari Saal Forman mashes-ups the lively Newport cigarette brand into a cool Nike-like sneaker.

Close to Home (Dir.: Theo Rigby)--The story of a father broken from the murder of his son, and a daughter waiting for the father that she once had.

Finding D.Q.U. (Dir.: Christopher Newman)--In 2005 D-Q University, California's only tribal college, was shut down after a 35-year struggle, but its supporters fight to hold on to a dream that was never fully realized.

Not a Willing Participant (Dir.: Alex Barnes; Australia)--Aboriginal artist Vernon Ah Kee has been selected to represent Australia at the prestigious 53rd Venice Biennale of art. How will his important cultural work be perceived by the rest of the world?

Poinciana Sunrise (Dir.: Chuck Gomez)--The life and spirit of the "Queen of the Road", the only female member of The Highwaymen, a group of African-American Florida artists who created a beautiful and historic record of landscapes now lost to developers and modernization.

Q & A (Dir.: Tim & Mike Rauch)--Joshua Littman, an inquisitive 12-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome, interviews his mother Sarah about everything from cockroaches to her feelings about him as a son.

Redemption Stone - The Life and Times of Tom Lewis  (Dir.: Tom Dziedzic)--A spiritual vision inspires Tom Lewis, a storyteller of quiet power, to open a neighborhood safe haven called The Fishing School and to turn hardship into hope for the children in his community.

The Individualist (Dir.: Zoë Banks)--Tinkerer, musician, and inventor of the world's first solid-state heat engine, Ridgway Banks quietly solved the clean energy problem in his workshop 35 years ago, without fame, fortune or attention.

The Sundowner (Dir.: Steve Christolos)--An engineer becomes a man of the sea on his handcrafted fifty-three foot sailboat, with the incredible ambition to sail around the world.

Wahid's Mobile Bookstore (Dir.: Anjoo Khosia; US & India)--Nine-year-old Wahid makes a living selling pirated international bestsellers to customers stopping in their cars at traffic intersections in Mumbai, India.

 

 

Introduced by IDA Board President Eddie Schmidt as "the woman who holds the fate of your documentary career in her hands," Cara Mertes, director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and past executive producer of POV, held court for well over two-and-a-half intermissionless hours before a rapt audience for this the final Doc U of 2009. Among the attendees included Academy Award nominee Chuck Braverman; the venerable Marina Goldavskaya, the 2008 IDA Preservation and Scholarship Award honoree; Patricia Finneran, the New York-based senior consultant to the Documentary Film Program; and Kristin Feeley, manager of the Documentary Film program. Mertes noted that the Sundancers in the house had bypassed their own holiday party to attend this yuletide presentation.

Mertes discussed an early inspiration: Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven, which she saw growing up in Kansas, and was the prime spark in opening up cinematic possibilities for her. She showed Cut Piece, a short, rarely seen work by the Maysles Brothers, that captures a young Yoko Ono performing a conceptual art piece on stage at Carnegie Hall, in which she invites members of the audience to come up and cut off pieces of her clothing until she's nearly naked. I had seen the film before the 2007 WACK exhibit on feminist art from the 60s and 70s, and I was struck by the mastery of the cinematography, how the Maysles Brothers elegantly capture Yoko Ono the art piece, Yoko Ono the artist, and Yoko Ono the human being-and, as Schmidt pointed out at Doc U, Yoko Ono, the documentary subject. It was this kind of conceptual art, and the video art that people like Yvonne Rainier were doing, that drew Mertes to this form. "I loved the fringes in all its spaces," she noted.

Mertes evolved from directing to producing and executive producing, all the while studying the masters, citing Barbara Kopple's Harlan County USA, as a great example of dramatic storytelling with the framing of the faces and the crosscuts of looks. "The answers lie in the classic work," Mertes advised the audience. And from there she cued up the first ten minutes of The Times of Harvey Milk-another prime mover for her in her early days in 1980s New York. She programmed Independent Focus, a showcase for vanguard work that ran on WNET Thirteen on Sunday nights at 11:00. Gus Van Sant's Male Noche and Spike Lee's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads and Bill Viola's I Do Not Know What I Do Not Have were among the works she programmed. And when her boss, Mark Weiss, went on to launch POV in 1988, she continued to run the local version, showing Marlon Riggs' Tongues Untied prior to its culture wars-fanning national airing on POV in 1991, thereby joining Karen Finley, Tim Miller, John Fleck, Andres Serrano and Robert Mapplethorpe in the Far Right's Pantheon of Shame. "It was an era-defining piece," Mertes noted of Tongues Untied, Riggs' meditation on black gay identity. "Marlon Riggs made it for friends in San Francisco, and it destabilized PBS. PBS never recovered from the culture wars."

 

Between Independent Focus and POV, Mertes produced Signal to Noise, a documentary series about television and media literacy. With grants from ITVS and CPB, she commissioned 21 pieces from 17 artists. Although she didn't screen clips from that production, she did screen the promo piece for POV's 15th anniversary, which she oversaw during her seven-year tenure as executive producer, during which she also worked with filmmakers to develop websites and a community engagement program for each film that aired on the series. And one of her last acts there was providing the first funds for Robert Kenner's hit Food Inc. "Docs based on books tend to be successful," she noted, citing the ready-made audience for Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Schlosser and Pollan both make extensive appearances in the film, and Schlosser is a co-producer. Sundance 2010 will be presenting Michael Winterbottom's Shock Doctrine, based on Naomi Klein's best-selling book of the same name.

As for Sundance--both the festival and the institute--"Everyone is informed and at the top of their game" with respect to programmatic decision-making. The Sundance staff has a deep knowledge about documentary-where the form has been, where it's going, who the key players are, etc., "We're looking for new voices that surprise us," she said, citing Adele Horne's The Tailenders , Eric Daniel Metzgar's The Chances of the World Changing and Marshall Curry's Street Fight as works that grabbed her in the first minute of viewing--the kind of works that "define the language and the topic on their own terms...You get the programmers curious about the choices you're making. There's a purpose to the work that's true to the story and its characters."

Mertes also screened experts from Sundance's Stories of Change initiative, funded by the Skoll Foundation, which pairs filmmakers with social entrepreneurs. One of the films, To Catch a Dollar, about Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus' efforts to replicate his microfinancing model in Queens, NY, filmmaker Gayle Ferrarro overhauled the entire narrative after taking her film to the Sundance Labs; Mertes showed clips from both versions-one from Yunus' POV, and the other from the POV of the Queens-based women who were beneficiaries of his entrepreneurship.

Mertes described the Labs as a "documentary village," with six advisors working with the filmmakers to "bring the film from good to great." She emphasized that there is a firewall between the Documentary Program and the festival and that there's no guarantee that a film coming out of the Labs or the funding program will be accepted into the festival-although nine docs from the program will be premiering at Sundance 2010. 

Taking questions from the audience, Mertes advised one filmmaker, "Don't be afraid to wait" until your film is ready to be submitted to Sundance, and that even if the film doesn't get in, "programmers talk to programmers " on the festival circuit and that your film might be right for SXSW or Tribeca. Responding to a question about what docs are not being made, she noted that she was not seeing enough experimental filmmaking, most likely because that's not where the funding is; foundations and individual like films that will have an impact. Mertes also cited the "tyranny of the character-driven film"--itself driven by broadcasters who are looking for millions of viewers. She cited Jessica Yu (Protagonist; Into the Realms of the Real) as a filmmaker who subverts the traditional storytelling strategy, with impressive results.

 

 

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.

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."

 

 

Rounding out the Sundance 2010 lineup are the shorts, and among the doc shorts include Born Sweet, from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Cynthia Wade (Freeheld); and The Fence, from Sundance frequenter Rory Kennedy, which will open the festival in a unique opening night smorgasbord of one narrative film, one documentary and one shorts program consisting of a US dramatic short, US documentary short, international dramatic short, and an animated short film.

Here's the lineup of US and international doc shorts:

US DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Born Sweet (Director: Cynthia Wade) -- Arsenic-laced water has poisoned a 15-year-old-boy from a small, rural village in Cambodia, who fashions dreams for karaoke stardom.

Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No (Director: James Blagden)--In celebration of the greatest athletic achievement by a man on a psychedelic journey, here's the animated tale of Dock Ellis' legendary LSD no-hitter.

Drunk History: Douglass & Lincoln (Director: Jeremy Konner; Screenwriter: Derek Waters) -- On March 22, Jen Kirkman drank two bottles of wine and then discussed a historical event. Cast: Don Cheadle and Will Ferrell

Drunk History: Tesla & Edison (Director: Jeremy Konner; Screenwriter: Derek Waters) -- On January 7, Duncan Trussell drank a six-pack of beer...then a half a bottle of absinthe...and then he discussed a historical event. Cast: John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover.

The Fence (Director: Rory Kennedy; Screenwriter: Mark Bailey) -- In October 2006, the United States government decided to build a 700-mile fence along its Mexican border. Three years and $3.1 billion later, the film investigates the impact of the project, revealing how its stated goals--containing illegal immigration, cracking down on drug trafficking, and protecting America from terrorists--have given way to unforeseen consequences.

Last Address (Director: Ira Sachs) -- A composition of exterior images from the last residential addresses of a group of New York City artists who died of AIDS.

Let's Harvest the Organs of Death Row Inmates (Directors: Chris Weller and Max Joseph; Screenwriter: Graeme Wood) -- In 2008, 37 death row inmates were executed. None of their organs were donated. Considering that there are currently 2,775 people on the waiting list for a heart transplant, the film makes the case for harvesting healthy organs from death row inmates.

Mr. Okra (Director and screenwriter: T.G. Herrington) -- An intimate look at one of New Orleans' most colorful characters, the charismatic vegetable salesman Mr. Okra, who provides a glimpse into the soul of an American city.

Para Fuera (Director: Nicholas Jasenovec) -- A intimate portrait of Dr. Richard J. Bing on his 100th birthday.

The Poodle Trainer (Director: Vance Malone) -- Irina Markova, a solitary Russian poodle trainer, reveals her transcendent relationship with her dogs, the childhood tragedy that sparked a lifetime of working with animals, and the welcome isolation behind the red velvet curtains of the circus.

The S From Hell (Director: Rodney Ascher) -- A documentary-cum-horror film about the scariest corporate symbol in history, the 1964 Screen Gems logo, aka The S From Hell. Built around interviews with survivors still traumatized from viewing the logo after shows like Bewitched or The Monkees, the film brings their stories to life with animation, found footage, and re-enactments.

Thompson (Director: Jason Tippet) -- Since second grade, Matt and Ryan have shared the bond of speech impediments, weapons and things that go fast. But as their last days of high school speed by, the two friends find that their go-carts, dirt bikes, and RC cars can't outrun adulthood.

Quadrangle (Director: Amy Grappell) -- An unconventional look at two "conventional" couples that swapped partners and lived in a group marriage in the early 1970s, hoping to pioneer an alternative to divorce and the way people would live in the future.

 

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Bus / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Yasmine Novak) -- An examination of those that live their lives amidst the complex rules, walls, soldiers and permits that make up the Israel/Palestine bus system.

Glottal Opera / Australia (Director: John Fink; Screenwriters: John Fink and Sally Stevens) -- Mesmerizing, disturbing, hilarious, disgusting, compelling, repelling.

Notes on the Other / Spain (Director: Sergio Oksman; Screenwriters: Carlos Mugiro and Sergio Oksman) -- Each summer, a crowd of Ernest Hemingway doubles meet in Key West, Florida, to choose the authentic Hemingway after Hemingway's death. One day in 1924, the real Ernest Hemingway also wanted to be someone else. This film is the story of this hypothesis.

Photograph of Jesus / United Kingdom (Director: Laurie Hill) -- Real-life archives become the stage where fact and fiction collide, belief runs amok and unruly images have a life of their own.

Wagah / Germany (Directors: Supriyo Sen and Najaf Bilgrami) -- A visual illustration that documents a single evening where 20,000 people dance and sing daily at the only checkpoint between India and Pakistan.

 

Anvil! The Story of Anvil claimed victory in the IDA's Distinguished Feature category, while Australian film Salt took home the prize for Distinguished Short category during the 2009 International Documentary Association Documentary Awards tonight. Hosted by Ira Glass, the event also presented awards to seven other previously-announced winners and special honorees (for a complete list of winners, nominees and honorees, click here). Glass started the evening by crediting doc filmmakers for taking the time needed to properly tell stories, getting to know their subjects and presenting it all to viewers in a palatable way.

"Watching the documentaries being honored tonight, I was struck over and over with how rare it is to enter the lives of these strangers so intimately," he said. "The filmmakers spend so much time with these people, it's rare to get so far inside somebody else's experience."

Anvil! The Story of Anvil took home two prizes, having already won the previously-announced IDA Music Documentary Award. During a taped introduction to the film, The Office actor Rainn Wilson called the film about the long-struggling metal band, a "heavy metal hymn to the human spirit."

When accepting their award for Music Doc, Anvil drummer Robb Reiner said, "We are living proof that things are never too late and dreams do come true."

Michael Selditch, who along with Rob Tate, won the Limited Series Award for Architecture School was proud of the documentary community he saw at the event. "In many cases, the documentaries are off to the side. To have an organization that's just focused on documentaries is great," he said while arriving before the show. Naturally, he was in a good mood arriving at the show a winner. "I've been to award shows where I've been nominated, but never was the winner. So it's kind of amazing to be in this position to know ahead of time. I'm just having a good time tonight."

The evening took an emotional turn when Current Media's Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were held captive in North Korea and sentenced to 12 years hard labor earlier this year, presented a special Courage Under Fire tribute to documentarians and video journalists who are either imprisoned or have been killed because of their work. Lee teared up while speaking after a moving video tribute acknowledged over a hundred selected filmmakers, focusing on Christian Poveda (1955-2009), Musa Khan Khel (1981-2009), Rolando Santiz (1952-2009), and Janullah Hashimzada (1969-2009).

Nicolas Noxon brought some humor to the event while accepting his 2009 Pioneer Award for work with National Geographic Television among others. After spinning a yarn about his younger days when he butted heads with an arrogant Orson Welles, he acknowledged that there were many other pioneers in the crowd, including Dennis Kane (head of National Geographic Television for 20 years) and producer Mel Stuart. "Mel was voted a Pioneer a few years ago, and he tells me it's not bad at all," Noxon joked.

IDA friend, attorney and independent film advocate Michael Donaldson attended the event to accept his Amicus Award for his work fighting for independent filmmakers for over 30 years. "I'm just doing what I do. I'm still trying to get my head around being on this shortlist of [previous Amicus Award winners] Steven Spielberg and John Hendricks. Other than being speechless, which is an odd thing for a lawyer, it's great," Donaldson said before the event.

While accepting his honor during the show, he continued, "I don't take this as a laurel to rest my head on, which is good, because it's kind of hard," he joked noting the shape of the IDA award. "It's designed to goose one to more action…You keep doing what you do, I'll keep doing what I do and perhaps together in some way we'll help to make the world a better place."

When introducing this year's Career Achievement Award-winner, Errol Morris, composer Philip Glass credited Morris' storytelling, technical skills and ability to make those who work with him reach higher and achieve more than they imagined in the process (Glass has worked with Morris on multiple projects and he's Ira's cousin--who knew?).

"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 Glass, noting Morris' landmark works such as The Thin Blue Line, Standard Operating Procedure and Academy Award-winner The Fog of War. "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?"

Well, one could ask for a double win. Sacha Gervasi, the director of Anvil! got just that when Ira Glass announced that Anvil! The Story of Anvil won the IDA's Distinguished Feature category.

Gervasi's response was total rock and roll: "F**king hell." 

Overwhelmed and surprised, Gervasi choked-up while on stage with producer Rebecca Yeldman and Anvil band members Reiner and Steve "Lips" Kudlow. "It kind of hit home to me, these films can have a real impact on other people's lives, four people, two people, one person. It's a beautiful thing," he said, noting how the movie about a struggling band has helped the band achieve more success than ever. "I think the message here is also that a film doesn't have to be serious for it to be profound. It's so nice that people understood what we were trying to do, and part of this wonderful story is making a happy ending for these guys. We're happy to be here, thank you very much."

See the official announcement about the 2009 IDA Award winners here.

Read up on 2009 IDA Award winners, nominees and honorees here.

Following yesterday's race-to-post announcement of the competition films at Sundance, the festival just announced its Premieres, Spotlight and New Frontier slates.

Among the Premieres, Mark Lewis returns to Sundance after a ten-year hiatus with Cane Toads: The Conquest, in which he revisits the subject of his quirky 1988 film Cane Toads, this time from a 3D perspective.  The ever-prolific Michael Winterbottom offers Shock Doctrine, drawn from Naomi Klein's book about economic policy.

The Spotlight section includes returning vets Lucy Walker, whose Waste Land is screening in the World Documentary Cinema Competition and whose Countdown to Zero screens here. Dan Klores, last at Sundance with Crazy Love, screens Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, one of ESPN's 30 for 30 series.

The New Frontier includes Sam Green's Utopia in Four Movements, billed as a "live documentary" featuring Green himself delivering the narration in concert with Dave Cerf's soundtrack "to explore the battered state of the utopian impulse at the dawn of the 21st century."

Here are the lineups:

Premieres--Documentaries:

Cane Toads: The Conquest / USA (Director and screenwriter: Mark Lewis)--In 3D, Mark Lewis explores one of Australia's greatest environmental catastrophes as he follows the unstoppable march of the cane toad across the Australian continent. World Premiere

Shock Doctrine / USA (Directors: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross)--Closely based on the book by award-winning journalist Naomi Klein, Shock Doctrine exposes how shock is used to implement economic policy in vulnerable environments. North American Premiere

 

Spotlight--Documentaries:

8: The Mormon Proposition / USA(Director: Reed Cowan)--An examination of the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the promotion and passage of California's Proposition 8 denying marriage rights for Gay and Lesbian couples. World Premiere

Catfish / USA(Directors: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman)--When a young New York City photographer is contacted on Facebook by an 8-year-old painting prodigy from rural Michigan, he becomes deeply enmeshed in her life, even falling in love with her older sister--that is, until a crack appears in her story. World Premiere

Climate Refugees / USA (Director: Michael Nash)--An over-consuming, crowded world, with depleting resources and a changing climate is giving birth to 25 million climate refugees resulting in a mass global migration and border conflicts. World Premiere

Countdown to Zero / USA (Director: Lucy Walker)--A fascinating and frightening exploration of the dangers of nuclear weapons, exposing a variety of present-day threats and featuring insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate total global disarmament. World Premiere

Life 2.0 / USA(Director: Jason Spingarn-Koff)--More than an examination of new technology, the film is foremost an intimate, character-based drama about people whose lives are dramatically transformed by the virtual world called Second Life. World Premiere

Teenage Paparazzo / USA(Director: Adrian Grenier)--A 13-year-old paparazzi boy snaps a photo of actor Adrian Grenier, leading Grenier to explore the effects of celebrity on culture. World Premiere

To Catch a Dollar: Muhammad Yunus Banks on America / Bangladesh, USA (Director: Gayle Ferraro)--Tapping into the success of Muhammad Yunus after winning the Nobel Peace Prize (2006), Grameen America has opened in Queens, NY, replicating the banking model program Yunus first started in Bangladesh. World Premiere

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks / USA (Director: Dan Klores)--Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times. But it was the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals that solidified Miller as Public Enemy #1 in New York City. World Premiere

 

New Frontier--Documentaries:

Utopia in Four Movements / USA (Director: Sam Green)--In this "live documentary," Sam Green's live narration blends with Dave Cerf's soundtrack to explore the battered state of the utopian impulse at the dawn of the 21st century.  World Premiere

 

The 2009 IDA Documentary Awards are just around the corner (this Friday, Dec. 4 to be exact), so now is the perfect time to read up on some of the just-announced winners and nominees who are vying for the top spot in the Feature Documentary and Short Documentary categories.

Check out these past Documentary magazine articles and interviews on the following films and filmmakers:

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (IDA Music Documentary Award winner, Feature Documentary nominee): This Is Anvil: Heavy Metal Doc Follows Band's 30-Year Quest for Fame

Wounded Knee (ABCNews VideoSource Award winner): Their AIM Is True: Native American Filmmakers Look to Define a New Era

The Final Inch (Pare Lorentz Award winner): Meet the Academy Award Nominees: Irene Taylor Brodsky--'The Final Inch'

Salt (Short Documentary nominee): Meet the Filmmakers: Michael Angus--'Salt'

The Solitary Life of Cranes (Short Documentary nominee): Meet the Filmmakers: Eva Weber--'The Solitary Life of Cranes'

Afghan Star (Feature Documentary nominee): Afghanistan's Got Talent: 'Afghan Star' Observes Pop Culture in a War-torn Nation

Food, Inc. (Feature Documentary nominee): Change: It's What's for Dinner: 'Food, Inc.' Takes on Agribusiness

Mugabe and the White African (Feature Documentary nominee): Meet the Filmmakers: Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson--'Mugabe and the White African'

Then, check out the latest articles on our special honorees:

Errol Morris (Career Achievement Award): Career Achievement Award--The Cinematic Investigations of Errol Morris

Nicolas Noxon (Pioneer Award): IDA Pioneer Award--Bringing Wildlife to the Small Screen: Nicolas Noxon

Michael Donaldson (Amicus Award): Amicus Award--Fair Use’s Best Friend: Michael C. Donaldson

Natalia Almada (Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award): Transcending Borders: Natalia Almada

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.