2017 IDA Documentary Awards Feature And Short Nominees and Creative Recognition Awards Announced

November 1, 2017 (Los Angeles, CA)—The International Documentary Association has announced the Best Feature and Best Short nominees, as well as the recipients of Creative Recognition awards, for the 2017 IDA Documentary Awards. The 33rd edition of the annual ceremony will take place Saturday, December 9 at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. All other nominees were announced on October 16.

In the competition categories, the nominees for Best Feature include City of Ghosts, Matthew Heineman’s urgent account of ground-level resistance in Syria, Dina, Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles’ intimate and unconventional “real-life romantic comedy,” Faces Places, Agnès Varda and JR’s poignant and profound collaborative journey through rural France, LA 92, T.J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay’s experiential, archive-driven portrait of the L.A. Riots, and Strong Island, Yance Ford’s engrossing cinematic memoir about his brother’s violent death.

“The diverse array of films nominated this year underscore the vibrancy and elasticity of documentary form,” says Simon Kilmurry, IDA’s Executive Director. “These films address the most urgent contemporary global matters -- and the most intimate emotional territory. All of them demonstrate the courage and ingenuity of nonfiction media makers.” 

The nominees for Best Short include Laura Checkoway’s Edith+Eddie, Violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw’s The Fight, Frank Stiefel’s Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405, Jacob LaMendola’s Long Shot, Dan Habib’s Mr. Connolly Has ALS, and Patrick Bresnan’s The Rabbit Hunt. 

The winners for Best Feature and Best Short are decided by IDA members. To receive access to screeners and vote for the winners, join IDA by visiting www.documentary.org/membership

The list of nominees is below:

Best Feature Nominees

City of Ghosts
Director/Producer: Matthew Heineman
Amazon Studios

Dina
Directors/Producers: Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles
The Orchard

Faces Places
Directors: Agnès Varda and JR
Cohen Media Group

LA 92
Directors: Dan Lindsay & TJ Martin
Producers: Jonathan Chinn, Simon Chinn, Tim Pastore, Matt Renner and Sarah Gibson
National Geographic

Strong Island
Director/Producer: Yance Ford
Producer Joslyn Barnes
Netflix

Best Short Nominees

Edith+Eddie
Director: Laura Checkoway
Producer: Thomas Lee Wright 
Kartemquin Films

The Fight
Directors/Producers: Violeta Ayala and Dan Fallshaw
The Guardian

Heaven Is A Traffic Jam On The 405
Director/Producer: Frank Stiefel

Long Shot
Director: Jacob LaMendola
Producers: Jacob LaMendola, Mary Beth Minthorn, Milos S. Silber and Todd Wiseman Jr.
Netflix

Mr. Connolly Has ALS
Director/Producer: Dan Habib
Impact Media Partners

The Rabbit Hunt
Director: Patrick Bresnan
Producer: Ivete Lucas
Topic Studios

Creative Recognition Award Winners

Best Cinematography
Machines
Cinematography by: Rodrigo Trejo Villanueva 
Kino Lorber

Best Editing
Dawson City: Frozen Time
Edited by: Bill Morrison
Kino Lorber

Best Music
Brimstone and Glory
 Original Score by: Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin
Oscilloscope Laboratories 

Best Writing
Donkeyote
Written by: Chico Pereira, Manuel Pereira and Gabriel Molera
Scottish Documentary Institute