Joel DeMott, renowned cinema vérité filmmaker, died on June 13, 2025. DeMott is best known for her films Seventeen (1983), which she co-directed with Jeff Kreines, and Demon Lover Diary (1980). Alongside Kreines, DeMott created a model of intimate cinema vérité filmmaking that has inspired countless filmmakers.
Passings
The documentary world lost a bright light on April 12, when Andrea Blaugrund Nevins died of breast cancer. Nancy Kates details her legacy as a tenacious, compassionate filmmaker who brought her optimism to every project.
Over the past week, IDA collected tributes to Nancy Buirski from those who knew her and were supported, inspired, and encouraged by her artistry
Over the past week, IDA collected tributes to Judith "Judy" Heumann from those who knew her and were influenced, advised, or galvanized by her
On the morning after Julia Reichert left us—but before I found out that she had—I dreamed that I was on a retreat in King's Canyon in Northern
BY Tom White & Bedatri D. Choudhury
Sometimes the right people win the big awards. Certainly, that’s the case with John Zaritsky, a fiery, truth-telling filmmaker, who garnered the Best
By Bedatri D. Choudhury and Tom White We at IDA have felt a devastating string of losses in the documentary community over the past few weeks
We at IDA feel the full, devastating weight of the tragic death of Brent Renaud. On March 13, he was killed by Russian troops while making a
Michelle Materre was a filmmaker, programmer, distributor and professor. But most of all, she was a trailblazer, someone who had dedicated her life to