News

Exclusive: The women and gender-expansive-focused training initiative Circle has unveiled the line-up for the second edition of its Circle Fiction Orbit in Montenegro, with mentors including award-winning directors Jasmila Žbanić and Pia Marais this year.

The event – unfolding in the Montenegrin resort coastal resort town of Herceg Novi from November 24 to December 1 – is supporting a diverse line-up of six fiction projects with strong international potential.

They include historic drama Tethys Ocean by Polish director Anna Jadowska, who made waves with 2022 bank robbery drama Woman On The Roof, and award-winning Slovenian director Barbara Zemljič’s It Will Fade Away, following a woman who discovers her daughter is being sexually harassed by a child at her kindergarten. (scroll down for full list of projects).

Oscar nominated Romanian producer Bianca Oana, whose credits include Berlinale Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not and Oscar-nominated doc Collective, has returned as head of studies for a second year.

As does any major competitive film festival, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has its own development sidebar for projects in their early stages. IDFA’s Forum on Wednesday, as the festival hits the midway point, announced winners for the section’s 2024 awards. The honors will help support these films in their journey ahead out of Europe’s premier documentary film festival — and an essential global crossroads for nonfiction films.

Ibrahim Omar’s project “Dry Sky” won the IDFA Forum Award for Best Pitch, while Lana Y. Daher’s “Do You Love Me” took home the Forum Award for Best Rough Cut, and the DocLab Forum Award went to “Amorphous” by May Abdalla.

Regarding “Do You Love Me,” produced by Lana Y. Daher, the jury — consisting of Burcu Melekoglu and Mandisa Zitha — said: “We are delighted to present the Jury Award for the most outstanding film about to be...

Ibrahim Omar’s project Dry Sky won Best Pitch at the IDFA Forum Awards presented in Amsterdam on Wednesday.

Among the other winners were Lana Y. Daher’s Do You Love Me, “an archival journey through Beirut… [that] weaves together past & present to explore Lebanon’s current status and psyche,” which earned the Forum Award for Best Rough Cut, and Amorphous, “an immersive multiplayer experience about how you feel in your skin” directed by May Abdalla winner of the DocLab Forum Award.

IDFA Forum introduced a new honor this year — the Producers Connection Award. That went to Looking for the Mermaid, directed by Yara Costa (logline: “A chanted love promise between a fisherman and a mermaid and a story of part of humanity betraying Earth.”).

Each award includes a cash prize of €1,500. Do You Love Me also will receive closed captioning and subtitles from inVision Subtitling.

Dry Sky received a 2024 IDFA Bertha Fund grant.

“Dry Sky,” produced by Ibrahim Omar, won the Forum Award for Best Pitch Wednesday at IDFA documentary festival in Amsterdam. “Do You Love Me,” produced by Lana Y. Daher, took home the Forum Award for Best Rough Cut, and “Looking for the Mermaid” by Yara Costa won the Producers Connection Award. The DocLab Forum Award went to “Amorphous” by May Abdalla.

Speaking about Forum Award for Best Pitch winner “Dry Sky”, jury members Dorota Lech and Malin Huber said: “For an articulation of a subtle cinematic language and a courageous proposal of healing. Told through a unique and critical inside perspective we look forward to a collective endeavor to imagine new futures. It takes a village.”

Logline: The film follows Ibrahim who is on his way back to his hometown. He endeavors to build what he has dreamt of all his life. However, he faces a fate intertwined with the...

Upcoming projects from Iranian filmmaker Behrooz Karamizade and Golden Bear-winning producer Bianca Oana are among 10 titles selected for the Full Circle Lab Nouvelle-Aquitaine Hessen workshop.

The first edition of the lab, which has been announced in Cannes and is organised by France’s Tatino Films, will host six projects in development and four in the editing stage. The Development Lab will support writing, co-production consultations and industry guidance while the First Cut Lab will supply expert feedback, guided by an experienced editing tutor.

From the selection, six are connected to the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in France and four with the Hessen region in Germany.

Bobi Wine: The People’s President won the top prize of best feature documentary at the 2023 International Documentary Awards on Tuesday night.

The film follows music star, activist and opposition leader Bobi Wine amid Uganda’s 2021 presidential election.

Accepting the award during the International Documentary Association’s virtual awards show, co-director Moses Bwayo said, “The awareness this film has brought to world audiences has arguably kept Bobi Wine alive and out of prison for now.”

Asmae El Moudir won best director for The Mother of All Lies, in which El Moudir creates a replica of the Casablanca neighborhood where she grew up, allowing her to reconnect with her past.

The Mother of All Lies was nominated for three awards, along with Milisuthando, while Apolonia, Apolonia had a leading four nominations.

Incident, which reconstructs a Chicago police shooting in 2018 from numerous viewpoints, won best short documentary award. Pov and Pov Shorts...

The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the winners in 18 categories at the 39th annual IDA Awards Show on December 12, 2023, which live premiered on IDA’s YouTube channel. A record number of IDA members cast votes for this year’s Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary nominees. Independent judging committees selected winners in all other categories.

The Best Feature Documentary Award went to NatGeo’s “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” which follows Uganda’s 2021 presidential election and music star, activist, and opposition leader Bobi Wine. “The awareness this film has brought to world audiences,” said co-director Moses Bwayo, “has arguably kept Bobi Wine alive and out of prison for now.”

This year’s Best Director was Moroccan Asmae ElMoudir, who won for innovative hybrid documentary and Moroccan Oscar submission “The Mother of All Lies,” in which ElMoudir uses clay puppets fashioned by her father to recreate incidents from her family’s past in Casablanca.

Exclusive: Female and non-binary filmmaker-focused international training initiative Circle has kicked off its inaugural Circle Fiction Orbit initiative at a meeting in Montenegro and unveiled the participants.

The new program extends Circle’s activities beyond its founding Woman Doc Accelerator program, which has supported some 50 non-fiction projects since its launch five years ago.

Employing the same methodology as the Doc Accelerator, the inaugural fiction initiative is supporting five fiction projects in development.

They include Greenlandic birthday party-set drama Kaffemi, from director Pipaluk Jørgensen, whose short film Ivalu was Oscar nominated this year, and screenwriter-actress Nukâka Coster Waldau.

Italian director Irene Dionisio participates with Idda about two childhood friends who reconnect as they scale the perilous slopes of Mount Etna. Dionisio previously made waves with Pawn Streets which played in Venice Critics’ Week.

Finnish director Laura Hyppönen and producer Merja Ritola (Greenlit Productions) are attending with Lex Julia, exploring the dynamics...

Apolonia, Apolonia leads the 2023 International Documentary Awards nominations with four nods.

Other top nominees include The Mother of All Lies and Milisuthando, which earned three nominations apiece.

All three films are up for the top prize of best feature documentary, along with two-time nominees Against the Tide, ANHELL69, Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and Q.

All of this year’s best director nominees represent films nominated for best feature.

Other two-time nominees, not up for best feature or director, include Anselm (best cinematography and original music score), To Kill a Tiger (best original music score and best writing) and Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (best editing and cinematography).

Winners will be announced at the IDA’s virtual awards show, set for Dec. 12, which will take place at 8 p.m. Pt and stream on documentary.org and the IDA’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels.

“In the wake of devastating events...

The International Documentary Association has announced nominations in 18 categories for its 39th awards, which will be awarded in a streaming ceremony on Dec. 12.

The nominees for best feature documentary are “Against the Tide,” “ANHELL69,” “Apolonia, Apolonia,” “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” “In the Rearview,” “Milisuthando,” Q,” “The Mother of All Lies” and “While We Watched.”

The awards will unspool at 8 p.m. Pt on documentary.org and on IDA’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram channels.

“In the wake of devastating events unfolding in the world and the grief our staff, board, community, and humanity at large are experiencing, we have decided to forego an in-person party. We know that stories have the power to encourage compassion, understanding, and peace. We are committed to preserving space for stories to be shared. Our wish is to recognize and celebrate the nominees and winners together, as a global documentary community,...

The 2023 IDA Documentary Awards has officially unveiled its list of nominees.

The 39th annual awards ceremony for the International Documentary Association will take place virtually on December 12, streaming on documentary.org, as well as the IDA YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram channels. The awards recognize the top films and projects in the documentary genre.

Nominees include “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” about how a Ugandan pop star disrupted the national political landscape; “Pianoforte,” following the prestigious international piano competition; and HBO documentary “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.” The shortlist for the nominees was announced earlier this year

The decision to hold the 2023 IDA Documentary Awards virtually was in part due to the current geopolitical landscape, according to IDA Interim Executive Director Ken Ikeda.

“In the wake of devastating events unfolding in the world and the grief our staff, board, community, and humanity at large are experiencing, we have decided to forego an in-person party,...

Lea Glob’s documentary Apolonia, Apolonia earned a leading four nominations today as the IDA Documentary Awards revealed its nominees for the 39th edition of the prestigious event.

Following closely with three nominations apiece were The Mother of All Lies, directed by Asmae El Moudir, and Milisuthando, directed by Milisuthando Bongela.

Apolonia, Apolonia, a personal exploration into the life and work of French artist Apolonia Sokol filmed over the course of 13 years, will compete for Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Writing, and Best Editing. Glob’s film won the top prize at IDFA, where it debuted last November, going on to win awards at Cph:dox in Copenhagen, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, and the Sofia International Film Festival, among others. Despite its many laurels, the film has yet to land a U.S. distributor.

‘The Mother of All Lies’

The Mother of All Lies earned nominations as Best Documentary Feature,...

The International Documentary Association announced its shortlists of features and shorts in the running for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards, a list as notable for what was left out as for what films made the cut.

A total of 17 feature docs earned a place on the shortlist, including Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, directed by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster, National Geographic’s Bobi Wine: The People’s President, Cannes winner The Mother of All Lies, and the Ukraine-themed film In the Rearview.

Among notable films left off the list: The Errol Morris documentary The Pigeon Tunnel, Kokomo City, Sundance winner The Eternal Memory, Roger Ross Williams’ Stamped From the Beginning from Netflix, and another Netflix title, American Symphony — the Matthew Heineman documentary about musician Jon Batiste. Scroll for the full list of nominated films.

Up to 10 nominees in the feature and short documentary...

The International Documentary Association announced the 17 feature-length and 25 short documentaries included on the shortlists for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards, which will be held during the week of Dec. 11in Los Angeles.

The nominees will be announced on Nov. 21, and IDA members will vote for Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary until Dec. 5.

“The 39th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” said Ken Ikeda, IDA’s Interim Executive Director. “This year’s Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary shortlists reflect important work from twenty-one countries. We are excited to celebrate the work of our community and present winners this December in Los Angeles.”

The 2023 shortlists and nominees are selected by independent committees of 280 documentary makers, curators, critics and industry experts from 40 countries. IDA received 669 total submissions in all categories from 48 countries.

Best Feature Documentary Shortlist

Against the Tide...

The International Documentary Association (IDA) on Tuesday announced its best feature and short shortlists for the 2023 IDA Documentary Awards.

The ceremony will be held during the week of Dec. 11 in Los Angeles — venue information is set to follow. Starting Nov. 7, IDA members will be able to view each of the shortlisted films on IDA Virtual Cinema, and up to 10 nominees from each category will be selected. The nominees will be announced on Nov. 21.

“The 39th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” said Ken Ikeda, IDA’s interim executive director. “This year’s best feature documentary and best short documentary shortlists reflect important work from twenty-one countries. We are excited to celebrate the work of our community and present winners this December in Los Angeles.”

280 documentary filmmakers, curators, critics and industry experts from 40 countries selected the shortlists. IDA received 669 total submissions from 48 countries.

The 39th International Documentary Awards have announced their shortlists for the best nonfiction entries of the year, with a ceremony to take place during the week of Dec. 11 in Los Angeles in a venue to be named. The films were selected by independent committees comprised of 280 documentary makers, curators, critics, and industry experts from 40 countries. IDA received 669 total submissions in all categories from 48 countries.

New York Times Op-Docs dominated the Documentary Short category with seven mentions, including entries from the Netherlands (“Neighbour Abdi”), Mexico (“Victoria”) and Hungary (“Away”) among the shortlisted selections. The Documentary Feature category appeared to favor less-buzzy international titles this season.

What is surprising about the IDA shortlist is how many of the year’s presumed top contenders are not included. Of the 21 nonfiction films that have been nominated by the Critics Choice Documentary Awards or placed on the Doc NYC shortlist of likely awards titles, only...

The International Documentary Association has unveiled their shortlist for their 39th annual award ceremony, celebrating the best in documentary filmmaking.

17 feature-length documentaries — including “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” and “Anonymous Sister” — were selected for the shortlist, as were 25 short films. The films hail from over 20 countries, including Canada, India, Cambodia, Denmark, Uganda, France, and South Africa.

From the shortlist, up to 10 nominees in both the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories will be selected by IDA members. In addition, awards will be given to additional films in the following categories: Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best TV Feature Documentary or Mini-Series, Best Short Form Series, Best Stand-Alone Audio Documentary, Best Multi-Part Audio Documentary or Series, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award,...

Tana Gilbert’s ‘Malqueridas’ the other key winner.

Luna Carmoon’s debut feature Hoard led the winners of the 38th Venice Critics’ Week, taking three prizes including the audience award.

The UK film, about a young girl living with her hoarder mother who then reconsiders her youth when a teenager, also won the prize for most innovative film. Lead actress Saura Lightfoot Leon shared a special mention for the grand prize with actress Ariane Labed for The Vourdalak.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

The main grand prize went to Tana Gilbert’s Malqueridas, selected by a jury of Belgian musician Baloji,...

The first part will take place on the Greek island of Evia in June.

Circle programme director Biljana Tutorov confirmed 10 doc projects in Cannes on Monday for this year’s Circle Women Doc Accelerator training programme for women-identifying filmmakers.

They are Portrait Of A Friendship by Faezeh Nikoozad; Berliner by Anna Khazaradze; No Woman’s Road by Fanny Laure Bovet; Sites Of Resistance directed by Lisa Smith; Sisters by Tereza Bernatkova; Kafka In Belgrade by Masa Neskovic; Rock, Paper, Scissors by Christina Phoebe; Blazing Interwar produced by Anda Ionescu; Untying The Knot by Chona Mangalindan and Love School by Julia Maryanska.

Vienna-based sales agent Square Eyes has acquired international rights to Theo Montoya’s debut feature “Anhell69,” ahead of its world premiere in Venice Film Festival’s International Critics’ Week. The producers include Bianca Oana, who also produced Alexander Nanau’s Oscar-nominated doc “Collective,” and Berlinale winner “Touch Me Not” by Adina Pintilie.

A haunting, cinematic portrait of the young queer scene in Medellín, “Anhell69” follows Montoya’s short film on the same subject, “Son on Sodom,” which premiered in Cannes 2020.

In “Anhell69,” a funeral car cruises the streets of Medellín, while a young director tells the story of his past in this violent and conservative city. He remembers the pre-production of his first film, a B-movie with ghosts. The young queer scene of Medellín forms the cast for the film, but the main protagonist dies of a heroin overdose at the age of 21, like many friends of the director. “Anhell69” explores the dreams,...

Exclusive: Toto and His Sisters, a film by Oscar-nominated documentarian Alexander Nanau, has started streaming today for the first time in the U.S. on emerging service Documentary+.

The streaming outlet was launched by Xtr. Founded in 2019, Xtr is a backer of notable documentary projects such as a multi-part look at NBA legend Magic Johnson set up at Apple TV+ and the Emmy-winning 76 Days, which aired on MTV and streamed on Pluto. The surging appetite for unscripted programming — vividly demonstrated over the past couple of years by The Last Dance, Tiger King and many other titles — is fueling both Xtr and Documentary+. Average watch time on Documentary+ is 80 minutes, according to the company.

Nanau and collaborator Bianca Oana, received an Oscar nomination for Collective, a film about a concert-venue fire and related government corruption in their native Romania. The film also received an Oscar nom in the foreign language category,...

Female filmmakers need to make sure they can continue telling the kind of stories they want, said Croatian director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović during Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Talk.

Kusijanović, who recently won the Camera d’Or at Cannes for her debut feature “Murina,” criticized the Oscars’ new diversity rules for encouraging a form of reverse engineering. “It makes the companies go: ‘We just need one lesbian woman, two Black women and we can still make the film we always wanted with our male director.’ I think those quotas don’t work,” she said, stressing they should be applied to financing instead.

“More women come out of film schools than men and yet they still get less funding. The answer I get, which is crazy, is that ‘women have families.’ I just worked with a woman who has five kids and shot 125 films,” she said, mentioning the achievements of her DoP Hélène Louvart.

The CineLink Talks run August 14-19.

Screen International and Documentary Campus once again teamed up with the Sarajevo Film Festival (September 13-20) to host CineLink Talks, an online programme of panels for the festival’s 2021 industry strand.

The series of 60-minute CineLink Talks ran from August 15-19. Topics included filmmaking during the pandemic, working with streamers, female filmmaker quotas, mental health in the film industry and new models for distribution; and masterclasses with filmmakers Mads Brugger and Alexander Nanau.

The talks are available to watch in full below.

In conversation with filmmaker Mads Brugger

Moderator: Damir Šagolj

What have producers...

The 10 hour-long CineLink Talks will run from August 14-19.

Screen International and Documentary Campus have once again teamed up with the Sarajevo Film Festival to host CineLink Talks, an online programme of panels for the festival’s 2021 industry strand.

The 10 hour-long CineLink Talks will run from August 14-19. Topics include filmmaking during the pandemic, working with streamers, female filmmaker quotas, mental health in the film industry and new models for distribution. The line-up also includes masterclasses with filmmakers Mads Brugger and Alexander Nanau.

All of the webinars will run via Zoom and feature a live Q&a in which audience...

Producers of ‘Another Round’ and Silver Bear winner ‘Natural Light’ selected for networking platform.

The producer of Oscar winner Another Round is among those selected for European Film Promotion’s (Efp) networking platform Producers on the Move, which will again take place online.

The 20 producers selected for this year’s programme would usually gather at the Cannes Film Festival and take part in meetings, roundtable sessions and case studies. But although Cannes has committed to host a physical festival in July, Efp will run the programme online from May 17-21 to avoid possible pandemic restrictions.

Among this year’s line-up is Kasper Dissing,...

The producers of this year’s International Feature Film Oscar winner “Another Round” and Berlin Silver Bear winner “Natural Light” have been selected for European Film Promotion’s Producers on the Move program, which promotes promising producers and fosters international co-productions. The 20 participants for the program, which runs online from May 17-21, will be presenting their latest projects in speed meetings and during roundtable sessions. More than half of the selection are women.

The participants, who were selected for the program from all of the nominations submitted by the Efp member organizations, are Annabella Nezri (Belgium), Nikolay Mutafchiev (Bulgaria), Bojan Kanjera (Croatia), Marek Novák (Czech Republic), Kasper Dissing (Denmark), Jean-Christophe Reymond (France), Maite Woköck (Germany), Sára László (Hungary), Ruth Treacy (Ireland), Marica Stocchi (Italy), Iris Otten (The Netherlands), Gary Cranner (Norway), Beata Rzeźniczek (Poland), Tathiani Sacilotto (Portugal), Bianca Oana (Romania), Katarína Tomková (Slovak Republic), Andraž Jerič (Slovenia), Clara Nieto (Spain...

Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony was historic in more ways than one, making the 441-day wait for the 93rd Academy Awards well worth it.

“The Father” star Anthony Hopkins nabbed actor, Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) took home the actress prize, Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) won for supporting actor and “Minari’s” Yuh-Jung Youn claimed supporting actress, becoming the first Korean actor to do so. Nine actors of color earned Academy Award nominations — an Oscar record for diversity in those categories — but only two won. Additionally, more women were nominated in 2021 than in any previous year.

“Nomadland’s” Chloé Zhao made history as well, becoming the second woman and the first woman of color to win an Oscar for directing. The film also won best picture.

Unlike other awards shows during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hollywood’s biggest night was held in person, and televised live on ABC from the...

A constellation of prominent filmmakers, festival directors and film executives from all over the world have signed a petition to protest the Colombian government’s tax reform plan, which would adversely affect current film incentives, in place since 2003.

Signees includes Cannes Festival head Thierry Fremaux and Critics’ Week’s Charles Tesson; Venice’s Alberto Barbera; Pyramide Films’ Eric Lagesse and filmmakers from as far afield as Iraq (Abbas Fahdel), Thailand (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) and Europe, led by Luc Dardenne, Laurent Cantet and Romania’s Bianca Oana.

“The tax reform project presented on April 15 by the government of Colombia threatens the organization of the Colombian model for the support and development of its audiovisual sector,” the petition read. “Outside of Colombia, film professionals who have been witnesses, and sometimes actors, of the dynamism of Colombian cinema express their great concern,” it added.

The petition called on the government and the Congress of...

Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas and singer, songwriter, and actor Nick Jonas announced the 93rd Oscars® nominations today (March 15), live from London, via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed, and broadcast media.

Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.

Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...

The documentary film community gathered virtually on Facebook Tuesday night to chat and cheer each other on at the annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Oscar ballots are due Wednesday at 5pm Pt, and many documentary branch voters were on the livestream.

At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.

She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”

Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...

The documentary film community gathered virtually on Facebook Tuesday night to chat and cheer each other on at the annual Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Oscar ballots are due Wednesday at 5pm Pt, and many documentary branch voters were on the livestream.

At the start of the evening, as we waited for the pre-taped presentation to begin, “Crip Camp” nominee Jim Lebrecht congratulated “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogel for his BAFTA nomination that morning. International Documentary Association chief Simon Kilmurry was on the chat, along with Sundance artistic director Tabitha Jackson and Kirsten (Kj) Johnson.

She took home the directing prize for “Dick Johnson is Dead,” one of nine Netflix films nominated and among three winners for the streamer, including “Rolling Thunder Revue” and non-fiction short “Love Song for Latasha.”

Many filmmakers sent in videos introducing themselves, from Martin Scorsese in New York (“Rolling Thunder Revue” won an editing award) and...

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective

Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season

2021 Oscars Predictions:

Best Documentary Feature

Updated: Mar. 4, 2021

Awards Prediction Commentary: The documentary branch has a lot of international voters that have been added over the last few years. Some of the American stories that center around politics and social issues may get passed over...

It was a bit of a wait, thanks to the pandemic, but the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations for the 2020-21 season finally were announced today, with A24’s First Cow, Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, A24’s Minari, Focus Features’ Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Searchlight’s Nomadland taking the five slots in the Best Feature category.

Among movies, Never Rarely Sometimes Always led all Spirit nominees with seven, followed by Minari (six), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Nomadland (five each) and Miss Juneteenth (four).

This year’s Spirits includes five new TV categories: Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series, Best New Scripted Series, Best Female Performance in a Scripted Series, Best Male Performance in a Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a Scripted Series. Leading the TV section were Apple TV+ dramedy Little America and Netflix’s drama Unorthodox (three each) and HBO’s I May Destroy You...

Another precursor has chimed in, this one focused on the documentary genre. Last night, the International Documentary Association held their 36th Annual awards ceremony. There, the IDA Awards tapped Crip Camp as its Best Feature winner, beating fellow nominees Collective, Gunda, MLK/FBI, The Reason I Jump, Reunited, Time, The Truffle Hunters, and Welcome to Chechnya. It was a good victory for Netflix and Higher Ground (Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s company), as they seek to make it back to back wins at the Academy Awards in Best Documentary Feature. Will an Oscar follow? Stay tuned to find out, but the winners are below… Here are the full results from the 2020 IDA Awards: Best Feature Nominees “Collective” “Crip Camp” – ***Winner*** “Gunda” “MLK/FBI” (USA / IFC Films. Director: Sam Pollard. Producer: Benjamin Hedin) “The Reason I Jump” “Reunited” (Denmark. Director: Mira Jargil. Producer: Kirstine Barfod) Softie (Kenya / Pov . Director/Producer: Sam Soko.

The influential Cinema Eye Honors nominations, voted on by documentary filmmakers, help to narrow the wide field for documentary awards contenders. Amazon Studios release “Time,” Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white portrait of one family’s struggle through years of incarceration, leads the field with six nominations, including Outstanding Feature, Direction, Editing, Score and Debut.

Garnering four nominations: Alexander Nanau’s Romanian health system exposé “Collective” (Magnolia), Victor Kossakovsky’s story of a mother pig, “Gunda” (Neon), and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) with four.

With three nominations each: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” (Apple), Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix), Liz Garbus’ series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO), Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian Oscar submission “Notturno” (Super Ltd), and Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics).

Per usual, prolific Netflix leads all distributors/broadcasters with thirteen nominations, while HBO Documentary Films grabbed ten,...

The influential Cinema Eye Honors nominations, voted on by documentary filmmakers, help to narrow the wide field for documentary awards contenders. Amazon Studios release “Time,” Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white portrait of one family’s struggle through years of incarceration, leads the field with six nominations, including Outstanding Feature, Direction, Editing, Score and Debut.

Garnering four nominations: Alexander Nanau’s Romanian health system exposé “Collective” (Magnolia), Victor Kossakovsky’s story of a mother pig, “Gunda” (Neon), and David France’s “Welcome to Chechnya” (HBO) with four.

With three nominations each: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Boys State” (Apple), Kirsten Johnson’s “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix), Liz Garbus’ series “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (HBO), Gianfranco Rosi’s Italian Oscar submission “Notturno” (Super Ltd), and Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics).

Per usual, prolific Netflix leads all distributors/broadcasters with thirteen nominations, while HBO Documentary Films grabbed ten,...

Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” which follows a family through decades of the father’s incarceration, leads all films in nominations for the 14th annual Cinema Eye Honors, a New York-based award established to honor all facets of nonfiction filmmaking.

“Time” received six nominations, including one in the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category. There, it will compete with “Boys State,” “Collective,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead” and “Gunda.”

“Collective,” “Gunda” and “Welcome to Chechnya” each received four nominations, while “Boys State,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” “Notturno” and “The Truffle Hunters” landed three each.

“Time” is now the only film to be nominated in the top category by the Cinema Eye Honors, the IDA Documentary Awards, the Critics Choice Documentary Awards and the Gotham Awards, and also receive a spot on Doc NYC’s “Short List” of awards contenders. “Gunda” was honored by four of the five groups,...

“Crip Camp” leads all films in nominations for the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, the International Documentary Association announced on Tuesday.

The film by directors Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht deals with a New York summer camp in the early 1970s that became a key launching pad for the disability rights movement. It was an opening-night film at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the documentary audience award.

“Crip Camp” received five IDA doc awards nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Editing and Best Writing. Four films received three nominations each: Sam Pollard’s “MLK/FBI,” Garrett Bradley’s “Time,” Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s “The Truffle Hunters” and Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed’s “My Octopus Teacher,” the only film whose three nominations did not include the Best Feature category.

Other Best Feature nominees are “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie” and “Welcome to Chechnya.

Leading the International Documentary Association Documentary Awards nominees with five nominations is “Crip Camp,” Netflix’s look back at an influential activist summer camp for the disabled, followed by Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white “Time” (Amazon Studios) and Sam Pollard’s 60s archival dive “MLK/FBI” (IFC Films) with four noms each.

“The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) scored three nods. All four films landed nods for Best Feature and Director, along with Jerry Rothwell’s “The Reason I Jump.” Netflix also landed multiple nominations for “Dick Johnson Is Dead” And “My Octopus Teacher.”

The IDAs are among the most reliable bellwethers of the Oscar documentary feature race. Last year’s IDA Best Feature winner, “For Sama,” was among the final five Oscar nominees, along with three out of 10 IDA nominees, including eventual Oscar-winner “American Factory.”

Starting December 7, IDA members are invited to vote online for Best Feature and Best...

Leading the International Documentary Association Documentary Awards nominees with five nominations is “Crip Camp,” Netflix’s look back at an influential activist summer camp for the disabled, followed by Garrett Bradley’s poetic black-and-white “Time” (Amazon Studios) and Sam Pollard’s 60s archival dive “MLK/FBI” (IFC Films) with four noms each.

“The Truffle Hunters” (Sony Pictures Classics) scored three nods. All four films landed nods for Best Feature and Director, along with Jerry Rothwell’s “The Reason I Jump.” Netflix also landed multiple nominations for “Dick Johnson Is Dead” And “My Octopus Teacher.”

The IDAs are among the most reliable bellwethers of the Oscar documentary feature race. Last year’s IDA Best Feature winner, “For Sama,” was among the final five Oscar nominees, along with three out of 10 IDA nominees, including eventual Oscar-winner “American Factory.”

Starting December 7, IDA members are invited to vote online for Best Feature and Best...

The International Documentary Association has announced the nominees for its 36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards, and a certain streaming service dominates. Netflix scored a leading 18 noms for the 2020 IDAs, more than three times its nearest rival. PBS is second with five, followed by HBO (four).

The IDA also said today that its 2020 ceremony is going virtual on January 21.

“The nominees present an inspiring and urgent range of stories from around the globe,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of the IDA. “The broad range of subjects and approaches to storytelling underscores that documentary is our most exciting form of cultural expression, a vital art form and a crucial element of democratic dialogue.”

Ten films are up for the marquee Best Feature award: Collective, Crip Camp (Netflix), Gunda (Neon), MLK/FBI (IFC Films), The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber), Reunited, Softie, Time, The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics) and Welcome to Chechnya (HBO).

The helmers of five of those films also are up for Best Director: Garrett Bradley (Time), Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (The Truffle Hunters), Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht (Crip Camp), Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI) and Jerry Rothwell (The Reason I Jump).

On the TV side, five programs will vie for Best Curated Series): ESPN’s 30 for 30, PBS’ American Experience, Thirteen Productions’ American Masters, Illinois Public Media’s Reel Midwest and PBS/World Channel’s Reel South.

The nominees for Best Episodic Series are Cheer (Netflix), Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (AMC), Last Chance U (Netflix), Seven Planets, One World (BBC America) and We’re Here (HBO).

Up for Best Multi-Part Documentary are Asian Americans (PBS), Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (HBO), City So Real (National Geographic), Hillary (Hulu) and Lenox Hill (Netflix).

“This is a year that has been one of reflection, looking inwards, and living life differently than we have always known it to be,” said James Costa, co-chair of the Feature Documentary Nominating Committee and IDA Board of Directors’ co-vice president. “Through the art of filmmaking these films gave us an opportunity to truly look and learn through the lenses of others.”

Here is the full list of nominees for the 2020 IDA Documentary Awards:

Best Feature

Collective

Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau

Producer: Bianca Oana

Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)

Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht

Producer: Sara Bolder

Gunda

Director: Victor Kossakovsky

Producer: Anita Rehoff Larsen

MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films)

Director: Sam Pollard

Producer: Benjamin Hedin

The Reason I Jump

Director: Jerry Rothwell

Producers: Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow

Reunited (Denmark)

Director: Mira Jargil

Producer: Kirstine Barfod

Softie (Kenya / Pov)

Director/Producer: Sam Soko

Producer: Toni Kamau

Time

Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley

Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn

The Truffle Hunters

Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw

Welcome to Chechnya (USA / HBO)

Director/Producer: David France

Producers: Alice Henty, Joy A. Tomchin and Askold Kurov

Best Director

Garrett Bradley

Time

USA / Amazon Studios, Concordia Studio, The New York Times

Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

The Truffle Hunters

USA, Italy, Greece / Sony Pictures Classics

Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht

Crip Camp

USA / Netflix

Sam Pollard

MLK/FBI

USA / IFC Films

Jerry Rothwell

The Reason I Jump

USA, UK / Kino Lorber

Best Short

Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa

Directors/Producers: Barbara Attie, Mike Attie, Janet Goldwater

All That Perishes at the Edge of Land (Pakistan)

Director/Producer: Hira Nabi

Producer: Till Passow

Huntsville Station (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)

Directors/Producers: Jamie Meltzer, Chris Filippone

Hysterical Girl (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)

Director: Kate Novack

Producer: Andrew Rossi

John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (USA / Netflix)

Director/Producer: Matthew Killip

The Lost Astronaut (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)

Director: Ben Proudfoot

Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi

Mizuko

Directors/Producers: Kira Dane, Katelyn Rebelo

sống ở đây

Director/Producer: Melanie Ho

To Calm the Pig Inside (Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos) (Philippines)

Director/Producer: Joanna Vasquez Arong

Unforgivable (El Salvador)

Director/Producer: Marlén Viñayo

Producer: Carlos Martínez

Best Curated Series

30 for 30 (USA / ESPN)

Executive Producers: John Dahl, Libby Geist, Rob King, Erin Leyden, Connor Schell

American Experience (USA / PBS)

Executive Producers: Susan Bellows and Mark Samels

American Masters

Executive Producer: Michael Kantor

Reel Midwest (USA / Illinois Public Media)

Executive Producer: Moss Bresnahan

Reel South

Executive Producers: Don Godish and Rachel Raney

Best Episodic Series

Cheer (USA / Netflix)

Director/Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley

Producers: Adam Leibowitz, Arielle Kilker, Chelsea Yarnell

Executive Producers: Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard, Jasper Thomlinson, Bert Hamelinck

Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (USA / AMC)

Executive Producers: Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter, Shawn Gee, Alex Gibney, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Shea Serrano, Angie Day, One9, Erik Parker, Isaac Bolden

Last Chance U (USA / Netflix)

Director/Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley

Executive Producers: Joe Labracio, James D. Stern, Lucas Smith, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard

Seven Planets, One World (UK / BBC America)

Directors: Fredi Devas, Emma Napper, Giles Badger, Chadden Hunter

Executive Producer: Jonny Keeling

We’re Here (USA / HBO)

Executive Producers: Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Stephen Warren, Johnnie Ingram, Peter LoGreco, Erin Gamble

Best Multi-Part Documentary

Asian Americans (USA / PBS)

Directors: Leo Chiang, Geeta Gandbhir, Grace Lee

Producers: Renee Tajima-Peña, Mark Jonathan Harris

Executive Producers: Jeff Bieber, Sally Jo Fifer, Stephen Gong, Jean Tsien, Donald Young

Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (USA / HBO)

Directors/Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre

Executive Producers: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorious, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller

City So Real (USA / National Geographic)

Director/ Producer: Steve James.

Producer: Zak Piper.

Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg, Jolene Pinder

Hillary (USA / Hulu)

Director: Nanette Burstein

Producers: Isabel San Vargas, Timothy Moran, Chi-Young Park, Tal Ben-David

Executive Producers: Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Nanette Burstein, Sierra Kos, Laurie Girion

Lenox Hill (USA / Netflix)

Directors/Executive Producers: Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz.

Executive Producer: Josh Braun

Best Short Form Series

Almost Famous (USA / New York Times Op-Docs)

Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi and Jeremy Lambert

Executive Producer: Adam Ellick

Director: Ben Proudfoot

Guardian Documentaries

Producers: Shanida Scotland, Natasha Dack Ojumu and Nikki Parrott

Executive Producers: Charlie Phillips. Lindsay Poulton, Jess Gormley

Directors: Irene Baque, Laurence Topham, Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Laura Dodsworth, Dan McDougall

Last Call For The Bayou: 5 Stories from Louisiana’s Disappearing Delta (USA / Smithsonian Channel Plus)

Producer: Nadia Gill

Executive Producer: Gina Hutchinson

Director: Dominic Gill

Pov Shorts (USA / PBS)

Producer: Opal H. Bennett

Executive Producers: Justine Nagan and Chris White

Run This City (USA / Quibi)

Director: Brent Hodge

Producer: Prince Vaughn

Executive Producers: Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, Brent Hodge

Best Audio Documentary

Crosses in the Desert / Cruces en el desierto

Reporter: Dennis Maxwell

Producers: Catalina May, Martín Cruz

Executive Producer: Martina Castro

Fiasco: Bush v. Gore (USA / Luminary)

Producers: Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons

Girl Taken (UK / British Broadcasting Corporation)

Reporter: Sue Mitchell

Producer: Richard Hannaford

Executive Producer: Philip Sellars

Heavyweight – The Marshes (USA / Gimlet Media)

Reporter, Producer and Executive Producer: Jonathan Goldstein

Reporter and Producer: Kalila Holt.

Producers: Stevie Lane, Jorge Just, BA Parker, Bobby Lord

Somebody (USA / iHeartRadio)

Reporters and Producers: Alison Flowers, Bill Healy

Reporters: Sam Stecklow, Ellen Glover, Annie Nguyen, Kahari Blackburn, Rajiv Sinclair, Henri Adams, Matilda Vojak, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Frances McDonald, Diana Akmajian, Andrew Fan and Maddie Anderson

Producers: Shapearl Wells, Sarah Geis

Executive Producers: Jamie Kalven, Maria Zuckerman, Christy Gressman, Leital Molad

Best Music Documentary

Beastie Boys Story (USA / Apple TV+)

Director/Producer: Spike Jonze

Producers: Jason Baum and Amanda Adelson

Billie (UK / Greenwich Entertainment)

Director: James Erskine

Crock of Gold (USA / Magnolia Pictures)

Director/Producer: Julien Temple

Producers: Johnny Depp, Stephen Deuters, Stephen Malit

Los Hermanos / The Brothers

Directors/Producers: Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider

Universe (USA)

Directors: Sam Osborn and Nicholas Capezzera

Producers: Esther Dere and Leah Natasha Thomas

David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award

Bananas (UK / National Film and Television School)

Director/Producer: Sara Montoya Sepúlveda

Isle of Us (UK / National Film and Television School)

Director: Laura Wadha

Na Luta Delas (Brazil / Uc Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism)

Directors/Producers: Orion Rose Kelly and Pedro Cota

People Like Me (USA / University of California Santa Cruz)

Director/Producer: Marrok Sedgwick

Susana (USA / Stanford University)

Director: Laura Gamse

Producer: James Davis

Trees (UK / National Film and Television School)

Director: Rosie Morris

Producer: Jesse Romain

Best Cinematography

Acasă, My Home

Cinematographers: Radu Ciorniciuc and Mircea Topoleanu

Boys State

Director of Photography: Thorsten Thielow

The Earth is Blue as an Orange

Cinematographer: Viacheslav Tsvietkov

The Truffle Hunters

Cinematographers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw

Time

Cinematographers: Zac Manuel, Justin Zweifach, Nisa East

Best Editing

Boys State

Editor: Jeff Gilbert

Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)

Editors: Eileen Meyer and Andrew Gersh

Disclosure (USA / Netflix)

Editor: Stacy Goldate

Dick Johnson is Dead (USA / Netflix)

Editor: Nels Bangerter

Through the Night

Editor: Malika Zouhali-Worrall

Best Writing

Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)

Writers: Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht

Dick Johnson is Dead

(USA / Netflix)

Writers: Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson

I Am Not Alone (USA / Netflix)

Writer: Garin Hovannisian

My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)

Writers: Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed

Socks on Fire (USA)

Writers: Max Allman, Bo McGuire

Best Music Score

Dancing with the Birds (USA / Netflix)

Composer: David Mitcham

David Attenborough: Life On Our Planet

Composer: Steven Price

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice (USA / Netflix)

Composer: Chapavich Temnitikul)

My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)

Composer: Kevin Smuts

Rising Phoenix (USA / Netflix)

Composer: Daniel Pemberton

ABC News VideoSource Award

#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump (USA / Dark Star)

Director/Producer: Dan Partland

Producer: Art Horan

Bully. Coward. Victim.: The Story of Roy Cohn (USA / HBO)

Director: Ivy Meeropol

Producers: Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn

Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)

Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht

Producer: Sara Bolder

Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections (USA / HBO)

Director: Sarah Teale

Directors/Producers: Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels

Producers: Michael Hirschorn and Jessica Antonini

MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films)

Director: Sam Pollard

Producer: Benjamin Hedin

The First Rainbow Coalition

Director/Producer: Ray Santisteban

Pare Lorentz Award

Winner

My Octopus Teacher (USA / Netflix)

Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed

Producer: Craig Foster

Honorable Mention

Crip Camp (USA / Netflix)

Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht

Producer: Sara Bolder

Honorary Awards

Amicus Award

Regina K. Scully

Career Achievement Award

Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI)

Courage Under Fire Award

David France, David Isteev and Olga Baranova (Welcome to Chechnya)

Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award

Garrett Bradley (Time)

Pioneer Award

Firelight Media

Truth to Power Award

Maria Ressa and Rappler (A Thousand Cuts)...

The International Documentary Association has announced a shortlist of 30 films from which it will choose its nominations for the 2020 Ida Documentary Awards, with a list that includes “76 Days,” “Boys State,” “Crip Camp,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “Time” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”

The list also included a generous helping of foreign-made docs, including “Notturno,” “Acasa, My Home,” “Collective,” “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange,” “Gunda,” “Me and the Cult Leader,” “A Metamorfose dos Passaros,” “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela” and “Softie.”

The rest of the list: “City Hall,” “Disclosure,” “The Forbidden Reel,” “I Walk on Water,” “The Mole Agent,” “Reunited,” “Self Portrait,” “Stray,” “‘Til Kingdom Come,” “To See You Again,” “Unapologetic,” “The Viewing Booth” and “Wintopia.”

The shortlisted films present a dramatically different view of the year in nonfiction filmmaking than the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, which were announced on Monday. Only three films — “Crip Camp,...

The 2021 International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards has announced the shortlists for the Best Feature and Best Short categories. In a year crowded with top-notch documentaries (see the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations here), with more debuts unspooling at Doc NYC (November 11-19), every reputable non-fiction awards group helps to curate the sprawling list of eventual Oscar contenders, and the IDA is no exception. (Read IndieWire’s current list of documentary feature predictions here.)

The IDA will bestow 16 awards this year, for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.

Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, November 10. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, along with the other awards recipients.

The 2021 International Documentary Association (Ida) Awards has announced the shortlists for the Best Feature and Best Short categories. In a year crowded with top-notch documentaries (see the Critics Choice Documentary Awards nominations here), with more debuts unspooling at Doc NYC (November 11-19), every reputable non-fiction awards group helps to curate the sprawling list of eventual Oscar contenders, and the Ida is no exception. (Read IndieWire’s current list of documentary feature predictions here.)

The Ida will bestow 16 awards this year, for Best Feature, Best Short, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Multi-Part Documentary, Best Short Form Series, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, Best Music Documentary, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.

Honorees will be announced on Tuesday, November 10. Nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 24, along with the other awards recipients.

Romania has chosen Alexander Nanau’s documentary “Collective” (pictured) to be its official entry in the International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards, while Ecuador has selected Paul Venegas’ “Emptiness” and Algeria has entered Djaâfar Gacem’s “Héliopolis.”

Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina has confirmed that Jasmila Zbanic’s “Quo Vadis, Aida?” will represent the country in the contest, as reported last week by Variety.

The decisions follow recent submissions by Czech Republic, Singapore, Kosovo and Georgia. Other countries to have selected their entries include Bhutan, Taiwan, Ukraine, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Poland and Switzerland.

“Collective” world premiered in Venice last year, before having its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Magnolia Pictures and Participant will release the film in the U.S. on Nov. 20.

The documentary follows a team of investigative journalists as they uncover widespread corruption. After a deadly nightclub fire, the mysterious death of the owner of a pharmaceutical firm,...

The Romanian Film Centre/Cnc Romania has confirmed that Alexander Nanau’s well-received documentary Collective will be Romania’s official Oscar entry for Best International Feature.

The selection marks the first time a Romanian documentary has been the country’s official submission.

The film follows a team of investigative journalists as they uncover shocking, widespread corruption. After a deadly nightclub fire, the mysterious death of the owner of a powerful pharmaceutical firm, and the quiet resignation of a health minister—seemingly unrelated events, all within weeks of each other—the team of reporters exposes a much larger, much more explosive political scandal. Here’s the film’s trailer.

Collective, which Magnolia Pictures and Participant will release in U.S. theaters and on demand November 20th, the same day Dogwoof and Participant plan to release in cinemas in the UK and Ireland, world-premiered in Venice last year, before having its North...

The first official trailer and new poster for the documentary feature film “Collective,” which debuted at the Venice Film Festival last year, has been shared exclusively with Variety.

Directed by Alexander Nanau (“Toto and His Sisters”), the film follows a team of investigative journalists at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor as they try to uncover a vast health-care fraud. As they follow the facts, they find shocking, widespread corruption involving enriched moguls and politicians that lead to the deaths of innocent citizens.

Magnolia Pictures plans to submit the film for the upcoming Academy Awards in the best documentary feature category. The film also has a chance to be Romania’s official submission for best international feature.

Variety reviewed the film saying, “Every now and then a documentary doesn’t just open your eyes but tears you apart by exposing a moral rift with resonance far beyond the film’s home country.

Director Joseph Mangat’s “Holy Craft” won the Docs-in-Progress Award at an online ceremony Friday evening to close the Cannes Docs sidebar of the Cannes Film Market Online.

Presented as part of the Showcase Philippines during Cannes Docs, “Holy Craft” (pictured) is a documentary examining the peculiarities of religion, labor and capital intersecting at a Catholic handicrafts factory in the Philippines. The award includes a €10,000 cash prize and professional project follow-up, supported by the International Emerging Film Talent Assn. (Iefta). Pic is produced by Alemberg Ang.

“Through his project, the director offers a look into the backdoor of the Catholic religion business, highlighting its most hidden protagonists, the poor workers of a profit-based economy,” said jury member Lina Soualem. “It’s an intriguing and fascinating subject tackled through an observational point of view with a touch of the absurd which allows us to dive into the contradictions of our contemporary world,...

Alexander Nanau's Collective plays in London at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, running March 12 - 20, 2020.Most nonfiction films that aim to inspire change never find a way to edge past audience complicity and help us identify our own participation in regimes of oppression. Collective is a rare exception. Its beginning concerns one Romanian sports newspapers’ investigation into medical fraud after a national tragedy and offers a sly sleight-of-hand by highlighting one scandal, but not the one that eventually consumes the film. Title cards reveal quick background about the 2015 fire at Colectiv, a popular downtown music venue from which the film takes its name, which killed 26 concertgoers. Later, the death toll rose to 64 after hospitalized victims succumbed to infections. The fire inspired nationwide anti-corruption protests that led to the prime minister’s resignation. There’s a sense that reform is possible, and that grassroots anger can be productively channeled...

Collective is one of the buzziest projects screening at Idfa this week.

Tel Aviv-based sales agent Cinephil is continuing to do roaring business on Alexander Nanau’s Collective, one of the buzziest projects screening at Idfa this week.

Dogwoof and Sophie Dulac Distribution have swooped to take UK and French rights respectively on the film, which exposes corruption and highlights the power of investigative journalism.

Participant and Magnolia Pictures acquired North American rights last month.

The film is showing in Idfa’s Bests of Fests section following its Venice and Toronto premieres. Its other festival appearances and awards include the...