‘No Other Land,’ ‘Queendom,’ ‘Black Box Diaries,’ ‘Sugarcane’ & More Make IDA’s Shortlist Of Year’s Top Documentaries
‘Black Box Diaries’, ‘No Other Land’, ‘Queendom’, and ‘Sugarcane’
MTV Documentary Films/Yabayay Media/Greenwich Entertainment/National Geographic Documentary Films
The International Documentary Association today released its shortlist of contenders for Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary, a possible harbinger of Oscar success.
Among the features making the list is No Other Land, a documentary by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers that has yet to secure U.S. distribution. It has won awards at festivals from Berlin and Busan to Belfast and beyond.
Queendom, a film about the extraordinary Russian drag performance artist Jenna Marvin continues its surge, making the IDA shortlist after securing a place on the DOC NYC shortlist of the year’s best documentaries.
National Geographic’s Sugarcane, about atrocities at a so-called Indian residential school in Canada, continued its strong pre-Oscar awards run by making the IDA list of contenders. Netflix made the list with The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a strong Oscar contender. And MTV Documentary Films earned a spot with Black Box Diaries, the film directed by Shiori Itō that centers on the filmmaker’s investigation into her own sexual assault. Scroll for the full list of films to make the feature and short shortlists.
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Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat from veteran filmmaker Johan Grimonprez made the list, as did a film by newcomer Jazmin Renée Jones – Seeking Mavis Beacon. Hollywoodgate, directed by Ibrahim Nash’at and Ernest Cole: Lost and Found, directed by Oscar nominee Raoul Peck also made the feature list.
Any shortlist is notable for films that didn’t make the cut. Among the omissions are Will & Harper, Daughters, and Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa, all from Netflix, which have factored in other best of the year lists released so far, including DOC NYC’s. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, from Warner Bros Discovery, is also MIA.
The IDA says it received more than 700 entries for awards consideration, originating from 77 countries, “an increase over last year both in the total number of entries and the countries represented.” The shortlists will be whittled to a list of 10 nominees each for features and shorts, with that announcement expected on November 19. IDA members will vote to determine the ultimate winners in those two categories.
The 40th IDA Documentary Awards will take place December 5 at The Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles (the ceremony also will be streamed live on IDA’s social media channels).
“The 40th IDA Documentary Awards continues the tradition of celebrating the best of international nonfiction media of the year,” noted Dominic Asmall Willsdon, IDA’s executive director. “We are grateful to all filmmakers who shared their work for consideration this year, representing a record amount of countries in the award’s history. The impressive shortlist for Best Features and Best Shorts reflects on the prowess of our worldwide documentary community both in their artistry and dedication to raising public awareness on some of the most important subjects we face in today’s world.”
Along with Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary, the IDA Awards includes more than a dozen additional competitive categories, “with winners selected by blue-ribbon jurors consisting of 300 documentary professionals from 40+ countries.” This categories include Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Writing, Best Music Score, Best Curated Series, Best Episodic Series, Best Limited Series, Best TV Feature Documentary, Best Music Documentary, Best Audio Documentary, David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award, ABC News VideoSource Award, and the Pare Lorentz Award.
Below are the shortlisted films in the feature and short categories:
Best Feature Documentary Shortlist
In alphabetical order by film title.
Agent of Happiness (Bhutan, Hungary | Film Movement | Director: Arun Bhattarai, Dorottya Zurbó | Producer: Noémi Veronika Szakonyi, Máté Artur Vincze, Arun Bhattarai)
Black Box Diaries (Japan, USA, UK | MTV Documentary Films | Director: Shiori Ito | Producer: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Ito)
Brisa (USA | Director: Nick Nanton | Producer: Nick Ruff, Katie Tschopp)
DAHOMEY (France, Senegal, Benin | MUBI | Director: Mati Diop | Producer: Eve Robin, Judith Lou Lévy, Mati Diop)
Ernest Cole: Lost and Found (France, South Africa, USA | Magnolia Pictures | Director: Raoul Peck | Producer: Tamara Rosenberg, Raoul Peck)
Hollywoodgate (USA, Germany | Fourth Act Film | Director: Ibrahim Nash’at | Producer: Shane Boris, Odessa Rae, Talal Derki)
IGUALADA (Colombia, Mexico, USA | Film Sales Corp | Director: Juan Mejía Botero | Producer: Juan E Yepes, Sonia Serna, Daniela Alatorre)
Kamay (Belgium, Afghanistan, Germany | CAT&Docs, Dalton Distribution | Director: Ilyas Yourish | Producer: Hanne Phlypo, Evelien De Graef, Ilyas Yourish, Karsten Stöter, Serge Gordey)
Mediha (USA | Director: Hasan Oswald | Producer: Hasan Oswald, Annelise Mecca, Fahrinisa Campana, Alexander Spiess, Stephen Nemeth)
Motherboard (UK | Autlook Film Sales | Director: Victoria Mapplebeck | Producer: Victoria Mapplebeck)
My Sweet Land (USA, Jordan, France | ITVS – PBS / ARTE France / RTS | Director: Sareen Hairabedian | Producer: Azza Hourani, Sareen Hairabedian, Julie Paratian, David Rane)
No Other Land (Palestine, Norway, USA | Director: Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor & Yuval Abraham | Producer: Fabien Greenberg & bård Kjøge Rønning)
Queendom (USA, France | Greenwich Entertainment | Director: Agniia Galdanova | Producer: Igor Myakotin, Agniia Galdanova)
Seeking Mavis Beacon (USA | NEON | Director: Jazmin Renée Jones | Producer: Guetty Felin, Olivia McKayla Ross)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (Belgium, France, Netherlands | Kino Lorber | Director: Johan Grimonprez | Producer: Daan Milius, Rémi Grellety)
Sugarcane (USA | National Geographic | Director: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie | Producer: Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn)
Tell Them You Love Me (USA, UK | Netflix | Director: Nick August-Perna | Producer: Tamara Rosenberg, Andrea Debrito)
The Last Journey (Sweden, France | Nordisk Film | Director: Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson | Producer: Petra Mahl and Lars Beckung)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (USA | Netflix | Director: Benjamin Ree | Producer: Ingvil Giske)
Water For Life / Agua Es Vida (USA, Chile, El Salvador | Latino Public Broadcasting, Bullfrog Films | Director: Will Parrinello | Producer: Majo Calderon, Will Parrinello, Rick Tejada-Flores)
Best Short Documentary Shortlist
In alphabetical order by film title.
A Move (Iran, UK | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Elahe Esmaili | Producer: Hossein Behboudi Rad)
A Movement Against the Transparency of the Stars of the Seas (USA, Philippines | Criterion Channel | Director: Esy Casey | Producer: Esy Casey, Nur Jannah Kaalim)
Amma ki Katha (India | Director: Nehal Vyas | Producer: Nehal Vyas, Advik Beni)
Bad Hostage (USA | Director: Mimi Wilcox | Producer: Max Asaf, Mimi Wilcox)
ENCHUNKUNOTO (The Return) (Kenya | Director: Laissa Malih | Producer: Kavita Pillay, Adam Mazo, Tracy Rector, Taylor Hensel)
Gaza Diaries (Palestine, UK | BBC | Director: Namak Khoshnaw | Producer: Haya Al Badarneh, Lara Elgebaly, Mohammad Shalaby, Mary O’Reilly)
Here We Are (Thailand | Director: Chanasorn Chaikitiporn | Producer: Banvithit Wilawan)
In Flanders Fields (India, Belgium, USA | Sachin | Director: Sachin | Producer: Sachin, Victor Candeias)
Instruments of a Beating Heart (Japan | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Ema Ryan Yamazaki | Producer: Eric Nyari)
Modern Goose (Canada | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Karsten Wall | Producer: Alicia Smith)
Nine Easy Dances (Canada | York University | Director/Producer: Nora Rosenthal)
Old Lesbians (USA | The Guardian | Director/Producer: Meghan McDonough)
OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage (USA | Director: Clare Major | Producer: Rivkah Beth Medow, Jen Rainin, Whitney Bradshaw, Clare Major)
Squid Fleet (USA, Canada | The New Yorker, SUDU Connexion | Director: Ed Ou and Will N. Miller | Producer: Will N. Miller, Ed Ou, Raphaela Morais, Ben Blankenship)
Ted & Noel (UK | Channel 4 | Director: Julia Alcamo | Producer: Dan Hodgson, Mary Pattisson)
The Medallion (UK, Ethiopia, USA | The New Yorker, SUDU Connexion | Director: Ruth Hunduma | Producer: Lily Usher, Tolu Stedford)
The Passing (USA | The New Yorker | Director/Producer: Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan)
The Poem We Sang (Canada, Palestine, Jordan | MAD Solutions | Director: Annie Sakkab | Producer: Annie Sakkab, Paul Lee)
The Sparkle (Canada | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Isabelle Grignon-Francke | Producer: Patrick Francke-Sirois, Isabelle Grignon-Francke)
Until He’s Back (USA, Spain, Morocco | PBS POV & Scripps News | Director: Jacqueline Baylon | Producer: Jacqueline Baylon, Hailey Gavin)
40th IDA Documentary Awards Key Dates
IDA Member Viewing Begins with all Shortlisted Films: Monday, November 4, 2024
Nominee Announcement: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
IDA Member Voting Begins: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
IDA Member Voting Ends: Sunday, December 1, 2024
Awards Ceremony: Thursday, December 5, 2024, at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles
IDA Member Viewing Platform Closes: December 31, 2024
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