UPDATED from original 9:17 p.m. story with more quotes from winners: Shaunak Sen’s All That Breathes won the top prize at the 38th IDA Documentary Awards in Hollywood tonight, cementing its status as an Oscar frontrunner.
The documentary, about two brothers in Delhi, India who tend to injured and ailing birds of prey, earned Best Feature, and Sen was named Best Director. All That Breathes also collected the award for Best Editing, recognizing the work of Charlotte Munch Bengtsen and Vedant Joshi.
“The film itself really feels like a tiny miracle,” Sen noted as he accepted the Best Feature award, “because Aman [producer Aman Mann] and I, we couldn’t believe we got financing, we couldn’t believe that we found producers, festivals, distributors, so it really feels a bit unbelievable.”
All That Breathes, from Sideshow, Submarine Deluxe and HBO Documentary Films, also won the previously-announced Pare Lorentz Award.
All That Breathes topped major competition for Best Feature, including All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, directed by Laura Poitras, Daniel Roher’s Navalny, and Fire of Love, directed by Sara Dosa. Fire of Love, about the ill-fated volcanologists Maurice and Kata Krafft, won two awards on the night—Best Cinematography and Best Writing [see full list of winners below].
Best Short went to Haulout, from directors Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev. We Need to Talk about Cosby, W. Kamau Bell’s Emmy-nominated series about comedian Bill Cosby and the women who have him of sexual assault, earned the IDA Award for Best Multi-Part Documentary. The PBS series POV won Best Curated Series, and POV Shorts won the honor for Best Short-Form Series.
In an upset, Best Music Documentary went to Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues, the documentary about the great jazz trumpeter and entertainer, directed by Sacha Jenkins. It won over Moonage Daydream, Brett Morgen’s film on David Bowie that has become the most successful documentary of the year in theatrical release.
Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues reframes our understanding of Armstrong, who since his death in 1971 has been criticized as somehow accommodating himself to the vicious racism of his times. Jenkins’ documentary reveals Armstrong’s private feelings about the racism and indignities he personally endured, and the steps he took to advance civil rights in America, often without the public realizing it.
“He was born in 1901, and people wanted to say that he really wasn’t a part of civil rights. Well, being an artist, you should understand, for many people, is a privilege. And many of us never had that privilege,” Jenkins said as he accepted the award alongside producer Julie Anderson. “When he was coming up he was being groomed to serve people. But, you know what he did, he served his art, and the world is not been the same since.”
One of the most memorable speeches of the night came from Sayre Quevedo, producer of the New York Times’ podcast “Documenting a Death by Euthanasia,” which won Best Stand-Alone Audio Documentary. On stage at the Paramount Theater on the Paramount Studios lot, Quevado took aim at the Times, which has been in a prolonged labor dispute with the New York Times Guild.
“I just want to say that I’m really appreciative of this award, and I’m really appreciative of this acknowledgment. But I think The New York Times needs to negotiate with its workers,” Quevedo commented. “I think the executives need to take a pay cut so that their workers can have a living wage.”
His critique of the Times went further than contentious contract negotiations.
“In the same month that The New York Times has published obituaries for people killed at a queer bar in Colorado, they’ve also published op-eds that question the validity of those very identities, the validity of those trans and queer identities, which is often justified in the name of open discourse,” Quevedo said. “But to me, those identities and lived experiences are not up for debate.”
Comedian and actress Jenny Yang hosted the ceremony. The event took place just a few days after the surprise announcement that IDA executive director Rick Pérez would be resigning his post on December 23. Pérez and IDA board co-presidents Grace Lee and Chris Pérez addressed the audience during the ceremony, but did not comment on his imminent departure.
This is the full list of winners:
Best Feature
WINNER: All That Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films | Director/Producer: Shaunak Sen | Producers: Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (United States | NEON, Participant, HBO | Director/Producer: Laura Poitras | Producers: Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov)
Fire of Love (United States, Canada | National Geographic, NEON | Director/Producer: Sara Dosa | Producers: Shane Boris, Ina Fichman)
A House Made of Splinters (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine | Director: Simon Lereng Wilmont | Producer: Monica Hellström)
Katrina Babies (United States | HBO Documentary Films, HBO Max | Director/Producer: Edward Buckles, Jr. | Producers: Audrey Rosenberg, Rebecca Teitel)
Mija (United States | Disney+ | Director: Isabel Castro | Producers: Tabitha Breese, Yesenia Tlahuel)
NAVALNY (United States, Germany, Russian Federation | Warner Bros Pictures, CNN Films, HBO Max | Director: Daniel Roher | Producers: Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller, Shane Boris)
No Simple Way Home (South Sudan, Kenya, South Africa | LBx Africa, STEPS, APO | Director: Akuol de Mabior | Producers: Sam Soko, Don Edkins, Tiny Mungwe)
The Pawnshop (Poland | Syndicado | Director/Producer: Lukasz Kowalski | Producer: Anna Mazerant)
Young Plato (Ireland, United Kingdom, Belgium | Autlook Film Sales | Directors: Neasa Ní Chianáin, Declan McGrath | Producers: David Rane, Hanne Phlypo, Céline Nusse, Jackie Doyle)
Best Director
WINNER: Shaunak Sen (All That Breathes) | India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films.
Laura Poitras (All the Beauty and the Bloodshed) | United States | NEON, Participant, HBO.
Lukasz Kowalski (The Pawnshop) | Poland | Syndicado.
Sara Dosa (Fire of Love) | United States, Canada | National Geographic, NEON.
Simon Lereng Wilmont (A House Made of Splinters) | Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine.
Best Short
WINNER: Haulout (United Kingdom | Rise And Shine World Sales, The New Yorker | Directors/Producers: Evgenia Arbugaeva, Maxim Arbugaev)
ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (What They’ve Been Taught) (United States | Reciprocity Project, Nia Tero, Upstander Project, REI Co-op Studios, L.A. Times Short Docs | Director: Brit Hensel | Producers: Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay, Tracy Rector)
The Benevolents (Canada | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director/Producer: Sarah Baril Gaudet)
The Dreamlife of Georgie Stone (Australia | Netflix | Directors/Producers: Maya Newell | Producers: Sophie Hyde, Matthew Bate, Lisa Sherrard)
I Am Trying to Remember (Czech Republic, Islamic Republic of Iran | Europe Media Nest s.r.o., The New Yorker | Director: Pegah Ahangarani | Producer: Kaveh Farnam)
In Flow of Words (Netherlands | The New Yorker, Condé Nast | Director: Eliane Esther Bots | Producer: Manon Bovenkerk)
Love, Barbara (United States | Women Make Movies | Director/Producer: Brydie O’Connor | Producer: Myriam Schroeter)
Nuisance Bear (Canada | The New Yorker | Directors/Producers: Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden | Producer: Will N. Miller)
The Silent Shore (France | The New Yorker, Condé Nast Entertainment | Directors/Producers: Nathalie Giraud, Timothée Corteggiani | Producer: Anne Bruneau)
Two-Spirit (Colombia | The New Yorker | Director: Mónica Taboada-Tapia | Producer: Beto Rosero)
Best TV Feature Documentary or Mini-Series Nominees
WINNER: Fannie Lou Hamer’s America: An America ReFramed Special (United States | American Documentary, GBH WORLD Channel, The Bitter Southerner, Black Public Media, PBS | Director: Joy Elaine Davenport | Producers: Hannah Paul, Sharon Wong, Robert Y. Chang | Producer: Carmen L. Vicencio | Producer/Executive Producer: Monica Land | Executive Producers: Selena Lauterer, Leslie Fields-Cruz, Erika Dilday, Chris White, Christopher Hastings)
Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes (United Kingdom | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max | Director/Producer: James Jones | Producers: Serhiy Solodko, Sasha Odynova | Executive Producers: Darren Kemp, Hayley Reynolds)
Dream On (United States | ESPN Films / ESPN | Director: Kristen Lappas | Producers: Gentry Kirby, Marquis Daisy, Adam Neuhaus, Cath Sankey | Executive Producers: Marsha Cooke, John Dahl, Rob King, Erin Leyden, Brian Lockhart, Burke Magnus, Carol Stiff)
Endangered (United States | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max | Directors/Producers: Rachel Grady, Heidi Ewing | Producer: Alex Takats | Executive Producers: Ronan Farrow, Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller)
Four Hours at the Capitol (United Kingdom | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max | Director/Producer: Jamie Roberts | Executive Producers: Dan Reed, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller)
Best Curated Series
WINNER: POV (United States | PBS | Executive Producers: Erika Dilday, Chris White)
America ReFramed (United States | American Documentary, GBH WORLD Channel | Executive Producers: Erika Dilday, Chris White, Christopher Hastings)
American Masters (United States | PBS | Executive Producer: Michael Kantor)
Independent Lens (United States | PBS | Executive Producer: Lois Vossen)
Reel South (United States | PBS | Executive Producers: Rachel Raney, Don Godish, Donald Washington, Linda Midgett)
Best Episodic Series
WINNER: Origins of Hip Hop (United States | A&E | Executive Producers: Peter Bittenbender, Slane Hatch, Mark Grande, Brad Abramson, Elaine Frontain Bryant)
America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston (United States | Part2 Pictures for Twin Cities PBS (TPT) & PBS | Executive Producers: Michael Rosenfeld, David Shadrack Smith, Melissa Wood, Bill Gardner)
Dear… (United States | Matador Content, Apple TV+ | Executive Producers: Donny Jackson, Lyle Gamm, Jane Cha Cutler, Todd Lubin, Jay Peterson, R.J. Cutler)
Evolve (Singapore | CuriosityStream | Executive Producers: Donovan Chan, Jocelyn Little, Rob Sixsmith)
Vice (United States | Showtime | Executive Producers: Beverly Chase, Subrata De, Craig Thomson)
Best Multi-Part Documentary
WINNER: We Need to Talk About Cosby (United States | SHOWTIME Documentary Films, Boardwalk Pictures Production, WKB Industries | Director/Executive Producer: W. Kamau Bell | Executive Producers: Katie A. King, Andrew Fried, Sarina Roma, Jordan Wynn, Dane Lillegard, Vinnie Malhotra)
Children of the Underground (United States | FX | Directors/Executive Producers: Ted Gesing, Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Producers: Grace Fardella, Giona Jefferson | Executive Producers: Dan Cogan, Liz Garbus, Jon Bardin, Kate Barry)
Hostages (United States | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max | Directors: Abbas Motlagh | Directors/Producers: Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre, Sam Pollard, Joshua Bennett | Producer: Saralena Weinfield | Executive Producers: Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez)
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (United States | Netflix | Director/Executive Producer: Rachel Dretzin | Co-Director/Producer: Grace McNally | | Executive Producers: Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann, Miura Kite, Zachary Herrmann, Alison Dammann)
Meltdown: Three Mile Island (United States | Netflix | Director/Executive Producer: Kief Davidson | Producers: William Wheeler, Stuart Sender | Executive Producers: Carla Santos Shamberg, Michael Shamberg, Dan Levinson, Robert Fernandez)
Best Short-Form Series
WINNER: POV Shorts (United States | PBS | Producer: Opal H. Bennett | Executive Producers: Erika Dilday, Chris White)
Couples Therapy (United States | Showtime | Producers: Matthew Parker, Carly Hugo, Maya Seidler | Executive Producers: Eli B. Despres, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg, Vinnie Malhotra)
Not So Pretty (United States | HBO Max | Producers: Alexandra Marske, Kat Nguyen | Executive Producers: Kirby Dick, Tara Long, Amy Ziering, Kate Griendling, Ryan Mazie)
Reciprocity Project (United States | Nia Tero, Upstander Project, REI Co-op Studios | Producers: Taylor Hensel, Adam Mazo, Kavita Pillay | Producer/Executive Producer: Tracy Rector)
Witness (Mexico, Mongolia, United Kingdom | Al Jazeera English | Producers: Emma Norton, Joe Hamilton | Executive Producers: Fiona Lawson-Baker, Ingrid Falck)
Best Stand-Alone Audio Documentary
WINNER: Documenting a Death by Euthanasia (United States | The New York Times | Host/Reporter: Lynsey Addario | Sound Engineers: Corey Schreppel, Marion Lozano | Producers: Sayre Quevedo, Annie Brown, Wendy Dorr, Mike Benoist)
Jorge, Gina y Dante (Mexico | CUIR: Historias Disidentes, Esto no es radio | Reporter: Dante Ureta | Host/Sound Engineer/Producer: Erick Yáñez)
“Limbo” from Latino USA, Futuro Media, and PRX (United States | Futuro Media, PRX | Sound Engineers: Stephanie Lebow, Julia Caruso | Editors: Sophia Paliza-Carre, Marta Martínez, Andrea López-Cruzado | Producer: Miguel Macias)
Replaying “The Day” through the Sewol Ferry Archives (Republic of Korea | KBS | Host/Reporter: Park DaeSick | Sound Engineer: Kang WooSeok | Producer: Lee Eunmi)
Weekend World (United States | VICE News Reports | Host/Reporter/Producer: Sayre Quevedo | Sound Engineers: Steve Bone, Kyle Murdoch | Producers: Sophie Kazis, Adizah Eghan)
Best Multi-Part Audio Documentary or Series
WINNER: Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s (Canada | Spotify | Host: Connie Walker | Sound Engineers: Emma Munger, Catherine Anderson | Producers: Ellen Frankman, Max Green, Anya Schultz, Chantelle Bellrichard, Betty Ann Adam)
Class Action (United States | Host: Katie Phang | Sound Engineer/Producer: Lisa Gray | Producer: Kevin Huffman)
Imperfect Paradise: The Forgotten Revolutionary (United States | LAist Studios | Host: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez | Sound Engineer: E. Scott Kelly | Producers: Natalie Chudnovsky, James Chow, Francisco Aviles Pino, Antonia Ceredijido, Leo G)
Heavyweight (United States | Spotify | Host: Jonathan Goldstein | Reporters/Producers: Stevie Lane, Kalila Holt, Mona Madgavkar | Sound Engineer: Bobby Lord)
Southlake (United States | NBC News | Hosts/Reporters: Mike Hixenbaugh, Antonia Hylton | Sound Engineers: Bryson Barnes, Seth Samuel | Producers: Frannie Kelley, Reid Cherlin)
Best Music Documentary
WINNER: Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (United States | Apple TV+ | Director/Producer: Sacha Jenkins | Producers: Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Julie Anderson)
Cesâria Évora (Portugal | Director/Producer: Ana Sofia Fonseca | Producer: Irina Calado)
Moonage Daydream (United States | NEON | Director/Producer: Brett Morgen)
Nothing Compares (United Kingdom, Ireland | SHOWTIME Documentary Films | Director: Kathryn Ferguson | Producers: Eleanor Emptage, Michael Mallie)
You’re Watching Video Music Box (United States | Showtime | Director: Nasir ‘Nas’ Jones | Producer: Steve Rivo)
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
WINNER: Requiem for a Whale (Israel | The Steve Tisch School of Film and Television, Tel Aviv University | Director/Producer: Ido Weisman)
3 Promises (United Kingdom | National Film and Television School | Director/Producer: Mohamed Shalaby | Producer: Carolina Cordero)
Compton’s ‘22 (United States | The New Yorker, Stanford University | Director: Drew de Pinto | Producers: Azza Cohen, Susan Stryker, Victor Silverman)
Eagles Rest in Liangshan (United States, China | New York University | Director/Producer: Bohao Liu)
La Casa del Migrante (United States | Northwestern University | Director/Producers: Olivia Yarvis, Yaakov Gottlieb, Samuel Heller)
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Fire of Love (United States, Canada | National Geographic, NEON | Cinematographers: Maurice Krafft, Katia Krafft, Pablo Alvarez-Mesa)
All That Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films | Cinematographers: Ben Bernhard, Riju Das)
Geographies of Solitude (Canada | Cinema Guild | Cinematographer: Jacquelyn Mills)
A House Made of Splinters (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine | Cinematographer: Simon Lereng Wilmont)
Octopus (Lebanon | Cinematographer: Karim Kassem)
Best Editing
WINNER: All That Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films | Editor: Charlotte Munch Bengtsen, Vedant Joshi)
Fire of Love (United State, Canada | National Geographic, NEON | Editors: Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput)
The Princess (United States | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max | Editors: Jinx Godfrey, Daniel Lapira)
Sam Now (United States | Independent Lens | Editors: Jason Reid, Darren Lund)
Wildcat (United States | Amazon Studios | Editor: Melissa Lesh, Joshua Altman, David Zieff, Ben Gold)
Best Music Score
WINNER: The Melt Goes On Forever: The Art & Times of David Hammons (United States | Composer: Ramachandra Borcar)
The Fire That Took Her (United States | MTV Documentary Films | Composer: Katy Jarzebowski)
Good Night Oppy (United States | Prime Video | Composer: Blake Neely)
Master of Light (United States | HBO Documentary Films/HBO Max | Composer: Gary Gunn)
Wildcat (United States | Amazon Studios | Composer: Patrick Jonsson)
Best Writing
WINNER: Fire of Love (United State, Canada | National Geographic, NEON | Writers: Sara Dosa, Erin Casper, Jocelyne Chaput, Shane Boris)
8 Stories About My Hearing Loss (Argentina, Uruguay | Writer: Charo Mato)
Eternal Spring (Canada | Lofty Sky Distribution, Sideways Film, VICE, Arte | Writer: Jason Loftus)
Last Flight Home (United States | MTV Documentary Films | Writer: Ondi Timoner)
No Simple Way Home (South Sudan, Kenya, South Africa | LBx Africa, STEPS, APO | Writer: Akuol de Mabior)
ABC News VideoSource Award
WINNER: Riotsville, U.S.A. (United States | Magnolia Pictures | Director: Sierra Pettengill | Producers: Sara Archambault, Jamila Wignot)
Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets (United States | MSNBC Films | Directors/Producers: Zackary Canepari, Drea Cooper | Producers: Gary Kout, Myles Estey, Molly O’Brien)
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (United States | Netflix | Director/Producer: Rory Kennedy | Producers: Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester, Amanda Rohlke, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes)
Love and the Constitution (United States | MSNBC Films | Director/Producer: Madeleine Carter)
The Price of Conflict (Ukraine | Director: Volodymyr Sydko | Producer: Polina Herman)
Pare Lorentz Award
WINNER: All That Breathes (India, United States, United Kingdom | Sideshow and Submarine Deluxe in association with HBO Documentary Films | Director/Producer: Shaunak Sen | Producers: Aman Mann, Teddy Leifer)
HONORABLE MENTION: Nuisance Bear (Canada | The New Yorker | Directors/Producers: Jack Weisman, Gabriela Osio Vanden | Producer: Will N. Miller)