Skip to main content
IDA Documentary Awards, December 5, 2024, The Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles
 

40th IDA Documentary Awards
Shortlists for Best Features and Shorts

This year the IDA Documentary Awards shortlists and nominees are selected by independent committees of 300 documentary makers, curators, critics, and industry experts from 40+ countries. We received 700+ total entries in all categories from 77 countries.

IDA members will have access to view each of the shortlisted films on IDA Virtual Cinema starting on November 4. Ten nominees in each of the feature and short documentary categories will be selected from the shortlist and starting with the announcement of nominees on November 19, IDA members will vote for Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary until December 1, 2024. 

The 40th IDA Documentary Awards Ceremony will be held on December 5, 2024, at The Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. 

Purchase Tickets for the Awards Ceremony

Additional IDA Awards will be presented in the following categories with winners selected by blue-ribbon jurors consisting of 300 documentary professionals from 40+ countries: 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.

Best Feature Documentary Shortlist

  • 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 | Astonish Entertainment | 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

  • 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)
  • ENCHUKUNOTO (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)