Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp’s Bobi Wine: The People’s President has been named Best Feature by the International Documentary Association at the 39th Annual IDA Documentary Awards. Elsewhere, Asmae El Moudir won Best Director for The Mother of All Lies, while Kaouther Ben Hania took home Best Writing for Four Daughters.
Winners in bold below.
Best Feature Documentary
- Against the Tide (India | BBC Storyville | Director: Sarvnik Kaur | Producers: Koval Bhatia, Sarvnik Kaur)
- ANHELL69 (Colombia | Square Eyes | Director: Theo Montoya | Producers: Bianca Oana, David Hurst, Theo Montoya, Juan Pablo Castrillon, Balthasar Busmann, Maximilian Haslberger)
- Apolonia, Apolonia (Denmark | HBO Max | Director: Lea Glob | Producer: Sidsel Lønvig Siersted)
- Bobi Wine: The People’s President (Uganda | National Geographic Documentary Films | Directors: Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp | Producers: Christopher Sharp, John Battsek)
- Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (United States | HBO Documentary Films | Directors: Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster | Producers: Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, Tommy Oliver)
- In the Rearview (Poland | Cinephil | Director: Maciek Hamela | Producers: Maciek Hamela, Piotr Grawender)
- Milisuthando (South Africa | Director: Milisuthando Bongela | Producers: Marion Isaacs, Viviana Gomez, Sonia Barrera, Milisuthando Bongela, Hankyeol Lee)
- Q (United States | Chehab Films | Director: Jude Chehab | Producers: Jude Chehab, Fahd Ahmed)
- The Mother of All Lies (Morocco | Arizona Distribution | Director/Producer: Asmae El Moudir)
- While We Watched (United Kingdom, India | POV, BRITDOC Films | Director: Vinay Shukla | Producers: Vinay Shukla, Khushboo Ranka, Luke W Moody)
Best Director
- Asmae El Moudir, The Mother of All Lies (Arizona Distribution | Morocco)
- Milisuthando Bongela, Milisuthando (South Africa)
- Sarvnik Kaur, Against the Tide (BBC Storyville | India)
- Theo Montoya, ANHELL69 (Square Eyes | Colombia)
- Lea Glob, Apolonia, Apolonia (HBO Max | Denmark, Poland, USA)
Best Cinematography
- Andrew H. Brown, Between the Rains (Journeyman Pictures | Kenya, USA)
- Ants Tammik, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Greenwich Entertainment | Estonia, France, Iceland)
- Curren Sheldon, King Coal (Fourth Act Film | USA)
- Franz Lustig, Anselm (Sideshow Pictures | Germany)
- Lars Erlend Tubaas Oymo, Songs of Earth (SWC/Arte, BBC Storyville | Norway)
Best Editing
- Andreas Bøggild Monies, Thor Ochsner, Apolonia, Apolonia (HBO Max | Denmark, Poland, USA)
- Carolina Siraqyan, The Eternal Memory (MTV Documentary Films | Chile, USA)
- Fahd Ahmed, Q (Chehab Films | USA, Lebanon)
- Hendrik Mägar, Tushar Prakash, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Greenwich Entertainment | Estonia, France, Iceland)
Best Original Music Score
- Jonathan Goldsmith, To Kill a Tiger (National Film Board of Canada | Canada, India)
- Leonard Küssner, Anselm (Sideshow Pictures | Germany)
- Rebekka Karijord, Songs of Earth (SWR/Arte, BBC Storyville | Norway)
- Samora Pinderhughes, Chris Pattishall, Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (HBO Documentary Films | USA)
- Will Epstein, Nam June Paik: Moon is the Oldest TV (Greenwich Entertainment | USA)
Best Writing
- Asmae El Moudir, The Mother of All Lies (Arizona Distribution | Morocco)
- Kaouther Ben Hania, Four Daughters (Kino Lorber | France, Tunisia, Germany)
- Lea Glob, Andreas Bøggild Monies, Apolonia, Apolonia (HBO Max | Denmark, Poland, USA)
- Milisuthando Bongela, Milisuthando (South Africa)
- Nisha Pahuja, To Kill a Tiger (National Film Board of Canada | Canada, India)
Best Short Documentary
- How to Carry Water (United States | Multitude Films | Director: Sasha Wortzel | Producers: Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney, Anya Rous)
- Incident (United States | Hypnotic Pictures | Director: Bill Morrison | Producers: Bill Morrison, Jamie Kalven)
- Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles (United States | The New Yorker, Condé Nast Entertainment | Director: Dmytro Sukholytkyy Sobchuk | Producer: Daniel Lombroso)
- Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black) (Australia | Other Pictures | Directors: Derik Lynch, Matthew Thorne | Producers: Matthew Thorne, Patrick Graham)
- Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma) (United States | Director: Sean Wang | Producers: Sean Wang, Sam Davis)
- Neighbour Abdi (The Netherlands | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Douwe Dijkstra | Producer: Richard Valk)
- Raat: Night Time in Small Town India (India | The Third Eye Learning Lab | Directors: Arti Ahirwar, Ashraf Hussain, Rajkumari Ahirwar, Vikas Khatri, Tabassum Ansari, Kulsum Khatoon, Khushi Bano, Parmeshwar Mandrawaliya, Santra Chaurthiya, Rajkumari Prajapati, Manisha Chanda, Anita Sen, Rani Devi, Ajfarul Shaikh | Producers: Ruchika Negi, Dipta Bhog, Shabani Hassanwalia, Shivam Rastogi)
- Suddenly TV (Sudan | Gisa Productions | Director/Producer: Roopa Gogineni)
- The Unicorn in Snowpants Suddenly Ran Off (Germany | The New Yorker, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg | Director: Philipp Schaeffer | Producer: Fabian Leonhardt)
- The Veiled City (United Kingdom | JSH Films | Director: Natalie Cubides-Brady | Producer: Jacob Swan Hyam)
Best Music Documentary
- Keeping the Music Alive (France, Singapore, UK | TVF International | Directors: Sarah El Younsi, Mandakini Gahlot | Producers: Bable Doc, CNA)
- Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures, CNN Film, HBO Max | USA, UK | Director: Lisa Cortés | Producers: Lisa Cortés, Robert Friedman, Liz Yale Marsh, Caryn Capotosto)
- Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes (PBS, American Masters | USA | Directors/Producers: Ben Shapiro, Sam Pollard)
- Milli Vanilli (USA | Paramount+ | Director: Luke Korem | Producers: Luke Korem, Bradley Jackson)
- Pianoforte (Poland, Germany | Greenwich Entertainment | Director: Jakub Piatek | Producer: Maciej Kubicki)
