November 24, 2020 2:25 pm
City So Real directed by Steve James and produced by Zak Piper has been nominated for the IDA Documentary Award in the “Best Multi-Part Documentary” category. Regarded as the world's most prestigious event dedicated to the documentary genre, the IDA Awards celebrate the best nonfiction films and programs of the year. It seeks to represent excellence in the documentary field from around the world, by emerging and established documentarians.
“The nominees present an inspiring and urgent range of stories from around the globe,” executive director of the IDA said Simon Kilmurry told Variety. “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.”
City So Real is nominated alongside Asian Americans (Directors: Leo Chiang, Geeta Gandbhir, Grace Lee), Hillary (Director: Nanette Burstein), Lenox Hill (Directors and Executive Producers: Adi Barash and Ruthie Shatz), Atlanta's Missing and Murdered (Directors and Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeffn, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre).
The International Documentary Association’s 36th awards will take place in a virtual ceremony on Jan. 16, 2021. IDA members will have the opportunity to vote online for the ten Best Feature and Best Short nominees starting Dec. 7, 2020, through Jan. 8, 2021.
The IDA received 1056 submissions including 365 documentary features, 153 documentary shorts, 153 documentary series, 52 student films, 39 music documentaries and 33 audio documentaries and podcasts. A record 40% of submissions were international productions or co-productions. The nominees are selected by independent committees of 191 documentary makers, curators, critics, and industry experts from 25 countries. 58% of the committee members are female while 59% of committee members are BIPOC. Additionally, 15% of members are LGBTQ+ and 4% are disabled.