Gordon Quinn honored by the IDA

December 8, 2015 9:06 am

On December 5th, 2015, the International Documentary Association (IDA) honored Gordon Quinn, Kartemquin founder and artistic director, with their prestigious Career Achievement Award at the 2015 IDA Awards.

Haskell Wexler and Chaz Ebert gave the award to Gordon, who received a standing ovation from the audience at the Paramount theater in Los Angeles.

In his speech, Gordon urged documentary filmmakers to work to make the documentary industry "more diverse" and to remain engaged in the political issues affecting their artistic practice. "Make the field what you want it to be. Don't ask how you can fit in. Ask how we can make this field serve the needs of what it needs to be," he said. He also stated that he shared the award with all the Kartemquin filmmakers from over the organization's 50 years, "an incredible journey." Gordon also described how during the distribution of Hoop Dreams he was asked by a publicist to "stop using those D words... Democracy and Documentary," and how he has always rejected that advice, and embraced them as the core of his life's work. Listen to the full audio here

We salute and thank you, Gordon. And we thank the IDA for honoring him in this way, and for hosting a memorable celebration.