Following the IDA Awards nominations last month, the year”s top documentary contenders come into crisper focus with Thursday”s announcement of Cinema Eye”s 8th Annual Nonfiction Film Awards nominations. Laura Poitras” “CITIZENFOUR” leads the pack with six nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature. The inside look at Edward Snowden”s NSA leak also earned praise in Directing, Editing, Production, Cinematography, and the Audience Choice category. Poitras is no stranger to Cinema Eye”s awards – she won the 2011 Directing Award for “The Oath.”
Familiar faces rounded out the Oustanding Feature category, including Steve James” Roger Ebert portrait “Life Itself,” Jesse Moss” tale of a North Dakota oil boom town, “The Overnighters,” Iain Forsythe & Jane Pollard”s “20,000 Days on Earth,” a look musician Nick Cave, and Orlando von Einsiedel”s environment-minded “Virunga.”
Thirty-six feature films and six shorts will vie for this year”s Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. Other films vying for prizes include “The Case Against 8,” “Actress,” “The E-Team,” “Finding Vivian Maier,” “Jodorowsky”s Dune,” “Ne Me Quitte Pas,” “Particle Fever” and “Return to Homs.” Winners will be announced Jan. 7, 2015 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.
The press release notes a fun fact: Nick Cave”s nomination in the Original Score category for 20,000 Days on Earth marks the first time one of Cinema Eye”s Unforgettables – notable and significant nonfiction film subjects – is also a nominee.
Cinema Eye was founded in 2007 to recognize excellence in artistry and craft in nonfiction filmmaking. The Honors ceremony is the centerpiece of Cinema Eye Week, a multi-day, multi-city celebration that acknowledges the best work in nonfiction film with film screenings in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. Past winners of the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature award include “The Act of Killing,” “5 Broken Cameras,” “The Interrupters,” “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” “The Cove,” “Man on Wire,” and “Manda Bala (Send a Bullet).”
Check out the full list of nominations below.
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
“CITIZENFOUR”
“Life Itself”
“The Overnighters”
“20,000 Days on Earth”
“Virunga”
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Robert Greene (“Actress”)
Laura Poitras (“CITIZENFOUR”)
Steve James (“Life Itself”)
Jesse Moss (“The Overnighters”)
Nick Broomfield (“Tales of the Grim Sleeper”)
Outstanding Achievement in Editing
“Actress”
“The Case Against 8”
“CITZENFOUR”
“Life Itself”
“Ne Me Quitte Pas”
“Point and Shoot”
Outstanding Achievement in Production
“The Case Against 8”
“CITIZENFOUR”
“The E-Team”
“Return to Homs”
“Virunga”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
“CITIZENFOUR”
“The E-Team”
“Ne Me Quitte Pas”
“Rich Hill”
“20,000 Days on Earth”
“Virunga”
Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film
“Approaching the Elephant”
“Evolution of a Criminal”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
“Return to Homs”
“20,000 Days on Earth”
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score
“The Great Invisible”
“Life Itself”
“Mateo”
“The Possibilities are Endless”
“20,000 Days on Earth”
Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation
“Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart”
“Jodorowsky's Dune”
“Particle Fevery”
“Red Army”
“The Unknown Known”
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Films Made for Television
“American Masters: Jimi Hendrix – Here My Train a Comin'”
“The Education of Muhammad Hussein”
“Hillsborough”
“The Price of Gold”
“Six by Sondheim”
Audience Choice Prize
“The Cast Against 8”
“CITIZENFOUR”
“Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me”
“Finding Vivian Maier”
“Jodorowsky's Dune”
“Keep On Keepin' On”
“Life Itself”
“Mistake for Strangers”
“Particle Fever”
“20,000 Days on Earth”
Spotlight Award
“Evaporating Borders”
“An Honest Liar”
“Living Stars”
“My Name is Salt”
“1971”
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking
“Hacked Circuit”
“Joanna”
“The Lion's Mouth Opens”
“Notes on Blindness”
“One Year Lease”