Highlights from the 41st Annual IDA Documentary Awards: Celebrating Excellence in Nonfiction Filmmaking
The 41st annual IDA Documentary Awards brunch took place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, bringing together the nonfiction community to honor the best television and film documentaries of 2025. Global IDA jurors reviewed over 550 entries from 85 countries across various categories. The winner of Best Feature Documentary was "The Tale of Silyan," which also received the Best Cinematography award. Other nominees included "Apocalypse in the Tropics," "Life After," "Songs of Slow Burning Earth," and "Seeds," which won Best Director for Brittany Shyne. Kevin Macdonald's "One to One: John & Yoko" was awarded Best Music Documentary.
NatGeo's "The Tale of Silyan," a poignant portrayal of a struggling farm community, emerged as the top winner at the IDA Awards, positioning it as a strong contender for the Oscars. The event also recognized outstanding documentaries such as France's "99" for Best Curated Series and PBS' "Citizen Nation" for Best Episodic Series. Special awards were presented to Julie Goldman for Career Achievement, Brittany Shyne for Emerging Filmmaker, and Impact Partners for the Pioneer Award.
The complete list of winners includes "The Tale of Silyan" for Best Feature Documentary, "Looking for a Donkey" for Best Short Documentary, Brittany Shyne for Best Director, Jean Dakar for Best Cinematography, Alex Megaro and Ian Bell for Best Editing, Frédéric Filiatre for Best Original Music Score, Alessandra Orofino and Petra Costa for Best Production, Thomas Perez-Pape for Best Sound Design, Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino, Nels Bangerter, David Barker, and Tina Baz for Best Writing, and more. The IDA Awards celebrated excellence in documentary filmmaking and recognized the outstanding contributions of filmmakers in the industry.