Crip Camp (Netflix) came up big at this evening’s (1/16) 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, winning the marquee Best Feature honor as well as the ABC News VideoSource Award for the best use of news footage. Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, Crip Camp introduces us to a ramshackle summer camp from yesteryear in upstate New York created for teenagers with disabilities. The documentary starts out as nostalgic remembrance of Camp Jened, the campers, the counselors and the bonds that were formed among them. The camp was in many respects an idyllic place where campers with polio, cerebral palsy and other disabilities could feel acceptance and deep camaraderie. Among the campers were LeBrecht, born with spina bifida, and Judith Heumann, a polio survivor. Both went on, along with others, to play key roles in the disability rights movement, staging a history-making sit-in protest for 25 days at the San Francisco Department of Health, Education and Welfare, lobbying in Washington, D.C. and proving instrumental in paving the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act to become law in 1990.
Crip Camp sheds light on a decades-long fight for civil rights that was overshadowed by other battles for equality during that time. Crip Camp is the second film backed by Higher Ground Productions, the company headed by Barack and Michelle Obama. (The first Higher Ground film was American Factory, which last year won the Oscar for Best Feature Documentary.)
The 2020 IDA Documentary Awards were presented at a virtual ceremony hosted by Willie Garson. Among the other major winners were: Garrett Bradley who earned Best Director distinction for Time (Amazon Studios); Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix) which topped the Best Writing (Nels Bangerter and director Kirsten Johnson) and Best Editing (Bangerter) categories; and My Octopus Teacher (Netflix) which garnered Best Music Score (composer Kevin Smuts) as well as the Pare Lorentz Award which recognizes work that demonstrates exemplary filmmaking while focusing on the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems. Crip Camp received honorable mention for the Pare Lorentz Award.
Here’s a full rundown of the evening’s winners:
Best Feature
Crip Camp
Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer: Sara Bolder
USA / NETFLIX
Best Short
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens
Director/Producer: Matthew Killip
USA / NETFLIX
Best Director
Garrett Bradley
Time
USA / AMAZON STUDIOS, CONCORDIA STUDIO, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Best Curated Series
American Experience
Executive Producers: Susan Bellows and Mark Samels
USA / PBS
Best Episodic Series
Last Chance U
Director and Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley
Executive Producers: Joe LaBracio, James D. Stern, Lucas Smith, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard
USA / NETFLIX
Best Multi-Part Documentary
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered
Directors and Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre
Executive Producers: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorious, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller
USA / HBO
Best Short Form Series
POV Shorts
Producer: Opal H. Bennett
Executive Producers: Justine Nagan and Chris White
USA / PBS
Best Audio Documentary
Somebody
Reporters and Producers: Alison Flowers, Bill Healy and Sarah Geis
Host: Shapearl Wells
Reporters: Sam Stecklow, Annie Nguyen, Kahari Blackburn, Rajiv Sinclair, Henri Adams, Matilda Vojak, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Frances McDonald, Diana Akmajian, Andrew Fan and Maddie Anderson
Associate Producer: Ellen Glover
Executive Producers: Jamie Kalven, Maria Zuckerman, Christy Gressman, Leital Molad
USA / TOPIC STUDIOS, THE INTERCEPT, THE INVISIBLE INSTITUTE, AND IHEARTRADIO, IN ASSOCIATION WITH TENDERFOOT TV
Best Music Documentary
Universe
Directors: Sam Osborn and Nicholas Capezzera
Producers: Esther Dere and Leah Natasha Thomas
USA
David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
THIS AWARD RECOGNIZES EXCEPTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT IN NON-FICTION FILM AND VIDEO PRODUCTION AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL AND BRINGS GREATER PUBLIC AND INDUSTRY AWARENESS TO THE WORK OF STUDENTS IN THE DOCUMENTARY FIELD.
People Like Me
Director/Producer: Marrok Sedgwick
USA / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA CRUZ
Best Cinematography
The Earth is Blue as an Orange
Cinematographer: Viacheslav Tsvietkov
UKRAINE, LITHUANIA
Best Editing
Dick Johnson is Dead
Editor: Nels Bangerter
USA / NETFLIX
Best Music Score
My Octopus Teacher
Composer: Kevin Smuts
USA, UNITED KINGDOM / NETFLIX
Best Writing
Dick Johnson is Dead
Writers: Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson
USA / NETFLIX
ABC News VideoSource Award
THE ABC NEWS VIDEOSOURCE AWARD IS GIVEN EACH YEAR FOR THE BEST USE OF NEWS FOOTAGE AS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT IN A DOCUMENTARY.
Crip Camp
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder
USA / NETFLIX
Pare Lorentz Award
THE PARE LORENTZ AWARD RECOGNIZES FILMS THAT DEMONSTRATE EXEMPLARY FILMMAKING WHILE FOCUSING ON THE APPROPRIATE USE OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, JUSTICE FOR ALL AND THE ILLUMINATION OF PRESSING SOCIAL PROBLEMS.
My Octopus Teacher
Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed
Producer: Craig Foster
USA / NETFLIX
Crip Camp (honorable mention)
Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham
Producer: Sara Bolder
USA / NETFLIX
HONORARY AWARDS
Amicus Award
Regina K. Scully
Career Achievement Award
Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI)
Courage Under Fire Award
David France, David Isteev and Olga Baranova (Welcome to Chechnya)
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
Garrett Bradley (Time)
Pioneer Award
Firelight Media
Truth to Power Award
Maria Ressa and Rappler (A Thousand Cuts)