Michael Moore, Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady and others turn out for Cinema Eye Honors documentary awards
On the eve of Academy Awards announcements, the documentary community was out in full force celebrating its own at the 6th Annual for Nonfiction Filmmaking at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. And what a community it was! From notable presenters such as Michael Moore, to delighted winners like Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia), the word 鈥渟upportive鈥� was thrown around with gusto throughout the evening.
This spirit of community was embodied by Esther Robinson, the evening鈥檚 charming hostess and Cinema Eye co-chair. Not only did Robinson show off a photo of her newly adopted baby to the entire assemblage (would that ever happen at the Oscars?), but she also gave quite a pep talk to the crowd, which included many notable filmmakers. 鈥淓veryone in this room is doing something spectacular,鈥� Robinson remarked, 鈥淲e get up every day and we make something from nothing. It has meaning, it鈥檚 important, and it changes the world.鈥�
The love and encouragement continued, pouring out of the mouths of up-and-comers and veterans alike. New filmmaker Jason Tippet accepted his award for Only the Young by expressing that, 鈥淚t feels nice to be accepted into a community like this, and meet people whose films you鈥檙e obsessed with.鈥� Tippet was honored with co-director Elizabeth Mims for Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film.
Documentary film legend D A Pennebaker accepted the Legacy Award for his 1993 film The War Room, which took viewers behind the scenes of the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign. He responded to Tippet鈥檚 sentiment by sharing his feeling that, 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing to see a roomful of people who are like my good friends, [pioneering doc-makers] Albert Maysles and Ricky Leacock. People who want to pick up a camera and make a film.鈥�
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady acknowledged that the documentary community provides more than just good feelings. Ewing and Grady鈥檚 film Detropia, the evening鈥檚 only nominee to receive two awards (Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Original Score), was a largely self-distributed effort. 鈥淲e leaned on the community, and you delivered,鈥� helping to raise over $70,000 on Kickstarter toward distribution and landing the film in over 100 cities.
One of the evening鈥檚 most emotional moments came during Michael Moore鈥檚 impassioned acceptance speech on behalf of 5 Broken Cameras filmmakers, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi. Their film about Israeli settlements encroaching upon Burnat鈥檚 Palestinian village was named Outstanding Feature. Moore, who befriended the filmmakers after 5 Broken Cameras screened at his Traverse City Film Festival, said of their work, 鈥淵ou walk into that film, and when you walk out you鈥檙e a different person.鈥�
A complete list of Cinema Eye Honors winners can be found .
Filmmaker Liz Nord is currently directing the documentary film and transmedia initiative .
