"Kassim," "Wire," "Stranded," "Waltz" and "Young" Compete for IDA Honors

Filmmaker Werner Herzog, career achievement honoree from the International Documentary Association. Photo by Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE

The five feature film nominations were announced today for the International Documentary Association's 2008 IDA Documentary Awards competition. "Kassim The Dream," "Man On Wire," "Stranded: I Have Come From A Plane That Crashed On the Mountains," "Waltz With Bashir" and "Young @ Heart" will compete for the group's Distinguished Documentary Achievement nod. Winners will be feted on December 5th at the Directors Guild, in a ceremony hosted by Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.

In addition to competitive awards for the year's current crop of outstanding documentaries, IDA also acknowledges creative contributions to the genre at large. This year's IDA Career Achievement honoree, to be celebrated during December's event, was previously announced as "Encounters at the End of the World" director Werner Herzog. Also receiving honors will be Rob Epstein ("The Celluloid Closet") who will receive IDA's Pioneer Award, while the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker Award will go to director Stefan Forbes ("Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story").

"Innovative storytelling, digital editing and sophisticated audiences have opened up the playing field of what a documentary can be," commented IDA's Interim Executive Director Eddie Schmidt in a statement. "So, in choosing a master of ceremonies for this year's event, no one better exemplifies that renegade creative spirit than Morgan Spurlock." The International Documentary Association is a nonprofit, public interest organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the art of documentary film. The IDA Awards selection process began with peer group juries who viewed all submissions to select nominees in each category for final review by blue-ribbon panels.

The full list of nominees:

Distinguished Documentary Achievement: Feature
"Kassim The Dream," directed by Kief Davidson
"Man on Wire," directed by James Marsh
"Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed on the Mountains," directed by Gonzalo Arijon
"Waltz With Bashir," directed by Ari Folman
"Young@Heart," directed by Stephen Walker

Short Films
"Kicks Like a Girl," directed by Jenny Mackenzie
"La Corona," directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
"Redemption Stone," directed by Tom Dziedzic
"Smile Pinki," directed by Megan Mylan
"Tongzhi in Love," directed by Ruby Yang

Limited Series
"CNN Presents: God's Warriors"
"The Jewish Americans"
"The War"
"Sin City Law"

Continuing Series
"Nova"
"American Masters"
"This American Life"
"Wide Angle"

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