Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature

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Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature
Presented by Independent Spirit Awards
First award Dark Days (2000)
Currently held by No Other Land (2023)
Website spiritawards.com

The Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature is one of the annual Independent Spirit Awards. It is given to the director(s) of the film and since 2014 it is also given to the producers. [1] It was first presented in 2000, with Marc Singer's Dark Days being the first recipient of the award.

Contents

Winners and nominees

2000s

YearFilmDistributing company(s)Director(s)
2000 Dark Days Palm Pictures Marc Singer
The Eyes of Tammy Faye Lionsgate Films Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato
Long Night's Journey into Day Seventh Art Releasing Deborah Hoffmann and Frances Reid
Paragraph 175 New Yorker Films Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Sound and Fury Artistic License FilmsJosh Aronson
2001 Dogtown and Z-Boys Sony Pictures Classics Stacy Peralta
Go Tigers! IFC Films Kenneth A. Carlson
LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton Maysles Films Inc.Deborah Dickson, Susan Froemke and Albert Maysles
Promises Cowboy Pictures Carlos Bolado, B.Z. Goldberg, and Justine Shapiro
Scratch Palm Pictures Doug Pray
2002 Bowling for Columbine United Artists Michael Moore
The Cockettes Strand Releasing Bill Weber and David Weissman
Devil's Playground Cinemax Lucy Walker
How to Draw a Bunny Artisan Entertainment John W. Walter
Stevie Kartemquin Films Steve James
2003 The Fog of War Sony Pictures Classics Errol Morris
Mayor of the Sunset Strip First Look Studios George Hickenlooper
My Architect New Yorker Films Nathaniel Kahn
OT: Our Town Film Movement Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Power Trip Films Transit International Paul Devlin
2004 Metallica: Some Kind of Monster IFC Films Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Bright Leaves First Run Features Ross McElwee
Chisholm '72: Unbought & Unbossed 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Shola Lynch
Hiding and Seeking: Faith and Tolerance After the Holocaust First Run Features Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky
Tarnation Wellspring Media Jonathan Caouette
2005 Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Magnolia Pictures Alex Gibney
Grizzly Man Lionsgate Films Werner Herzog
La SierraIcarus FilmsScott Dalton and Margarita Martinez
Romántico Kino International Mark Becker
Sir! No Sir! Balcony Releasing David Zeiger
2006 The Road to Guantánamo Roadside Attractions Michael Winterbottom
A Lion in the House PBS Distribution Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
My Country, My Country Zeitgeist Films Laura Poitras
The Trials of Darryl Hunt THINKFilm Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg
You're Gonna Miss Me Palm PicturesKeven McAlester
2007 Crazy Love Magnolia PicturesDan Klores and Fisher Stevens
Lake of Fire THINKFilm Tony Kaye
Manufactured Landscapes Zeitgeist Films Jennifer Baichwal
The Monastery Koch-Lorber Films Pernille Rose Grønkjær
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair Truly Indie Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein
2008 Man on Wire [2] Magnolia Pictures James Marsh
The Betrayal The Cinema Guild Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Encounters at the End of the World THINKFilm Werner Herzog
The Order of Myths The Cinema Guild Margaret Brown
Up the Yangtze Zeitgeist Films Yung Chang
2009 Anvil! The Story of Anvil [3] Abramorama Sacha Gervasi
Food, Inc. Magnolia Pictures Robert Kenner
More than a Game LionsgateKristopher Belman
October CountryTopic StudiosMichael Palmieri and Donal Mosher
Which Way Home HBO Films Rebecca Cammisa

2010s

YearFilmDirector(s)Producer(s)
2010 Exit Through the Gift Shop [4] Banksy
Marwencol Jeff Malmberg
Restrepo Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Sweetgrass Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Thunder SoulMark Landsman
2011 The Interrupters [5] Steve James Steve James, Alex Kotlowitz
An African Election Jarreth J. Merz and Kevin MerzJarreth J. Merz
Bill Cunningham New York Richard Press Philip Gefter
The Redemption of General Butt NakedDaniele Anastasion and Eric Strauss
We Were Here David Weissman
2012 The Invisible War [6] Kirby Dick
The Central Park Five Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon
How to Survive a Plague David France
Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present Matthew Akers and Jeff Dupre
The Waiting Room Peter Nicks
2013 20 Feet from Stardom [7] Morgan Neville Gil Friesen, Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers
The Act of Killing Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine Cynn Joshua Oppenheimer, Joram Ten Brink, Christine Cynn, Anne Köhncke, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Michael Uwemedimo, Anonymous
After Tiller Martha Shane and Lana Wilson
Gideon's Army Dawn Porter Dawn Porter, Julie Goldman
The Square Jehane Noujaim Karim Amer
2014 Citizenfour [8] Laura Poitras Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
20,000 Days on Earth Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard Dan Bowen, James Wilson
The Salt of the Earth Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado David Rosier
Stray Dog Debra Granik Anne Rosellini
Virunga Orlando von Einsiedel Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara
2015 The Look of Silence [9] Joshua Oppenheimer Signe Byrge Sørensen
(T)error Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe
Best of Enemies Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
Heart of a Dog Laurie Anderson Laurie Anderson, Dan Janvey
Meru Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
The Russian Woodpecker Chad GarciaMike Lerner, Ram Devineni, Chad Gracia
2016 O.J.: Made in America [10] Ezra Edelman Ezra Edelman, Deirdre Fenton, Libby Geist, Nina Krstic, Erin Leyden, Tamara Rosenberg, Connor Schell, Caroline Waterlow
13th Ava DuVernay Howard Barish, Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick
Cameraperson Kirsten Johnson Kirsten Johnson, Marilyn Ness
I Am Not Your Negro Raoul Peck Raoul Peck, Rémi Grellety, Hébert Peck
Sonita Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami Gerd Haag
Under the Sun Vitaly Mansky Natalya Manskaya
2017 Faces Places [11] Agnès Varda and JR Rosalie Varda
The Departure Lana Wilson
Last Men in Aleppo Feras Fayyad Kareem Abeed, Søren Steen Jespersen, Stefan Kloos
Motherland Ramona Diaz Rey Cuerdo
Quest Jonathan Olshefski Sabrina Schmidt Gordon
2018 Won't You Be My Neighbor? Morgan Neville Morgan Neville, Caryn Capotosto, Nicholas Ma
Hale County This Morning, This Evening RaMell Ross RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes, Su Kim
Minding the Gap Bing Liu Bing Liu, Diane Moy Quon
Of Fathers and Sons Talal Derki Hans Robert Eisenhauer, Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias N. Siebert
On Her Shoulders Alexandria Bombach Hayley Pappas, Brock Williams
Shirkers Sandi Tan Sandi Tan, Jessica Levin, Maya E. Rudolph
2019 American Factory Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert, Julie Parker Benello
Apollo 11 Todd Douglas Miller Todd Douglas Miller, Thomas Petersen and Evan Krauss
For Sama Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts Waad Al-Kateab
Honeyland Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov, Atanas Georgiev
Island of the Hungry Ghosts Gabrielle Brady Alexander Wadouh, Samm Haillay, Alex Kelly, Gizem Acarla and Gabrielle Brady

2020s

YearFilmDirector(s)Producer(s)
2020
[12] 		Crip Camp Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht Nicole Newnham, James Lebrecht, Sara Bolder
Collective Alexander Nanau Alexander Nanau, Hanka Kastelicová, Bernard Michaux, Bianca Oana
Dick Johnson Is Dead Kirsten Johnson Kirsten Johnson, Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness
The Mole Agent Maite Alberdi Marcela Santibáñez
Time Garrett Bradley Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn
2021
[13] 		Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent, Joseph Patel
Ascension Jessica Kingdon Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy, Nathan Truesdell
Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen
In the Same Breath Nanfu Wang Nanfu Wang, Christopher Clements, Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn, Jialing Zhang
Procession Robert Greene Susan Bedusa, Bennett Elliott, Douglas Tirola
2022
[14] 		All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Laura Poitras Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons
All That Breathes Shaunak Sen Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer, Aman Mann
A House Made of Splinters Simon Lereng Wilmont Monica Hellström
Midwives Snow Hnin Ei HlaingSnow Hnin Ei Hlaing, Mila Aung-Thwin, Ulla Lehmann, Bob Moore
Riotsville, U.S.A. Sierra PettengillSierra Pettengill, Sara Archambault, Jamila Wignot
2023

[15]

Four Daughters Kaouther Ben Hania Nadim Cheikhrouha
Bye Bye Tiberias Lina Soualem Jean-Marie Nizan
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson Tommy Oliver
Kokomo City D. Smith Bill Butler and Harris Doran
The Mother of All Lies Asmae El Moudir Asmae El Moudir
2024
[16] 		No Other Land Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel SzorFabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
Gaucho Gaucho Michael Dweck and Gregory KershawMichael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Christos V. Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O'Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro
HummingbirdsSilvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía "Beba" ContrerasLeslie Benavides, Miguel-Drake McLaughlin, Rivkah Beth Meadow, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falcó, Jillian Schlesinger
Patrice: The MovieTed PassonKyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat Johan Grimonprez Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius
2025
[17] 		Come See Me in the Good Light Ryan White Ryan White, Jessica Hargrave, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen
Endless Cookie Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver Seth Scriver, Daniel Bekerman, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle, Chris Yurkovich
My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow Julia Loktev
The Perfect Neighbor Geeta Gandbhir Geeta Gandbhir, Sam Bisbee, Nikon Kwantu, Alisa Payne
The Tale of Silyan Tamara Kotevska Tamara Kotevska, Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Jordanco Petkovski

See also

References

  1. ↑ "37 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). FilmIndependent. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Urban Cinefile INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS 2009-WINNERS". Archived from the original on 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  3. ↑ 'Anvil', '45365' Take Nonfiction at Spirit Awards|International Documentary Association
  4. ↑ Independent Spirit winners and nominees 2011-Los Angeles Times
  5. ↑ Film Independent Spirit Awards: Complete List of Winners|IndieWire
  6. ↑ The Invisible War-Awards-IMDB
  7. ↑ 2014 Independent Spirit Awards: 12 Years a Slave Takes Home Best Feature, Plus More Big Winners!|E! News
  8. ↑ Spirit Awards 2015: Winners Complete List|Hollywood Reporter
  9. ↑ Film Independent Spirit Awards 2016: Complete Winners List-US Magazine
  10. ↑ 'O.J.: Made In America' Wins Independent Spirit Award For Best Documentary Feature|IndieWire
  11. ↑ Independent Spirit Awards 2018 Winners: The Complete List|E! News
  12. ↑ 2021 Independent Spirit Awards Winner's List|IndieWire
  13. ↑ Spirit Awards Winners: Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘The Lost Daughter’ Wins Best Feature — Full List|IndieWire
  14. ↑ Davis, Clayton (November 22, 2022). "Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Everything Everywhere' Leads With Eight Noms". Variety . Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Best Documentary Archives". Film Independent. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  16. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2024-12-04). "Spirit Awards Best Feature Nominees Include 'Anora', 'I Saw The TV Glow', 'Nickel Boys', 'Sing Sing' & 'The Substance'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  17. ↑ Spirit Awards 2026 Nominations: Full List – Variety
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