Get ready for a thrilling ride as we dive into the highly anticipated IDA Documentary Awards 2025! The International Documentary Association has unveiled its nominees, and trust me, this year's lineup is nothing short of extraordinary.
Among the nominees, we find the Netflix sensation "Apocalypse in the Tropics" and the captivating National Geographic film "The Tale of Silyan." Both of these films are directed by past Oscar nominees, setting the bar high for this year's competition. But here's where it gets controversial... one notable absence is "The Perfect Neighbor," a Sundance favorite acquired by Netflix, which recently swept the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Will its absence be felt at the IDA Awards?
The IDA received an impressive 550+ entries from 85 countries, an increase from last year, showcasing the global reach and diversity of documentary filmmaking. These entries were carefully reviewed by juries consisting of documentary professionals from around the world.
This year, the IDA has introduced a unique twist. Instead of a traditional shortlist, the juries have included special mentions alongside nominees, ensuring that more of this year's exceptional films are recognized.
IDA members will have the exclusive opportunity to view the nominated films and cast their votes for the Best Feature Documentary and Best Short Documentary categories between November 19 and December 2, 2025. All other category winners will be selected by juries representing the international documentary community.
And this is the part most people miss... winners in two special categories, the ABC News VideoSource Award and the Pare Lorentz Award, will also be announced on December 6, 2025, adding an extra layer of excitement to the ceremony.
At this year's ceremony, we will witness the presentation of prestigious awards. Documentary producer Julie Goldman will receive the Career Achievement Award, Brittany Shyne of "Seeds" will be honored with the Emerging Filmmaker Award, and Impact Partners will be presented with the Pioneer Award.
Now, let's dive into the nominees for each category, listed in alphabetical order by film title.
Best Feature Documentary Nominees:
- "Apocalypse in the Tropics" (United States | Netflix | Director: Petra Costa)
- "Life After" (United States | Multitude Films | Director: Reid Davenport)
- "Seeds" (United States | Director: Brittany Shyne)
- "Songs of Slow Burning Earth" (Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark | EPF Media | Director: Olha Zhurba)
- "The Tale of Silyan" (Republic of North Macedonia, United States, United Kingdom | National Geographic | Director: Tamara Kotevska)
Best Feature Documentary Special Mentions:
- "Come See Me in the Good Light" (United States | Apple | Director: Ryan White)
- "Cover-Up" (United States | Netflix | Directors: Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus)
- "Deaf President Now!" (United States | Apple | Directors: Nyle DiMarco, Davis Guggenheim)
- "Mothers of Chibok" (United States, Nigeria | Director: Joel 'Kachi Benson)
- "Orwell: 2+2=5" (United States | NEON | Director: Raoul Peck)
- "Yanuni" (Austria, Brazil, United States | Director: Richard Ladkani)
Best Short Documentary Nominees:
- "Correct Me If I'm Wrong" (Germany, United States | Director: Hao Zhou)
- "If a Walnut Falls" (China, Hong Kong | Director: Bohao Liu)
- "Looking for a Donkey" (Mexico, Venezuela | Director: Juan Vicente Manrique)
- "Mama Micra" (Germany | interfilm Berlin | Director: Rebecca Blöcher)
- "Their Eyes" (France, United States | The New York Times Op-Docs | Director: Nicolas Gourault)
Best Short Documentary Special Mentions:
- "All The Empty Rooms" (United States | Netflix | Director: Joshua Seftel)
- "The Candy Factory" (United States | The New Yorker | Directors: Cory Jacobs, Jason Schmidt)
- "Landscapes of Longing" (India, United States | Directors: Alisha Tejpal, Mireya Martinez, Anoushka Mirchandani)
- "perfectly a strangeness" (Canada, Chile | Premium Films | Director: Alison McAlpine)
- "Please Step Aside!" (Germany | Raha Films | Director: Raha Faridi)
- "Voices From The Abyss" (Mexico | EPF Media | Directors: Irving Serrano, Víctor Rejón)
Best Director:
- Petra Costa, "Apocalypse in the Tropics" (United States | Netflix)
- Reid Davenport, "Life After" (United States | Multitude Films)
- Brittany Shyne, "Seeds" (United States)
- Olha Zhurba, "Songs of Slow Burning Earth" (Ukraine, Sweden, Denmark | EPF Media)
- Tamara Kotevska, "The Tale of Silyan" (Republic of North Macedonia, United States, United Kingdom | National Geographic)
Best Cinematography:
- Ben Sturgulewski, "Champions of the Golden Valley" (United States)
- Subhadeep Dey, Mrinmoy Mondal, Rupesh Chaturbedi, "Redlight to Limelight" (India, Finland, Latvia | BBC Storyville)
- Jean Dakar, "The Tale of Silyan" (Republic of North Macedonia, United States, United Kingdom | National Geographic)
- Natalia Pietsch, Grzegorz Piekarski, "The Town That Drove Away" (Poland | Polish National TV)
- Richard Ladkani, "Yanuni" (Austria, Brazil, United States)
Best Editing:
- Julia Loktev, "My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow" (United States | Argot)
- Pablo Proenza, "Natchez" (United States | ITVS)
- Jason Reid, Robinson Devor, Adam Sekuler, Matt Levinthal, "Suburban Fury" (United States)
- Daniel Claridge, Pedro Kos, Sara Newens, "The White House Effect" (United States | Netflix)
- Alex Megaro, Ian Bell, "WTO/99" (United States)
Best Original Music Score:
- Sam Slater, "Divia" (Ukraine, Poland, Netherlands)
- Mato Wayuhi, "Free Leonard Peltier" (United States)
- Matthew Dougherty, "Shuffle" (United States)
- Fréderic Filiartre, "The Sorcerer: Julio Zachrisson" (Panama)
- Afshin Azizi, "Writing Hawa" (France, Netherlands, Qatar | First Hand FIlms, Icarus Films)
Best Production:
- Alessandra Orofino, Petra Costa, "Apocalypse in the Tropics" (United States | Netflix)
- Yoni Golijov, Olivia Streisand, Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, "Cover-Up" (United States | Netflix)
- Colleen Cassingham, "Life After" (United States | Multitude Films)
- Danielle Varga, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon, Brittany Shyne, "Seeds" (United States)
- Andrew Jarecki, Charlotte Kaufman, "The Alabama Solution" (United States | HBO Max)
Best Sound Design:
- Yannick Dauby, "Always" (United States, France, Taiwan)
- Alexander Dudarev, "Architecton" (Germany, France, United States | A24)
- Thomas Perez-Pape, "Only on Earth" (Denmark, Spain | DR, HBO, SVT)
- Rico Andriolo, Manu Gerber, "Song of Breath" (Switzerland, Italy)
- Rubí J. Pérez, "The Silence of My Hands" (Mexico | AD Maiora)
Best Writing:
- Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino, Nels Bangerter, David Barker, "Apocalypse in the Tropics" (United States | Netflix)
- Bipuljit Basu, "Redlight to Limelight" (India, Finland, Latvia | BBC Storyville)
- Sasha Wortzel, "River of Grass" (United States)
- Cristina Costantini, Tom Maroney, "Sally" (United States | National Geographic)
- Robinson Devor, Jason Reid, Bob Fink, Charles Mudede, "Suburban Fury" (United States)
Best Curated Series:
- "99" (France | EP: Jérôme Plan)
- "Independent Lens" (United States | PBS | EPs: Lois Vossen, Carrie Lozano, Royd Chung)
- "POV Season 38" (United States | PBS | EPs: Erika Dilday, Chris White)
- "POV Shorts Season 8" (United States | PBS | EPs: Opal H. Bennett, Erika Dilday, Chris White)
- "The New York Times Op-Docs" (United States | The New York Times Op-Docs | EPs: Kathleen Kingsbury, Adam B. Ellick, Alexandra Garcia)
Best Episodic Series:
- "Citizen Nation" (United States | PBS | Directors: Bret Sigler, Singeli Agnew)
- "Earnhardt" (United States | Prime Video | Director: Joshua Altman)
- "Eyes on the Prize III: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest 1977-2015" (United States | HBO Max | Directors: Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles, Muta'Ali, Rudy Valdez, Smriti Mundhra, Asako Gladsjo)
- "The Sing Sing Chronicles" (United States | PNBC News Studios in association with Trilogy Films, MSNBC Films | Director: Dawn Porter)
- "Turning Point: The Vietnam War" (United States | Netflix | Director: Brian Knappenberger)
Best Music Documentary:
- "El Canto de las Manos" (Spain, United States | Feel Sales | Director: María Valverde)
- "Move Ya Body: The Birth of House" (United States | Director: Elegance Bratton)
- "One to One: John & Yoko" (United Kingdom | Magnolia Pictures, HBO Documentary Films | Director: Kevin Macdonald)
- "Selena y Los Dinos" (United States | Netflix | Director: Isabel Castro)
- "Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)" (United States | Hulu | Director: Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson)
David L. Wolper Student Documentary:
- "Beyond Eden" (United Kingdom | National Film and Television School, UK | Director: Al Johnstone)
- "Dancing in Tomorrowland" (United States | UCLA | Director: Jakob Roston)
- "Two Days on the Interstate" (United Kingdom | National Film and Television School, UK | Director: Tatiana Stark)
- "Two Travelling Aunties" (United Kingdom | National Film and Television School, UK | Director: Christine Seow)
- "What a day, what a life" (United Kingdom | National Film and Television School, UK | Director: Maylana Colchete)
So, what do you think? Who will take home the top honors at the IDA Documentary Awards 2025? Share your predictions and thoughts in the comments! Let's celebrate the art of documentary filmmaking and the incredible talent behind these nominated works.
