In an expanding genre, documentarians lauded

Rob Epstein’s acclaimed 1984 documentary, “The Times of Harvey Milk,” won the Oscar for best documentary and several other prizes, including the special jury honor at the Sundance Film Festival.

But as Epstein recalls, “We couldn’t get anyone to distribute the film. We were turned down by everyone. There wasn’t the same possibility as today for documentary in theaters at that point. It became a hit on its own through the festival circuit. We got a small company to release it theatrically. Unfortunately, that company went bankrupt like the day after the film won the Oscar.”

Thankfully for documentary filmmakers and fans, times have changed. The documentary universe has expanded. Documentary filmmakers such as Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock are bona fide celebrities. Moore’s 2004 documentary, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” grossed $119.2 million domestically. Not only are documentaries getting major releases, they are alive and well on PBS and cable networks too.

“I think audiences have gotten more sophisticated in their viewing tastes,” Epstein says.

“I think that the form has continued to evolve, and that is what is so exciting about being a documentary filmmaker. . . . Certainly, digital makes it more accessible both as makers and viewers.”

In the forefront of the documentary world for 26 years has been the nonprofit International Documentary Assn.

“What IDA has done is to help celebrate the community of documentary filmmakers,” says Epstein. “That’s an important thing and has helped both to promote and celebrate the films that get made every year.”

This evening, Epstein will receive the Pioneer Award at the 2008 International Documentary Assn. Awards at the Directors Guild Theater. Werner Herzog (“Grizzly Man”) is this year’s recipient of the career achievement award. Spurlock (“Super Size Me”) will host, and awards in several categories will be handed out.

IDA interim Executive Director Eddie Schmidt (“This Film Is Not Yet Rated”) says the documentary is a continually emerging art form “because it’s alive. It has become more and more vital over time. It has become this alternative news source. The investigative journalism broadcasters would have done many years ago is now being done in the documentary realm.”

IDA sponsors DocuWeek, a theatrical showcase for feature and short documentaries in commercial theaters in order to qualify for Oscar consideration. Since 1997, DocuWeek has qualified 165 films, which have gone on to receive 15 Academy Award nominations and six Oscars. The organization also supplies fiscal sponsorship for more than 100 independently financed projects each year.

It also took a leadership role in helping documentary filmmakers gain free access to copyrighted materials under the “fair use” doctrine. With fair use, documentarians were able to use historic and cultural material that had been presented in other media without having to pay licensing fees -- a critical aid for low-budget filmmakers.

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