IDA Documentary Awards to honor Alex Gibney, Laura Poitras

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By Rebecca Keegan

Sept. 25, 2013 10:07 AM PT

The International Documentary Assn. will honor Alex Gibney, Laura Poitras and Geralyn Dreyfous with IDA Documentary Awards at a ceremony in December, the organization announced Wednesday.

The IDA will present its 2013 Career Achievement Award to Gibney, who directed two films about controversial figures in 2013 — “The Armstrong Lie,” an examination of cyclist Lance Armstrong that opens theatrically in November, and “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” a documentary about Julian Assange that opened in the spring.

The organization’s Amicus Award, which has been given only three other times in the 29-year history of the awards, will be presented to Geralyn Dreyfous, whose executive producing and producing credits include “Born Into Brothels” (2004) and “The Invisible War,” (2012). Dreyfous is also the co-founder of the Impact Partners Film Fund, an organization that connects documentary financiers and filmmakers.

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Poitras, a documentary filmmaker who helped break the story of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, will receive IDA’s Courage Under Fire Award. According to an IDA press release, the award is presented to filmmakers, “for putting freedom of speech — represented in the crafts of documentary filmmaking and journalism — above all else, even their own personal safety.” Poitras is currently editing a documentary about NSA surveillance.

“The outstanding individuals IDA has chosen to honor this year represent the very best of our thriving documentary filmmaking community,” IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin said in a statement. “The dedication of Gibney, Poitras and Dreyfous to the art and craft of nonfiction storytelling has contributed greatly to expanding our understanding of the shared human experience and creating a more informed, compassionate and connected world.”

The 29th annual IDA Documentary Awards will be held Dec. 6 at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles.

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