December 6, 2009

'Anvil' actually gets some Documentary loving...

...if not from the Academy, then from the IDA's. From Variety:

Sacha Gervasi's rock doc "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" has won the top feature award from the Intl. Documentary Assn.

Kudo was announced Friday night at the IDA's awards ceremonies at the Directors Guild of America, hosted by Ira Glass. Gervasi accepted the award along with band members Steve "Lipps" Kudlow and Robb Reiner.

"Anvil!" topped Havana Marking's "Afghan Star," Klaas Bense's "Diary of a Times Square Thief," Robert Kenner's "Food Inc." and Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson's "Mugabe and the White African."

Gervasi served as a roadie for the Canadian heavy metal band from 1982 to 1985 and reunited with Anvil two decades later. He started shooting the documentary in November 2005.

"Anvil!" preemed at Sundance in 2008 and has grossed about $667,000 in domestic release since April. It recently received a Spirit Awards nomination in the "Truer Than Fiction" category to recognize emerging directors but didn't make the cut for the final 15 titles eligible for the Oscar for Best Documetary.

The IDA also awarded its Distinguished Short Film Award to "Salt," directed by Michael Angus and Murray Fredericks and centered on a journey to capture the heart of the world's most featureless landscape on Lake Eyre, South Australia.

The event, hosted by Ira Glass, also included the previously announced career achievement award to Errol Morris, director of "Gates of Heaven," "Vernon, Florida," "The Thin Blue Line," "Fast, Cheap & Out of Control" and the Oscar-winning "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara." Kudo was presented by composer Philip Glass, Morris' long time friend and collaborator.

Other previously announced honors went to Natalia Almada who received the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Filmmaker Award; independent film advocate Michael Donaldson who received IDA's Amicus Award; and veteran producer, director and writer Nicolas Noxon who received the organization's Pioneer Award.

The evening also included a tribute to journalists and documentarians who lost their lives this year. The segment -- introduced by Current Media's Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were held captive in North Korea before being released -- profiled Christian Poveda, Musa Khan Khel, Rolando Santiz and Janullah Hashimzada.

-It's campaigning for Best Picture...thoughts on it's chances?

4 comments:

  1. This is great news--I loved Anvil!

    I also love Errol Morris' films--a true innovator. The Thin Blue Line shook me to my core...

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  3. This year the docs I loved were Capitalism: A Love Story and The Cove, but Anvil! was good too

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  4. Havent seen the Cove...but I'll be renting it this week.

    Just saw Food Inc.and thought it was fantastic as well. Some really great documentaries this year!

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