EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, the self-tagged “world’s first street art disaster movie”, took the top award at the 2011 Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking tonight at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York.
The film, directed by the acclaimed and provocative British artist Banksy and produced by Jaimie D’Cruz, was named the year’s Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking. EXIT also won the Cinema Eye for Outstanding Editing for Chris King and Tom Fulford.
Filmmaker Laura Poitras received the Outstanding Achievement in Direction award for her work on THE OATH, which follows the surprisingly different paths of two former members of Al Qaeda. Poitras is the second woman in a row to receive Cinema Eye’s directing prize, following the award last year for Agnès Varda.
Lixin Fan’s LAST TRAIN HOME took home three awards, including Outstanding Production for Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross, Cinematography for Fan and International Film, which was shared by Fan, Aung-Thwin and Cross.
With nearly 10,000 votes – and just 58 votes separating the top two finishers, the Audience Choice Prize went to Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg’s JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK.
The Debut Film award was given to Jeff Malmberg for MARWENCOL.
Two awards were presented for the first time: the Nonfiction Short award went to Vance Malone for THE POODLE TRAINER and the inaugural Heterodox Award, for narrative films that blur the lines between fiction and nonfiction, went to Matt Porterfield’s PUTTY HILL.
The 4th Annual Cinema Eye Honors were held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York, just 4 days after the Museum’s grand re-opening after years of renovation and expansion. The event will be broadcast on the Documentary Channel on January 30, 2011 with Esther Robinson and AJ Schnack as this year’s co-chairs and co-hosts. Nathan Truesdell was the producer.
Among the highlights of the evening, Cinema Eye Honorees Lixin Fan (LAST TRAIN HOME), Jeff Malmberg (MARWENCOL) and Laura Poitras (THE OATH) presented the Legacy Award to GREY GARDENS filmmakers Albert Maysles and Muffie Meyer.
Academy Award and Cinema Eye winning filmmakers James Marsh (MAN ON WIRE) and Louie Psihoyos (THE COVE), actor/filmmaker Harry Shearer and musician John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants were amongst this year’s other presenters.
The Cinema Eye ceremony included tributes by Academy Award nominee Morgan Spurlock to George Hickenlooper, the director of the documentaries MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP and HEARTS OF DARKNESS, who died in October 2010; and by filmmakers Liz Garbus, Lucia Small and Greg Barker to their editor Karen Schmeer, who died in January 2010.
In addition to Documentary Channel and the Museum of the Moving Image, this year’s Cinema Eye sponsors included The Economist, HBO Documentary Films, A&E IndieFilms, SnagFilms, POV, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Hot Docs, Camden International Film Festival, Abel Cine Tech, Danish Film Institute, Hudson Hotel, Maine Distilleries and Film Sales Company.
A full list of winners follows:
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION FEATURE FILMMAKING
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Directed by Banksy, Produced by Jaimie D’Cruz
Presented by James Marsh
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTION
Laura Poitras
The Oath
Presented by Louie Psihoyos
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross
Last Train Home
Presented by Bingham Ray
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Chris King and Tom Fulford
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Presented by Greg Barker, Liz Garbus and Lucia Small
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Lixin Fan
Last Train Home
Presented by Steven Bognar
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE
Norbert Möslang
The Sound of Insects: Record of a Mummy
Presented by John Flansburgh
Jury: Paul Brill, John Flansburgh, Darius Marder, Sascha Paladino and Allison Willmore
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ANIMATION
Juan Cardarelli and Alex Tyson
Gasland
Presented by Emily Hubley
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN AN INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Last Train Home
Directed by Lixin Fan
Produced by Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross
Presented by Jess Search
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN A DEBUT FEATURE FILM
Jeff Malmberg
Marwencol
Presented by Bill Ross and Turner Ross
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NONFICTION SHORT FILMMAKING sponsored by The Economist
The Poodle Trainer
Directed by Vance Malone
Presented by Patrick Creadon
Jury: Shaz Bennett, Patrick Creadon, Mark Olsen and Ondi Timoner
AUDIENCE CHOICE PRIZE
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Presented by Harry Shearer
LEGACY AWARD
Grey Gardens
Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Ellen Hovde, Muffie Meyer and Susan Froemke
Presented by Lixin Fan, Jeff Malmberg and Laura Poitras
SPOTLIGHT AWARD
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaucascu
Directed by Andrei Ujica
Presented by Margaret Brown
Jury: Kirby Dick, Laura Gabbert, Karina Longworth, Mike Plante and Doug Pray
HETERODOX AWARD sponsored by Filmmaker Magazine
Putty Hill
Directed by Matt Porterfield
Presented by Yance Ford and Ross Kauffman
Jury: Yance Ford, Julie Goldman, Ross Kauffman, Joshua Marston and Astra Taylor