For Sama directed by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts is the winner of the top prize for Best Feature at the 35th IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards. Other notable documentary films winning awards include Leaving Neverland for Best Multi-Part Documentary and Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé for Best Music Documentary.
The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced the 35th Annual IDA Documentary Awards Nominees along with the Courage Under Fire Award honoree Waad Al-Kataeb, director and producer of For Sama. For the first time, the IDA will present an award for Best Director and, notably, all of the nominated films have female directors.
OWN is partnering with HBO to present OPRAH WINFREY PRESENTS: AFTER NEVERLAND, a conversation hosted by Oprah Winfrey featuring Wade Robson and James Safechuck, subjects of the two-part HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland,” alongside director Dan Reed.
The controversial documentary LEAVING NEVERLAND recently had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival where among the early critical raves for the documentary, Rolling Stone described it as “hard to watch, tougher to ignore, impossible to forget… a portrait of bravery,” and the Hollywood Reporter called it “harrowing, complicated and heartbreaking,” while Variety hailed the documentary’s “devastatingly powerful and convincing testimony.”
Award-winning director Dan Reed’s LEAVING NEVERLAND is a two-part documentary about two men who recount their experiences of being sexually abused by Michael Jackson. The documentary will World Premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival; and debut on HBO and Channel 4 this spring.
Sundance Film Festival rounds out this year’s 2019 program with additions to the Documentary Premieres and Special Events sections spotlighting two controversial personalities – Steve Bannon and Michael Jackson. The Festival will take place in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 24 to February 4, 2019.