The Second Annual Cinema Eye Honors for nonfiction filmmaking were held last night at the Times Center in New York. Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir an animated documentary depicting the horrors of the 1982 Lebanon war was the big winner of the night beating off 20 other nominees to receive four out of the ten awards – Graphic Design and Animation Music Composition International Feature and Outstanding Direction. Over 350 guests from the independent film community including directors producers and distributors as well as over 40 members of the film trade and general press attended the event – the only one of its kind to specifically recognize nonfiction film. The event’s founding sponsor IndiePix the internet-based distributor of independent films along with award-winning producer AJ Schnack and Thom Powers documentary programmer of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Audience Choice Award – the only prize to be chosen by members of the film-going public – was presented to Yung Chang for Up the Yangtze a film about contemporary China as seen through the eyes of Chinese workers who are employed on a luxury Farewell to the Three Gorges cruise boat. A full list of award winners can be found below. Of 110 eligible films which were released in 2008 26 were nominated for the awards by a panel of documentary programmers from 15 different film festivals in North America and across Europe. Over 200 documentary professionals – including filmmakers distributors and journalists – were invited to cast their votes on the final winners. Bob Alexander president of IndiePix and founding sponsor of the Cinema Eye Honors says “We have worked hard to ensure that the Cinema Eye Honors have now become one of the most important dates in the nonfiction industry’s calendar. The exposure that independent productions are now receiving has really cemented their success and the extraordinary support that filmmakers are offered from the film-watching public has made it a very strong industry. “This year's nominees were an extremely strong list of films from top filmmakers produced to very high standards. The awards were created in order to recognize the people behind the camera and those working hard in the studios – whether for musical composition or cinematography. And along with that recognition there was a sense that the community is now setting ever-higher standards for its work. We’re delighted to have been able to help raise awareness of independent productions over the past six years and also showcase some of its greatest filmmaking talent.” Cinema Eye Honors www.cinemaeyehonors.com Winners of the 2009 Cinema Eye Honors: Debut Feature: Up The Yangtze (Yung Chang) Graphic Design and Animation: Waltz with Bashir (Yoni Goodman & David Polansky) Music Composition: Waltz with Bashir (Max Richter) Outstanding Editing: Man on Wire (Jinx Godfrey) Outstanding Cinematography: Encounter at the End of the World (Peter Zeitlinger) Audience Choice Award: Up the Yangtze (Yung Chang) Outstanding Production: Man on Wire (Simon Chinn) International Feature: Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman) Outstanding Direction: Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman) Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Filmmaking: Man on Wire (Dir: James Marsh; Prod: Simon Chinn) IndiePix www.indiepixfilms.com
