The Tale of Silyan: A Documentary Triumph
In a thrilling celebration of non-fiction storytelling, the 41st IDA Documentary Awards brought together the global documentary community. Held on December 6 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, this annual event showcased the best television and film documentaries of 2025, with a diverse range of entries from 85 countries.
The competition was fierce, with dozens of IDA jurors voting on over 550 submissions across various categories. One film, however, stood out and captured the attention of many: "The Tale of Silyan." This powerful documentary not only won Best Feature Documentary but also took home the prestigious Best Cinematography award.
But here's where it gets controversial... "The Tale of Silyan" beat out some strong contenders, including the Netflix documentary "Apocalypse in the Tropics," which still managed to secure wins for Best Writing and Best Production. Other notable nominees included "Life After" and "Songs of Slow Burning Earth."
And this is the part most people miss... the Sundance U.S. Grand Jury prize winner, "Seeds," also directed by Brittany Shyne, who took home the Emerging Filmmaker Award, is still searching for distribution. Despite its critical acclaim, it hasn't found a home yet.
The IDA Awards also recognized the best in curated and episodic series. France's "99" took home the award for Best Curated Series, while PBS's "Citizen Nation" won Best Episodic Series. These awards highlight the diverse range of storytelling formats within the documentary genre.
In addition to the film and series awards, special honors were presented to industry veterans. American documentary filmmaker Julie Goldman received the Career Achievement Award, a well-deserved recognition for her contributions to the field. Impact Partners were also honored with the Pioneer Award, celebrating their innovative work.
The complete list of winners is as follows:
- Best Feature Documentary: "The Tale of Silyan" (Republic of North Macedonia, United States, United Kingdom | National Geographic)
- Best Short Documentary: "Looking for a Donkey" (Mexico, Venezuela)
- Best Director: Brittany Shyne, "Seeds" (United States)
- Best Cinematography: Jean Dakar, "The Tale of Silyan" (Republic of North Macedonia, United States, United Kingdom | National Geographic)
- Best Editing: Alex Megaro, Ian Bell, "WTO/99" (United States)
- Best Original Music Score: Frédéric Filiatre, "The Sorcerer" and Julio Zachrisson
- Best Production: Alessandra Orofino, Petra Costa, "Apocalypse in the Tropics" (United States | Netflix)
- Best Sound Design: Thomas Perez-Pape, "Only on Earth" (Denmark, Spain | DR, HBO, SVT)
- Best Writing: Petra Costa, Alessandra Orofino, Nels Bangerter, David Barker, Tina Baz, "Apocalypse in the Tropics"
- Best Curated Series: "99" (France | EP: Jérôme Plan)
- Best Episodic Series: "Citizen Nation" (United States | PBS)
- Best Music Documentary: "One to One: John & Yoko" (United Kingdom | Magnolia Pictures, HBO Documentary Films)
- David L. Wolper Student Documentary: "What a day, what a life" (United Kingdom | National Film and Television School, UK)
- ABC News VideoSource Award: "Deaf President Now!" (United States | Apple)
- Pare Lorentz Award: "River of Grass" (United States)
These awards not only celebrate the art of documentary filmmaking but also spark important conversations about the power of storytelling and its impact on society. So, what do you think? Are there any documentaries or awards that you believe were overlooked? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
