The Sundance Documentary Channel has been named the exclusive television broadcaster of the annual IDA Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards Gala through 2004. The 18th Annual IDA Awards will take place on December 13th at the Directors Guild of America Theatre in Hollywood with Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine) as the host. One of the evening’s highlights will be the presentation of the 2002 IDA Career Achievement Award to Ken Burns in recognition of his body of work. Awards will be presented in four categories, including Feature Films, Short Films, Limited Series and Continuing Series.
Highlights from the 2002 IDA Awards Gala will be integrated into an original television program presenting an overview of documentary filmmaking for the past year. This program will premiere on “DOCday,” Sundance Channel’s new weekly destination devoted to documentary film, which launches on March 3, 2003. The intention is for the IDA Awards special to migrate to Sundance Documentary Channel once it launches.
The arrangement between the two entities extends through 2004 and also includes Sundance Documentary Channel’s support of three other annual IDA Los Angeles-based events. The three additional events are DocuFest, a day of screenings of the documentaries honored at the IDA Awards Gala; the IDA Reception for Oscar-nominated documentary filmmakers in March; and the IDA’s DocuDay, a day of screenings featuring Oscar-nominated documentaries, also in March.
For more information, visit the IDA website.
