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Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look of Silence won three awards Wednesday night at the ninth annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking. The filmmaker's follow-up to The Act of Killing was named outstanding nonfiction feature, with Oppenheimer winning the best direction award and producer Signe Byrge Sorenson taking home the prize for outstanding production.
Oppenheimer and Sorenson's nods mark the first time that filmmakers have earned Cinema Eye awards for outstanding feature or outstanding production twice, winning in both categories for Act of Killing as well. In addition, Sorenson's two wins put her total number of Cinema Eye trophies at four, tying Citizenfour filmmaker Laura Poitras for the most awards in Cinema Eye history. Look of Silence follows a family that survives genocide in Indonesia as they confront the men who killed one of their brothers.
Editor Chris King also made Cinema Eye history, becoming the first person to win three awards in the same category — all outstanding achievement in editing honors. He won this year for the Amy Winehouse doc Amy, after previously winning for Exit Through the Gift Shop and Senna.
Mountain-climbing documentary Meru, directed by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, nabbed two awards, the audience choice prize and outstanding achievement in cinematography. The latter was one of two ties this year, with Cartel Land's Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll also winning best cinematography. The other tie occurred with the award for best nonfiction short film.
Other noteworthy winners include Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (outstanding achievement in graphic design or animation for Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsing), The Wolfpack (outstanding achievement in a debut feature film for director Crystal Moselle) and Heart of a Dog (outstanding achievement in original music score for Laurie Anderson).
The ceremony at New York's Museum of the Moving Image was hosted by Hoop Dreams and Life Itself director Steve James. Presenters included Poitras, whose Citizenfour was last year's big winner; Alex Gibney; Liz Garbus; and Making a Murderer filmmakers Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi.
The Cinema Eye awards were handed out just hours before the Oscar nominations were announced, with Look of Silence, Amy, Cartel Land, Meru and The Hunting Ground all considered likely to land best documentary feature nominations. Heart of a Dog could be a possible surprise nominee. Last year, Citizenfour won four Cinema Eye awards ahead of being named best documentary feature at the Oscars.
Look of Silence has received numerous film festival and critics group honors. The pic also won the Gotham Award for best documentary and the International Documentary Association award for best feature, and it has been nominated for Critics Choice, Independent Spirit, PGA and London Critics Circle awards.
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A full list of this year's Cinema Eye winners follows:
-
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
The Look of Silence
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Produced by Signe Byrge Sorensen -
Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Joshua Oppenheimer
The Look of Silence -
Outstanding Achievement in Editing
Chris King
Amy -
Outstanding Achievement in Production
Signe Byrge Sorensen
The Look of Silence -
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography (tie)
Matthew Heineman and Matt Porwoll
Cartel LandJimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk
Meru -
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score
Laurie Anderson
Heart of a Dog -
Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation
Stefan Nadelman and Hisko Hulsing
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck -
Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film
The Wolfpack
Directed by Crystal Moselle -
Audience Choice Prize
Meru
Directed by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin -
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Films Made for Television
Private Violence
Directed and produced by Cynthia Hill
For HBO Documentary Films: Senior producer Nancy Abraham, executive producer Sheila Nevins -
Spotlight Award
Toto and His Sisters
Directed by Alexandre Nanau -
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking (tie)
Buffalo Juggalos
Directed by Scott CummingsHotel 22
Directed by Elizabeth Lo -
Heterodox Award
Taxi
Directed by Jafar Panahi -
Legacy Award
American Movie
Directed by Chris Smith
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