Pushing the Envelope: A Decade of Documentary at the Cinema Eye Honors

In an expansive two-month series that celebrates the first decade of the Cinema Eye Honors, an organization that recognizes outstanding craft and artistry in nonfiction film, and also serves as an opportunity to screen some of the best documentary films of recent years, Museum of the Moving Image will present Pushing the Envelope: A Decade of Documentary at the Cinema Eye Honors, from November 4 through December 23, 2016. The 25 films in the series were programmed by the Museum from among films that won, were nominated, or served as inspiration for the Cinema Eye Honors, which will present its tenth annual awards ceremony at the Museum on January 11.

Many filmmakers will appear in person during the screening series. On opening weekend, November 4 through 6, four-time Cinema Eye Honoree and Academy Award winner Laura Poitras will present her post-9/11 trilogy (My Country, My Country; The Oath; and Citizenfour) and Jason Kohn will present Manda Bala, the first film to win the Cinema Eye Honors award for Outstanding Feature Film. Other guests include Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths), David France (How to Survive a Plague), Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (Detropia), Alma Har'el (Bombay Beach), Jeff Malberg (Marwencol), Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher (October Country), Jennifer Venditti (Billy the Kid), and Bill and Turner Ross (45365).

In addition, from November 18 through 27, the Museum will present the U.S. theatrical premiere of Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden's Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me), the rare documentary that is both hilarious and heart-wrenching, evoking everything from Samuel Beckett and American Movie to Celebrity Rehab.

The Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking were founded in late 2007 to recognize and honor exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film. Their mission is to advocate for, recognize, and promote the highest commitment to rigor and artistry in the nonfiction field. When the inaugural award ceremony was held in March of 2008, it was both a celebration and act of defiance. Although documentary filmmaking was experiencing a new peak in terms of artistic achievement, formal innovation, and diversity, these developments had gone largely unnoticed by the American film industry. To remedy that the Cinema Eye Honors developed a full spectrum of awards for the nonfiction craft, from Editing and Cinematography to Music and emerging talent. Nominees for the tenth annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced on Wednesday, November 2. To find out more, visit http://www.cinemaeyehonors.com/

Pushing the Envelope: A Decade of Documentary at the Cinema Eye Honors would not be possible without the cooperation and assistance of Cinema Eye Founding Director AJ Schnack and Managing Director Will Lennon.

For a list of all films and the schedule, see below or visit movingimage.us/CinemaEyeDecade. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $12 (with discounts for seniors and students / free for Museum members at the Film Lover and Kids Premium levels and above). Advance tickets are available online.

To post a comment, you must register and login.