Nicole Newnham: Last News

Judy Heumann's disability rights work has spanned decades and helped to pave the way for the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act. But for some Netflix subscribers, their first introduction to the activist was as a 20-something camp counselor in the 1970s leading a discussion on an evening's dinner options of veal or lasagna.

Tim Gray Senior Vice PresidentIs this the year a documentary finally gets a best picture Oscar nomination?When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in 2009 expanded the top category to 10, then-prez Sid Ganis expressed hope the noms would include animation, international films and docs. Since then, the first two groups have made the grade, but no docs.

Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, nabbed the best feature trophy at the International Documentary Association's 2021 awards, which took place Saturday night via an online ceremony amid the coronavirus pandemic. Netflix's Sundance-opening documentary, from Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground production company, about Camp Jened and the birth of the disability-rights movement also received the ABC News VideoSource Award.

A still from Crip Camp by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Steve Honigsbaum.All photos are copyrighted and may be used by press only for the purpose of news or editorial coverage of Sundance Institute programs. Photos must be accompanied by a credit to the photographer and/or ‘Courtesy of Sundance Institute.’ Unauthorized use, alteration, reproduction or sale of logos and/or photos is strictly prohibited.

In an awards season where the documentaries “Time” and “Collective” have dominated the year-end honors from critics groups, but it was another film that took the top prize at the 2020 IDA Awards. Instead, Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht‘s “Crip Camp” was honored with Best Feature.

Ellise Shafer administratorThe International Documentary Association has announced the winners of the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, with “Crip Camp” taking home the top prize.The ceremony was hosted by actor Willie Garson, with musical entertainment from Ruby Ibarra, who performed the theme from “A Thousand Cuts.”Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” received the best feature award as well as the ABC News VideoSource award. Garrett Bradley won best director for his film “Time,” while “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” from Matthew Killip received the best short award.

Attending summer camp is a joyous time for many kids. For filmmaker Jim LeBrecht, it was life-changing.

Can a summer camp change the world? If you’re talking Camp Jened in upstate New York, a place that welcomed kids with disabilities for a generation, the answer is yes.

Eli Countryman Documentary and docuseries creators have found themselves amidst a rapidly expanding market for their work.During the FYC Fest documentary roundtable, Variety‘s Matt Donnelley discussed the state of documentary filmmaking with panelists including “Time” director Garrett Bradley, “Boys State” director Amanda McBaine, “Rebuilding Paradise” director Ron Howard, “The Dissident” director Bryan Fogle, “Welcome to Chechnya” director David France and “Crip Camp” director Nicole Newnham.“So much of filmmaking, regardless of the genre, is about us understanding ourselves as human beings and as a culture,” Bradley said. “Filmmaking and the camera is an investigation of what happens when that occurs.

Despite a lack of theatrical distribution, 2020 has been another banner year for documentaries. It’s no surprise then that a number of acclaimed Oscar contenders didn’t make the cut for the prestigious IDA Documentary Awards.

Patrick Hipes Executive Managing EditorSimon Kilmurry, executive director of the International Documentary Association since 2015, will step down in mid-2021, the organization said. The IDA Board of Directors has launched a committee chaired by co-VPs James Costa and Lauren Lexton to search for a replacement following the move, which was announced Monday.Kilmurry had been executive director of American Documentary and executive producer of the PBS series’ POV and America ReFramed when he took the IDA job.

By Peter White

The new Netflix documentary “Crip Camp” centers on Camp Jened, a summer camp for those with disabilities. As told in the doc, it would go on to spark something of a revolution in the disability rights movement.