Documentary was a large group full of creative work.
Winner - Miss Alma Thomas: A life in Color.
Larry Greenfield notes: "I did not know of her, but I became very interested viewing this film, first by the French Noir cinema of the 50s and 60s. What a delight it has been to find out about this talented and inspirational woman! Cheri Gaulke, directed this important documentary, as she expertly brought Alma to life. USA
Finalists -- Out of Thin Air, and Paint & Plastic
Out of Thin Air
...for filming the extraordinary adventure of three landscape artists in their 70s. Not only are the Himalayas spectacular, but the sheer grit of the men to endure the elements is captured against a breath-taking backdrop with precision cinematography, interviewing and editing. Director, Jack Hextall, UK.
Paint & Plastic
...for a look inside the world of miniature painting, and importantly for asking the question of "what is art, verses hobby." Discussions like this are important, and should happen more often. A documentary well done and immersive. Directed by Duran Barnett, South Africa.
Semi-Finalists -- Nano World, and Agnès Varda
Nano World
...for recording Sheri Neva's day job as she peers into an invisible world through a microscope, and blowing up the results in photographs for the world to see and understand. Creative concept. Directed by Arthur Hurley, USA.
Agnès Varda
...for Iranian film maker and director, Mohammad Mohammadian, to undertake and succeed at "filming a filmmaker," and for delivering a creative brief look at this famous French director and artist, who just passed away in 2019.
Honorable Mentions -- A Tree of Life, Anish Kapoor, Why I Dance.
A Tree of Life, explores the art of creating from nature with a result of a final product -- a violin. Done with meticulous detail and reverence for nature and the music it ultimately provides in a Quartet of strings. Directed by Brian Lisus, USA.
Why I Dance
...for an important contribution to why we move in the arts, and for this important documentary, the art is dance, one of the original muses in Greek Literature. With a wide berth, the film moves as artistically as the dancerts. Andreas Strand Renberg, Director, Norway.
Anish Kapoor
...for a top professional look at the work of director Ian Forster, a core part of the production team at Art21, the long-running and celebrated documentary non-profit organization, to have taken on the creation of a documentary on Anish Kapoor, one of the outstanding voices in art in the 20th and 21st Century. USA