National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature
Encyclopedia
The National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary Feature is presented to the producer
of the film
by the American National Board of Review. Winners generally are announced in early December.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
of the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by the American National Board of Review. Winners generally are announced in early December.
Past winners
- 1940: The Fight for Life
- 1941: Target for TonightTarget for TonightTarget for Tonight is a 1941 British documentary film billed as being filmed by and acted by the Royal Air Force, all while under fire. It was directed by Harry Watt. The film revolves for the most part around one crew in a single Wellington aircraft...
; The Forgotten VillageThe Forgotten VillageThe Forgotten Village is an American documentary film -- some sources call it an ethnofiction film -- directed by Herbert Kline and Alexander Hammid, written by John Steinbeck, and narrated by Burgess Meredith...
; Ku Kan; The Land - 1942: Moscow Strikes BackMoscow Strikes BackMoscow Strikes Back is a Soviet war documentary about Battle of Moscow made in October 1941 – January 1942 directed by Leonid Varlamov and Ilya Kopalin.In USSR film was awarded the Stalin Prize....
; Native LandNative LandNative Land is a 1942 documentary film directed by Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand.A combination of a documentary format and staged reenactments, the film depicted the struggle of trade unions against union-busting corporations, their spies and contractors...
; Word in Action - 1943: Desert VictoryDesert VictoryDesert Victory is a 1943 film produced by the British Ministry of Information, documenting the Allies' North African campaign against Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and the Afrika Korps. This documentary traces the struggle between General Erwin Rommel and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, from the...
; Battle of Russia; Prelude to WarPrelude to WarPrelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra’s Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Office of War Information and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II...
; Saludos Amigos; The Silent VillageThe Silent VillageThe Silent Village is a 1943 British propaganda short film in the form of a drama documentary, made by the Crown Film Unit and directed by Humphrey Jennings... - 1944: Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying FortressMemphis Belle: A Story of a Flying FortressThe Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which ostensibly provides an account of the final mission of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In May 1943 it became the first U.S...
; Attack! The Battle for New Britain; With the Marines at TarawaWith the Marines at TarawaWith the Marines at Tarawa is a 1944 short propaganda documentary film directed by Louis Hayward. It used authentic footage taken at the Battle of Tarawa to tell the story of the American servicemen from the time they get the news that they are to participate in the invasion to the final taking of...
; Battle for the Marianas; Tunisian VictoryTunisian VictoryTunisian Victory is a 1944 Anglo-American propaganda film about the victories in the North Africa Campaign.The film follows both armies from the planning of Operation Torch / Operation Acrobat to the liberation of Tunis...
1980s
| Year (ceremony) | Winner | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 (59th National Board of Review Awards 1987 The 59th National Board of Review Awards were announced on December 15, 1987, and given on 16 February, 1988.-Top 10 films:#Empire of the Sun#The Last Emperor *Academy Award for Best Picture*#Broadcast News#The Untouchables#Gaby: A True Story... ) |
Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll is a 1987 documentary film directed by Taylor Hackford that chronicles two 1986 concerts celebrating rock and roll musician Chuck Berry's 60th birthday. A soundtrack album was released in October 1987 on the MCA label.... |
Taylor Hackford Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford is an American film director, and the current president of the Directors Guild of America.-Early life:Hackford was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Mary , a waitress, and Joseph Hackford... |
| 1988 (60th National Board of Review Awards 1988 The 60th National Board of Review Awards were announced on December 13, 1988, and given on February 27, 1989.-Top 10 films:#Mississippi Burning#Dangerous Liaisons#The Accused#The Unbearable Lightness of Being... ) |
The Thin Blue Line The Thin Blue Line (documentary) The Thin Blue Line is a 1988 documentary film by Errol Morris, depicting the story of Randall Dale Adams, a man convicted and sentenced to die for a murder he did not commit. Adams' case was reviewed and he was released from prison approximately a year after the film's release.-Synopsis:The film... |
Errol Morris Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and... |
| 1989 (61st National Board of Review Awards 1989 The 61st National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1989, were announced on 13 December 1990 and given on 26 February 1990.-Top 10 films:#Driving Miss Daisy *Academy Award for Best Picture*#Henry V#Sex, Lies, and Videotape... ) |
Roger & Me Roger & Me Roger & Me is a 1989 American documentary film directed by Michael Moore. Moore portrays the regional negative economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's summary action of closing several auto plants in Flint, Michigan, costing 30,000 people their jobs at the time and economically... |
Michael Moore Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries... |
1990s
| Year (ceremony) | Winner | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 (62nd National Board of Review Awards 1990 The 62nd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1990, were announced on 16 December 1990 and given on 4 March 1991.-Top 10 films:#Dances with Wolves *Academy Award for Best Picture*#Hamlet#Goodfellas#Awakenings... ) |
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| 1991 (63rd National Board of Review Awards 1991 The 63rd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1991, were announced on 16 December 1991 and given on 24 February 1992.-Top 10 films:#The Silence of the Lambs *Academy Award for Best Picture*#Bugsy#Grand Canyon... ) |
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse is a 1991 documentary film about the production of Apocalypse Now.-Synopsis:The title is derived from the source material for Apocalypse Now, the Joseph Conrad novella Heart of Darkness... |
Fax Bahr and George Hickenlooper |
| 1992 (64th National Board of Review Awards 1992 The 64th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1992, were announced on 16 December 1992 and given on 22 February 1993.-Top 10 films:#Howards End#The Crying Game#Glengarry Glen Ross#A Few Good Men... ) |
Brother's Keeper Brother's Keeper (film) Brother's Keeper is a 1992 documentary directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. The film is about an alleged 1990 murder in the village of Munnsville, New York. The film is in the "Direct Cinema" style of the Maysles brothers who had formerly employed Berlinger and Sinofsky.The film contrasts... |
Joe Berlinger Joe Berlinger Joseph "Joe" Berlinger is an American documentary film-maker who, in collaboration with Bruce Sinofsky, has created such films as Paradise Lost about the West Memphis 3, Brother's Keeper, Some Kind of Monster, and Crude.... and Bruce Sinofsky Bruce Sinofsky Bruce Sinofsky is an award-winning documentary film director, who began his career at Maysles Films.Sinofsky was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As Senior Editor for Maysles, he worked on commercials and feature films until 1991, when he and Joe Berlinger formed their own production company,... |
| 1993 (65th National Board of Review Awards 1993 The 65th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1993, were announced on 14 December 1993 and given on 28 February 1994.-Top 10 films:#Schindler's List *Academy Award for Best Picture*#The Age of Innocence... ) |
The War Room The War Room The War Room is a 1993 American documentary film about Bill Clinton's campaign for President of the United States during the 1992 presidential election.-Background:... |
Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker |
| 1994 (66th National Board of Review Awards 1994 The 66th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1994, were announced on 14 December 1994 and given on 27 February 1995.-Top 10 films:#Forrest Gump *Academy Award for Best Picture*; Pulp Fiction#Quiz Show... ) |
Hoop Dreams Hoop Dreams Hoop Dreams is a 1994 documentary film directed by Steve James, with Kartemquin Films. It follows the story of two African-American high school students in Chicago and their dream of becoming professional basketball players.... |
Steve James Steve James (producer) Steve James is an American film producer and director of several documentaries, including the award-winning Hoop Dreams and Stevie. He is also the director of the 1997 feature film Prefontaine... |
| 1995 (67th National Board of Review Awards 1995 The 67th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1995, were announced on 13 December 1995 and given on 26 February 1996.-Top 10 films:#Sense and Sensibility#Apollo 13#Carrington#Leaving Las Vegas... ) |
Crumb Crumb (film) Crumb is a 1994 documentary film about the noted underground comic artist Robert Crumb and his family. Directed by Terry Zwigoff and produced by Lynn O'Donnell and David Lynch, it won widespread acclaim, including both the Grand Jury Prize and best cinematography prize at the Sundance Film Festival... |
Terry Zwigoff Terry Zwigoff Terry Zwigoff is an American filmmaker whose work often deals with misfits, antiheros, and themes of alienation. His fiction films are the features Ghost World , Bad Santa , and Art School Confidential... |
| 1996 (68th National Board of Review Awards 1996 The 68th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1996, were announced on 9 December 1996 and given on 9 February 1997.-Top 10 films:#Shine#The English Patient *Academy Award for Picture*#Fargo#Secrets & Lies... ) |
Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills is a 1996 documentary film directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky about the trials of three teenage boys who came to be known as the West Memphis 3 in West Memphis, Arkansas. They were accused of the murder and sexual mutilation of three... |
Joe Berlinger Joe Berlinger Joseph "Joe" Berlinger is an American documentary film-maker who, in collaboration with Bruce Sinofsky, has created such films as Paradise Lost about the West Memphis 3, Brother's Keeper, Some Kind of Monster, and Crude.... and Bruce Sinofsky Bruce Sinofsky Bruce Sinofsky is an award-winning documentary film director, who began his career at Maysles Films.Sinofsky was born in Boston, Massachusetts. As Senior Editor for Maysles, he worked on commercials and feature films until 1991, when he and Joe Berlinger formed their own production company,... |
| 1997 (69th National Board of Review Awards 1997 The 69th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1997, were announced on 9 December 1997 and given on 9 February 1998.-Top 10 films:#L.A... ) |
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control Fast, Cheap and Out of Control Fast, Cheap and Out of Control is a 1997 film by documentary filmmaker Errol Morris. It profiles four subjects with extraordinary careers: a lion trainer, a topiary sculptor, a mole rat specialist, and a robot scientist.... |
Errol Morris Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and... |
| 1998 (70th National Board of Review Awards 1998 The 70th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1998, were announced on 8 December 1998 and given on 8 February 1999.-Top 10 films:#Gods and Monsters#Saving Private Ryan#Elizabeth#Happiness... ) |
Wild Man Blues Wild Man Blues Wild Man Blues is a 1998 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple, about the musical avocation of actor/director/comic Woody Allen. The film takes its name from a jazz composition sometimes attributed to Jelly Roll Morton and sometimes to Louis Armstrong and recorded by both... |
Barbara Kopple Barbara Kopple Barbara Kopple is an American film director, primarily known for her work in documentary film.-Biography:She grew up in Scarsdale, New York, the daughter of a textile executive and studied psychology at Northeastern University, after which she worked with the Maysles Brothers.Kopple has won two... |
| 1999 (71st National Board of Review Awards 1999 The 71st National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 1999, were announced on 7 December 1999 and given on 18 January 2000.-Top 10 films:#American Beauty *Academy Award for Best Picture*#The Talented Mr... ) |
Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club (film) Buena Vista Social Club is a documentary film by Wim Wenders about the music of Cuba. It is named for a danzón that became the title piece of the album Buena Vista Social Club.-Synopsis:... |
Wim Wenders Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf... |
2000s
| Year (ceremony) | Winner | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 (72nd National Board of Review Awards 2000 The 72nd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2000, were announced on 6 December 2000 and given on 16 January 2001.-Top 10 films:#Quills#Traffic#Croupier#You Can Count on Me#Billy Elliot... ) |
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg is a documentary film directed, produced and written by Aviva Kempner about Hall of Fame first baseman Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers. A Jewish player who chose not to play on Yom Kippur in 1934 during a heated pennant race, Greenberg experienced a great... |
Aviva Kempner Aviva Kempner Aviva Kempner is an American filmmaker. Her documentaries investigate non-stereotypical images of Jews in history and focus on the untold stories of Jewish heroes. She is most well known for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg.... |
| 2001 (73rd National Board of Review Awards 2001 The 73rd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2001, were announced on 5 December 2001 and given on 7 January 2002.-Top 10 films:#Moulin Rouge!#In the Bedroom#Ocean's Eleven#Memento#Monster's Ball... ) |
The Endurance The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition The Endurance is a 2000 documentary film directed by George Butler about Ernest Shackleton's failed Antarctic expedition in 1914. The Endurance was the name of the ship of Shackleton's expedition.-Plot:... |
George Butler |
| 2002 (74th National Board of Review Awards 2002 The 74th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2002, were announced on 4 December 2002 and given on 14 January 2003.-Top 10 films:#The Hours#Chicago #Gangs of New York... ) |
Bowling for Columbine Bowling for Columbine Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 documentary film written, directed, produced, and narrated by Michael Moore. The film explores what Michael Moore suggests are the causes for the Columbine High School massacre and other acts of violence with guns... |
Michael Moore Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries... |
| 2003 (75th National Board of Review Awards 2003 The 75th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2003, were given on 3 December 2003.-Top 10 films:#Mystic River#The Last Samurai#The Station Agent#21 Grams#House of Sand and Fog#Lost in Translation... ) |
The Fog of War The Fog of War The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara as well as illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfare... |
Errol Morris Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and... |
| 2004 (76th National Board of Review Awards 2004 The 76th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2004, were given on 1 December 2004.-Top 10 films:#Finding Neverland#The Aviator#Closer#Million Dollar Baby #Sideways#Kinsey... ) |
Born into Brothels Born into Brothels Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids is a 2004 American documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Kolkata's red light district... |
Zana Briski Zana Briski Zana Briski is a photographer and filmmaker best known as the director of Born into Brothels, the 2004 winner of the Academy Award for Documentary Feature... and Ross Kauffman |
| 2005 (77th National Board of Review Awards 2005 The 77th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2005, were given on 12 December 2005.-Top 10 films:#Good Night, and Good Luck.#Brokeback Mountain#Capote#Crash... ) |
March of the Penguins (La marche de l'empereur) March of the Penguins March of the Penguins is a 2005 French nature documentary film. It was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by Bonne Pioche and the National Geographic Society. The film depicts the yearly journey of the emperor penguins of Antarctica... |
Luc Jacquet Luc Jacquet Luc Jacquet is a French film director from Paris. He wrote and directed the movie March of the Penguins, which won an Oscar for best documentary feature in 2005. His current film is called The Fox And the Child... |
| 2006 (78th National Board of Review Awards 2006 The 78th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2006, were given on 6 December 2006.-Top 10 films:#Letters from Iwo Jima #Babel#Blood Diamond#The Departed... ) |
An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the... |
Davis Guggenheim Davis Guggenheim Philip Davis Guggenheim is an Academy Award-winning American film director and producer. His credits as a producer and director include Training Day, The Shield, Alias, 24, NYPD Blue, ER, Deadwood, and Party of Five and the documentaries An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for 'Superman... |
| 2007 (79th National Board of Review Awards 2007 The 79th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2007, were given on 5 December 2007.-Top 10 Films:*The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford*Atonement*The Bourne Ultimatum*The Bucket List... ) |
Body of War Body of War Body of War, directed by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue, is a 2007 documentary following Tomas Young, an Iraq War veteran paralyzed from a bullet to the spine, on a physical and emotional journey as he adapts to his new body and begins to question the decision to go to war in Iraq.As Tomas's journey... |
Phil Donahue Phil Donahue Phillip John "Phil" Donahue is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first to use a talk show format. The show had a 26-year run on U.S... and Ellen Spiro Ellen Spiro Ellen Spiro is an American documentary filmmaker. Spiro is known for making humorous social issue films for national and international television broadcasts and theatrical release.... |
| 2008 (80th National Board of Review Awards 2008 The 80th National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2008, were given on 4 December 2008.-Top 10 films:*Burn After Reading*Changeling*The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*The Dark Knight*Defiance*Frost/Nixon... ) |
Man on Wire Man on Wire Man on Wire is a 2008 British documentary film directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles Philippe Petit's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center. It is based on Philippe Petit's book, To Reach the Clouds, recently released in paperback with the new title... |
James Marsh James Marsh (director) James Marsh is a film director known for directing the cult film Wisconsin Death Trip starring Marcus Monroe and Sir Ian Holm. He won 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for directing Man on Wire.... |
| 2009 (81st National Board of Review Awards 2009 The 81st National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2009, are given on January 12, 2010.-Top 10 Films:* Days of Summer*An Education*The Hurt Locker *Inglourious Basterds... ) |
The Cove | Louie Psihoyos Louie Psihoyos Louis Psihoyos is an American photographer and documentary film director known for his still photography and contributions to National Geographic. Psihoyos, a licensed scuba-diver, has become increasingly concerned with bringing awareness to underwater life... |
2010s
| Year (ceremony) | Winner | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 (82nd National Board of Review Awards 2010 The 82nd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2010.All films are in alphabetical order-Top Films:films listed alphabetically except top, which is ranked as Best Film of the year*The Social Network... ) |
Waiting for "Superman" | Davis Guggenheim Davis Guggenheim Philip Davis Guggenheim is an Academy Award-winning American film director and producer. His credits as a producer and director include Training Day, The Shield, Alias, 24, NYPD Blue, ER, Deadwood, and Party of Five and the documentaries An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for 'Superman... |
| 2011 (83rd National Board of Review Awards 2011 The 83rd National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2011.All films are in alphabetical order-Top Films:films listed alphabetically except top, which is ranked as Best Film of the year*Hugo*The Artist... ) |
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory is a 2011 documentary film and sequel to the films Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations. The three films chronicle the arrest, 18 year imprisonment, and eventual release of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie... |
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky are a team of American documentary filmmakers that have received large critical acclaim and cult-fame since their debut true-crime film, Brother's Keeper -The West Memphis Three:... |