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WAR DANCE, WHICH WAY HOME, ANVIL, ENGLISH SURGEON Among 2010 N&D Emmy Winners

WAR DANCE, nominated for an Oscar in 2008, took two News and Documentary Emmys last night at ceremonies in New York, including Best Documentary and Outstanding Cinematography.  The film, by Sean and Andrea Nix Fine was aired on the Sundance Channel after a theatrical release by the departed THINKFilm.  HBO's WHICH WAY HOME, which garnered Oscar and Spirit Award nominations earlier this year for director Rebecca Cammisa, received the Emmy for Outstanding Informational Programming - Long Form.

Cammisa's film had led all documentary nominees going into the night with four nominations.

As we noted when we posted about the nominees in July, the News and Documentary Emmys often seem like a golden oldies round-up, as films that burst on the festival scene in 2007 (the aforementioned War Dance) compete with more recent films - and with longer, journalistic pieces from venerable PBS programs like Frontline, Nova and Bill Moyers Journal.

Among the other feature/cinematic documentaries honored last night - Sascha Gervasi's ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, which took the Arts and Culture prize, Geoffrey Smith's THE ENGLISH SURGEON, which won the Emmy for Science and Technology program and Jeremy Simmons' THE LAST BEEKEEPER, the winner for Nature Programming.

A full list of winners can be found here.  Winners in categories where feature documentaries were competitive are after the break.

Rebecca Cammisa's WHICH WAY HOME Leads 2010 News & Doc Emmys as HBO Dominates

HBO Documentary Films' WHICH WAY HOME, which netted its director, Rebecca Cammisa, both an Oscar and an Indie Spirit Award nomination earlier this year, leads the 2010 News & Documentary Emmy nods this morning, with 4 nominations, the most for any individual program.  Irene Taylor Brodsky's THE FINAL INCH, also Oscar nommed (last year in the Documentary Short category) and delivered via HBO, scored three nominations.  No other individual program netted more than two nominations.

HBO dominated the nominations, announced this morning, netting 19 for its HBO Documentary Films unit, the most for any program or strand.  PBS received the most nominations overall, with 37, although no program/strand scored more than 4 nods.  CBS finished in 2nd place by network, with CBS' venerable news magazine 60 Minutes nominated for 16 awards.

If last week's Primetime Emmy nominations are a bit strange, what with feature nonfiction sharing nominations with reality television, the News & Docs Emmys have their own peculiarities, including the shelf life of some of the nominees.  Films announced today include last year's OUTRAGE, FIXER and the aforementioned WHICH WAY HOME as well as a golden oldie like 2007's WAR DANCE, nominated in two categories.

Bold-faced names include Barbara Kopple (nommed for her WOODSTOCK: NOW AND THEN), Stacy Peralta (CRIPS & BLOODS: MADE IN AMERICA), Tia Lessin & Carl Deam (twice-nominated for TROUBLE THE WATER) and Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato (nominated for their producing work on THE LAST BEEKEEPER).

A full list of nominees can be found at the NATAS website.  We've got the major documentary categories after the jump.

HBO's Barack Doc BY THE PEOPLE Tops Features in Running for 2010 Primetime Emmys

The wild and wacky Primetime Emmy documentary nods are back upon us, with their eclectic mix of true television documentaries, acquired nonfiction feature films (some of which premiered at festivals 2+ years ago) and episodes of nonfiction series, all vying for trophies that will be handed out at the Creative Arts Emmys in September.

Of the true feature docs, Amy Rice and Alicia Sams behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 presidential campaign, BY THE PEOPLE: THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA - which was picked up during production by HBO - led all comers, netting three nominations: for Outstanding Nonfiction Special, Direction and Editing. 

For most features, however, namely festival favorites from 2008 (THE BETRAYAL, PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE, PRESSURE COOKER) and 2009 (SERGIO), a single nomination would have to suffice.  All four of those films will vie for the Emmy for Exception Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking, up against Sundance Channel's BRICK CITY and PBS' MY LAI.

In most of the tech categories, the true features were mostly knocked out by episodes of Discovery Channel's Life and Deadliest Catch, CBS's The Amazing Race and History Channel's America: The Story of Us.

Still, the list of Emmy nominees is heavy on bold-faced names (or as bold-faced as we get in the doc world), with Sheila Nevins, Nancy Abraham, Cara Mertes, Simon Kilmurry, Sam Pollard, Ellen Kuras, John Battsek, Julie Goldman, Morgan Spurlock (nominated for his Simpsons documentary for Fox) and Ken Burns (nommed for his National Parks series, though notably not for his direction).

A full list of doc-centric nominees after the jump, not a Glee cast member among them...

Baghdad ER Cleans Up the Primetime Doc Emmys

Saturday night, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences handed out their "creative arts" awards (translation - everything they think you'd be too bored to watch during the main show next Sunday).  Included in this weekend's event was the handing out of a number of awards for nonfiction programming.  HBO's controversial doc Baghdad ER nearly ended up sweeping the awards, while Martin Scorcese's epic Bob Dylan doc No Direction Home took home a single statue for sound mixing.  Scorcese himself lost the Best Direction trophy to Kevin Costner, no wait, sorry, he lost it to Baghdad ER directors Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill.  Alpert and O'Neill also shared the Cinematography prize and received a third for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking.

Here's the full list of nonfiction nominees from out post last month and here are this year's winners:

EXCEPTIONAL MERIT IN NONFICTION FILMMAKING
(Juried award: Possibility of  one, more than one or no award.)      

BAGHDAD ER  (HBO)       
Jon Alpert, Matthew O’Neill, Joseph Feury, Producers   
Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer                                        

and

TWO DAYS IN OCTOBER (American Experience - PBS)      
Robert Kenner, Producer
Mark Samels, Nick Fraser, Executive Producers
Sharon Grimberg, Series Producer 

OUTSTANDING DIRECTING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING    
Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill, Directors    
Baghdad ER (HBO)      

OUTSTANDING WRITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING   
Peter Jones, Writer 
Stardust:  The Bette Davis Story (TCM)

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill, Directors of Photography   
Baghdad ER (HBO)

OUTSTANDING PICTURE EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Jennifer P. Honn, Editor
Rome:  Engineering An Empire (The History Channel)

OUTSTANDING NONFICTION SPECIAL 
(Area Award: Possibility of one, more than one  or, if none has a majority approval, no award.)    ROME: ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE (The History Channel)
Dolores Gavin, Vincent Kralyevich, Bill Hunt, Kristine Sabat, Executive Producers   
Christopher Cassel, Producer   

OUTSTANDING SOUND EDITING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Lila Yomtoob, Sound Editor
Baghdad ER (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SOUND MIXING FOR NONFICTION PROGRAMMING
Tom Fleischman, Re-Recording Mixer
Bob Dylan:  No Direction Home (American Masters - PBS)

Rosie's Cruise, Baghdad ER, Scorsese's Dylan Lead Nonfiction Emmy Nods

A trio of HBO documentaries - All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruiise, Baghdad ER and Children of Beslan - joined Martin Scorsese's epic Bob Dylan profile No Direction Home in scoring multiple nominations at this year Primetime Emmy Awards, announced this morning in Los Angeles.

While the Emmys hand out awards in a number of nonfiction categories, feature-length documentaries often are pitted against reality-competition series, resulting in the strange sight of the Dylan film and Baghdad ER going up against Survivor and Amazing Race in the category of Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming. But awkward bedfellows are nothing new to anyone who follows the Emmys even tangentially - as seen often in the Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, which this year pits David Letterman and Stephen Colbert up against Barry Manilow.

In the drama and comedy series categories, Fox's 24 led the way with 12 nominations, including Best Drama Series, Best Actor for Kiefer Sutherland, and for the first time in the series' history, two nods for its supporting actors - Gregory Itzin as duplicitous President Charles Logan and Jean Smart as heroic/crazy First Lady Martha Logan. Sadly, Mary Lynn Raksjub's pitch-perfect performance as Chloe was overlooked yet again.

Last year's series winners Desparate Housewives and Lost were both left out of this year's contest (no doubt dealing a crushing blow to thousands of Entertainment Weekly subscribers) and perennial favorite David E. Kelley somehow failed to score a nomination for the scenery-chewing antics of Boston Legal. But lest there be any doubt that the voters have somehow come to their senses, please note the 10 nominations delivered to the unwatchable Will and Grace.

Here, now, some of the nonfiction nominees for this year's Emmys:

Exceptional Merit In Nonfiction Filmmaking

Baghdad ER • HBO • Feury/Grant Productions and Downtown Community Television Center in association with HBO Documentary Films
Jon Alpert, Matthew O’Neill, Joseph Feury, Producers
Sheila Nevins, Executive Producer

Combat Diary: The Marines Of Lima Company • A&E • Viewfinder Productions for A&E Network
Michael Epstein, Jonathan Yellen, Producers
Nancy Dubuc, Deirdre O’Hearn, Executive Producers

In The Realms Of The Unreal (P.O.V.) • PBS • American Documentary I P.O.V.
Jessica Yu, Sue West, Producers
Sally Jo Fifer, Cara Mertes, Executive Producers

Three Days In September • Showtime • Showtime Networks
Joe Halderman, Peter Van Sant, Michael McHugh, Michael Vele, Producers

Two Days In October (American Experience) • PBS • WGBH Educational Foundation
Robert Kenner, Producer
Mark Samels, Nick Fraser, Executive Producers

Outstanding Nonfiction Special
(individual nominees TBA)

All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise • HBO

How William Shatner Changed The World • The History Channel

Inside 9/11 • National Geographic Channel

Rome: Engineering An Empire • The History Channel

Stardust: The Bette Davis Story • TCM

Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming

All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise • HBO
Shari Cookson, Director

American Masters • John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker And The Legend • PBS
Sam Pollard, Director

American Masters • Bob Dylan: No Direction Home • PBS
Martin Scorsese, Director

Baghdad ER • HBO
Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill, Directors

Children Of Beslan • HBO
Ewa Ewart and Leslie Woodhead, Directors

Outstanding Writing For Nonfiction Programming

American Masters • Ernest Hemingway: Rivers To The Sea • PBS
DeWitt Sage, Writer

American Masters • John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker And The Legend • PBS
Ken Bowser, Writer

How William Shatner Changed The World • The History Channel
Alan Handel and Julian Jones, Writers

Penn & Teller: Bullshit • Prostitution • Showtime
Penn Jillette, Teller, Cliff Schoenberg, Jon Hotchkiss, Michael Goudeau, Star Price, Writers

Stardust: The Bette Davis Story • TCM
Peter Jones, Writer

Outstanding Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming - Single-Camera Productions

All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise • HBO
Maryse Alberti, Director of Photography

Baghdad ER • HBO
Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill, Director of Photography

Children Of Beslan • HBO
Dirk Nel, Director of Photography

I Have Tourette’s But Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me • HBO
Buddy Squires, Director of Photography

Rome: Engineering An Empire • The History Channel •
Jeremiah Crowell, Director of Photography

Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming (Small team entries - Primarily Single-Camera Productions)

AFI’s 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes • CBS
Tim Preston, Debra Light, Barry A. O’Brien, Editors

American Masters • John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker And The Legend • PBS
Steven Wechsler, Editor

American Masters • Bob Dylan: No Direction Home • PBS
David Tedeschi, Editor

Baghdad ER • HBO
Patrick McMahon, A.C.E., Carrie Goldman, Editors

Penn & Teller: Bullshit • Prostitution • Showtime •
Steven Uhlenberg, Editor

Rome: Engineering An Empire • The History Channel
Jennifer P. Honn, Editor

Outstanding Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming (Single Or Multi-Camera)

The Amazing Race

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home

Baghdad ER

Survivor

Two Days In October (American Experience)

Outstanding Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming (Single Or Multi-Camera)

The Amazing Race

Bob Dylan: No Direction Home

Baghdad ER

Deadliest Catch

Survivor

A full list of nominees is available on the Emmy website.