2011 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP
Banksy
Nominees:
MARWENCOL
Jeff Malmberg
RESTREPO
Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
SWEETGRASS
Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor
THUNDER SOUL
Mark Landsman
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Jeff Malmberg
MARWENCOL
Nominees:
Ilisa Barbash and Lucien Castaing-Taylor
SWEETGRASS
Lynn True and Nelson Walker
SUMMER PASTURE
2010 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL
Sascha Gervasi
Nominees:
FOOD, INC.
Robert Kenner
MORE THAN A GAME
Kristopher Belman
OCTOBER COUNTRY
Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher
WHICH WAY HOME
Rebecca Cammissa
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Bill Ross and Turner Ross
45365
Nominees:
Natalia Almada
EL GENERAL
Jessica Oreck
BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO
2009 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
MAN ON WIRE
James Marsh
Nominees:
THE BETRAYAL (NERAHKOON)
Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Werner Herzog
THE ORDER OF MYTHS
Margaret Brown
UP THE YANGTZE
Yung Chang
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Margaret Brown
THE ORDER OF MYTHS
Nominees:
Sascha Gervasi
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL
Darius Marder
LOOT
2008 Awards
*This was the last year that non-American productions were eligible in the Best Documentary category.
Best Documentary Winner:
CRAZY LOVE
Dan Klores
Nominees:
LAKE OF FIRE
Tony Kaye
MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES
Jennifer Baichwal
THE MONASTERY
Pernille Rose Gronkjær
THE PRISONER OR: HOW I PLANNED TO KILL TONY BLAIR
Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Laura Dunn
THE UNFORESEEN
Nominees:
Gary Hustwit
HELVETICA
John Maringouin
RUNNING STUMBLED
2007 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
THE ROAD TO GUANTANAMO
Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross
Nominees:
A LION IN THE HOUSE
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY
Laura Poitras
THE TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT
Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern
YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME
Kevin McAlester
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Adele Horne
THE TAILENDERS
Nominees:
Eric Daniel Metzgar
THE CHANCES OF THE WORLD CHANGING
AJ Schnack
KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON
2006 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
Alex Gibney
Nominees:
GRIZZLY MAN
Werner Herzog
LA SERRA
Scott Dalton and Margarita Martinez
ROMÁNTICO
Mark Becker
SIR! NO SIR!
David Zeiger
Truer Than Fiction Award
*2006 was the last year that more than three nominees were allowed in the Truer Than Fiction category.
Winner:
Garrett Scott and Ian Olds
OCCUPATION: DREAMLAND
Nominees:
Rachel Boynton
OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
Mark Becker
ROMÁNTICO
Thomas Allen Harris
TWELVE DISCIPLES OF NELSON MANDELA
2005 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Nominees:
BRIGHT LEAVES
Ross McElwee
CHISHOLM '72: UNBOUGHT & UNBOSSED
Shola Lynch
HIDING AND SEEKING: FAITH AND TOLERANCE AFTER THE HOLOCAUST
Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky
TARNATION
Jonathan Caouette
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman
BORN INTO BROTHELS
Nominees:
Shola Lynch
CHISHOLM '72: UNBOUGHT & UNBOSSED
Jehane Noujaim
CONTROL ROOM
Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini
FARMINGVILLE
2004 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
THE FOG OF WAR
Errol Morris
Nominees:
MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP
George Hickenlooper
MY ARCHITECT
Nathaniel Kahn
OT: OUR TOWN
Scott Hamilton Kennedy
POWER TRIP
Paul Devlin
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Megan Mylan and Joe Shenk
LOST BOYS OF SUDAN
Nominees:
Nathaniel Kahn
MY ARCHITECT
Robb Moss
THE SAME RIVER TWICE
Linda Goode Bryant and Laura Poitras
FLAG WARS
2003 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE
Michael Moore
Nominees:
THE COCKETTES
Bill Weber and David Weissman
DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND
Lucy Walker
HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY
John Walter
STEVIE
Steve James
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Jennifer Dworkin
LOVE & DIANE
Nominees:
Jeffrey Blitz
SPELLBOUND
Eugene Jarecki
THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER
Mark Moskowitz
STONE READER
2002 Awards
Best Documentary Winner:
DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS
Stacy Peralta
Nominees:
GO TIGERS!
Kenneth A. Carlson
LALEE'S KIN: THE LEGACY OF COTTON
Susan Froemke, Deborah Dickson and Albert Maysles
PROMISES
Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado
SCRATCH
Doug Pray
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
Monteith McCollum
HYBRID
Nominees:
Edet Belzberg
CHILDREN UNDERGROUND
Sandi Dubowski
TREMBLING BEFORE G-D
Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado
PROMISES
Alix Lambert
THE MARK OF CAIN
2001 Awards
*2001 was the first year that the Spirit Awards presented a Best Documentary Award separate from its Truer Than Fiction Award. With the split, Truer Than Fiction became an award for up-and-coming filmmakers.
Best Documentary Winner:
DARK DAYS
Marc Singer
Nominees:
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
Randy Barbato and Fenton Baily
LONG NIGHT'S JOURNEY INTO DAY
Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman
SOUND AND FURY
Josh Aronson
PARAGRAPH 175
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
David Shapiro and Laurie Gwen Shapiro
KEEP THE RIVER ON YOUR RIGHT: A MODERN CANNIBAL TALE
Nominees:
Shelly Dunn Fremont and Vincent Fremont
PIE IN THE SKY: THE BRIGID BERLIN STORY
James Ronald Whitney
JUST, MELVIN
Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen
BENJAMIN SMOKE
2000 Awards
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
NIGHT WALTZ: THE MUSIC OF PAUL BOWLES
Owsley Brown
Nominees:
AMERICAN HOLLOW
Rory Kennedy
ON THE ROPES
Nanette Burstein and Brett Morgen
WELL-FOUNDED FEAR
Michael Camerini and Shari Robertson
1999 Awards
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
REGRET TO INFORM
Barbara Sonneborn
Nominees:
DEAR JESSE
Tim Kirkman
DYING
Kyra Thompson
MOMENT OF IMPACT
Julia Loktev
PAULINA
Vicki Funari
1998 Awards
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL
Errol Morris
Nominees:
COLORS STRAIGHT UP
Michele Ohayon
FAMILY NAME
Macky Alston
SICK
Kirby DIck
SOUL IN THE HOLE
Danielle Gardner
1997 Awards
Truer Than Fiction Award Winner:
WHEN WE WERE KINGS
Director: Leon Gast
Producers: Leon Gast, David Sonenberg and Taylor Hackford
Nominees:
CELLULOID CLOSET
Director/Producers: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
LOOKING FOR RICHARD
Director: Al Pacino
Producers: Al Pacino and Michael Hadge
PARADISE LOST
Director/Producers: Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
TROUBLESOME CREEK: A MIDWESTERN
Director/Producers: Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher
1986 - 1996
The Spirit Awards presented no prize for documentary in its first 11 ceremonies.
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