'The Story of Silyan' Wins Best Documentary at the IDA Documentary Awards

Tamara Kotevskas documentary The Tale of Silyan has earned the top honor as the best nonfiction film of 2025 at the 41st International Documentary Association Awards, held this past Saturday in Los Angeles. The film uniquely blends a traditional North Macedonian folk story with a reflection on modern financial challenges, standing out in a category featuring international competitors.

Other nominees in this category included Apocalypse in the Tropics, which explores political turbulence in Brazil; Life After, focusing on the right-to-die movement; Seeds, a meditative look at life in the rural South; and Songs of Slow Burning Earth, set in Ukraine during the initial years of the Russian invasion. The Tale of Silyan is North Macedonias submission for the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film and is also eligible for Best Documentary Feature, following in the footsteps of Kotevskas 2019 film Honeyland, which was the first ever to receive nominations in both categories.

The awards ceremony took place during a brunch in the Los Angeles Athletic Club ballroom, concluding three days of industry events including private receptions, panels, press sessions, and networking opportunities. Brittany Shyne won Best Director for Seeds, while Apocalypse in the Tropics claimed awards for Writing and Production, The Tale of Silyan for Cinematography, WTO/99 for Editing, and The Sorcerer: Julio Zachrisson for Original Music Score. In the music documentary category, One to One: John & Yoko took the award. The Best Curated Series accolade went to the French series 99, and Best Episodic Series was awarded to Citizen Nation.

Honorary recognitions were also presented: Julie Goldman received the Career Achievement Award, Brittany Shyne was honored with the Emerging Filmmaker Award, and Impact Partners, a socially-focused documentary production company, received the Pioneer Award.

Historically, IDA winners have occasionally gone on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, notably three times between 2012 and 2016, with recent exceptions including last years No Other Land.

Full List of Winners

• Best Feature Documentary: The Tale of Silyan
• Best Short Documentary: Looking for a Donkey
• Best Director: Brittany Shyne, Seeds
• Best Cinematography: The Tale of Silyan, Jean Dakar
• Best Editing: WTO/99, Alex Megaro and Ian Bell
• Best Production: Apocalypse in the Tropics, Alessandra Orofino and Petra Costa
• Best Original Music Score: The Sorcerer: Julio Zachrisson, Frdric Filiatre
• Best Sound Design: Only on Earth, Thomas Perez-Pape
• Best Writing: Apocalypse in the Tropics, Petra Costa, Tina Baz, Alessandra Orofino, Nels Bangerter, and David Barker
• Best Music Documentary: One to One: John & Yoko
• Best Curated Series: 99
• Best Episodic Series: Citizen Nation
• David L. Wolper Student Documentary: What a day, what a life
• Pare Lorentz Award: River of Grass
• ABC News VideoSource Award: Deaf President Now!
• Career Achievement Award: Julie Goldman
• Emerging Filmmaker Award: Brittany Shyne
• Pioneer Award: Impact Partners

Author: Logan Reeves