THE 34th IDA Documentary Awards, hosted by Ricki Lake, took place Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Paramount Studios.

Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap” won best feature, with Floyd Russ’ short doc “Zion,” limited series “Wild Wild Country” and documentaries about John McCain and “M.I.A.” among the other high-profile winners for the evening.

Liu also received the emerging filmmaker award from director Barry Jenkins and Gordon Quinn, artistic director of Kartemquin Films.

“Both the best feature and best short categories recognized the remarkable range of work that was produced in 2018,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of IDA, in a statement. “In ‘Minding the Gap’ we see the emergence of Bing Liu as a fresh, bold new voice in documentary. His film sneaks up on audiences and, has a quiet and lasting power. ‘Zion’ by Floyd Russ is a beautiful and touching work that does what documentaries can do better than any other form — give audiences intimate access into the experience of others, in a way that makes us better for it.”

The Courage Under Fire Award, given to a filmmaker who demonstrates extraordinary bravery in pursuit of the truth, was presented to Stephen Maing and the black and Latino whistle-blower cops depicted in his doc, “Crime + Punishment,” about a landmark lawsuit over illegal policing quotas.

The Amicus Award was presented to Chicken & Egg Pictures.

New Day Films co-founder Julia Reichert received the career achievement award.

(SD-Agencies)