Short films often represent nonfiction filmmaking at its most pure: a single subject or idea explored at just the right length. This award recognizes those films that find the balance of running time and artistry. The previous winners of this award were Vance Malone’s The Poodle Trainer (2011), Tim Hetherington’s Diary (2012), Robert-Jan Lacombe’s Good Bye Mandima (Kwa Heri Mandima) (2013), Sergio Oksman’s A Story for the Modlins (2014), Lucy Walker for The Lion’s Mouth Opens (2015) and Scott Cummings for Buffalo Juggalos and Elizabeth Lo for Hotel 22 (2016, tie).