The International Documentary Association (IDA) has announced the honorees for its upcoming 32nd Annual Documentary Awards.

The special awards honorees, Screen Daily reports, will include documentary filmmaker Nanfu Wang (“Hooligan Sparrow”), who will receive the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker award.

“Our honorees this year include veteran and emerging filmmakers, illustrating how vital the documentary field is,” said executive director Simon Kilmurry. “Nanfu Wang is a bold and brave emerging talent.”

Wang’s film “Hooligan Sparrow” tells the story of human rights crusaders in China and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. She faced a number of obstacles making the film, and practically had to smuggle her footage out of China.

In an interview with Women and Hollywood, Wang said, “I don’t feel that there’s anything male directors can do that I can’t. Pick up a camera and go shoot. With today’s technology, even a smartphone can shoot a feature film.”

In addition to Wang, Lyn and Norman Lear will receive the Amicus Award, and International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Ally Derks will be granted the Pioneer Award.

“Ally Derks had the vision to found the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, one of the oldest and certainly the largest documentary festival in the world, long before documentaries became cool. And Norman and Lyn Lear’s ongoing support of filmmakers and free speech has allowed countless voices to be heard,” added Kilmurry.

At the awards ceremony, which will be held on December 9 in Los Angeles, the IDA will hand out awards in several categories, including best Feature Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Limited Series, and the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award.