Leah Remini will be honored by the International Documentary Association for her work exposing "the truth behind Scientology" through her A&E documentary series Scientology and the Aftermath, it was announced Tuesday.

Remini, who will be recognized at the 2019 IDA Documentary Awards, created, produced and hosted the Emmy Award-winning series, which recently ended after three seasons.

“This year, the IDA launches the new Truth to Power Award to honor those who show immense bravery in holding the powerful to account regardless of the consequences,” IDA executive director Simon Kilmurry said in a statement. “We are thrilled to honor Leah Remini who, for the past three seasons in Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, stood strong in the face of untold backlash, harassment and personal attacks as she exposed the truth behind Scientology. IDA honors Leah for her unflinching bravery.”

Added Remini, “I am extremely honored to be the inaugural recipient of the Truth to Power Award and I thank the IDA for recognizing our work on The Aftermath. It’s really the courageous contributors who have appeared on three seasons of Scientology and the Aftermath who are the brave ones. To hold powerful people and organizations accountable is not easy and we’ve faced many challenges along the way. Receiving this award strengthens our resolve to continue the fight and encourages us to continue to hold those corrupt organizations accountable for their ongoing abusive practices. I share this honor with our brave contributors who, despite ongoing risk and repercussion, spoke out and told their stories and continue to speak truth to power.”

It also was announced that Willie Garson (Sex and the City, White Collar, NYPD Blue) will host the 35th annual IDA Awards, which are set to take place Dec. 7 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

"I'm excited and honored to be asked by the IDA to help honor the amazing accomplishments of these driven documentary filmmakers, who mostly work with no budgets in difficult situations, with the express purpose of telling the truth," said Garson. "They immerse themselves (and us) in stories of joy or darkness, made exclusively to discover, inform, enlighten and inspire. They are heroes."

The IDA also announced that the ABC News VideoSource Award winner is Mike Wallace Is Here. Other nominees in the category include Halston, Meeting Gorbachev and Where's My Roy Cohn?

Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/