The Peabody Awards revealed the eight winning films released in 2018 in the Documentary category, including Dolores, profile of unsung activists Dolores Huerta; A Dangerous Son on the challenges faced by parents of children living with mental health issues; and Minding the Gap, on the healing skateboarding provides for three young men transitioning into adulthood.
The Peabody Awards board also named Kartemquin Films winner of an Institutional Award for its commitment to unflinching documentary filmmaking and telling an American history rooted in social justice and the stories of the marginalized. Founded in 1966 in Chicago as a nonprofit collective, Kartemquin has served as a home for filmmakers to develop their craft and produce films that promote dialogue and democracy. Driven by the passionate belief that documentaries have an obligation to examine and critique society through the stories of real people, Kartemquin brought us the seminal film “Hoop Dreams” (1994), as well as this year’s “Minding the Gap.”
2018 Documentary Winners
A Dangerous Son
HBO Documentary Films and Moxie Firecracker Films (HBO)
A view into the myriad challenges parents face when raising children with mental health issues, the film shines a light on the link between mental illness and recent mass school shootings.
Independent Lens: Dolores
A Carlos Santana Production, in association with 5 Stick Films, and THE DOLORES HUERTA FILM PROJECT, LLC (PBS)
An exhilarating portrait of activist and community organizer Dolores Huerta that serves as a timely reminder of the power of collective action in service of social justice.
Independent Lens: The Judge
A co-production of Three Judges LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (PBS)
Filmmaker Erika Cohn chronicles the day-to-day challenges of the Middle East’s first female Sharia law judge, Kholoud Faqih, offering a rare glimpse into an oft-misunderstood culture and faith through the eyes of a strong Muslim woman, and demystifying fallacies around both subjects.
Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart
Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project, LLC in co-production with Independent Television Service and Black Public Media in association with The Film Posse, Chiz Schultz Inc. and American Masters Pictures (PBS/WNET/TV)
A tribute to Lorraine Hansberry’s life and career as an essayist, journalist and playwright, and fearless advocate for social justice, the film mines her rich archive of writing, diaries, letters, and personal effects, resulting in an intimate and powerful portrait of an innovative artist and radical activist.
Minding the Gap
Hulu presents in association with Kartemquin, American Documentary | POV and ITVS (Hulu/PBS)
Through a patient, observational lens and devastating interviews, filmmaker Bing Liu lays bare the pain and eventual hope he and his skateboarding friends endure despite the challenges they face in this heartfelt presentation of the transition from boyhood to manhood.
POV: The Apology
National Film Board of Canada, American Documentary | POV (PBS)
Writer/director Tiffany Hsiung follows the personal journeys of three surviving “comfort women,” forced into institutionalized sexual slavery during World War II, as they seize this last chance to set future generations on a course for reconciliation, healing, and justice.
The Facebook Dilemma
FRONTLINE (PBS)
This in-depth investigation into the Silicon Valley giant reveals a corporation that willfully ignored warnings and shirked responsibility as it reveled in global success, exploiting user data and sowing social and political unrest in the process.
The Jazz Ambassadors
Thirteen Productions LLC, Antelope South Ltd., Normal Life Pictures, in association with the BBC and ZDF in collaboration with Arte (PBS)
A momentous cultural achievement that looks at the important contribution of jazz music and musicians to Cold War diplomacy, American race relations, emerging black identities, and newly independent third world nations around the world. The film is also an inspiring tribute to jazz masters Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Dave Brubeck.
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