ITVS Co-Productions Honored With Three News and Documentary Emmy Awards Including Best Documentary
(San Francisco, CA) Wednesday, September 23, 2020 — ITVS announced today that two ITVS co-production films were honored with a total of three News and Documentary Emmy® Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). Awarded projects include Midnight Traveler for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary and The Silence of Others for Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. Both films premiered on the acclaimed PBS series, POV.
“ITVS is proud to support independent documentary filmmakers like Hassan Fazili, Emelie Mahdavian, Almudena Carracedo, and Robert Bahar, whose artfully told stories celebrate humanity," says Sally Jo Fifer, President and CEO of ITVS. "The unflinching work of these talented producers lifts our democracy by giving voice through public media to communities across America."
ITVS has been honored with 44 News & Documentary Emmy awards, featuring human stories that spark conversation and bring attention to the world’s most pressing issues such as Steve James' Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Armed with Faith by Asad Faruqi and Geeta Gandbhir, Ben Pender-Cudlip and Adam Mazo’s Dawnland, Forever Pure by Maya Zinshtein, I Am Not Your Negro by Raoul Peck, Erika Cohn, Tony Vainuku's In Football We Trust, TOWER by Keith Maitland, and Wildland by Kahlil Hudson and Alex Jablonski.
The 41st News & Documentary Emmy awards were presented during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020 which streamed live on NATAS’ dedicated viewing platform powered by Vimeo, and on the web at watch.theemmys.tv. For a full list of this year’s winning programs visit www.theemmys.tv
The following awarded films were co-produced by ITVS and premiered on POV:
MIDNIGHT TRAVELER (Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary)
Filmmakers: Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian
When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.
THE SILENCE OF OTHERS (Best Documentary & Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary)
Filmmakers: Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar
The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain’s 40-year dictatorship under General Franco as they continue to seek justice four decades into democracy. Filmed over six years, the film follows the survivors organizing the groundbreaking “Argentine Lawsuit” to fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity, where the emotional court battle uncovers a country still divided over its fascist history.
About ITVS
ITVS is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that has, for over 25 years, funded and partnered with a diverse range of documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories. ITVS incubates and co-produces these award-winning films and then airs them for free on PBS via our weekly series, Independent Lens, as well as on other PBS series and through our digital platform, OVEE. ITVS is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For more information, visit itvs.org