Independent Lens is proud to announce that Leslee Udwin’s India’s Daughter, which premiered on the PBS series in November 2015, is the winner of a 2016 Peabody Award. The Peabody Awards are bestowed by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication; this is Independent Lens’s 16th Peabody Award.
India’s Daughter recounts the story of Jyoti Singh, a promising 23-year-old medical student who was brutally gang raped and murdered in Delhi. Her horrifying ordeal and tragic death sparked riots in the streets of Indian cities, leading to changes in the law and a worldwide movement against rape and abuse.
“A Peabody Award for my first documentary, as well as for my debut as a director, is such fortifying validation of the most difficult, challenging, and shocking journey of my life,” said filmmaker Leslee Udwin. “I feel very honored and very humbled. And I am immensely grateful to the public broadcasters, BBC, and ITVS/PBS, for their robust support of this film.”
“This is a tremendous honor for a truly remarkable film and for Independent Lens,” said series executive producer Lois Vossen. “Leslee Udwin’s courage in making this film, and her relentless drive to see that it sparked not only awareness but real change, is truly inspirational.”
The Peabody Awards celebrates projects in the fields of news, entertainment, documentaries, children’s programming, education, interactive programming, and public service, encouraging the media industries to reach for and achieve the highest standards. The 75th annual Peabody Awards ceremony, hosted by Keegan-Michael Key, will take place on May 21 in New York City.