Independent Lens is delighted to be the recipient of two 2021 News & Documentary Emmy Awards, as announced today by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The 42nd Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards honored programs out of more than 2200 submissions that originally premiered in the calendar-year 2020, and were judged by a pool of over 800 peer professionals from across the television and streaming/digital media news and documentary industry.
We hope you’ll join us in saluting the teams behind these Emmy-winning documentaries, which aired on Independent Lens on PBS in 2020.
Belly of the Beast, for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary. It was also nominated for Best Documentary, Outstanding Direction: Documentary, and Outstanding Editing: Documentary.
Co-Producer: Black Public Media
Filmmaker: Erika Cohn
Two women investigate a pattern of illegal sterilizations in women’s prisons and battle the Department of Corrections.
Belly of the Beast is a part of Stories for Justice, presented by Independent Lens, a public media partnership to spark community conversations and boost the work of people on the front lines of justice reform.
https://twitter.com/newsemmys/status/1443382157217603586?s=20
Feels Good Man, Outstanding Research: Documentary
Filmmakers: Arthur Jones and Giorgio Angelini
When adorable, trippy indie comic character Pepe the Frog becomes an unwitting icon of hate, his creator fights to bring Pepe back from the darkness.
https://twitter.com/newsemmys/status/1443388218410426369?s=20
We also wanted to shout out Independent Lens Emmy nominee Rewind (Outstanding Direction: Documentary & Outstanding Editing: Documentary) and filmmaker Sasha Joseph Neulinger.
“We’re so proud to have supported the talented films and filmmakers behind these exceptional Emmy-awarded documentaries,” said Lois Vossen, Independent Lens Executive Producer. “During these turbulent times, these documentaries are a beacon for audiences looking for in-depth and authentic stories that illuminate critical issues like the forced sterilization of incarcerated women and the unexpected forces shaping our cultural and political landscapes.”
The complete list of nominees is also available on the National Television Academy’s website: theemmys.tv
