James Moll’s film Inheritance, which aired on the POV (Point of View) documentary series on PBS in 2008, won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Interview at the 30th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards, presented Sept. 21 in New York. Accepting the award were Director/Producer/Editor James Moll, Producer Christopher Pavlick, Executive Producer Chris Malachowsky, film subject Helen Jonas and her daughter, Vivian Delman. PBS won six Emmys — more than any other network.

“We’re thrilled that Inheritance has been recognized by the Academy with this Emmy Award,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director, American Documentary | POV “The dedication of independent documentary filmmakers to tell these stories is truly remarkable, and to be honored by our peers is great affirmation of this work.”

Imagine watching “Schindler’s List” and knowing the sadistic Nazi camp commandant played by Ralph Fiennes was your father. Inheritance is the story of Monika Hertwig, the daughter of mass murderer Amon Goeth. Hertwig has spent her life in the shadow of her father’s sins, trying to come to terms with her “inheritance.” She seeks out Helen Jonas, who was enslaved by Goeth and who is one of the few living eyewitnesses to his unspeakable brutality. The women’s raw, emotional meeting unearths terrible truths and lingering questions about how the actions of our parents can continue to ripple through generations.

Watch a 12 minute clip from Inheritance on the PBS Video Player.

“I was incredibly fortunate to have interviewed two extraordinary women with profound and life-changing stories to tell,” said filmmaker James Moll. “I’m honored to share this award with Helen Jonas and Monika Hertwig, and commend them for tackling such a difficult situation with bravery and honesty. With Inheritance, we see how one generation can begin to make amends for the brutality of another.”

Now in its 22nd season on PBS, POV has won 21 Emmy Awards, including a 2007 Special News & Documentary Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, and 50 Emmy nominations. POV has garnered many other coveted industry awards, including 12 George Foster Peabody Awards, eight duPont-Columbia Broadcast Journalism Awards, four Independent Spirit Awards, three Academy Awards®, the Prix Italia and the Webby.

Inheritance is a production of Moll’s Los Angeles-based independent film company, Allentown Productions. Director: James Moll; Producers: Christopher Pavlick, James Moll; Executive Producers: Chris Malachowsky, Ryan Malachowsky; Associate Producer: Shannon Dill; Executive Producer for American Documentary | POV: Simon Kilmurry.

About the Filmmaker

Emmy- and Oscar-winning filmmaker James Moll has worked as a director and producer of documentary films and series. He is currently preparing to direct his first dramatic feature, “Emmett Till,” about the infamous Mississippi lynching that sparked the civil rights movement of the 1950s. Recent projects include “Running the Sahara,” a feature documentary executive produced and narrated by Matt Damon, three men who attempt to run across the Sahara Desert.

Moll received an Academy Award in 1999 for directing and editing “The Last Days,” a feature documentary chronicling the lives of five Hungarian Holocaust survivors. Other credits include “Price for Peace,” hosted by Tom Brokaw, for NBC; “A Remarkable Promise,” the John Kerry bio-film that introduced the presidential candidate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention; and “Voices from the List,” a documentary about Oskar Schindler for the “Schindler’s List” DVD.

Moll won two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award for “Survivors of the Holocaust,” a two-hour documentary he produced for TBS and CNN International; the Edward R. Murrow Award for producing “The Lost Children of Berlin” for A&E; a Christopher Award for producing Broken Silence, a series of five foreign-language documentaries; and a Christopher Award for Inheritance.

In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Moll established and has operated the Shoah Foundation with Spielberg. The Foundation has videotaped more than 50,000 testimonies of Holocaust survivors.

Born in Allentown, Pa., Moll was raised in Los Angeles and earned a degree from USC Film School. He is a member of the DGA, the Television Academy and the Motion Picture Academy, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Documentary Branch of the Motion Picture Academy.

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and now in its 22nd season on PBS, the award-winning POV (Point of View) series is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. Airing June through September with primetime specials during the year, POV has brought more than 275 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide, and has a Webby Award-winning online series, POV’s Borders. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. More information is available at www.pbs.org/pov/about.

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Educational Foundation of America, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The September 11th Fund and public television viewers. Funding for POV’s Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KCET Los Angeles, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

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Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives.