Downloads: Press Release
New York, NY – July 9, 2010 – POV (Point of View), public television’s premier
showcase for independent documentaries, has received two nominations in the 62nd Primetime Emmy®
Awards, it was announced July 8 by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. POV’s The
Betrayal (Nerakhoon) and Patti Smith: Dream of Life, which both premiered
on PBS in 2009, have been nominated for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking. PBS received 32
Primetime Emmy nominations.
“These two films were real labors of love for both the filmmakers and subjects,” said POV Executive
Director Simon Kilmurry. “The Betrayal and Patti Smith: Dream of
Life exemplify the finest work being done by documentary filmmakers today. These
documentaries are beautifully filmed and meticulously crafted, and it is a thrill to have them
recognized by the Academy.”
The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, will air live from the NOKIA Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
Now in its 23rd season on PBS, POV has won 22 Emmy Awards, including a 2007 Special News &
Documentary Emmy for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, and earned 50 previous Emmy
nominations. POV has garnered many other coveted industry awards and honors, including 12 George
Foster Peabody Awards, nine duPont-Columbia Broadcast Journalism Awards, four Independent Spirit
Awards, three Academy Awards®, the Prix Italia, the Webby and the International Documentary
Association IDA Award for Best Continuing Series. POV airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on PBS from June –
September, and features primetime specials during the year. (
About the Films
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Pandinlao Films, LLC in association with American Documentary | POV
Nominees: Producer: Ellen Kuras; Executive Producers: Simon Kilmurry and Cara Mertes
Filmed over 23 years, The Betrayal is the Academy Award®-nominated directorial
debut of renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras in a unique collaboration with the film’s subject and
co-director, Thavisouk (“Thavi”) Phrasavath. After the U.S. government waged a secret war in Laos
during the Vietnam War, Thavi’s father and thousands of other Laotians who had fought alongside
American forces were abandoned and left to face imprisonment or execution. Hoping to find safety,
Thavi’s family made a harrowing escape to America, where they discovered a different kind of war.
Weaving ancient prophecy with personal testimony and stunning imagery, The Betrayal
is a story of survival and the resilient bonds of family. A Diverse Voices Project co-production
with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting); funded in part by the Center for Asian
American Media (CAAM). An Official Selection of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life by Steven Sebring
A Production of Clean Socks and THIRTEEN for WNET.ORG in association with American Documentary |
POV
Nominees: Producer: Steven Sebring; Executive Producers: Steven Sebring, Margaret Smilow and Simon
Kilmurry
Shot over 11 years by renowned fashion photographer Steven Sebring, Patti Smith: Dream of
Life is an intimate portrait of the legendary rocker, poet and artist. Following Smith’s
personal reflections over a decade, the film explores her many art forms and the friends and poets
who inspired her – William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Robert Mapplethorpe and Michael
Stipe. She emerges as a crucial, contemporary link between the Beats, punks and today’s music. Shot
in lush, dark tones, featuring rare performance clips and narrated by the artist herself,
Patti Smith: Dream of Life is an impressionistic journal of a multi-faceted artist
that underscores her unique place in American culture. Winner of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary.
ABOUT POV:
Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and now in its 23rd season on PBS, the award-winning POV
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 300 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
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, New York State Council on
the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The Fledgling Fund, FACT and public
television viewers. Funding for POV’s Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the Rockefeller Brothers
Fund. 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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CONTACT:
Cathy Fisher: 212-989-7425, cfisher [at] pov.org for interviews with the filmmakers and more information
about the issues explored in their films. Visit www.pbs.org/pov, POV’s award-winning website,
featuring a pressroom, with news releases,
artwork, transcripts, critical acclaim and more information.
