Screening Honors Film for Its February Win of 2017 George Polk Documentary Film Award
Documentary Film Award is POV’s Second from Polk
New York, N.Y. — April 6, 2017 — POV’s Hooligan Sparrow, which won the 2017 George Polk Documentary Film Award in February, was honored at a special screening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) yesterday evening. After the showing, the film’s director Nanfu Wang was interviewed by Richard Pearce, the co-chair of the Polk Awards screening committee. This is the third time the journalism prize has presented the Documentary Film Award and POV’s second win. The inaugural award went to POV’s Return to Homs, which aired on PBS in 2015. Established in 1949 and operated out of Long Island University, the George Polk Awards honor outstanding achievements in journalism.
About Hooligan Sparrow by Nanfu Wang:
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (aka Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to southern China to seek justice in the case of six elementary school girls allegedly sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment and imprisonment. Sparrow continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power of social media. Filmmaker Wang becomes a target, too, and must deal with destroyed cameras and intimidation. A co-presentation with the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).
“The George Polk Documentary Film Award is a fitting capstone to a year of accolades for Wang and her first feature film,” said POV Executive Producer Justine Nagan. “Hooligan Sparrow is a testament to the remarkable bravery of Wang and Ye in the face of a corrupt government, and POV is proud to have brought this courageous work to American audiences via broadcast, community screenings and free online streaming.”
To date, POV films have won 36 Emmy® Awards, 12 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, 19 Peabody Awards, three Academy Awards®, two George Polk Documentary Film Awards and the Prix Italia. The POV series has been honored with a Special News & Documentary Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, three IDA Awards for Best Curated Series and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Award for Corporate Commitment to Diversity. Learn more at www.pbs.org/pov/.
The full list of winners for the 68th Annual George Polk Awards in Journalism is available here.
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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.
POV Community Engagement and Education (www.pbs.org/pov/engage/)
POV’s Community Engagement and Education team works with educators, community organizations and PBS stations to present more than 650 free screenings every year. In addition, we distribute free discussion guides and standards-aligned lesson plans for each of our films. With our community partners, we inspire dialogue around the most important social issues of our time.
POV Digital (www.pbs.org/pov/)
Since 1994, POV Digital has driven new storytelling initiatives and interactive production for POV. The department created PBS’s first program website and its first web-based documentary (POV’s Borders) and has won major awards, including a Webby Award (and six nominations) and an Online News Association Award. POV Digital continues to explore the future of independent nonfiction media through its digital productions and the POV Hackathon lab, where media makers and technologists collaborate to reinvent storytelling forms. Follow @povdocs on Twitter.
American Documentary, Inc. (www.amdoc.org/)
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.
