Last Men in Aleppo, The Islands and the Whales and Deej Named Winners in the Documentary Category

21st Peabody Award for POV, fifth year in a row series has received the prize; first-ever Peabody for AMERICA REFRAMED

New York, N.Y. April 20, 2018 — On April 16, the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication named three films produced by American Documentary as winners in the 77th Annual Peabody Awards: POV’s Last Men in Aleppo and The Islands and The Whales and AMERICA REFRAMED’s Deej were named winners in the Documentary category. The winners will be celebrated on Saturday, May 19 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Hasan Minhaj, comedian, writer and senior correspondent on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” will serve as host.

POV and AMERICA REFRAMED took home three out of the nine winners in the Documentary category. POV’s Motherland was also named a nominee last week, and Last Men in Aleppo was a nominee in the Documentary Feature category in the 90th Academy Awards this year. This is the fifth year in a row POV has taken home a Peabody, and the first-ever awarded to AMERICA REFRAMED. POV now has 21 Peabody Awards to date.

Learn more about the POV and AMERICA REFRAMED winners below. For a complete list of all Peabody Award winners, visit http://www.peabodyawards.com.

About Last Men in Aleppo by Feras Fayyad:

After five years of war in Syria, the remaining citizens of Aleppo are getting ready for a siege. Through the eyes of volunteer rescue workers called the White Helmets, Last Men in Aleppo allows viewers to experience the daily life, death, and struggle in the streets, where they are fighting for sanity in a city where war has become the norm. Winner, 2017 Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary.

 About The Islands and the Whales by Mike Day

On the isolated North Atlantic archipelago of the Faroe Islands, the longtime hunting practices of the Faroese are threatened by dangerously high mercury levels in the whales, decimated seabird populations, and anti-whaling activists. The Faroe islanders consider themselves a canary in the mine, their tale a warning to the rest of the world. Winner, 2016 DOC NYC Grand Jury Prize.

About Deej by Robert Rooy

Deej is the story of DJ Savarese (“Deej”), a gifted, young writer and advocate for nonspeaking autistics. DJ Savarese is himself the commentator and co-producer of Deej.

Once a “profoundly disabled” foster kid on a fast track to nowhere, Deej is now a first-year college student who insists on standing up for his peers: people who are dismissed as incompetent because they are neurologically diverse. He argues forcefully they are too often “housed in classrooms of easy lessons.” Deej tells a coming-of-age story that showcases a young man’s resolve and creativity in forging strong bonds with his parents, his devoted extended family, and a community of close friends. Profound and unflinching, the film reveals what it takes to make the goals of “inclusion” and “disability rights” a reality. Will Deej be able to find freedom in his own life and for others like him?

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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 Engage 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.

AMERICA REFRAMED (www.americareframed.com) 

Co-produced by American Documentary, Inc. and WORLD Channel, AMERICA REFRAMED brings to national audiences compelling stories that illuminate the changing contours of an ever-evolving America. The independent documentary series presents an array of personal voices and experiences through which we learn from our past, understand our present and are challenged to seek new frameworks for America’s future.

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.

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POV Pressroom
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.