American Documentary

Overview

New York, N.Y. – February 9, 2022 – The Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards named Loira Limbal's verité documentary Through the Night and Sam Soko's profile of a Kenyan political activist Softie winners at a virtual ceremony last night. The films were broadcast as part of POV's 33rd season on PBS. It is the first duPont win for directors Limbal and Soko, and marks a total of 15 duPont-Columbia University Awards for American Documentary (AmDoc), the nonprofit behind 'POV,' 'POV Shorts,' and 'America ReFramed,' the series co-produced with WORLD Channel.

America ReFramed's Meltdown in Dixie was also among 30 finalists for the prestigious awards which celebrate the best in journalism across audio, video, broadcasting and documentary platforms. Previously, AmDoc's most recent wins were for The Apology and Dark Money in 2020.

Through the Night explores the personal cost of our modern economy through the stories of two working mothers and a child care provider, whose lives intersect at a 24-hour daycare center in New Rochelle, New York. It is a co-production of THIRD SHIFT MEDIA INC., ITVS, and American Documentary | POV, in association with Black Public Media (BPM) and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Softie follows Kenyan political activist Boniface “Softie” Mwangi as he runs for office against his corrupt opponents. POV acquired the film from the 2020 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Special Jury Award for Editing. The film is a co-production of Lbx Africa in collaboration with We are not the machine Ltd, Eyesteelfilm, and American Documentary | POV.

"Through the Night and Softie offer important lived perspectives on topics typically discussed in the abstract," said Executive Director and Executive Producer of American Documentary | POV Erika Dilday. "Loira Limbal's film is an unflinching look at our reliance on 'essential workers.' She tenderly shares the challenges faced by Black and Latinx working mothers as well as a celebration of their love for their families and the villages that raise our children. Through Softie's determination to fight political corruption, police brutality, and extra judicial killings, Sam Soko brings us close to a candidate asking himself if country should always come before family. We are thrilled by duPont-Columbia’s recognition of these two extraordinary films."

On the precipice of its historic 35th season, to be announced later this spring, POV films and projects have won 45 Emmy Awards, 25 George Foster Peabody Awards, three Academy Awards, the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award, and now 15 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards. 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.

About

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied, American Promise and Minding The Gap and innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras and Nanfu Wang. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. All POV programs are broadcast nationally on PBS, POV.org and the PBS Video app.

POV goes “beyond the broadcast” to bring powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are. Free educational resources accompany every film and a community network of thousands of partners nationwide work with POV to spark dialogue around today’s most pressing issues. POV continues to explore the future of documentary through innovative productions with partners such as The New York Times and The National Film Board of Canada and on platforms including Snapchat and Instagram.

POV films and projects have won 45 Emmy Awards, 25 George Foster Peabody Awards, 15 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards and the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award. Learn more at pbs.org/pov and follow @povdocs on social media.

About American Documentary

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.

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, the Open Society Foundations, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, Park Foundation, and Perspective Fund. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Sage Foundation, Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Abby Pucker, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.