‘Minding the Gap,’ ‘A Dangerous Son’ Among 2019…

A Dangerous Son,” “The Facebook Dilemma,” “Independent Lens: Dolores,” “Independent Lens: The Judge,” “The Jazz Ambassadors,” “Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart,” “Minding the Gap” and “POV: The Apology” have been selected as the documentary winners at the 2019 Peabody Awards, Variety has learned.


The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors also named Kartemquin Films the winner of an Institutional Award for the company’s commitment to “unflinching documentary filmmaking,” as well as telling an “American history rooted in social justice and the stories of the marginalized.”

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Kartemquin was founded as a non-profit collective in 1966 and has served as a home for filmmakers to develop their craft and produce films that promote dialogue and democracy ever since. The company is behind projects such as “Hoop Dreams,” in addition to this year’s Peabody winner “Minding the Gap.”

The eight documentary honorees, part of the Peabody 30, highlights stories centered on women, mental illness, social media and the legacy of African-American artists.

“A Dangerous Son,” from HBO Documentary Films and Moxie Firecracker Films, is a view into “the myriad challenges parents face when raising children with mental health issues,” shining a light on the link between mental illness and recent mass school shootings.

“The Facebook Dilemma” from Frontline and PBS, is an in-depth investigation into the Silicon Valley giant that reveals how the corporation “ignored warnings and shirked responsibility as it reveled in global success, exploiting user data and sowing social and political unrest in the process.”

“Independent Lens: Dolores,” A Carlos Santana Production, in association with 5 Stick Films, and The Dolorest Huerta Film Project LLC for PBS, is a portrait of activist and community organizer Huerta, designed to serve as a reminder of “the power of collective action in service of social justice.”

“Independent Lens: The Judge,” a co-production of Three Judges LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for PBS, chronicles the day-to-day challenges of the Middle East’s first female Sharia law judge, Khloud Faqih. Filmmaker Erika Cohn created a rare glimpse into an “oft-misunderstood culture and faith through the eyes of a strong Muslim woman, and demystifying fallacies around both subjects.”

“The Jazz Ambassadors,” from Thirteen Productions LLC, Antelope South Ltd., Normal Life Pictures, in association with the BBC and ZDF in collaboration with Arte for PBS, looks at the contribution of jazz music and musicians to Cold War diplomacy, American race relations, emerging black identities and newly independent third world nations around the world. The film is designed to be an “inspiring tribute” to jazz masters Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck.

“Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart” is from Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project LLC in co-production with Independent Television Service and Black Public Media, in association with The Film Posse, Chiz Schultz Inc. and American Masters Pictures for PBS/WNET. It is meant to be a tribute to Hansberry’s life and career, mining her “rich archive” of writing from diaries to essays to letters and personal effects, in order to create an “intimate and powerful portrait” of the artist and activist.

“Minding the Gap,” presented by Hulu in association with Kartemquin, American Documentary | POV and ITVS (Hulu/PBS), follows filmmmaker Bing Liu and his skateboarding friends as they transition from boyhood to manhood.

“POV: The Apology,” from the National Film Board of Canada, American Documentary and POV for PBS, follows the journeys of three surviving “comfort women” — women who were forced into institutionalized sexual slavery during World War II — as they seized a chance to set the future generation on a course for reconciliation, healing and justice. It was written and directed by Tiffany Hsiung.

The documentary winners will join the previously announced Peabody Career Achievement Award winner, Rita Moreno, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York for the May 18 celebration. Ronan Farrow will host the event sponsored by Mercedez Benz. Variety is the exclusive media partner.

Winners in the entertainment, children’s and youth, news, radio, podcast, web and public service categories will be announced later this week.

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