Twelve documentaries are being honored by the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors, and seven of them are women-directed or co-directed. 2016 was an amazing year for documentaries, and this stellar selection proves it.
Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated “13th” is among the titles being recognized. The feature traces the connection between slavery and mass-incarceration in the U.S. “It’s been a topic that I’ve always thought about, even when I was a little girl,” DuVernay told us. “Growing up in Compton, there was a heavy police presence. I would always see cops on my block. The interactions weren’t positive, as I’d see officers interacting with the citizens in my community. Much more negative encounters than positive, which I think is interesting. As a child, when I think back, most folks in this country who don’t live in black or brown communities regard the cops [with] a sense of safety,” she observed. “Imagine growing up and feeling just the opposite when you see an officer. That’s a real, completely different way to move through the world.”
Dawn Porter’s “Trapped” is also being honored. The doc investigates how women’s reproductive rights have been impacted by “TRAP” (targeted regulation of abortion providers) laws that have been passed by conservative state legislatures across the U.S. When we asked Porter what she wanted people to think about after they watch the film, she said, “That they cannot be complacent. I love the line from one of the clinic owners, who says something to the effect of, ‘No one ever thinks they are going to need an abortion.’ I want people to think about what they would do if the clinics around them were closed,” she urged.
Entertainment Weekly reports that this year’s Peabody Awards Ceremony will take place in New York and will air as a television special on PBS. The event be hosted by “Angie Tribeca’s” Rashida Jones.
Check out all of the women-directed and co-directed docs being honored below, which include explorations of rape culture (“Audrie & Daisy”), activism (“Hooligan Sparrow”), and homophobia and misogyny in the justice system (“Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four”). This list is adapted from EW.
“Audrie & Daisy” — Co-Directed by Bonni Cohen
AfterImage Public Media in association with Actual Films (Netflix)
Filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk present a heartbreaking and timely tale of how social media shaming enacts a secondary and sometimes even more impactful traumatization of teen rape victims.
“4.1 Miles” — Directed by Daphne Matziaraki
The New York Times Op-Docs (NYTimes.com)
Desperate journeys undertaken by refugees risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean and find safe haven in Europe is well-documented. Daphne Matziaraki’s short film differs in its point-of-view and raw imagery of one Greek boat captain thrust into the breach.
“Independent Lens: Trapped” — Directed by Dawn Porter
Trilogy Films LLC, Bigmouth Productions, Cedar Creek Productions and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) (PBS)
A timely report that examines the motivation and politics surrounding “TRAP” laws, specifically designed to restrict access to abortion. Director Dawn Porter goes behind-the-scenes to follow the people working on a daily basis to keep clinics open under challenging circumstances.
“MAVIS!” — Directed by Jessica Edwards
Film First and HBO Documentary Films (HBO)
More than just a biopic, this story celebrates the deep influence of Mavis Staples and the Staple Singers across music genres — from gospel to soul and rock-and-roll. “MAVIS!” illustrates the history of social movements in America and is a powerful reminder of one woman’s impact on popular culture.
“POV: Hooligan Sparrow” — Directed by Nanfu Wang
POV | American Documentary (PBS)
First-time filmmaker Nanfu Wang takes personal risks to follow the story of Ye Haiyan, aka “Hooligan Sparrow,” and a small group of women’s rights activists protesting the state of sexual assault crises in schools in China.
“Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four” — Directed by Deborah S. Esquenazi
Deborah S. Esquenazi Productions, LLC (Investigation Discovery)
A modern tale of colonial-style persecution follows four Latina lesbians wrongfully accused of sexual assault in the mid-1990s. Picking up a decade after conviction, the film chronicles their struggles as homosexual women of color in their conservative Texas community and their battle for eventual exoneration.
“13th” — Directed by Ava DuVernay
Forward Movement LLC and Kandoo Films (Netflix)
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay deconstructs the criminalization of African-Americans — from racial slavery to convict leasing systems, from Jim Crow terror to mass incarceration — as a means of exercising social control of black populations.
