The inaugural Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film has been awarded to “Flannery,” Elizabeth Coffman and Mark Bosco’s feature documentary about writer Flannery O’Connor. A new annual honor, the award “recognizes a filmmaker whose documentary uses original research and compelling narrative to tell stories that touch on some aspect of American history,” a press release announced.
Coffman and Bosco will receive the prize — and its accompanying $200,000 finishing grant — at a gala held at the Library of Congress tomorrow, October 17.
Eighty films were submitted for the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize. Six finalists were reviewed by a jury of scholars and filmmakers, Dawn Porter (“Trapped”) and Rachel Dretzin (“Far from the Tree”) among them. Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden and Ken Burns selected the winner.
The $50,000 second-place prize went to “Mae West: Dirty Blonde,” Sally Rosenthal’s portrait of the titular icon. Four finalists, including Julia Reichert (“9 to 5: The Story of a Movement”) and Melissa Haizlip (“Mr. Soul!”), received $25,000 each.
Born in 1925 in Savannah, Georgia, O’Connor was known for her Southern Gothic style, grotesque characters, and Catholic motifs. She penned novels “Wise Blood” and “The Violent Bear It Away,” and short story collections “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” among other works. She died in 1964 at the age of 39. A posthumous collection of her work, “Complete Stories,” won the 1972 National Book Award for Fiction.
“Flannery” is an extraordinary documentary that allows us to follow the creative process of one of our country’s greatest writers,” Burns stated. “It also provides us a glimpse into her life, including her Catholic faith, her unusual sensitivity to race as a Southern white woman, and her daily struggles with illness and the prospect and reality of an early mortality. The story is beautifully told and captures the power of her southern birth and life.” He added, “We’re hopeful that a new generation of readers will re-discover the writings of Flannery O’Connor because of this film.”
“As the Librarian of Congress, I’m of course thrilled that the subject of the winning film was a writer,” said Hayden. “But more important, the film is a beautiful and thoughtful reflection about the power of words and contemplation as well as the satisfaction that comes from a commitment to art and craft.”
“This wonderful award supports filmmakers who seek creative ways for listening to U.S. history with all of our ‘freaks’ and prophets, our serial killers and our saints – to paraphrase Flannery O’Connor – and will help to revive the hilarious, transcendent talent of writers who exist just outside the mainstream,” Coffman declared. “Who says, ‘good men are hard to find’?!”
Coffman previously directed “Veins in the Gulf” with Ted Hardin. The doc traces the effects climate change has on the land of Louisiana’s coastline. Coffman is also an Associate Professor of Film and Digital Media at Loyola University.
Check out the trailer for “Flannery” below.
