American Documentary

Overview

New York, N.Y. – April 12, 2023 – The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors announced yesterday the first round of nominees for its 83rd annual ceremony. POV, America’s longest-running independent documentary series, has received a News and Documentary nomination for Kevin Shaw’s captivating documentary Let the Little Light Shine. The film was among 27 nominees, released in 2022, selected for the News and Documentary categories. This is the tenth year in a row a POV film has been nominated for a Peabody.

Let The Little Light Shine is directed and produced by Kevin Shaw (America To Me, The Street Stops Here), produced by Rachel Dickson (‘63 Boycott, Hard Earned) and executive produced by Academy Award® nominee Steve James (Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, Hoop Dreams).

The film tells the story of a South Side Chicago neighborhood where National Teachers Academy (NTA)—a high-performing, largely Black elementary school is threatened by the forces of gentrification—a story that reflects larger struggles with the historical impacts of institutional racism and the ways demographic shifts affect education.

Shaw focuses on the stories of Elisabeth, a parent-turned activist; Isaac, the school’s steadfast principal; Taylor, an empowered student; and Audrey, a community member with long ties to the area. The film also posits the point-of-view of residents in favor of changing NTA into a high school that is sorely needed for its neighborhood.

Called by the Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips “a rousing tribute to grassroots activism,” Let The Little Light Shine made its national broadcast premiere on December 12, 2022 as part of POV’s landmark 35th anniversary season. The film premiered at the 2022 True/False Festival and was an official selection of the 2022 Full Frame Festival, 2022 SXSW Edu, the 2022 Blackstar Film Festival, among others, and had a limited U.S. theatrical run in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and other cities.

Let The Little Light Shine is a co-production of School Film LLC, American Documentary | POV, ITVS in association with Black Public Media. Kevin Shaw is the director/producer and Rachel Dickson is the producer. Steve James, Sally Jo Fifer, Leslie Fields Cruz, Erika Dilday and Chris White are the executive producers.

The winners of the 2022 Peabody Awards will be announced on May 9, with a celebration to follow on Sunday, June 11 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. The 83rd annual Peabody Awards also happen to be both the first ceremony happening in-person since 2019, and the first time ever that the award show will take place in Los Angeles.

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 available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

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 46 Emmy Awards, 27 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 PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirm that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.

About American Documentary, Inc.

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, Chris and Nancy Plaut, 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.