American Documentary

Overview

Brooklyn, N.Y. — May 9, 2024 — The George Foster Peabody Awards announced today that While We Watched has won the Peabody Award in the Documentary category. The film, directed by Vinay Shukla (An Insignificant Man), had its national broadcast premiere in the 36th season of POV, America’s longest-running non-fiction series.

While We Watched captures the energy and urgency of a newsroom in crisis and offers an intimate portrait of Ravish Kumar, the veteran journalist at the center of the film who despite the turning tides of independent journalism, bombastic attacks by powerful media outlets, rampant disinformation and a waning public trust in news remains steadfast in his conviction for speaking truth to power. A widely respected staple journalist with New Delhi Television (NDTV) Kumar witnesses the station and staff crumbling under the constant barrage of violence, broadcast disruptions and politically-motivated clampdowns. In a time of polarizing views shaped by influential news personalities and obvious slants, the film underscores the stakes of independent journalism and the fragile state of democracy. As Ravish moves through the adversity he acknowledges another imperative in his pursuit: “Not all battles are fought for victory. Some are fought simply to tell the world that someone was there on the battlefield.” The film was among 41 nominees in the Documentary, News, Public Service, and Radio/Podcast categories selected to represent compelling stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2023. This is the eleventh year in a row a POV film has been nominated for a Peabody and its 28th award win.

Director Vinay Shukla shared “I don’t agree with what’s happening around me. My film is about the absolute decimation of TV news in India. Journalists were meant to be the first draft writers of history. They have now been reduced to last draft writers of press releases. This film is my attempt to express my great disagreement - via moving images, dialogue and music. I’m grateful to my protagonist Ravish Kumar, his family and his colleagues. I dedicate this award to Jess Search who I miss terribly and to my uncle Sarvesh Shukla - who smiles at me every time I see him.”

Erika Dilday, Executive Director of American Documentary and Executive Producer for POV and America ReFramed states “Congratulations to director Vinay Shukla and the entire While We Watched film team on this award. Together, they crafted an incredible story of the perseverance to preserve independent journalism, one that speaks directly to the issues we confront today. In our polarized times I’m proud that we could bring this particular film to PBS audiences.”

Chris White, Executive Producer of POV says “All of us at American Documentary extend our deepest congratulations to Vinay Shukla and his team on this Peabody Award. It was an honor to be able to include While We Watched as part of the POV series and share this timely story of Ravish Kumar with PBS audiences around the country. This film highlights the ongoing struggles for those speaking truth to power, whose convictions often come at great personal cost–we hope this film sheds light upon an industry whose work upholds the central tenets of democracy.”

While We Watched is a Lono Studio, Britdoc Films, and American Documentary | POV co-production. Vinay Shukla is the director. The producers are Luke W. Moody, Khushboo Ranka, and Vinay Shukla. Executive Producers are Maxyne Franklin, Beadie Finzi, Vijay Vaidyanathan, Anurima Bhargava and Jess Search, who we lost in 2023. Erika Dilday and Chris White were Executive Producers for American Documentary | POV

The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be celebrated on Sunday, June 9 at a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. This marks Peabody’s first in-person ceremony since 2019, as well as the first time ever in its history that the Awards will take place in Los Angeles.

About

About American Documentary, Inc.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization 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.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization 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, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, Acton Family Giving, 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.

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 (1989), Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1992), Rabbit in the Room (1999), Of Civil Wrongs & Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story (2001), Made in L.A. (2007), American Promise (2013), Not Going Quietly (2021), While We Watched (2022), A House Made of Splinters (2022) and the mini-series And She Could be Next (2020). Throughout its history POV has featured the work of award-winning, innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras, Nanfu Wang, Frederick Wiseman, Emiko Omori, Janus Metz Pedersen and Ava DuVernay. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. In 2024, Indiewire named seven POV films in its roundup of “The 50 Best Documentaries of the 21st Century”: Faya Dayi (2021), The Mole Agent (2020), Minding The Gap (2018), Cameraperson (2016), The Look of Silence (2015), The Act of Killing (2013) and After Tiller (2013). 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 47 Emmy Awards, 28 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.