New Day Films Invades the Emmys
This September, six films and seven filmmakers from New Day Films garnered a total of seven Emmy nominations, an extraordinary total:
Kiran Deol’s gripping and powerful Woman Rebel, one soldier’s revolution from the jungles of Nepal to the halls of Parliament, was nominated for Outstanding Research. Educational Media Reviews Online (EMRO) writes: “The provocative nature of the film is its subject matter. It personalizes the violence of this bloody conflict through the experiences of one woman.” An HBO Documentary.
Stephanie Wang-Breal’s tender and absorbing Wo Ai Ni Mommy (I Love You, Mommy), the story of how Fang Sui Yong became Faith Sadowski, was nominated for Outstanding Informational Programming. Library Journal writes: “This film is a no-holds-barred approach to foreign adoption,m a mixture of anxiety and hope.” A POV broadcast on PBS.
Rebecca Richman Cohen’s compelling and complex War Don Don, a nation facing its wartime past through the trial of a rebel leader in Sierra Leone, copped two Emmy nominations, for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story and for Outstanding Editing. Video Librarian comments: “War Don Don is a triumph of agenda-free nonfiction filmmaking &It’s among the year’s finest documentaries.” An HBO Documentary.
Leo Chiang’s stunning and poignant A Village Called Versailles, one community’s political awakening in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, was nominated for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story-Long Form. Video Librarian writes: “[Village] offers an important sociological examination of how Vietnamese immigrants have assimilated into the U.S. mainstream “Highly recommended.” An Independent Lens broadcast on PBS.
Sally Rubin’s and Jen Gilomen’s moving and insightful Deep Down, a story from the heart of coal country centering around mountaintop removal, was nominated for New Approaches to News and Documentary. Huffington Post comments: “Deep Down is a revelatory film, breathtakingly poignant and poetic, and goes beyond the politics of protest to look at the inexorably connected lives of Appalachian residents.” An Independent Lens broadcast on PBS.
The Primetime Emmy nominations included the latest film co-produced by this correspondent. Rick Goldsmith’s and Judith Ehrlich’s political thriller The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, was nominated for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking. New York Magazine opines: “Riveting! [The Most Dangerous Man is] a straight-ahead, enthralling story of moral courage.” The movie offers one revelatory interview after another. Critics’ pick!” A POV broadcast on PBS.
Congratulations to all of the New Day Films 2011 Emmy nominees, and may each of the films have a long and continuous life, especially in the educational arena, stimulating young minds to discussion, debate, and new ways of thinking about the world. -Rick Goldsmith
