America Reframed's CLASS OF '27 Wins Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award

The acclaimed documentary "Class of '27" has won an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism, it was announced today by Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Filmed in the hollows of Appalachia, on native lands of the Upper Midwest and in West Coast migrant camps, "Class of '27" presents distinct yet complementary personal stories from places too often ignored in America. The documentary, comprising three short films by teams led by James Rutenbeck ("Class of '27"), Dustinn Craig ("Little Dream Catchers") and Nina Alvarez ("Fields of Promise") had its national broadcast premiere on the AMERICA REFRAMED documentary series on WORLD Channel in 2016. This is AMERICA REFRAMED's first duPont-Columbia Award.

AMERICA REFRAMED, produced by American Documentary, Inc. and WGBH, brings to national audiences compelling stories that illuminate the changing contours of an ever-evolving America. "Class of '27" was presented as part of American Graduate: Let's Make It Happen, an initiative from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to help local communities across America keep more students on the path to graduation.

The duPont-Columbia Awards honor excellence in television and radio journalism produced for audiences in the United States by local stations, independent producers, networks and cable systems. Selected by the duPont Jury, the award-winning program aired in 2016. The honorees will be presented with duPont Batons at a ceremony on Jan. 16, 2018 at Columbia University in New York City.

"Class of '27" demonstrates that children from distressed communities, despite their circumstances, are more likely to grow into productive and civically engaged adults if they receive support in their earliest years. Committed to supporting the children's potential, each community profiled in "Class of '27" is a place of hope, inspiration and resilience. Each short film opens with a reflection by award-winning writers Silas House, Gyasi Ross and Sandra Cisneros, who frame each story with authenticity and insight.

The national broadcast of "Class of '27" was accompanied by an engagement campaign led by ITVS featuring community screening events, national conferences, NGO partnerships and online events designed to promote greater awareness and dialogue in support of quality early childhood education across the country. The broadcast was followed by free streaming for audiences across the U.S. at www.worldchannel.org/americareframed and www.pbs.org/video/ with additional exclusive digital content available in the PBS OTT APP.

An award-winning documentary series, AMERICA REFRAMED is the recipient of a Christopher, a GRACIE, and several Telly and Cine Golden Eagle Awards, as well as nominations for an EMMY, Independent Documentary Association, and Imagen Award. AMERICA REFRAMED airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on WORLD Channel featuring premieres and encores of acclaimed documentaries by emerging and veteran filmmakers alike. (Check local listings.)

"Class of '27" is a co-production of Lost Nation Pictures, LTD (founded by James Rutenbeck) and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Credits:

CLASS of '27 Director: James Rutenbeck, Executive Producer Lost Nation Pictures;

LITTLE DREAM CATCHERS Director/Producer: Dustinn Craig;

FIELDS OF PROMISE Director: Nina Alvarez, Producer/Director Zócalo Media;

Carmen L. Vicencio, Series Producer/Director American Documentary;

Chris White, Executive Producer American Documentary;

Justine Nagan, Executive Producer American Documentary;

Christopher Hastings, Executive Producer WORLD Channel/WGBH;

Natasha Del Toro, Host;

Sally Jo Fifer, President/CEO ITVS;

Tamara Gould, Head, International Co-productions and Strategic Partnerships ITVS;

Richard O'Connell, Senior Producer of National Productions ITVS.

Filmmaker Updates:

James Rutenbeck is directing and producing "Minds on Fire," about a group of African American adults who participated in a rigorous yearlong tuition-free night course in the humanities. Additionally he is editing "Portraits & Dreams Revisited," a nonfiction film about photographer Wendy Ewald's work with schoolchildren in Letcher County, Ky., in the late 1970's and early '80's, and the influential book that came out of their collaboration. "Portraits & Dreams Revisited" is in collaboration with AMDOC (American Documentary, Inc.)

Dustinn Craig is currently making "Apache Scouts, an Untold Story." This film explores the complex histories of the White Mountain Apaches enlisted as scouts, their relation to Geronimo, and their goal to secure the White Mountain Apache homeland.

Nina Alvarez is currently making "Refugees Need Not Apply," a documentary film about Salvadoran war refugees in the 1980s who sued the U.S. government for their right to due process and recognition of political refugee status, which inspired the emergence of a national Sanctuary Movement.