PBS' POV Wins Two News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Including Best Documentary

PBS's POV (Point of View), American television's longest-running independent documentary series, took home two trophies at the 37th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards last night. Cutie and the Boxer won Best Documentary, and StoryCorps Shorts: Traffic Stop won New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle and Culture. This was the second consecutive year that a POV film won Best Documentary: Last year, the award went to After Tiller. The awards were presented by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) at a ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City. PBS won 14 awards in total, more than any other network.

"On the eve of our 30th season, it's wonderful to be recognized for both excellence in long-form documentary with Cutie and The Boxer and for short-form/new approaches with Traffic Stop," said POV Executive Producer Justine Nagan. "While these films on their face are very different, they illustrate our commitment to bringing audiences across America compelling stories about the contemporary human experience."

"It's a privilege to champion such talented filmmakers who realize the greatest potential of documentary to inspire," said POV Executive Producer Chris White. "Congratulations to the filmmakers and to our partners at PBS and StoryCorps."

This brings POV's total News & Documentary Emmy® Awards to 36. The winning films, which were broadcast on PBS in 2015, are now streaming at www.pbs.org/pov/video.

And the winners are:

Best Documentary: 'Cutie and the Boxer'
The Academy Award®-nominated Cutie and the Boxer is a moving account of the chaotic and unconventional 40-year love affair and creative partnership between action painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko, also an artist. Ushio, who punches canvases with paint-laden gloves, is famous in Japan and in Manhattan's art circles, yet wider recognition has eluded him. Noriko, 21 years his junior, put her artistic ambitions on hold to be a wife and mother-and an assistant to her demanding husband. Now, Noriko's acclaimed "Cutie" series of drawings is turning their world upside down. Filmmaker Zachary Heinzerling won the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Credits: Executive Producers: Kiki Miyake, Simon Kilmurry, Chris White; Producers: Patrick Burns, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Sierra Pettengill; Director: Zachary Heinzerling.

New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle and Culture: 'StoryCorps Shorts: Traffic Stop'
Alex Landau, who is African American, recalls how he nearly lost his life following a traffic stop with the Denver police. He and his mother, Patsy, who is white, remember that night and how it changed them both forever.

Credits: Executive Producers: Donna Galeno, Dave Isay, Lizzie Jacobs, Simon Kilmurry, Adnaan Wasey, Chris White; Producer: Rachel Hartman; Audio Producer: Jud Esty-Kendall; Directors: Gina Kamentsky, Julie Zammarchi.

POV series credits: Executive Producers: Justine Nagan, Chris White; Vice President, Content Strategy: Eliza Licht; Associate Producer: Nicole Tsien; Coordinating Producer: Nikki Heyman

The full list of winners of the 37th Annual News and Documentary Emmy® Awards is available at www.emmyonline.tv.

About POV Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television's premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world's boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate THE ART OF storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives.

POV films have won 36 Emmy® Awards, 19 George Foster Peabody Awards, 12 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards®, the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award and the Prix Italia. The POV series has been honored with a Special News & Documentary Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, three IDA Awards for Best Curated Series and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Award for Corporate Commitment to Diversity. In 2013, American Documentary | POV was one of 13 nonprofit organizations around the world to win a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Learn more at www.pbs.org/pov.

Photo © StoryCorps, RADiUS-TWC

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