HBO’s ‘Dangerous Son,’ PBS’s ‘Lorraine Hansberry’ Documentary Among Peabody Winners

The Peabody Awards have named eight winners in the documentary category, including HBO's Dangerous Son and profiles of activists Dolores Huerta and Lorraine Hansberry, according the Peabody Awards Board of Jurors. 

HBO's Dangerous Son

HBO's Dangerous Son

A total of eight documentaries have earned Peabody Awards, which will be celebrated May 18 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Among the winners are HBO's Dangerous Son, which takes a view into the myriad challenges parents face when raising children with mental health issues, said the organization.

The board also named Kartemquin Films winner of its Institutional Award for its commitment to documentary filmmaking and telling an American history rooted in social justice and the stories of the marginalized, according to the organization. 

Other winners include: 

Independent Lens: Dolores: A Carlos Santana Production, in association with 5 Stick Films, and THE DOLORES HUERTA FILM PROJECT, LLC (PBS). An exhilarating portrait of activist and community organizer Dolores Huerta that serves as a timely reminder of the power of collective action in service of social justice.

Independent Lens: The Judge: A co-production of Three Judges LLC, Idle Wild Films Inc., and Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (PBS). Filmmaker Erika Cohn chronicles the day-to-day challenges of the Middle East’s first female Sharia law judge, Kholoud Faqih, offering a rare glimpse into an oft-misunderstood culture and faith through the eyes of a strong Muslim woman, and demystifying fallacies around both subjects.

Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart: Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project, LLC in co-production with Independent Television Service and Black Public Media in association with The Film Posse, Chiz Schultz Inc. and American Masters Pictures (PBS/WNET/TV). A tribute to Lorraine Hansberry’s life and career as an essayist, journalist and playwright, and fearless advocate for social justice, the film mines her rich archive of writing, diaries, letters, and personal effects, resulting in an intimate and powerful portrait of an innovative artist and radical activist.

Minding the Gap: Hulu presents in association with Kartemquin, American Documentary | POV and ITVS (Hulu/PBS). Through a patient, observational lens and devastating interviews, filmmaker Bing Liu lays bare the pain and eventual hope he and his skateboarding friends endure despite the challenges they face in this heartfelt presentation of the transition from boyhood to manhood.

POV: The Apology: National Film Board of Canada, American Documentary | POV (PBS). Writer/director Tiffany Hsiung follows the personal journeys of three surviving “comfort women,” forced into institutionalized sexual slavery during World War II, as they seize this last chance to set future generations on a course for reconciliation, healing, and justice.

The Facebook Dilemma: FRONTLINE (PBS). This in-depth investigation into the Silicon Valley giant reveals a corporation that willfully ignored warnings and shirked responsibility as it reveled in global success, exploiting user data and sowing social and political unrest in the process.

The Jazz Ambassadors: Thirteen Productions LLC, Antelope South Ltd., Normal Life Pictures, in association with the BBC and ZDF in collaboration with Arte (PBS). A momentous cultural achievement that looks at the important contribution of jazz music and musicians to Cold War diplomacy, American race relations, emerging black identities, and newly independent third world nations around the world. The film is also an inspiring tribute to jazz masters Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Dave Brubeck.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.