Vote for Firelight-Supported Films for the 25th Annual Webby Awards!
Firelight Media is thrilled to announce that two Firelight-supported films are nominated for Webby Awards this year — and two additional films have been selected as Webby Honorees!
Anik Khan: Street Level, part of our IN THE MAKING series with PBS American Masters and Topic, has been nominated for the Webby Award in the Video: Music category. Additionally, two episodes from the series, Amyra León: Strange Grace and Bunky Echo-Hawk: The Resistance were recognized with Webby Honors in the Video: Diversity & Inclusion category.
Waiting for Tearah, produced through our FRONTLINE/Firelight Investigative Journalism Fellowship, has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Documentary: Longform category.
>> VOTE FOR ANIK KHAN: STREET LEVEL HERE <<
>> VOTE FOR WAITING FOR TEARAH HERE <<
Congratulations to all of the filmmakers!
Public voting for the 25th Annual Webby Awards is open now through Thursday, May 6. Read on to learn more about the nominated documentaries, and find links to cast your vote!
ANIK KHAN: STREET LEVEL — Webby Nominee, Video: Music
Anik Khan: Street Level, directed by Documentary Lab alum Sofian Khan and Joseph Patel is nominated in the Video: Music category. The short documentary, part of the IN THE MAKING series from Firelight Media, PBS American Masters, and Topic, follows Anik Khan, the Bangladesh-born, Queens, New York-raised hip-hop artist whose music sketches the immigrant experience with rare poetic flair, incisive depth, and a whole masala of influences at his fingertips.
WAITING FOR TEARAH — Webby Nominee, Documentary: Longform
Waiting for Tearah, directed by FRONTLINE/Firelight Investigative Journalism Fellow Juliana Schatz Preston is nominated in the Documentary: Longform category. The documentary follows Tearah, who at 16 suffers from mental illness and remains stuck in a hospital month after month as her mother struggles to navigate America’s mental health care system. As Shayna, a single parent of three girls, fights to get Tearah residential treatment, she faces the possibility of losing her home and even custody of her daughter.
AMRYA LEÓN: STRANGE GRACE & BUNKY ECHO-HAWK: THE RESISTANCE — Webby Honors, Video: Diversity & Inclusion
Two episodes from IN THE MAKING have been recognized with Webby Honors: Amyra León: Strange Grace, directed by Documentary Lab alum Malika Zouhali-Worrall; and Bunky Echo-Hawk: The Resistance, directed by Impact Producer Lab alum Ben-Alex Dupris.
Amyra León: Strange Grace follows Amyra León, musician, poet, author, and activist who channels deeply personal experiences of pain and healing into raw, majestic, and often cathartic performances that celebrate love, Blackness, and womanhood.
Bunky Echo-Hawk: The Resistance explores how the reality and resistance of Native Americans inspires the work of Pawnee artist Bunky Echo-Hawk, igniting discussions about environmentalism and Native American rights, among other topics.
About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, includingWebsites and Mobile Sites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps and Software, Social, Podcasts, Games, and Virtual & Remotes. Established in 1996, this year’s Webby Awards received nearly 13,500 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: WP Engine, Marketerhire, Slack, YouGov, BASIC, KPMG, Wall Street Journal, AIGA, Podcast Movement, Fast Company, and Social Media Week.
About Firelight Media
Firelight Media is a premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color. Firelight produces documentary films, supports emerging filmmakers of color, and cultivates audiences for their work. Firelight Media’s programs include the Documentary Lab, an 18-month fellowship that supports emerging filmmakers of color; and Groundwork Regional Lab, which supports early stage filmmakers in the American south, midwest, and U.S. Territories. In addition to a focus on excellence in filmmaking, Firelight develops strategies, partnerships and materials to reach and engage diverse audiences and maximize the impact of documentary films.
