Best Use of Footage in a History Feature

The History Feature category recognises uses of archival footage in history focused single feature-length productions – of 60-minute duration or longer – such as documentaries or docudramas that deal with historical events, people or issues.

2021 Winner

Crip Camp

Director:: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht
Producer(s):: Sara Bolder
Footage Archive Researcher:: Rachel Antell, Jen Petrucelli
Archival Sources:: Peoples Video Theater, KRON via Bancroft Library, AP, ABC, NBC
Production Company:: A Higher Ground and Rusted Spoke Production in association with Little Punk, JustFilms, Ford Foundation for Netflix
Country of Production:: United States

Synopsis

A groundbreaking summer camp galvanizes a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality.

Shortlisted

MLK/FBI

Director:: Sam Pollard
Producer(s):: Phil Pinto, Jessica Luya, Kenneth Alexander Campbell
Footage Archive Researcher:: Brian Becker
Archival Sources:: Getty, NBC, Streamline, CBC, Warner Bros
Production Company:: Field Of Vision, Play Action Pictures, Cinetic
Country of Production:: United States

Synopsis

MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures including former FBI Director James Comey and directed by Emmy® Award-winner and Oscar®-nominee Sam Pollard, MLK/FBI tells this astonishing and tragic story with searing relevance to our current moment.

Vie et Destin du Livre Noir, la destruction des juifs d'URSS (The Black Book)

Director:: Guillaume Ribot
Producer(s):: Estelle Fialon
Footage Archive Researcher:: Véronique Nowak
Archival Sources:: Gaumont Pathé Archives, RGKFD, Net films, Film images, Lobster
Production Company:: Les Films du Poisson
Country of Production:: France

Synopsis

The Black Book, drafted during World War II, gathers numerous unique historical testimonies, in an effort to document Nazi abuses against Jews in the USSR. Initially supported by the regime, the Black Book was eventually banned and most of its authors executed on Stalin’s order. Told through the voices of its most famous instigators, soviet intellectuals Vassilli Grossman, Ilya Ehrenburg and Solomon Mikhoels, the documentary provides a detailed account of the tragic destiny of this cursed book and puts the Holocaust and Stalinism in a new light.

Jimmy Carter Rock & Roll President

Director:: Mary Wharton
Producer(s):: Chris Farrell, Dave Kirkpatrick
Footage Archive Researcher:: Jim McDonnell
Archival Sources:: The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, ABC News VideoSource, NBC Universal Archive, WSB Newsfilm Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Reelin' In The Years
Production Company:: Not Just Peanuts LLC, Thunder Moccasin Pictures
Country of Production:: United States

Synopsis

If it hadn’t been for a bottle of scotch and a late-night visit from musician Gregg Allman, Jimmy Carter might never have been elected the 39th President of the United States. This dynamic documentary charts the mostly forgotten story of how Carter, a lover of all types of music, forged a tight bond with musicians Willie Nelson, the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan and others. Low on campaign funds and lacking in name recognition, Carter relied on support from these artists to give him a crucial boost in the Democratic primaries. Once Carter was elected, the musicians became frequent guests in the White House. The surprisingly significant role that music played throughout Carter’s life and in his work becomes a thread in this portrait of one of the most enigmatic Presidents in American history. Starring President Jimmy Carter, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Paul Simon, Jimmy Buffett, Roseanne Cash, Nile Rodgers, Madeleine Albright, Andrew Young, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Bono.