From left to right: Dan Krauss (’04), Bo Kovitz (’19), Traci A. Curry (’05), Emily Thomas (’18), Jeffrey Plunkett (’05), Lucas Guilkey (’19), JoeBill Muñoz (’19), Bill Whitaker (’78/’16) and Tommy Nguyen (’05).
Over the last 50 years, awards of every stripe have been bestowed upon our video and documentary alums, but this year’s News & Documentary Emmy Awards announcement from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has broken records.
Showrunner and Executive Producer Jeffrey Plunkett (’05) received a whopping 25 nominations for the final season of “Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller” (National Geographic). The nominations include Outstanding Hard News Report for “Million Dollar Highway Heists”, Outstanding Investigative Coverage in Long Form for “Brides for Sale”, Outstanding Business, Consumer or Economic Coverage for “The Great American Rehab Scam” and more than 20 others.
Bo Kovitz (’19) and Tommy Nguyen (’05) received five nominations for the five-part Netflix documentary series “Turning Point: The Vietnam War,” examining the harrowing consequences of the Vietnam War, from the Gulf of Tonkin incident to the fall of Saigon. The nominations include Best Documentary, Outstanding Historical Documentary, Outstanding Research: Documentary and technical recognition for Outstanding Sound: Documentary and Outstanding Lighting Direction: Documentary.
“The Strike,” produced by JoeBill Muñoz (’19) and Lucas Guilkey (’19), a feature documentary incubated in the school’s Investigative Reporting Program, received three nominations, including a nomination for Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary. The film recounts the historic non-violent uprising against long-term solitary confinement in 2013 by incarcerated men who, against all odds, launched the largest hunger strike in U.S. history and improved conditions for prisoners.
Nearly a dozen journalists from our community contributed to the film. Then-students who helped with research and development include Robin Estrin (’21), Ravleen Kaur (’20) and MJ Johnson (’23). Clare Major (’10), Mario Furloni (’11), JP Dobrin (’19) and Rafael Roy (’18) provided additional cinematography work. Katie Bernstein (’21) and Laura Garber (’23) worked as production assistants, and Christian Lee Collins (’20) helped with sound.
Clockwise from top left: Laura Garber (’23), Katie Bernstein (’21), Rafael Roy (’18), Christian Lee Collins (’20), JP Dobrin (’19), Mario Furloni (’11), MJ Johnson (’23), Robin Estrin (’21), Clare Major (’10) and Ravleen Kaur (’20).
Bill Whitaker (’78/’16) of “60 Minutes” received two nominations for Outstanding Extended Breaking News Coverage for “The Fires” and Outstanding Continuing Coverage: Long Form for “The First 100 Days Compilation”.
Academy Award-nominated director Traci A. Curry (’05) received four nominations — including a Best Documentary nomination — for “Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time” (National Geographic). Pete Nicks (’99) was an executive producer.
Dan Krauss (’04) is nominated for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary for “Bodyguard of Lies” an exposé of government deception and lack of accountability over the war in Afghanistan (See It Now Studios | Jigsaw Productions | Amblin Entertainment Documentaries) Emily Thomas (’18) was the documentary’s associate producer.
Filmmaker Emily Taguchi (’06) meeting one of only two Northern White Rhinos remaining, before filming their egg retrieval procedure in an effort to create embryos that could revive a functionally extinct species.
Director Emily Taguchi (’06) received two nominations: for Outstanding Nature Documentary and Outstanding Music Composition: Documentary for “The Last Rhinos: A New Hope“, about a global effort to save the northern white rhinoceros from extinction. With only two surviving females, a team of scientists races to create the world’s first surrogate rhino pregnancy. (Sixty-Six Media Inc. | ABC News Studios | Lincoln Square Productions | National Geographic).
Rafael Roy (’18) was a DP on Alaska’s Vanishing Native Villages (PBS “Frontline” and the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University), nominated for Outstanding Climate, Environment or Weather Coverage.
The 47th News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented during live ceremonies on May 27 and May 28 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City.
