Academy Award Nominee Among Winners of 2009 Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media
The Council on Foundations and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media Announce Award Recipients
[April 9, 2009] Arlington, VA — The Council on Foundations and Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media have named the movies that will receive this year's Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media at the 42nd Annual Film & Video Festival. All awards will be presented at the Council’s 60th Annual Conference May 4 - 6, 2009, in Atlanta. Among the recipients is Trouble the Water, a film by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, which was recently nominated for an Academy Award. The other awardees are:
• Banished, a film by Marco Williams,
• Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy, a film by Alice Elliott and Simone Pero Audi,
• Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, a film by Lisa Merton and Alan Dater,
• Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North, a film by Katrina Browne, and
• Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?, a film by California Newsreel and Vital Pictures.
“I think this year’s winners are a great example of the commitment from foundations in supporting creative projects that address the important issues affecting society not only in our local communities but throughout the world,” said Steve Gunderson, president and CEO of the Council on Foundations.
The Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media was launched in 2002 to honor the very best in foundation-funded media. The award is named after Henry Hampton (1940-1998), a man who broke traditional molds of documentary filmmaking, and put excellence and innovation at the forefront of his work. He was one of the 20th century’s most influential documentary filmmakers. His work chronicled America’s great political and social movements and set new standards for broadcast quality.
The Council’s annual Film & Video Festival is celebrating its 42nd year. It was started in 1968 to showcase films, videos and television programs that have received support from foundations, corporate giving programs and donor networks, with the aim of encouraging
grantmakers to use media to advance their philanthropic goals. The festival promotes foundation support of creative, high-quality productions that expand the boundaries of the use of media for the social good.
See the 42nd Annual Film & Video Festival schedule at http://gfem.org/node/499.
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The Council on Foundations, formed in 1949, is a nonprofit membership association of grantmaking foundations and corporations. Members of the Council include more than 2,100 independent, operating, community, public, and company-sponsored foundations, and corporate giving programs in the United States and abroad. The assets of Council members total more than $307 billion. The Council’s mission is to provide the opportunity, leadership, and tools needed by philanthropic organizations to expand, enhance, and sustain their ability to advance the common good. For more information, visit the Council’s website.
Grantmakers in Film + Electronic Media (GFEM) is an association of grantmakers committed to advancing the field of media arts and public interest media funding. It serves as a resource for grantmakers who fund media programming, infrastructure and policy, as well as those who employ media to further their program goals. GFEM members reflect a wide range of interests and approaches, but share a common interest in the key role media play in building public will and shaping civil society. GFEM is an affinity group of the Council on Foundations.
