by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
Korean American filmmaker Grace Lee’s documentary, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, has been named as one of the winners of the 74th annual Peabody Awards.
Lee’s documentary tracks the life achievements of 99-year-old Chinese American philosopher, author and activist Grace Lee Boggs, who has dedicated 76 years to U.S. social activism, including labor and civil rights, feminism and the Black Power Movement.
Described by The Hollywood Reporter as “a deeply moving examination of the power of a single individual to affect change,” Lee’s film premiered at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival and aired on PBS as part of its POV series on June 30, 2014. The documentary received critical acclaim and won numerous awards at film festivals, including Best Feature at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival and Best Documentary Feature at the Woodstock Film Festival.
Lee first met Boggs when she was producing The Grace Lee Project, a 2005 documentary feature centered on Asian American women bearing the name “Grace Lee.” According to the Korea Times, their meeting was initially a two-hour interview, but stretched through five days and later became the foundation for American Revolutionary.
The Peabody Awards annually recognizes distinguished and meritorious work by American radio and television stations, networks, online media, producing organizations and individuals. Winners are chosen by an 18-member panel, which is comprised of renowned television critics, industry practitioners and experts in culture and the arts.
Aside from American Revolutionary, this year’s Peabody Award recipients include Cartoon Network’s animated series Adventure Time, HBO’s satirical news show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and National Geographic and FOX’s science documentary series COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey.
Serial, a 12-episode podcast that explores the 1999 murder of a Korean American high school senior, also became the first-ever podcast to win a Peabody award this year.
You can view the full list of 2015 Peabody Awards winners here. You can also learn more about American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs on its official website and Facebook page.
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Featured image via Daily Bruin
