Official posters of 'While We Watched' and 'All That Breathes'
Credit: Wikicommons
Indian documentary films have often eclipsed star-studded films released by 'popular' Hindi and regional film centres when it comes to getting international awards and recognition at global film festivals. Continuing the tradition, on Thursday, Vinay Shukla-directed While We Watched and, All That Breathes, a film by Shaunak Sen, won George Foster Peabody Awards in the 'Documentary' category.
Titled Namaskar Main Ravish Kumar in Hindi, the docudrama While We Watched documents senior journalist Ravish Kumar's resolution to stay true to his profession while the contemporary mainstream media faced allegations of 'being biased'. (Kumar, at the time was the senior executive editor at NDTV.)
After the announcement of the award, Shukla, in an Instagram post, dedicated the award to Jess Search who was one of the executive producers of the film. Search passed away in 2023.
"I dedicate this award to Jess Search, whom I miss terribly, and to my uncle Sarvesh Shukla, who smiles at me every time I see him," Shukla wrote.
Journalist Ravish Kumar also took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Shukla. "Congratulations, Vinay Shukla. I learnt from you how different is the patience of a filmmaker and adopted it in my life," Kumar wrote.
Remembering Search, Kumar wrote, "I got a chance to meet a wonderful personality full of love and courage in London. Her name was Jess Search. Jess Search is no longer in this world but in a few hours of meeting with her, I got a lifetime of memories."
While We Watched has won several accolades since its release including Amplify Voices award at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and Cinephile award at the 27th Busan International Film Festival.
The documentary is streaming on MUBI.
On the other hand, All That Breathes, which was also nominated for 2023 Oscars, is a docudrama focusing on rising pollution in Delhi. It follows the story of Muslim siblings who dedicate their lives to save black kites, birds of prey which also hold special significance in Islam. The film has won more than 17 international awards, including Golden Eye at Cannes.
The movie is available on Jio Cinema.
The George Foster Peabody Awards is named after the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody. It aims to honour the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in TV, radio and digital media. The awards are often recognised as the radio industry's equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.
This year's award ceremony will be held on June 9 in Los Angeles.