The Library of Congress, the Better Angels Society, Ken Burns and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation have unveiled six finalists for the sixth annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film. The $200,000 cash award, established in 2019, recognizes late-stage documentaries that use original research and a compelling narrative to tell stories that bring American history to life through archival materials.
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The six projects that were selected are: James Sorrels’s “Area 2,” John Benitz’s “Behind the Lines,” Julia Greenberg and Dianna Dilworth’s “Dory Previn: On My Way to Where,” Norah Shapiro’s “Magic & Monsters,” Asaf Galay’s “Out of the Inkwell: The Greatest Story Never Told,” and Marlene McCurtis’ “Wednesdays in Mississippi.”
This year close to 100 American history documentary features were submitted for consideration.
“It’s hard what we are doing,” Burns says of documentary filmmaking. “It’s really hard. In documentary, there are so many more really good filmmakers, really talented people than there is money to do it. We wanted there to be a net; a soft landing that allows them to jump off the building and land on a mat. That’s what this prize is.”
The winning filmmaker will receive $200,000 in finishing funds to help with the final production and distribution of the film. In addition, one runner-up will receive an award of $50,000, and four finalists each receive a $25,000 award. The funds are for recognition and resources. Core underwriting for each prize is provided by Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine through the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation.
A jury will review the six finalists and determine the top two. Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, will then consult with Burns to select the winning film.
This year’s jury is chaired by Hayden and composed of historians Dr. David G. Gutiérrez, professor Annette Gordon-Reed and Dr. Claudio Saunt; documentary filmmakers Julianna Brannum (“Homecoming”), Sam Pollard (“MLK/FBI”) and Betsy West (“RBG”); and Jacqueline Glover, executive director of Harvard University’s Black Film Project, who will review the six finalists and determine the top two. Dr. Hayden will then consult with Burns to select the winning film.
Since the grant was established in 2019, nearly $2 million has been distributed to filmmakers, including Elizabeth Coffman and Mark Bosco, S.J. (“Flannery”) Stefan Forbes (“Hold Your Fire”) and Sam Katz and James McGovern (“The Bankruptcy of Detroit”).
The sixth annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film will be awarded on Sept. 17 at a ceremony with members of Congress, Hayden, and Burns, along with special guests to be announced later this summer.
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The 2024 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film finalists are:
“Area 2”
Drected by James Sorrels
City leaders tacitly permitted Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and his “Midnight Crew” of detectives to torture dozens of Black detainees in his notorious “Area 2” police station between 1972 and 1991. Area 2 chronicles the epic fight for justice through the journeys of three Midnight Crew torture survivors.
“Behind the Lines”
Directed by John Benitz
Based on New York Times bestselling books, “Behind the Lines” is a documentary about a passionate historian who travels around the world to find and preserve letters written during times of war. The film becomes an examination of war itself as told by those who witnessed it firsthand.
“Dory Previn: On My Way to Where”
Directed by Julia Greenberg and Dianna Dilworth
Dory Previn was a successful lyricist for Hollywood films in the 50s and 60s who in the 70s transformed into an influential cult singer-songwriter, and famously went public about her schizophrenic diagnosis, ultimately accepting her voices and anticipating a modern-day neurodiversity movement.
“Magic & Monsters”
Directed by Norah Shapiro
Founded in 1965, the Minnesota Children’s Theatre Co. gained worldwide acclaim. However, in the 1980s, its founder was convicted of child sexual abuse, revealing a dark history within the theater. Now, a group of former child actors seeks justice and healing, offering a blueprint for reckoning with institutional trauma post-#MeToo.
“Out of the Inkwell: The Greatest Story Never Told”
Directed by Asaf Galay
The Fleischer brothers were a family of New York Jewish immigrants whose inventions helped create America’s animation industry. Their cartoons were hilarious and strange, reflecting the world they lived in. It’s a rags to riches to rags again story, of a family whose influence on animators working today was profound.
“Wednesdays in Mississippi”
Directed by Marlene McCurtis
Throughout Freedom Summer of 1964, teams of activist Black and white women from northern cities risked all to fly into deadly Mississippi, conducting undercover civil rights work to leave a lasting legacy for local empowerment and national progress. This was Wednesdays in Mississippi, a landmark all-women achievement too long overlooked.
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