National Geographic Titles Among Winners At Last Night’s Documentary Emmys

Several winners from National Geographic and Disney+ represent the Walt Disney Company as the documentary awards from the 45th News and Documentary Emmys were handed out last night.

What’s Happening:

  • Last night, winners in the Documentary categories of the 45th annual News and Documentary Emmys were announced in a presentation at the Palladium Times Square in New York hosted by Emmy and Peabody award winner W. Kamau Bell.
  • Along with the various winners in the other categories last night, documentarian Alex Gibney was also honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions in the field of documentary filmmaking.
  • The second annual inductees to the Gold and Silver Circles for documentary were also inducted last night. The Gold and Silver Circle is a society honoring members of the TV and broadcasting community who have made an enduring contribution to the industry. These honorees are an elite group of professionals who have made significant contributions to television for 50 and 25 years, respectively. This year’s inductees include:
    • GOLD CIRCLE – 2024 DOCUMENTARY INDUCTEE:
      • Tom Spain, Director and Cinematographer, Tom Spain, Inc.
    • SILVER CIRCLE – 2024 DOCUMENTARY INDUCTEES:
      • Raney Aronson-Rath, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer of PBS’ FRONTLINE
      • Ric Esther Bienstock, Documentary Filmmaker/Executive Producer, Good Soup Productions, Inc.
      • Abby Ginzberg, Documentary Producer/Director, Ginzberg Productions
      • Mette Hoffmann Meyer, CEO/Executive Producer, The Why Foundation
  • You’ll find a complete list of winners from last night below, with those representing the Walt Disney Company listed first.

Winners from the Walt Disney Company:

OUTSTANDING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DOCUMENTARY

Science Fair: The Series

  • National Geographic
  • [Muck Media]
  • Executive Producers
    • Bengt Anderson, Meri Haitkin, Chris Kugelman Jessie Findlay, Jeff Plunkett
  • Co-Executive Producer
    • Tom Maroney
  • Producers
    • Dana Ballout, Katy Dierks, Karen Gaytán, Krista Manis, Anthony Mutambira,Kristofer Rios
  • Line Producers
    • Atalie Kessler, Jennifer Wood
  • Additional Line Producer
    • Mary Black
  • Story Producers
    • Runjan Dhar, Siobahn Lockhart, Emma Salo
  • Additional Story Producer
    • Talia Acosta
  • Associate Producers
    • Naella Djemil, Marvelous Miles
  • Directors
    • Cristina Costantini, Darren M Foster
  • Editors
    • Rich Campbell, Jon Eubanks, Christian Glawe, Jared Martin, Joe Matoske, Lousine Shamamian, Keith Shapiro
  • Directors of Photography
    • Luisa Conlon, Michael Lockridge, Jeremy Rodgers
  • Supervising Director of Photography
    • Peter Alton

OUTSTANDING NATURE DOCUMENTARY

Path of the Panther

  • National Geographic
  • [Grizzly Creek Films | Wildpath | National Geographic | Common Pictures | Appian Way]
  • Executive Producers
    • Howard G. Buffett, Jennifer Davisson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ted Haddock, Sigrid Tiedtke, Janet Han Vissering, Phillip Watson
  • Producers
    • Eric Bendick, Tori Linder, Carlton Ward Jr., Thomas Winston
  • Field Producers
    • Malia Byrtus, Alex Freeze
  • Associate Producer
    • Ashley Siana
  • Director
    • Eric Bendick
  • Editors
    • Eric Bendick, Andrew Harrison Brown, Jeff Reed
  • Cinematographers
    • Eric Bendick, Katie Bryden, Dawson Dunning, Jeff Reed, Danny Schmidt, Rick Smith, Carlton Ward Jr., Thomas Winston
  • Writer
    • Eric Bendick

OUTSTANDING WRITING: DOCUMENTARY

Nazis at Nuremberg: The Lost Testimony

National Geographic [Steve Rotfeld Productions]

  • Writer
    • Liz Reph

OUTSTANDING SOUND: DOCUMENTARY

Incredible Animal Journeys

National Geographic [Plimsoll Productions]

  • Sound Mixers
    • Andy Devine, Chris Domaille
  • Sound Editors
    • Ian Bown, James Burchill
  • Foley
    • Jonathon Cawte
  • Score Mixer
    • Michael Bouska

OUTSTANDING ART DIRECTION / SET DECORATION / SCENIC DESIGN: DOCUMENTARY 

Stan Lee 

Disney + [Marvel Studios]

  • Production Designer
    • T. Hunter McCann
  • Art Director
    • Danielle Lopez

OUTSTANDING PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT: DOCUMENTARY 

JFK: One Day in America 

National Geographic [72 Films | JAX]

  • EVP, Creative
    • Chris Spencer
  • VP, Creative
    • Tyler Korba
  • Creative Directors
    • Nick Counter, Scott Goldman
  • Producer
    • TJ Barton
  • Editor
    • Stephanie Krall
  • Design Director
    • Carla Daeninckx
  • Project Manager
    • Leah Wojda
  • Senior Writer/Producer
    • David Numbers

Winners from outside of the Walt Disney Company:

OUTSTANDING CURRENT AFFAIRS DOCUMENTARY

Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food

Netflix

[Campfire Studios | Atlas Films]

  • Executive Producers
    • Jeff Benedict, Rebecca Evans, Ross Girard
  • Co-Executive Producer
    • Cecilia Salguero
  • Producers
    • Ross M. Dinerstein, Kristin Lazure
  • Co-Producers
    • Alexa Ginsburg, David Tomlin
  • Archival Producers
    • Derek Banner, Veronica Brady
  • Director
    • Stephanie Soechtig
  • Editor
    • Weston Cadwell
  • Cinematographer
    • Rod Hassler
  • Camerapersons
    • Michael Broy, Nathan Cornett, Jeff Dolen, Matt Garrett, Fernando Lafuente, Jonny Meyer, Jordan Myers, Billy Nicholson, John Pruner

OUTSTANDING POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTARY

Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court

FRONTLINE

PBS

  • Editor-in-Chief & Executive Producer, FRONTLINE
    • Raney Aronson-Rath
  • Managing Editor
    • Andrew Metz
  • Director / Producer / Writer
    • Michael Kirk
  • Producer / Reporter
    • Vanessa Fica
  • Producer / Writer
    • Mike Wiser
  • Reporter
    • Jane Mayer

OUTSTANDING SOCIAL ISSUE DOCUMENTARY

Eat Your Catfish

POV

PBS

  • [Zela Film | American Documentary, POV]
  • Executive Producers
    • Erika Dilday, Chris White
  • Senior Producer
    • Opal H. Bennett
  • Producers
    • Noah Amir Arjomand, Adam Isenberg, Senem Tüzen
  • Coordinating Producer
    • Robert Y. Chang
  • Associate Producer
    • Kerry LeVielle
  • Directors
    • Noah Amir Arjomand, Adam Isenberg, Senem Tüzen
  • Editors
    • Paloma Hernández, Adam Isenberg, Senem Tüzen
  • Cinematographer
    • Noah Amir Arjomand
  • Writers
    • Adam Isenberg, Senem Tüzen

OUTSTANDING INVESTIGATIVE DOCUMENTARY

Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus

FRONTLINE

PBS

  • [FRONTLINE | Forbidden Film | the Forbidden Stories Consortium]
  • Editor-in-Chief & Executive Producer, FRONTLINE
    • Raney Aronson-Rath
  • Managing Editor
    • Andrew Metz
  • Senior Producers, FRONTLINE
    • Dan Edge, Eamonn Matthews
  • Producers, Forbidden Films
    • Laurent Richard, Sandrine Rigaud
  • Additional Reporting, Forbidden Films
    • Paloma Dupont de Dinechin, Phineas Rueckert, Cécile Schilis-Gallego, Audrey Travere
  • Director
    • Anne Poiret
  • Director / Photography
    • Arthur Bouvart
  • Editors
    • Philippe Couton, Mathieu Goasguen
  • Photography
    • Thibault Delavigne

OUTSTANDING HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY

Free Chol Soo Lee

Independent Lens

PBS

  • Executive Producers
  • Sally Jo Fifer, Stephen Gong, Bryn Mooser, Lois Vossen
  • Supervising Producer
  • Michael Kinomoto
  • Producers
  • Sona Jo, Su Kim, Jean Tsien
  • Directors
  • Julie Ha, Eugene Yi

OUTSTANDING ARTS AND CULTURE DOCUMENTARY

Little Richard: I Am Everything

CNN Films | Max

[Bungalow Media + Entertainment]

  • Executive Producers
    • Amy Entelis, Jason Fine, John Marciano, Mike Powers, Dee Rees, Anita May Rosenstein, Courtney Sexton, Gus Wenner
  • Executive in Charge
    • Cristina DiLegge
  • Director/Producer
    • Lisa Cortés
  • Supervising Producer
    • Alexandra Hannibal
  • Producers
    • Caryn Capotosto, Robert Friedman, Liz Yale Marsh
  • Co-Producer
    • Jarobi Moorhead
  • Coordinating Producer
    • Nicole Tsien
  • Line Producers
    • Jeff Menne, Kathleen Simmonds
  • Associate Producer
    • Bridget Schelzi
  • Consulting Producer
    • Sig Sigworth
  • Contributing Producer
    • Veda Smith
  • Editors
    • Jake Hostetter, Nyneve Minnear
  • Cinematographers
    • Keith Walker, Graham Willoughby
  • Camerapersons
    • Franz Brun, Jeff Dolen, Shana Hagan, John Roche

OUTSTANDING BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DOCUMENTARY

Big Vape: The Rise and Fall Of Juul

Netflix

[Amblin Television | This Machine (a part of Sony Pictures Television) | TIME Studios]

  • Executive Producers
    • Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Ian Orefice, Lindsay Panell, Elise Pearlstein, Trevor Smith, Rebecca Teitel
  • Director/Executive Producer
    • R.J. Cutler
  • Executive in Charge
    • Bryan Alvey
  • Co-Executive Producers
    • Sam Jacobs, Rachel Rapkin
  • Series Story Producer
    • Anais Gude
  • Line Producer
    • Sara Lynn Krupnick
  • Associate Producer
    • Earl Narajos

OUTSTANDING CRIME AND JUSTICE DOCUMENTARY

Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning HBO | Max [HBO Documentary Films | The Boston Globe | Little Room Films

  • Executive Producers
    • Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Linda Pizzuti Henry, Joie Jacoby, Dan Krockmalnic, Sara Rodriguez
  • Produced by Jacob Rogal
  • Producer/Director
    • Jason Hehir
  • Producers
    • Nicholas Eisenberg, Jillian Moossmann Associate Producer Rebecca Kuo Editors Ross Hockrow, Nikolai Johnson
  • Directors of Photography
    • Alastair Christopher, Thomas McCallum, Enver Perez, Michael Rotiroti, Thomas Stukas, Jovan Tanasijevic

OUTSTANDING SHORT DOCUMENTARY

The Silent Witness

Life Stories

  • Executive Producer
    • Doug Blush
  • Supervising Producer
    • Ari Fishman
  • Producer
    • Matthew Henderson
  • Archival Producer
    • Jill Cowan
  • Consulting Producer
    • Michael Dwyer
  • Directors George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt
    • Editor
  • Aleks Gezentsvey
    • Cinematographer
  • Bill Winters

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Lakota Nation vs. United States

AMC+ [Unceded Films, LLC | IFC Films]

  • Executive Producers
    • Salman Al-Rashid, Jodi Archambault, Kathryn Everett, David Friend, Sam Frohman, Becky Gochman, David Gochman, Sol Guy, Sarah Eagle Heart, Kevin Killer, Bryn Mooser, Mark Ruffalo, Nicole Shanahan, Marisa Tomei, Julia Walsh
  • Director / Writers
    • Jesse Short Bull, Laura Tomaselli
  • Producer / Writers
    • Benjamin Hedin, Phil Pinto
  • Cinematographer
    • Kevin Phillips
  • Camerapersons
    • Kyle Anido, Rommel Genciana, Jedadiah Richards, Antonio Santos

OUTSTANDING RESEARCH: DOCUMENTARY

Victim/Suspect

Netflix [Motto Pictures | Center for Investigative Reporting Studios]

  • Research
    • Sarah Cohen, Rachel de Leon, Skyler Glover, Kendall Marianacci, Betty Marquez, Elena Neale-Sacks, Vanessa Ochavillo, Sinduja Rangarajan

OUTSTANDING DIRECTION: DOCUMENTARY

Lakota Nation vs. United States 

AMC+ [Unceded Films, LLC, | IFC Films]

  • Directors
    • Jesse Short Bull, Laura Tomaselli

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY: DOCUMENTARY

Murder In Big Horn

Showtime [Fairhaven]

  • Director of Photography
    • Jeff Hutchens

OUTSTANDING EDITING: DOCUMENTARY

American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing

Netflix [The Cut | Tillerman Films | Ventureland]

  • Editors
    • Patrick Nelson Barnes, Will Butler, Michael Griffin, John-Michael Powell Lead Editor Nate Gross

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN: DOCUMENTARY 

World War II: From the Front Lines

Netflix [72 Films]

  • Creative Director
    • Duncan Elms
  • Lead Designers
    • Kennon Fleisher, Cindy Soohoo
  • Designers
    • Steve Biggert, Filipe Carvalho, Steven Do, Lynn Kim
  • Animators
    • Steve Biggert, Tim Devlin, Steven Do, Kennon Fleisher, Lucy Kim, Peter Murphy, Steve Savalle, Alex Silver, Cindy SooHoo
  • 3D Designers
    • Mert Kizilay, Steve Savalle, Alex Silver

OUTSTANDING MUSIC COMPOSITION: DOCUMENTARY

World War II: From the Front Lines 

Netflix [72 Films]

  • Composer
    • David Schweitzer

OUTSTANDING LIGHTING DIRECTION: DOCUMENTARY

To End All War: Oppenheimer & the Atomic Bomb 

MSNBC Films MSNBC [NBC News Studios]

  • Director of Photography
    • Tim Metzger

OUTSTANDING REGIONAL DOCUMENTARY 

The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Then and Now

WMAQ [Chicago/Midwest Chapter]

  • Producers
    • Dana Anderson, Lisa Balde, Marion Brooks, Akemi Harrison, Tom Jones, G. Riley Mills, Anthony Moseley, Willie Round, DS Shin, Lauren Stauffer

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.