Vinay Shukla’s documentary While We Watched has bagged a nomination at the Peabody Awards alongside Shaunak Sen’s Oscar-nominated documentary All That Breathes, the board of jurors for the awards show, to be held on June 9 in Los Angeles, announced recently.
A total of 41 nominees spanning Documentary, News, Public Service, and Radio/Podcast categories were announced by The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors.
Shukla’s documentary, which won accolades at the Busan and Toronto International film festivals, chronicles journalist Ravish Kumar’s journey spanning two years amidst alleged constraints on free speech and journalistic freedom in India. Described by the Peabody group as a “timely depiction of a newsroom in crisis”, it tracks Kumar's struggle against fake news, plummeting ratings, and resultant cutbacks while upholding fact-based analysis.
“We have been nominated for the Peabody Awards! The @PeabodyAwards honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in all of television, radio, and online media every year,” the official handle of the film wrote on X.
Apart from bagging the Peabody nomination, Shukla’s documentary has also locked its date for digital release. It will stream on MUBI India May 24 onwards.
“Vinay Shukla’s riveting, internationally acclaimed documentary follows one of India’s foremost reporters on his quest to stand up for the fourth estate. WHILE WE WATCHED arrives May 24,” the official handle of the streamer wrote on X alongside a teaser of the doc.
In 2023, Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing With Fire clinched a Peabody Award for best documentary film.
