NATAS Selects Doc Winners for News & Documentary Emmy Awards

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has crowned the winners of the documentary categories for the 45th annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards and honored documentarian, director and producer Alex Gibney with a lifetime achievement award.

The second annual class of Gold and Silver Circle members for documentary were also inducted. The Gold and Silver Circle is a society honoring members of the television and wider broadcasting community who have made an enduring contribution to the industry. These honorees are a group of professionals who have made significant contributions to television for 50 and 25 years, respectively.

In the Gold Circle, Tom Spain was inducted. New Silver Circle inductees included Raney Aronson-Rath, Ric Esther Bienstock, Abby Ginzberg and Mette Hoffmann Meyer.

The Dirty Truth About Your Food (Netflix) won the outstanding current affairs documentary category, while the outstanding politics and government documentary was Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court (PBS).

The outstanding social issue documentary was Eat Your Catfish (PBS), and outstanding investigative documentary was won by Global Spyware Scandal: Exposing Pegasus (PBS). Free Chol Soo Lee (PBS) was the outstanding historical documentary.

The outstanding arts and culture documentary award was won by Little Richard: I Am Everything (CNN Films/Max), while the outstanding science and technology documentary was Science Fair: The Series (Nat Geo). Path of the Panther (Nat Geo) won for outstanding nature documentary.

Further awards were won by Netflix, HBO Max, Life Stories, AMC+, Nat Geo, Showtime, MSNBC Films, Disney+ and WMAQ.

Terry O’Reilly, chairman of NATAS, said, “With so much change at hand these days, it’s reassuring to note one very important constant: the consistent quality of the work being done every day by the talented and hard-working individuals of our creative communities. It’s our honor tonight—and each year—to shine the Emmy spotlight on the truly excellent work that we have all enjoyed over the past year,” said

Adam Sharp, NATAS CEO and president, commented, “Those who shine a light on inconvenient truths, give voice to the voiceless or simply report documented facts are far too often punished through efforts to demonize and delegitimize such essential work. On these two nights, we do the vital opposite. The Emmys celebrate those who face these headwinds to bring important stories to our screens and in turn, provide a vision of excellence that inspires the next generation to follow,”