SA's 'Miners Shot Down' wins big at International Emmy Awards
The hard-hitting documentary tells the story of the Marikana massacre through the eyes of miners.
NEW YORK - The South African documentary Miners Shot Down which looks at the Marikana killings in 2012, has won top honours at the International Emmy Awards.
It picked up an Emmy for Best Documentary at a ceremony in New York last night.
Yes and we take it! South Africa wins at the @iemmys @RehadD @MinersShotDown #bestdocumentary pic.twitter.com/MZldF5zcjD
- Lala Tuku * (@LalaTuku) November 24, 2015
#MinersShotDown Best Documentary Winner at the #iEmmy Awards. @LalaTuku @FilmFound pic.twitter.com/x8T7X9PfUA
- Terry Pheto (@TerryPheto) November 24, 2015
Directed by Rehad Desai, the hard-hitting documentary tells the story of the August 2012 strike at Marikana through the eyes of the miners, which left 44 people dead and scores more injured when police opened fire.
Here's @rehadd accepting the International Emmy Award for Best Documentary for Miners Shot Down! WOOHOOO! #iemmys pic.twitter.com/4lQ0CY1n5J
- Karen Jeynes (@karenjeynes) November 24, 2015
The documentary has found an audience at various film festivals around the world.
Upon accepting his award, Desai was given a heartfelt standing ovation from the audience.
He told Eyewitness News he hopes local broadcasters will now air his documentary.
Desai says he's been disappointed that neither the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) nor e.TV has shown the documentary.
He hopes winning an International Emmy might enable more people to see the film.
'Many people who have been able to see follow Al Jazeera and a couple of the other channels on DStv. But really, this is a public broadcast piece."
Miners Shot Down has so far won a number of international prizes.
INTERNATIONAL EMMY AWARDS WINNERS:
Arts Programming
Illustre & Inconnu:
Comment Jacques Jaujard a Sauvé le Louvre
(The Man Who Saved the Louvre)
France
Best Performance by an Actor
Maarten Heijmans
in Ramses
Netherlands
Best Performance by an Actress
Anneke von der Lippe
in Øyevitne (Eyewitness)
Norway
Comedy
Doce de Mãe (Sweet Mother)
Brazil
Documentary
Miners Shot Down
South Africa
Drama Series
Engrenages Saison 5 (Spiral Season 5)
France
Non-English US Primetime Program
Arrepentidos - El Infierno de Montoya
United States of Americ
Non-Scripted Entertainment
50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy
United Kingdom
Telenovela
Império (Empire)
Brazil
TV Movie/Mini-Series
Soldat Blanc (White Soldier)
France
