Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking

The Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking is handed out annually at the Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremony since 2005. Entries are reviewed by a jury on the basis of the "filmmaker's expressed vision, compelling power of storytelling, artistry or innovation of craft, and the capacity to inform, transport, impact, enlighten, and create a moving and indelible work that elevates the art of documentary filmmaking." Entrants are ineligible for Outstanding Informational Series or Special and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.[1]

Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
Awarded forExceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
CountryUnited States
Presented byAcademy of Television Arts & Sciences
First awarded2005
Currently held byGoing to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (2024)
Websiteemmys.com

Winners and nominations

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2000s

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Year Program Producers Network
2005
(57th)
[2]
Death in Gaza Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; James Miller and Saira Shah, producers HBO
Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst (American Experience) Mark Samels and Nick Fraser, executive producers; Robert Stone, producer PBS
Last Letters Home: Voices of American Troops from the Battlefields of Iraq John Hoffman, Sheila Nevins and Jane Bornemeier, executive producers; Bill Couturié, produced by HBO
With All Deliberate Speed Steve Carlis, Steve Rosenbaum and Don Baer, executive producers; Peter Gilbert, produced by Discovery
2006
(58th)
[3]
Baghdad ER Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill and Joseph Feury, produced by HBO
Two Days in October (American Experience) Sally Jo Fifer, executive producer; Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, producers; Lois Vossen, series producer PBS
Beslan: Three Days in September Joe Halderman, produced by; Peter Van Sant, Michael McHugh and Michael Vele, producers Showtime
Combat Diary: The Marines of Lima Company Nancy Dubuc and Dierdre O'Hearn, executive producers for A&E; Michael Epstein and Jonathan Yellen, produced by A&E
In the Realms of the Unreal (POV) Sally Jo Fifer and Cara Mertes, executive producers; Jessica Yu and Susan West, producers PBS
2007
(59th)
[4]
A Lion in the House (Independent Lens) Sally Jo Fifer, executive producer; Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, producers; Lois Vossen, series producer PBS
When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Samuel D. Pollard and Spike Lee, producers; Jacqueline Glover, supervising producer HBO
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Stanley Nelson, producer; Sharon Grimberg, series producer PBS
2008
(60th)
[5]
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Sheila Nevins and Robert Richter, executive producers; Steven Okazaki, producer; Sara Bernstein, supervising producer HBO
Oswald's Ghost (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Sharon Grimberg, senior producer; Robert Stone, producer PBS
Walt Whitman (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Patrick Long and Jamila Wignot, producers; Mark Zwonitzer, filmmaker
2009
(61st)
[6]
The Alzheimer's Project: "The Memory Loss Tapes" Sheila Nevins and Maria Shriver, executive producers; John Hoffman, series producer; Shari Cookson and Nick Doob, produced by HBO
Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Jacqueline Glover, supervising producer; Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, produced by HBO

2010s

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Year Program Producers Network
2010
(62nd)
[7]
The Betrayal – Nerakhoon (POV) Simon Kilmurry and Cara Mertes, executive producers; Ellen Kuras and Flora Fernandez-Marengo, produced by PBS
Brick City Marc Levin, Mark Benjamin, Forest Whitaker and Mala Chapple, executive producers Sundance
My Lai (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Barak Goodman], producer PBS
Patti Smith: Dream of Life (POV) Simon Kilmurry and Steven Sebring, executive producers; Margaret Smilow, executive producer/producer
Pressure Cooker Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann, executive producers; Jennifer Grausman, producer BET
Sergio Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Greg Barker, John Battsek and Julie Goldman, produced by HBO
2011
(63rd)
[8]
Freedom Riders (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Stanley Nelson and Laurens Grant, produced by; Sharon Grimberg, senior producer PBS
Gasland Trish Adlesic, Josh Fox and Molly Gandour, producers HBO
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (POV) Rick Goldsmith and Judith Ehrlich, producers PBS
2012
(64th)
[9]
Have You Heard from Johannesburg? (Independent Lens) Sally Jo Fifer, executive producer; Connie Field, producer; Lois Vossen, series senior producer PBS
The Amish (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Sharon Grimberg, senior producer; Callie T. Wiser and David Belton, producers PBS
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Joe Berlinger and Jonathan Silberberg, producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producers HBO
2013
(65th)
[10]
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Alex Gibney, Alexandra Johnes, Todd Wider and Jedd Wider, producers; Sara Bernstein, supervising producer HBO
2014
(66th)
[11]
Life According to Sam Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine, produced by HBO
The Amish: Shunned (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Sharon Grimberg, senior producer; Callie T. Wiser, producer PBS
Brave Miss World Lati Grobman, executive producer; Cecilia Peck, Inbal B. Lessner and Motty Reif, producers Netflix
Hillsborough (30 for 30 Soccer Stories) Connor Schell, John Dahl and John Battsek, executive producers; Daniel Gordon and Deirdre Fenton, producers ESPN
2015
(67th)
[12]
Citizenfour Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky, produced by HBO
The Great Invisible (Independent Lens) Margaret Brown, Jason Orans and Julie Goldman, produced by; Lois Vossen, senior series producer PBS
Hot Girls Wanted Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus and Rashida Jones, produced by Netflix
2016
(68th)
[13]
Cartel Land Kathryn Bigelow, Molly Thompson and Robert DeBitetto, executive producers; Tom Yellin and Matthew Heineman, producers A&E
Jim: The James Foley Story Peter Kunhardt, Sheila Nevins and Jacqueline Glover, executive producers; Eva Lipman, George Kunhardt and Teddy Kunhardt, produced by HBO
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution Sally Jo Fifer and Lois Vossen, executive producers; Stanley Nelson and Laurens Grant, produced by PBS
The Hunting Ground Amy Entelis, Vinnie Malhotra and Maria Cuomo Cole, executive producers; Amy Ziering, producer CNN
Racing Extinction Dieter Paulmann and John Hoffman, executive producers; Olivia Ahnemann and Fisher Stevens, produced by Discovery
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom Lati Grobman and David Dinerstein, executive producers; Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor, produced by Netflix
2017
(69th)
[14]
LA 92[15] T. J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay, a film by; Jonathan Chinn and Simon Chinn, produced by Nat Geo
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds Sheila Nevins and Brett Ratner, executive producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens, produced by HBO
O.J.: Made in America Connor Schell and Libby Geist, executive producers; Tamara Rosenberg and Nina Krstic, producers; Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow, produced by ESPN
Oklahoma City (American Experience) Mark Samels, executive producer; Susan Bellows, senior producer; Barak Goodman and Emily Singer Chapman, produced by PBS
The White Helmets Joanna Natasegara, produced by Netflix
2018
(70th)
[16]
Strong Island[17] Joslyn Barnes and Yance Ford, produced by Netflix
City of Ghosts Alex Gibney, Molly Thompson and Stacey Offman, executive producers; Matthew Heineman, produced by A&E
Jane Tim Pastore, executive producer; Brett Morgen, Bryan Burk and James Smith, produced by Nat Geo
What Haunts Us Frank Marshall and Matt Tolmach, executive producers; Paige Goldberg Tolmach and Sarah Gibson, producers Starz
2019
(71st)
[18]
RBG Julie Cohen and Betsy West, produced by; Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton, executive producers CNN
The Sentence Sam Bisbee and Jackie Kelman Bisbee, produced by; Rudy Valdez and Theodora Dunlap, executive producers HBO
Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes Alexis Bloom and Will Cohen, produced by; Molly Thompson and Alex Gibney, executive producers A&E
Hale County This Morning, This Evening RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim, produced by; Lois Vossen, executive producer PBS
Three Identical Strangers Becky Read, produced by; Grace Hughes-Hallett, producer CNN

2020s

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Year Program Producers Network
2020
(72nd)
[19]
The Cave Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Dyekjær, produced by; Pernille Rose Grønkjær, Eva Mulvad, Carolyn Berstein, Ryan Harrington and Matt Renner, executive producers Nat Geo
Chasing the Moon (American Experience) Robert Stone, produced by; Ray Rothrock, Daniel Aegerter and Keith Haviland, producers; Susan Bellows, senior producer; Mark Samels, executive producer PBS
Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements Tahria Sheather and Irene Taylor Brodsky, produced by; Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sheila Nevins and Sara Bernstein, executive producers HBO
One Child Nation Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements and Carolyn Hepburn, produced by; Sally Jo Fifer and Lois Vossen, executive producers PBS
2021
(73rd)
[20]
76 Days Hao Wu and Jean Tsien, produced by Pluto TV
Dick Johnson Is Dead Katy Chevigny and Marilyn Ness, producers; Kirsten Johnson, produced by Netflix
Welcome to Chechnya Alice Henty, David France, Joy A. Tomchin, Askold Kurov and Igor Myakotin, produced by HBO
2022
(74th)
[21]
When Claude Got Shot Lois Vossen, executive producer; Brad Lichtenstein, Steven Cantor and Jamie Schutz, producers PBS
Changing the Game Clare Tucker and Alex Schmider, produced by Hulu
Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches Henry Louis Gates Jr., Dyllan McGee, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller and Sara Rodriguez, executive producers; Oluwaseun Babalola, producer HBO
2023
(75th)
[22]
The Territory[23] Alex Pritz, Darren Aronofsky, Sigrid Dyekjær, Will N. Miller, Gabriel Uchida and Lizzie Gillett, produced by; Txai Suruí, executive producer Nat Geo
The Accused: Damned or Devoted? Mohammed Ali Naqvi, produced by/directed by PBS
Aftershock Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee, a film by Hulu
Last Flight Home Ondi Timoner and David Turner, produced by Paramount+
2024
(76th)
[24]
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project[25] Joe Brewster, Michèle Stephenson and Tommy Oliver, produced by HBO
Beyond Utopia (Independent Lens) Lois Vossen, executive producer; Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen and Sue Mi Terry, producers; Madeleine Gavin, director PBS
Stamped from the Beginning Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Geoff Martz, Mara Brock Akil and Susie Fitzgerald, executive producers; Alisa Payne, Roger Ross Williams and David Teague, producers Netflix

Total awards by network

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  • HBO – 10
  • PBS – 5
  • Nat Geo – 3
  • A&E – 1
  • CNN – 1
  • Netflix – 1
  • Pluto - 1

References

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  1. ^ "69th Primetime Emmy Awards, 2016-2017 Rules and Procedures" (PDF). Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. p. 57. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  5. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  6. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  7. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  8. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  9. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  10. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  11. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  12. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  14. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  15. ^ 2017 Creative Arts Emmys Winners List|IndieWire
  16. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Field of Vision - Strong Island
  18. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  19. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  21. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  22. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  23. ^ NatGeo’s ‘The Territory’, About Indigenous Brazilian Group’s Daring Fight To Protect Their Land, Wins Emmy For Exceptional Merit|Deadline
  24. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  25. ^ AwardsWatch - 2024 Creative Arts Emmys Winners (Night One) - Updating Live