Emmy awarded to "A Thousand Cuts' documentng Maria Ressa's fight for press freedom

MARIA RESSA

A Thousand Cuts, the documentary following Filipino American journalist Maria Ressa, won the award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary at the 43rd News and Documentary Emmys held in New York City last Sept. 28.

“Thank you, Academy. And (Frontline PBS). and of course (Maria Ressa) and (Rappler) and everyone of our Philippine team!” tweeted Diaz, a resident of New Jersey.

The feature had its US broadcast premiere on Frontline in January 2022. Directed by Filipino American Ramona Diaz, the documentary follows Nobel Peace Prize winner Ressa as she fights for press freedom during the administration of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. It is a powerful examination o the threat of disinformation spread by social media.

Ressa, who co-founded the online news network Rappler, has had a ongoing battle with the Duterte administration, especially over its war on drugs, where thousands of alleged drug dealers and users were executed by overzealous law enforcement, military and vigilantes.

Philippines court found the New Jersey-raised Ressa guilty for libel, which she is appealing.

Ressa was awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year for her defense of press freedom in the Philippines.

A Thousand Cuts is a Concordia Studio, Motto Pictures, and CineDiaz production developed in association with Topic for Frontline.

The full documentary can be viewed online for free on the YouTube channel and website of PBS Frontline, which acquired the rights to the documentary in June 2020.

For a complete list of Emmy winners, click here.

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