THE FARTHEST—VOYAGER IN SPACE DOCUMENTARY WINS THE AAAS KAVLI SCIENCE JOURNALISM GOLD AWARD
Emmy-Award Winning Film Recounts 40+ Years of Exploration to the Outer Planets Through the Stories of Original Team Members
Chevy Chase, MD (November 14, 2018)— HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is proud to receive the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Gold Award for THE FARTHEST—VOYAGER IN SPACE documentary, which celebrates 40 years of NASA’s famed Voyager mission to the outer planets. This prestigious award, administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), honors distinguished science reporting for a general audience. AAAS judge David Baron, said this of the film, “It is inspirational both in its construction and its content, which goes far beyond the science of the Voyager missions to the human drive to explore and understand where we fit in the universe.”
“As an organization dedicated to advancing science, this recognition from the scientific community means a lot to us,” said Sean B. Carroll, executive director of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and vice president of HHMI’s Department of Science Education. “We hope we have inspired the next generation of scientists by sharing the incredible stories of the scientists and engineers behind the Voyager mission.”
THE FARTHEST—VOYAGER IN SPACE adds this win to its growing list of accolades, which include an Emmy for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary, a 2018 Jackson Hole Science Media Award for Best Visualization, and The National Academies Keck Futures Initiative Communication Award for film, radio and television. THE FARTHEST—VOYAGER IN SPACE shares these honors with film partners Crossing The Line Films, PBS and the Irish Film Board.
Emer Reynolds, the film’s Dublin-based writer and director, said, “We are delighted and deeply honored to receive this prestigious award, not only on behalf of our whole wonderful, committed team, but especially on behalf of the engineers and scientists who designed, built and flew the extraordinary, and era-defining, Voyager spacecraft.”
THE FARTHEST – VOYAGER IN SPACE premiered nationally on PBS stations on Aug. 23, 2017 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the mission launch, and is now streaming on Netflix. The film tells the amazing true story of one humanity’s greatest achievements in exploration. Both Voyager spacecraft are still traveling and transmitting back data, and have become icons of human curiosity and ingenuity. THE FARTHEST—VOYAGER IN SPACE, called “dazzling” by The New York Times and “exactly what the world needs right now” by the LA Times, was written and directed by Emer Reynolds and produced by John Murray and Clare Stronge.
This award marks the second Kavli award for HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. The first was the award for In-Depth Reporting for Television in 2014 for YOUR INNER FISH, a three part PBS series that goes from Africa to the Arctic Circle to uncover the 3.5 billion year history of the human body. The AAAS science journalism awards have been offered since 1945 and are open to journalists worldwide. This year applicants submitted entries from 54 countries. The awards are endowed by The Kavli Foundation and the winners are selected by an independent panel of science journalists. The awards will be presented at a ceremony held in conjunction with the AAAS Annual Meeting on February 15, 2019 in Washington, D.C.
About HHMI | Tangled Bank Studios
HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company established and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as an extension of its longstanding commitment to science education. HHMI is the largest private nonprofit supporter of science education and biomedical research in the United States. HHMI Tangled Bank Studios crafts compelling, immersive films about science and scientists for broadcast, theatrical and digital distribution. The company’s award-winning programs address important contemporary issues and capture inspirational stories of discovery across all branches of scientific inquiry. For more information, please visit www.tangledbankstudios.org and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
About PBS
PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 90 million people through television and 30 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’ premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV – including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.
About Crossing The Line Films
Crossing the Line is an Irish based production company producing authored wildlife and science documentaries for theatrical release and many of the world’s leading television broadcasters and documentary financiers. In the last five years their films have garnered five Emmy nominations and multiple awards at the world’s most prestigious natural history film festivals including Best of Festival at the UK’s Wildscreen in 2014 and an unprecedented two Best of Festival prizes in a row at the 2011 & 2013 Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festivals – the Oscars of the wildlife film world. Other past work includes the landmark film on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis for PBS, which was nominated for a Grierson Award - the UK’s most prestigious documentary prize. The Farthest is the company’s first collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios.
Media Contact
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