The Political Film Society Award for human rights is given out each year to a film that deals with struggle for human rights in both fictional and non-fictional stories. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1987. Depending on the number of films that qualify, as few as one film has been nominated for this award before but as many as fourteen have been nominated in years past.
The film that first won this award was Matewan in 1987 that was directed by John Sayles. The award, as with any other Political Film Society Award, can go to a mainstream film, independent film, or even an international film. The Political Film Society looks at a broad selection of films before it nominates them for an award.
John Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He is known for writing and directing the films The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Matewan (1987), Eight Men Out (1988), Passion Fish (1992), The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), Lone Star (1996), and Men with Guns (1997).
Glory is a 1989 American historical war drama film directed by Edward Zwick about the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the Union Army's earliest African-American regiments in the American Civil War. It stars Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the regiment's commanding officer, and Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman as fictional members of the 54th. The screenplay by Kevin Jarre was based on the books Lay This Laurel (1973) by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush (1965) by Peter Burchard and the personal letters of Shaw. The film depicts the soldiers of the 54th from the formation of their regiment to their heroic actions at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.
Zakes Makgona Mokae was a South African stage and screen actor. He was well-known for his work with playwright Athol Fugard, notably in The Blood Knot and "Master Harold"...and the Boys, the latter earning him aTony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play.
Matewan is a 1987 American independent drama film written and directed by John Sayles, and starring Chris Cooper, James Earl Jones, Mary McDonnell and Will Oldham, with David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe and Gordon Clapp in supporting roles. The film dramatizes the events of the Battle of Matewan, a coal miners' strike in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia.
Frederick William FrancisBSC was an English cinematographer and film director whose filmmaking career spanned over 60 years, from the late 1930s until the late 2000s. One of the most celebrated British cinematographers of his time, he received numerous accolades for his photography, including two Academy Awards and five BAFTA Awards. As a director he was best known for his horror films, notably those made for production companies Amicus and Hammer in the 1960s and 1970s.
Stephen Lang is an American actor. He is known for roles in films such as Manhunter (1986), Gettysburg and Tombstone, Gods and Generals (2003), Public Enemies and The Men Who Stare at Goats, Conan the Barbarian (2011) and Don't Breathe (2016).
The Political Film Society Award for democracy is given out each year to a film that promotes, educates, and raises the awareness level of the public in the specific areas of democracy and freedom. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1988. Depending on the number of movies that qualify, sometimes only one film is nominated for this award, but as many as seven have been nominated in years past.
Frederic Alan Schepisi is an Australian film director, producer and screenwriter. His credits include The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Plenty, Roxanne, A Cry in the Dark, Mr. Baseball, Six Degrees of Separation, and Last Orders.
The Political Film Society Award for exposé is given out each year to a film that has an investigative depth into a subject matter and often exposes surprising information on the subject. This award has been handed out by the Society since 1988. Depending on the number of films that qualify, as few as one films has been nominated for this award before but as many as fourteen have been nominated in years past.
Harold Thomas Wright is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in The Brother from Another Planet (1984), Matewan (1987), Creepshow 2 (1987), City of Hope (1991), Passion Fish (1992), Seinfeld (1994), Extreme (1995), Star Trek: Voyager (1996), Martial Law (1998–1999), Sunshine State (2002), Barbershop (2002), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004), Honeydripper (2007), Granite Flats (2014), Medical Police (2020), and Daisy Jones & the Six (2023).
The following is a list of the Top 10 Films chosen annually by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, beginning in 1929.
Entertainment Film Distributors Limited is a British distributor of independent films in the UK and Ireland for various production companies, founded by Michael L. Green and currently run by his son Nigel Green.
William Sidney Hatfield, was a West Virginia law enforcement officer noted for his involvement in bitter labor disputes, on the side of labor, during the Coal Wars of the early 20th century.
Beyond the Line of Duty is a 1942 American short propaganda film, directed by Lewis Seiler. The documentary film reenacted the life and career of United States Army Air Corps Captain Hewitt T. "Shorty" Wheless.
John Stanley Bartley, A.S.C., often credited as John S. Bartley, is a New Zealand-born American cinematographer best known for his work on television series such as Lost, Bates Motel and The X Files and feature films such as The X Files: I Want to Believe and The Chronicles of Riddick.
The Political Film Society Award for Peace is awarded annually by the Political Film Society Award to a film that deals with the struggle for peace in both fictional and non-fictional stories. The award has been made by the Society since 1987. The number of films nominated depends on the number of movies that qualify, and has been as low as one and as high as fourteen.
For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada, also known as Cristiada and as Outlaws, is a 2012 epic historical war drama film directed by Dean Wright and written by Michael Love, based on the events of the Cristero War. It stars Andy García, Eva Longoria, Oscar Isaac, Rubén Blades, Peter O'Toole, and Bruce Greenwood. The film is the directorial debut for Wright, a veteran visual effects supervisor on films including The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003), and was released on June 1, 2012.