Just hours after news that legendary news broadcaster Bill Moyers had died, the icon was paid tribute at Thursday night’s documentary portion of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards. The event, held at the Palladium Times Square in New York City, saw Nat Geo take home the most prizes with six, followed by Netflix with four.
Among the night’s big winners: MSNBC’s “The Sing Sing Chronicles” was named best documentary; Paramount+’s “We Will Dance Again” was named best current affairs documentary; and the important and groundbreaking doc “The Sixth” — which told the dramatic and true story of the terror that took place on January 6, 2021 — earned the Emmy in the politics and government doc category. That Emmy was extra sweet, as streamers were scared to show it despite its crucial message.
Comedian and filmmaker Negin Farsad hosted the evening, which also included a lifetime achievement award for documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and director Jon Else. Else’s award was presented by Carrie Lozano, president and CEO of ITVS.
Presenters included Muta’Ali (“MoviePass, MovieCrash”), Joe Berlinger (“Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial”), Lisa Cortés (“The Space Race”), Gabriela Cowperthwaite (“The Grab”), and Barak Goodman (“Kissinger”).
News categories were honored on Wednesday, when CBS led with five wins in the news categories. Right behind CBS, scoring four wins apiece were ABC, CNN and Nat Geo.
“The talents of our journalistic and documentary communities have profoundly shaped our culture and nation,” said Terry O’Reilly, chairman of NATAS. “In the face of evolving societal landscapes, their unwavering dedication to truth and storytelling has illuminated critical issues, fostered crucial conversations, and empowered the public.”
Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS, added: “These honorees are leaders in bringing truth to our nation’s screens—through fearless journalism and powerful documentary storytelling. Their work sets the standard for excellence in the field. We are particularly proud to recognize the extraordinary career of Jon Else and our 2025 class of Gold & Silver Circle inductees.”
The Gold and Silver Circle recognizes professionals “who have made significant contributions to television for 50 and 25 years, respectively.” This year’s doc inductees in the Gold Circle included Michael Kirk (filmmaker, PBS Frontline and Kirk Documentary Group), Gordon Quinn (filmmaker, Kartemquin Films) and Marcia Smith (filmmaker, Firelight Media). Silver Circle doc inductees included Gemma Cubero del Barrio (producer, director and writer, PBS) and Aljernon Tunsil (editor, PBS and Firelight Films).
As part of a scheduling realignment at the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, the 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards moved to the summer, instead of its normal fall dates, this year.
The 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards received more than 2200 submissions from the calendar year of 2024, and nominations were judged by a pool of more than 980 people from across the television and streaming/digital media news and documentary community.
Here are the winners across 24 doc categories:
Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary
** WINNER: We Will Dance Again
Paramount+ [See It Now Studios, HOT 8, BBC Storyville, Sipur Studios, Bitachon365, MGM Television, HSCC]
64 Days: The Insurrection Playbook
Goldcrest Films [Saboteur Media, Atomized Studios Limited, Smuggler Films]
Bread & Roses
Apple TV+ [Apple Original Films, Eyan Foundation, Extracurricular]
Print it Black (ABC News Live )
ABC
A Year of War: Israelis and Palestinians (Frontline)
PBS
Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary
** WINNER: The Sixth
A24 [Change Content]
Battleground Texas
VICE News
The Body Politic (POV)
PBS [ITVS, Black Public Media, Corporation For Public Broadcasting, Rowhouse, LC | Rowhouse Collective]
Carville: Winning is Everything, Stupid
CNN Worldwide [Altimeter Films, CNN Films]
From Russia with Lev
MSNBC [Rakontur, UTAS, Surprise Inside, MSNBC Films]
The Riot Report (American Experience)
PBS [GBH, 42nd Parallel Films]
Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law? (POV)
PBS [Pandamonium Productions LLC, Herochaser, Palm Pictures, Official, LLC]
Outstanding Social Issue Documentary
** WINNER: Two American Families: 1991-2024 (Frontline)
PBS
Daughters
Netflix [Netflix, XTR, Object & Animal, Epoch Films, Park Pictures, OPC, World of HA, Simpson Street, Two One Five]
Death Without Mercy
Showtime [MTV Documentary Films, Docsville Studios, Basement Films, AMC Media Production]
Name Me Lawand (POV)
PBS [Pulse Films]
One With the Whale (Independent Lens)
PBS [Vitamin Sea Productions, Siyuqaq Incorporated, Actual Films]
Outstanding Investigative Documentary
** WINNER: American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders
Netflix [Stardust Frames, Duplass Brothers Productions]
A Dangerous Assignment: Uncovering Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela (Frontline)
PBS [Armando.Info]
The Grab
Apple TV+ | Google Play | Prime Video | Vimeo | Vudu | YouTube [Center for Investigative Reporting Studios, Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, Rocklin | Faust, Impact Partners]
The Night Won’t End (Fault Lines)
Al Jazeera International USA
South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning (Frontline)
PBS [The Associated Press]
Outstanding Historical Documentary
** WINNER: Tsunami: Race Against Time
National Geographic [Blast Films]
An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th
HBO | Max [HBO Documentary Films, Blowback Productions]
Fly With Me (American Experience)
PBS [GBH, Sarah Colt Productions]
The Sixth
A24 [Change Content]
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
Netflix [Luminant Media]
Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary
** WINNER: Madu
Disney + [Disney Branded Television, Hunting Lane Films]
As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial
Paramount+ [MTV Entertainment Studios, District 33, Park Pictures, Strike Anywhere]
Butterfly in the Sky
Netflix [Sidestilt Films, Window Pictures, XTR]
Hollywood Black
MGM+ [Radical Media, Culture Machine, Significant Productions]
King Coal (POV)
PBS [Drexler Films, Cottage M, Fishbowl Films, Narrow Vision Endeavors, King Coal Productions LLC]
Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary
WINNER: Hunt for the Oldest DNA (Nova)
PBS [Handful of Films, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, NOVA/GBH, ZDF, DR Danish Broadcasting Corporation]
Anand Varma: Hidden Wonders (Photographer)
National Geographic [Little Monster Films]
Apollo 13: Survival
Netflix [Insight TWI Films, Fee Fie Foe]
The Space Race
National Geographic [National Geographic Documentary Films, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Alegria Films, Cortés Filmworks, Diamond Docs]
What’s Next? The Future with Bill Gates
Netflix [Tremolo Productions]
Outstanding Nature Documentary
** WINNER: Paul Nicklen & Cristina Mittermeier: Win or Die (Photographer)
National Geographic [Little Monster Films]
Attenborough and the Jurassic Sea Monster (Nature)
PBS
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic [Silverback Films]
Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons (Nature)
PBS [Lucky 8 TV, The WNET Group]
Our Living World
Netflix [Wild Space, Freeborne Media]
Patrick and the Whale (Nature)
PBS [Terra Mater Studios, The WNET Group]
Silverback (Nature)
PBS [Off the Fence Studios, BBC, France Télévisions, Featuristic Films, The WNET Group]
Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary
** WINNER: Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy
Netflix [Grain Media]
Bitconned
Netflix [Glass Entertainment Group]
Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge
Hulu [Sutter Road Picture Company, Fabiola Beracasa Beckman Media Production]
The Hobby
Documentary+ [XTR]
Moviepass, Moviecrash
HBO | Max [HBO Documentary Films, Unrealistic Ideas, Assemble Media, Nightbrain Pictures, Tower Way]
Razing Liberty Square (Independent Lens)
PBS [RLS Film, LLC]
Outstanding Crime and Justice Documentary
** WINNER: The Truth vs. Alex Jones
HBO | Max [HBO Documentary Films, AMOS Pictures]
Cult Massacre: One Day In Jonestown
National Geographic [72 Films]
Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter
Netflix [Tripod Media LLC, Denver & Delilah]
Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer
Hulu [Campfire Studios, Lewellen Pictures, Invited by Girls, Rebecca Halpern Productions]
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal (American Experience)
PBS [GBH, Madrona Productions]
Outstanding Short Documentary
** WINNER: The Dirty Business of Monkey Laundering (Bloomberg Investigates)
Bloomberg
Love To The Max
The New Yorker
Motorcycle Mary
ESPN [ESPN Films, Breakwater Studios]
Swept
Human Rights Watch
Wings of Dust
Documentary+ [Rolling Stone Films, Skyeyes Documentaries, 42 Parallelo, 5 Stick Films Inc.]
Best Documentary
** WINNER: The Sing Sing Chronicles
MSNBC [NBC News Studios, MSNBC Films, Trilogy Films]
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders
Netflix [Stardust Frames, Duplass Brothers Productions]
The Commandant’s Shadow
HBO | Max [Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, Snowstorm Productions, Creators Inc., New Mandate Films]
The Grab
Apple TV+ | Google Play | Prime Video | Vimeo | Vudu | YouTube [Center for Investigative Reporting Studios, Rocklin | Faust, Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, Impact Partners]
Hollywood Black
MGM+ [Radical Media, Culture Machine, Significant Productions]
Mammals
BBC America | BBC+ [BBC Studios National History Unit, France Televisions, ZDF]
Queendom
Galdanova Film
The Sixth
A24 [Change Content]
The Truth vs. Alex Jones
HBO | Max [HBO Documentary Films, AMOS Pictures
Outstanding Writing – Documentary
** WINNER: Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story — Charlie Hamilton James
National Geographic [Silverback Films]
Join or Die
Netflix [Delevan Street Films]
King Coal (POV)
PBS [Drexler Films, Cottage M, Fishbowl Films, Narrow Vision Endeavors, King Coal Productions LLC]
The Night Won’t End (Fault Lines)
Al Jazeera International USA
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal (American Experience)
PBS [GBH, Madrona Productions]
The Space Race
National Geographic [National Geographic Documentary Films, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Alegria Films, Cortés Filmworks, Diamond Docs]
Outstanding Research – Documentary
** WINNER: The Grab
Center for Investigative Reporting Studios [Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, Rocklin | Faust, Impact Partners]
The Bibi Files
Jolt.film [Jigsaw Productions]
China, The U.S. and the Rise of Xi Jinping (Frontline)
PBS
Nazi Town, USA (American Experience)
PBS [GBH, Pangloss Films]
Our Oceans
Netflix [Wild Space, Freeborne Media, Higher Ground]
Outstanding Direction – Documentary
** WINNER: Frida — Carla Gutiérrez
Prime Video [Imagine Documentaries, TIME Studios]
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic [Silverback Films]
Daughters
Netflix [XTR, Object & Animal, Epoch Films, Park Pictures, OPC, World of HA, Simpson Street, Two One Five]
Madu
Disney + [Disney Branded Television, Hunting Lane Films]
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal (American Experience)
PBS [GBH, Madrona Productions]
Outstanding Cinematography – Documentary
** WINNER: Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough
Netflix [CBC, Sky, Humble Bee Films]
Earthsounds
Apple TV+ [Offspring Films]
King Coal (POV)
PBS [Drexler Films, Cottage M, Fishbowl Films, Narrow Vision Endeavors, King Coal Productions LLC]
Lions of the Skeleton Coast (Nature)
PBS [Into Nature Productions, ORF Universum, Arte, WDR]
Mammals
BBC America | BBC+ [BBC Studios National History Unit, France Televisions, ZDF]
Our Living World
Netflix [Wild Space, Freeborne Media, Higher Ground]
Outstanding Editing – Documentary
** WINNER: Blink
National Geographic [MRC, EYESTEELFILM, National Geographic Documentary Films, Fishbowl Films, Motive]
Apollo 13: Survival
Netflix [Insight TWI Films, Fee Fie Foe]
Citizen Nation
PBS [Retro Report]
Death Without Mercy
Showtime [MTV Documentary Films, Docsville Studios, Basement Films, AMC Media Production]
We Will Dance Again
Paramount+ [See It Now Studios, HOT 8, BBC Storyville, Sipur Studios, Bitachon365, MGM Television, HSCC]
Outstanding Graphic Design – Documentary
** WINNER: Omnivore
Apple TV+ [Fifth Season, Film 45]
Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy
Netflix [Grain Media]
Food, Inc. 2
Apple TV+ | Amazon Prime Video | Google Play [The Food Project 2020]
Frida
Prime Video [Imagine Documentaries, TIME Studios]
Join or Die
Netflix [Delevan Street Films]
Outstanding Music Composition – Documentary
** WINNER: Endurance
National Geographic [A Little Dot Studios, Consequential, History Hit Production, Little Monster Films, National Geographic Documentary Films]
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic [Silverback Films]
Dan Winters: Life is Once. Forever. (Photographer)
National Geographic [Little Monster Films]
Frida
Prime Video [Imagine Documentaries, TIME Studios]
Mafia Spies
Paramount+ [CreativeChaos vmg]
Outstanding Sound – Documentary
** WINNER: Earthsounds
Apple TV+ [Offspring Films]
Apollo 13: Survival
Netflix [Insight TWI Films, Fee Fie Foe]
Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic [Silverback Films]
Mammals
BBC America | BBC+ [BBC Studios National History Unit, France Televisions, ZDF]
Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough
Netflix [CBC, Sky, Humble Bee Films]
Outstanding Lighting Direction – Documentary
** WINNER: Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial
Netflix [Smuggler Entertainment, Third Eye Motion Picture Company]
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders
Netflix [Stardust Frames, Duplass Brothers Productions]
American Seams (POV Shorts)
PBS [LA Times Studios, Paper Hat Films, The Plains]
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey
Netflix [RadicalMedia, Third Eye Motion Picture Company]
Separated
MSNBC [NBC News Studios, Participant Media, A Fourth Floor, Moxie Pictures Production, MSNBC Films]
Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design – Documentary
** WINNER: You’re Being Lied To About Voter Fraud. Here’s the Truth. (The New York Times Opinion)
The New York Times [Sharp As Knives]
Apollo 13: Survival
Netflix [Insight TWI Films, Fee Fie Foe]
Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story
Prime Video [Amazon MGM Studios, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television]
Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial
Netflix [Smuggler Entertainment, Third Eye Motion Picture Company]
Separated
MSNBC [NBC News Studios, Participant Media, A Fourth Floor, Moxie Pictures Production, MSNBC Films]
This Is What a Nuclear Strike Would Feel Like (The New York Times Opinion)
The New York Times
Outstanding Promotional Announcement – Documentary
** WINNER: Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
National Geographic [Silverback Films, Silk Factory]
Blink
National Geographic [MRC, EYESTEELFILM, National Geographic Documentary Films, Fishbowl Films, Motive]
Brats
ABC News Studios | Hulu
The Grab
Apple TV+ | Google Play | Prime Video | Vimeo | Vudu | YouTube [Center for Investigative Reporting Studios, Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, Rocklin | Faust, Impact Partners]
Patrice: The Movie
ABC News Studios | Hulu
Tsunami: Race Against Time
National Geographic [Blast Films, Aspect]
Outstanding Regional Documentary
** WINNER: The Holly
Rocky Mountain Public Media
Angels Too Soon
WTTW / PBS
Desde Cero: The Migrant Journey in Chicago
WMAQ
OKC Thunder (STEPS)
Oklahoma City Thunder
A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps
Rocky Mountain Public Media
