Documentary Emmy for ‘Last Men in Aleppo’

Firas Fayyad’s Oscar-nominated Syrian documentary Last Men in Aleppo (pictured below) picked up the award for Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in Manhattan yesterday. Fayyad’s film follows life in war-torn Aleppo at the height of the Syrian conflict, and in particular the lives of three White Helmets – the civilian volunteer force that tries to save lives during military strikes – as they debate whether to flee the country or stay and try to help. Fayyad posted on Facebook after the win: “I’m so humbled with this achievement, thanks for the Academy. I said in my speech this award is dedicated to the White Helmets volunteers who lost their lives for saving lives.” The documentary was one of seven wins on the night for PBS, America’s public broadcaster, the most of any network. PBS also had the most nominations with 45, 14 more than its nearest rival CBS. Second place was shared by CBS and cable giant HBO, which won six gongs each. Other awards included Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast, which was awarded to HBO’s Vice News Tonight’s coverage of deadly protests that erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia in August last year. CNN International captured a win with Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story in a Newscast for its coverage of the collapse of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The News and Documentary Emmys is a sister event to the PrimeTime Emmys, which recognises excellence in the world of news and documentary broadcasting.