Civil rights film wins Japan Prize Grand Prix

Thursday 27 Oct 2011
A film chronicling the road trip of 12 youths seeking to end racial discrimination in the American South, has won the Grand Prix of the 38th Japan Prize.

 The awards ceremony was held at the NHK Broadcasting Centre in Tokyo. 

American Experience: Freedom Riders by WGBH Educational Foundation (PBS) of the United States, was also awarded the President of NHK Prize and named Best Work in the Welfare Education Category. The programme featured the 12 black and white youths, whose act of riding a long-distance bus to the South in May 1961, helped to spur the American civil rights movement.

This year, the Japan Prize committee received 278 entries for its audiovisual division. NHK-Japan won a prize in the pre-school category for Found One! While DDI-India won a Special Prize for My Farm, My Classroom. The latter prize is given to an entry which excels at fostering literacy and education, contributing to the spread of basic education.

This year, Japan Prize received 313 entries from 61 countries and regions of which 59 entries were of digital content. Sixteen jury members from 14 countries and regions screened the entries.

Established by NHK in 1965, the Japan Prize aims to encourage better educational broadcasting for the next generation. It also acts as a forum for producers, broadcasters, and educators from around the world to discuss and exchange ideas.

The complete list of this year’s winners can be found here.