News and Awards
Our feature-length documentaries and short films have been selected for dozens of film festivals, earning numerous awards, with many distributed nationally on PBS.
February 2026
Automata for the People was honored with a 2025 Nashville/Midsouth Emmy® Award in the Magazine Program category as part of the My Home, NC series. The story profiles North Carolina artist Tom Haney and his automata kinetic sculptures that use mechanical movement to bring imaginative scenes to life. The series was executive-produced and hosted by Heather Burgiss.
2025 Nashville/Midsouth Emmy® Recipient: My Home, NC, PBS North Carolina
- Heather Burgiss – Executive Producer/Host
- Emily Frachtling – Producer
- Cliff Bumgardner – Producer
- Michael O’Connell – Producer
- Sadie Maddock – Producer
- Brooks Bennett – Producer
- Miriam McSpadden – Producer
- Matthew Chenet – Producer
- Jonathan Steve Duran Arriola – Producer
- Forrest Mason – Producer
- Max Feliu Merce – Producer
February 2026
Haw River Films will return to Greenville to document the Wilderness Sled Dog Race, set against the majestic backdrop of the Moosehead Lake region and the working wilds of the northern Maine woods. Filming will take place throughout race weekend, February 7–8.
February 2026
Automata for the People is nominated for Magazine Program in the 40th Annual Midsouth Emmy Awards.
February 2024
George H. White: Searching for Freedom premieres nationally on PBS through the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), with broadcast and streaming distribution running through January 2027.
The documentary screened at the Long Leaf Film Festival and the Carrboro Film Festival, among others, and aired on PBS stations nationwide. It was recognized with a 37th Midsouth Regional Emmy Award nomination.
February 2024
Lillium Exum Clement wins in the 38th Annual Midsouth Emmy Awards.
February 2020
Catawbans is nominated for Cultural Documentary in the 34th Annual Midsouth Emmy Awards.
January 2018
The Courthouse is nominated for Historical Documentary in the 32nd Annual Midsouth Emmy Awards.
May 2017
The Courthouse wins the Tar Heel Tie-In at the the North Carolina Museum of History Longleaf Film Festival.
January 2017
Childe Hassam and The Isle of Shoals is nominated for Cultural Documentary in the 31st Annual Midsouth Emmy Awards.
March 2012
Bimblebox premieres in Brisbane, Queensland, boosting support for the local battle against the coal industry.
May 2008
North Carolina State representative Pricey Harrison introduced legislation (H2709) to outlaw the use of mountaintop removal coal from North Carolina coal burning power plants. On March 3, 2009, Harrison reintroduced the Appalachian Mountains Preservation Act. This year she was joined by similar legislation introduced in five southeastern States.
July 2008
Al Gore presents the Reel Current Award to Mountain Top Removal at the Nashville Film Festival.
February 2008
Mountain Top Removal premieres at the 2007 Indie Grits Film Festival and receives the True Grit Runner-Up Award, screening at dozens of additional festivals across North America, Europe and Asia before being distributed internationally by OPTL.
Awards:
- Reel Current Award, Nashville Film Festival (selected by Al Gore)
- Best Documentary, Charlotte Film Festival
- Jury Award, Wild & Scenic Festival
- Best Feature Documentary, Woods Hole Film Festival
February 2003
GrassRoots Stages, my first independent documentary, is distributed via NETA, airing nationally on PBS in more than 50% of U.S. television markets. This musicalmentary explores the world of the 2004 Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance and the DIY culture that helped shape a vibrant grassroots music community.
September 2001
AMA-ZONE: The Rainforest Project wins a Great Lakes Emmy Award. (Videographer and Director: Michael Cusack O’Connell, WNEO-WEAO)
January 2001
Watch My Play wins Outstanding Achievement In Sports Program, Post Produced, at the 15th Annual MidSouth Regional Emmy Awards. (Videographer: Michael Cusack O’Connell)
Haw River Films 