FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Deborah Noe
The Center for American History
(512) 495-4369
dnoe@austin.utexas.edu
Center for American History co-sponsored documentary wins international 2007 Silver Hugo Television Award
AUSTIN, Texas – April 15, 2007 – “Last Best Hope: A True Story of Escape, Evasion, and Remembrance,” a PBS documentary film made possible in part by the Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin, recently received a Silver Award in the documentary film category at the 43rd annual Hugo Television Awards ceremony in Chicago.
“Last Best Hope” executive producers Ramona Kelly and David Grosvenor, at the 43rd annual Hugo Awards for Excellence in Television ceremony held recently in Chicago. The film won a Silver Hugo in the documentary/history category during the 2007 awards ceremony.
Producers of the film include three UT alumni: Ramona Kelly (BS 1977), David Grosvenor (BFA 1975), and Wilson Waggoner (BS 1995). Mat Hames, Waggoner’s partner in the Austin production company Alpheus Media, directed, wrote, and edited the film.
“Last Best Hope,” a co-production of KLRU-TV, premiered nationally on PBS on October 30, 2006. The film is an official selection of the Calgary International Film Festival, the Jackson Hole International Film Festival, the Dallas Video Festival, the Texas Independent Filmmakers Festival (Audience Choice Award), and Worldfest.
“This historically significant film tells the little-known story of the Belgian resistance in its efforts to harbor and repatriate American and other Allied airmen downed within the borders of occupied Belgium during the Second World War,” said Dr. Don Carleton, Director of the Center for American History. “The Center, whose mission is to sponsor and facilitate research in U. S. history, is pleased to have been instrumental in bringing to the public this World War II story of courage and sacrifice.”
Original footage shot for the film as well as documentation and photographs amassed during the film’s research phase will be archived at the Center for scholarly research purposes.
“The Hugo Television Award recognition is significant,” said KLRU-TV CEO Bill Stotesbery. “Last year’s Silver Hugos in this category were awarded to ‘No Direction Home: Bob Dylan,’ produced by WNET-TV in New York and ‘American Experience: Fidel Castro,’ produced by WGBH-TV in Boston. The film’s production value, powerful story, and use of 3-D motion graphics have yielded international recognition for a true labor of love that was six years in the making and funded entirely by grants and contributions.”
An original component of the annual Chicago International Film Festival, the Hugo Television Awards recognize outstanding productions that achieve both technical excellence and creativity.
More information about “Last Best Hope” is available on the Center for American History Web site at http://www.cah.utexas.edu. A trailer, photos and details about the film and the Belgian Resistance are posted on the film’s Web site at http://www.alpheusmedia.com/lastbesthope and on the PBS Web site at http://www.pbs.org/lastbesthope.
Contact Deborah Noe at the Center for American History, (512) 495-4369 or dnoe@austin.utexas.edu, for additional information.
