Nominees for the 40th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards have been announced and many congratulations to “Lifeboat” on its Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary nomination. Director (and Oregonian) Skye Fitzgerald, (now based in Portland but grew up in Eastern Oregon) has an impressive collection of documentaries under his belt, including, “Lifeboat.” The film documents North African migrants trying to make it across the Mediterranean sea to safety. “Lifeboat” was nominated for an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category 2018. The documentary already has number of impressive wins and honors at other festivals around the world. Produced by Bryn Mooser, Excutive Produced by Hayley Pappas, Edited by Dan Sadowsky, DP, Kenny Allen and scored by William Campbell.
Skye describes “Lifeboat’s” synopsis on SpinFilm’s information page, “In 2015 our team produced 50 Feet from Syria – focused on the civilian impact of the Syrian conflict. This was the first of a triad of films focused on one of the great humanitarian crises of our time – the plight of refugees in a global and interconnected world.
In a political environment increasingly hostile to immigrants and refugees, documenting the real-life plight of those fleeing war and oppression is more vital and important than ever.
LIFEBOAT bears witness to refugees desperate enough to risk their lives in rubber boats leaving Libya in the middle of the night, despite a high probability of drowning. With few resources but certain that civil society must intervene, volunteers from a German non-profit risk the waves of the Mediterranean to pluck refugees from sinking rafts.
In a real-life context with dire consequences, LIFEBOAT puts a human face on one of the world’s greatest contemporary, global crises and provides a spark of hope surrounding how civil society can intervene in the refugee crisis in a meaningful way.”
