Visionary Raoul Peck will be honoured with the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award, The Hot Docs Board of Directors announced. at the upcoming Hot Docs Festival 2024, taking place April 25 to May 5 in Toronto.
Peck will be presented with the Award at a special ceremony during Hot Docs Festival 2024.
“It is a great pleasure to present Raoul Peck with the Outstanding Achievement Award at our forthcoming Festival” remarked Marie Nelson, President of Hot Docs. “Mr. Peck’s astounding body of work embodies the very essence of documentary filmmaking: bold, impactful, advocating for social change, inspiring action, fostering vital conversations, and so much more. It is our honour to celebrate his fearless voice and significant contributions to our industry.”
Having garnered widespread acclaim and numerous accolades, Raoul Peck’s unparalleled contributions to the world of documentary filmmaking includes the films The Man by the Shore (Competition, Cannes Film Festival 1993); Lumumba (Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival 2000); Sometimes in April (Competition, Berlinale 2005); Moloch Tropical (Toronto International Film Festival 2009, Berlinale 2010) and Murder in Pacot (Toronto International Film Festival 2014, Berlinale 2015).
Having served as a member of the Berlinale jury in 2002 and of the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2012, Peck’s influence extends beyond his directorial achievements.
The Human Rights Watch Association in 2001 honored Peck with the Irene Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his unwavering commitment to human rights.
His documentary on writer James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro, garnered critical acclaim in 2017, earning an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, and winning the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and the Berlinale. The following year, the film received the BAFTA and the Cesar for Best Documentary.
Co-produced with ARTE, I Am Not Your Negro and similarly, The Young Karl Marx, co-produced with Agat Films and presented at the Berlinale in 2018, showcased Peck’s skill in bringing historical figures to life on the screen.
A groundbreaking four-part mini-series produced for HBO, and co-produced with ARTE, Exterminate all the Brutes challenges the Euro-centric perspective of history and offers a counter-narrative and received widespread acclaim and was honoured with a Peabody Award in 2022.
Peck’s status as a visionary was further solidified by his latest endeavor, Silver Dollar Road, which premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
Founded in 1989, Peck’s company, Velvet Film, operates across the United States, France, and Haiti, serving as the production hub for all his documentaries, feature films, and television dramas.
Featuinge a handpicked selection of films curated by Peck, showcasing both a personal favorite and a work that has influenced him, he will be in attendance at the Festival, engaging in Q&A sessions following the screenings of his films.
Past recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award include Christine Choy (2023), Anand Patwardhan (2022), Stanley Nelson (2020), Julie Reichert (2019), Barbara Kopple (2018), Tony Palmer (2017), Steve James (2016), Patricio Guzmán (2015), Adam Curtis (2014), Les Blank (2013), Michel Brault (2012), Terence Macartney-Filgate (2011), Kim Longinotto (2010), Alanis Obomsawin (2009), Richard Leacock (2008), Heddy Honigmann (2007), Werner Herzog (2006), Errol Morris (2005), Michael Maclear (2004), Nick Broomfield (2003), Frederick Wiseman (2002), D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (2000) and Albert Maysles (1999).
