John E. O'Connor Film Award
The submission deadline has passed. Awardees are announced in the fall, and the next contest will begin in the spring.
In recognition of his exceptional role as a pioneer in both teaching and research regarding film and history, the American Historical Association has established this award in honor of John E. O’Connor, New Jersey Institute of Technology. The award seeks to recognize outstanding interpretations of history through the medium of film or video and may be given in each of two categories: Dramatic Feature and Documentary.
The award is honorific. Award winners will be screened at the AHA's annual meeting, if appropriate permissions can be obtained. One person associated with each winning film will be invited to host the screening. See the list of past recipients.
Criteria for Assessment
- Stimulation of Interest in History: The production should arouse interest in the past and encourage viewers to ask questions about historical interpretations.
- Imaginative Use of the Media: The production should provide a unique perspective on the past through compelling use of aural and visual techniques and narrative structure. Successful nominees may take a wide variety of approaches to the past, including innovative presentational approaches beyond the traditional linear narrative.
- Effective Presentation of Historical Subject: The production should communicate its subject in ways that engage and enlighten viewers and encourage them to seek additional insights through reading and other media. It should be informed by trends in recent historical scholarship and make a contribution, in its own right, to the public’s understanding of and appreciation for history.
Eligibility Requirements
- Dramatic feature and documentary films and videos (including web-based) will be considered for the award.
- Films or videos must be in English or have English-language subtitles or dubbing.
- Films or videos must have been copyrighted or first screened or broadcast in 2021 to be eligible for the 2022 award.
- Films and videos should be no longer than feature length. If the nomination is for a series, then one episode only shall be nominated and considered by the prize committee. If that episode is determined to win the prize in either Documentary or Dramatic Feature categories, then the prize will be awarded to that episode only. The series as a whole to which the episode belongs shall be acknowledged in the award announcement.
Nominating Procedures
- Complete the nomination form below by May 15. The committee may seek nominations or receive nominations from filmmakers, film critics, and the general public. The AHA will also solicit nominations through discussion on the AHA Member Forum.
- Include any instructions for accessing the film in a free and universally accessible online streaming format. If a streaming option is unavailable, please contact the prize administrator to arrange for submissions in DVD format. Any submissions in DVD format will not be returned.
- The review committee will only consider a film for which a screening copy can be obtained free of charge.
- Nominations must specify the category—Documentary or Dramatic Feature—for which the film should be considered.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2022, to be eligible for the 2022 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2022 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2023 AHA annual meeting in Philadelphia.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
This year's submission deadline has passed.
The review committee contact information and prize submission form for the next competition will be posted by March 1 for submissions due May 15.
2020 O’Connor Film Awards
Documentary: Killing Patient Zero
Laurie Lynd, writer and director, and Corey Russell, producer (Fadoo Productions)
This engrossing documentary unfolds as a series of discoveries rather than a pre-shaped narrative. The film interrogates the widely circulated fiction that a single “patient zero” spread AIDS across the United States. With interviews of people who knew him and who lived through the horrors of the early years of AIDS, Killing Patient Zero demonstrates the power of oral history to show people in their full human complexity, explore different points of view, and debunk historical myths. Interweaving individual stories with broader historical themes, the film shows the importance of using historical research to evaluate and revise misleading narratives.
Dramatic Feature: Harriet
Kasi Lemmons, co-writer and director, and Debra Martin Chase, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, and Gregory Allen Howard, producers (Perfect World Pictures)
Based on the true historical figure, this beautiful and timely film tells the story of Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and then repeatedly returned alone to the dangerous territory dominated by slave-owners to free scores more people from bondage. In sharp contrast to the narrative arcs of many feature films about African American history, Harriet centers black and female agency. It presents Harriet Tubman as a courageous, intelligent, and compassionate woman with undisguised vulnerabilities. Through skillful acting and vivid sets and costumes, the film conveys complex issues regarding race, gender, class, and religion, all of which resonate with the present.