John E. O'Connor Film Award Recipients
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 honorific award seeks to recognize outstanding interpretations of history through the medium of film or video.
2016 O’Connor Film Award
Documentary: I Am Not Your Negro
Raoul Peck, director; Rémi Grellety and Hébert Peck, producers (Velvet Film)
I Am Not Your Negro is a stunning and eloquent portrayal of the life and words of African American writer James Baldwin. Instead of relying on the usual array of talking heads, the film has the rare ability to move audiences with the emotional power of its images and words. More importantly, I Am Not Your Negro reminds us how Baldwin’s critique of American society in the 1970s remains relevant to the racial injustices of today.
Dramatic Feature: Free State of Jones
Gary Ross, director; Jon Kilik and Scott Stuber, producers (Bluegrass Films, Larger Than Life Productions, Route One Entertainment, and Vendian Entertainment)
Free State of Jones tells the true story of Newton Knight’s transformative journey from Confederate soldier to leader of a group of white and black Mississippians who band together to form the Free State of Jones—counties in Mississippi that declared themselves independent from the Confederacy. The film explores the violence of the critical period from 1862 to the late 1870s and reveals the tragedy of a lost opportunity to achieve a true Reconstruction by recasting race and class relations in the South.