The Hot Docs Board of Directors is thrilled to announce that visionary Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck will be honoured with the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award at the upcoming Hot Docs Festival 2024, taking place April 25 to May 5 in Toronto.
"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."
Raoul Peck’s unparalleled contributions to the world of documentary filmmaking have garnered widespread acclaim and numerous accolades. His complex oeuvre 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). Peck's influence extends beyond his directorial achievements; he served as a member of the Berlinale jury in 2002 and of the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2012. In recognition of his unwavering commitment to human rights, Peck was honored with the Irene Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award by the Human Rights Watch Association in 2001.
In 2017, his documentary on writer James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro, garnered critical acclaim, 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. I Am Not Your Negro was co-produced with ARTE. Similarly, The Young Karl Marx, co-produced with Agat Films and presented at the Berlinale in 2018, showcases Peck's skill in bringing historical figures to life on the screen. Exterminate all the Brutes, a groundbreaking four-part mini-series produced for HBO, challenges the Euro-centric perspective of history and offers a counter-narrative. Co-produced with ARTE, the mini-series received widespread acclaim and was honoured with a Peabody Award in 2022. Peck's latest endeavor, Silver Dollar Road, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, further solidifying his status as a visionary filmmaker. 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.
Raoul Peck will be presented with the Award at a special ceremony during Hot Docs Festival 2024. The Festival will feature a handpicked selection of films curated by Peck, showcasing both a personal favorite and a work that has influenced him. Peck 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).