PB Film

Suzanne Niedland Documentary Award

Sponsored by Suzanne Niedland

Suzanne Niedland is a passionate storyteller and filmmaker, dedicated to capturing real-world stories that inspire, challenge, and illuminate. Through her work in documentary film, she brings attention to voices and experiences that might go unheard. As the sponsor of the Documentary Award, Suzanne champions emerging filmmakers, encouraging them to explore the power of truth, craft compelling narratives, and bring meaningful stories to life.

Students are encouraged to submit documentary films that focus on factual content. A documentary may be filmed in actual occurrence or incorporate partial reenactments, stock footage, still images, animation, stop-motion, or other techniques, provided the emphasis remains on fact rather than fiction. Works that are primarily promotional or instructional, as well as unfiltered recordings of performances, are not eligible. Only individual documentary works qualify; this excludes multi-part or limited series, episodes taken from larger series, segments from composite programs, alternate versions of ineligible works, and documentary shorts created by cutting down or repurposing completed, publicly exhibited feature-length documentaries.