The Peabody Awards spotlight excellent work that endures. This year’s winners continue that legacy, highlighting stories that cut through the noise with purpose. Amplifying Peabody’s mission, the selected projects reflect the pressing social issues of our time while shining a spotlight on bold, singular voices.
We’re proud to see a remarkable group of Sundance Institute–supported projects among this year’s nominees and honorees, spanning titles developed through our labs and works that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The winning slate includes the Oscar-winning Mr. Nobody Against Putin, No Other Land, Pee-wee as Himself, SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), and more.
From deeply personal portraits to films that examine political and cultural realities, these documentaries embody the kind of storytelling that informs and moves audiences. Join us in celebrating the artists behind these works and the impact they continue to make.
Come See Me in the Good Light — 2025 Sundance Film Festival, winner of the Festival Favorite Award
Logline: Two poets, one incurable cancer diagnosis. Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley go on an unexpectedly funny and poignant journey through love, life, and mortality.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin — 2025 Sundance Film Festival, winner of a World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award
Logline: As Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, primary schools across Russia’s hinterlands are transformed into recruitment stages for the war. Facing the ethical dilemma of working in a system defined by propaganda and violence, a brave teacher goes undercover to film what’s really happening in his own school.
No Other Land — Supported by Sundance Institute’s 2021 Documentary Fund and the 2023 Documentary Edit and Story Lab
Logline: For ten years, Basel, a young Palestinian activist, has been filming homes in his community being destroyed by Israeli soldiers. During the darkest period of his life, in face of mass eviction of his community, he develops an unlikely, intimate relationship with a similarly aged Israeli journalist who joins his struggle.
Pee-wee as Himself — 2025 Sundance Film Festival
Logline: Pee-wee as Himself explores the complex life of Paul Reubens, known as Pee-wee Herman, highlighting his artistic influences and the backlash he faced, particularly after his 1991 arrest.
SLY LIVES! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) — 2025 Sundance Film Festival
Logline: An examination of the life and legacy of Sly & The Family Stone — the groundbreaking band led by the charismatic and enigmatic Sly Stone — captures the band’s rise, reign, and subsequent fadeout while shedding light on the unseen burden that comes with success for Black artists in America.
The Alabama Solution — 2025 Sundance Film Festival
Logline: Incarcerated men defy the odds to expose a cover-up in one of America’s deadliest prison systems.
