Documentary
Truth wins the reel war as While We Watched bags Harvard’s top doc prize
MUMBAI: Lights, camera, resistance Vinay Shukla’s While We Watched is still making noise, and this time, on the hallowed grounds of Harvard. The searing documentary, which follows acclaimed journalist Ravish Kumar through the stormy corridors of a crumbling newsroom, has just clinched the 100,000 dollars Grand Prize at the inaugural Henry Awards for Public Interest Documentary.
Hosted by the Shorenstein Center at Harvard Kennedy School, the Henry Awards honour nonfiction storytelling that champions the public good with rigour and cinematic flair. While We Watched, a portrait of one man’s fight for journalistic integrity in the face of a fake news deluge, dwindling ratings, and institutional pressure struck a raw nerve with the jury.
The 2025 Henry Awards Jury comprising Ra’anan Alexandrowicz, Mandy Chang, Petra Costa, Ron Nixon and Michèle Stephenson released the following statement about the winner of Grand Prize “While we watched is an exceptional cautionary tale that takes an unflinching look at the State’s violent crackdown on freedom of expression through the experience of a journalist who dares to defend his integrity. Ravish Kumar is an unforgettable character. His specific story manages to instantly transcend its locality and become a real time documentation of the attack against the free press. The film is a brave effort by the filmmakers that should serve as a warning to us all.”
Sharing his joy Vinay Shukla says, “It’s an incredible honour to receive the Henry Grand Prize especially from an institution like Harvard, which has long stood for intellectual rigour, public service, and the pursuit of truth. While We Watched is a deeply personal film not just about one journalist, but about what it means to hold on to your values when everything around you is shifting. We made this film against impossible odds: with no money, partners dropping out mid-production, and constant uncertainty about its future. To see it capture the zeitgeist the way it has over the past few years has been truly heartening. The film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, and here I am in 2025 – still accepting awards for it. The prize money is the same as *Kaun Banega Crorepati*, so honestly, I feel like I’ve just won KBC – which is quite something, considering I wasn’t the smart sibling.”
Directed by Vinay Shukla and produced by Luke W Moody and Khushboo Ranka, the film had already made waves when it premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, bagging the Amplify Voices Award. But three years later, it’s still very much in the limelight garnering critical acclaim and now, a cash prize on par with winning Kaun Banega Crorepati.
A haunting meditation on modern journalism, While We Watched isn’t just a love letter to press freedom, it’s a sharp reminder of what’s at stake when truth becomes a casualty. And as long as voices like Ravish Kumar’s continue to echo through frames like Shukla’s, the battle is far from over.
Documentary
Netflix and Warner Music ink landmark documentary deal
The streaming giant has just unlocked one of the richest vaults in music history. Its rivals should be worried
CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK: Netflix and Warner Music Group have signed an exclusive multi-year deal to produce documentary series and films drawn from the label’s storied artist roster, the companies announced on Friday — a move that hands the streaming platform access to one of the most formidable catalogues in music history.
Warner Music Group represents legends including David Bowie, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell, alongside contemporary superstars such as Charli XCX, Coldplay and Bruno Mars. That is a staggering breadth of material for a platform hungry for prestige content and subscriber growth to match.
Under the agreement, Warner Music will work with Unigram, the production company aligned with the label, which will serve as the studio for its long-form projects. Each title will be developed in collaboration with the artists themselves or their estates, ensuring the kind of intimate access that turns a documentary into an event.
The deal reflects an intensifying race between music-rights owners and streaming platforms eager to turn deep catalogues into premium visual content. Music documentaries have become a vehicle for fan-driven, culturally resonant programming — a trend underscored by Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” film, which grossed over $260 million globally and reminded every platform chief just how lucrative the genre can be.
Netflix already boasts formidable credentials in music storytelling, with “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” and “Quincy” among its highest-profile releases. The Warner deal sharpens that edge considerably. Rival platforms have not been idle: Disney+ has released “The Beach Boys”, while Max has drawn attention with “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.” Apple Music, meanwhile, has pushed into original content through its Apple Music Live series, producing documentaries and livestreamed concerts featuring Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
The battle for music’s visual soul, then, is well and truly on. Netflix has just made its boldest move yet.
