We are proud to invite you to join us virtually on October 26th,  2021 for the third annual Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film Ceremony. 

We live in a historic moment.  Historical awareness is more crucial than ever - and documentary films are critical to our ability to understand both the past and today.

Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine captured the essence of our work when they explained what motivated them to endow this prize, “Our democracy is enriched when filmmakers share with us stories of our collective past, providing us with a range of viewpoints and a complex understanding of the events that have contributed to who we are today.”

With the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film Ceremony we also celebrate the rich, fruitful relationship between filmmakers - and all storytellers - and the archivists who work so diligently to preserve our history.   History documentary filmmakers rely on the Library of Congress as a central resource for their artform, finding both inspiration and a medium in its collections, preservation projects, and troves of music, film, and photography.

We live in a complicated time.  But, we are fortunate that the Library of Congress under Dr. Hayden’s leadership has invested our nation’s resources and experts into the preservation of American photographs, films, sound recordings, and documents. These materials are available to everyone - including new generations of young filmmakers who we also recognize this evening through the Next Generation Angels Awards, a partnership with The Better Angels Society and National History Day, which highlights the work of middle and high school-age filmmakers.
We applaud the winners, as well as all filmmakers around the country who are digging into our country’s archives to uncover new stories that help us appreciate our past and navigate our future.

Carla Hayden                           Ken Burns