Emmy Honors for At the Heart of Gold

(ATR) The documentary produced on the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal wins a prestigious Emmy award.

At the Heart of Gold is one of six programs selected for the 13th Television Academy Honors. The awards recognize exceptional television programs "that are impacting society through thoughtful, powerful, and innovative storytelling".

Produced by Sidewinder Films and HBO Documentary Films, the film reveals the trauma and guile that mark the two-decade span of crimes of Dr. Larry Nassar, the former team physician for USA Gymnastics.

"The programs chosen this year represent a diverse spectrum of important issues, including women's rights, mental health, substance abuse and addiction, sexual abuse, race relations, and gender discrimination, says the Academy.

"We are traveling in distinguished company," says Dr. Steven Ungerleider, one of the producers of the film.

"Since it was released in 2019, we are told that it has been seen by more than 4 million viewers domesticallyand 1.8 million internationally," says Ungerleider about the HBO audience for the film.

He says that since it’s premier, At the Heart of Gold has become the centerpiece for a series of screenings at more than two dozen US college campuses. He says that includes Michigan State University, where Nassar was on the staff of the athletics department.

"The life after HBO has been a powerful one," says Ungerleider.

The corona virus pandemic, as it has with nearly all aspects of life in the year 2020, has forced the Television Academy to forgo an award ceremony that had been planned this month. So too, for the campus presentations, as well as efforts to bring the message of the film to international audiences.

"I think god willing when the pandemic is over we will resume the screenings," says Ungerleider.

He and production partner David Ulich were nominated for an Emmy in 2017 for their short documentary Munich ’72 and Beyond.

They are co-founders of Sidewinder Films, part of the Foundation for Global Sports Development. The foundation supports initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the physical and developmental benefits of sports for youth around the world. GSD is a sponsor of Around the Rings.

Reported by Ed Hula.