The Edge of Democracy / Democracia em Vertigem by Brazilian director Petra Costa was announced today as a winner of the George Foster Peabody Awards in the Documentary category. In a statement, the jury said that “Telling the epic tragedy of what happened in Brazil, from Lula to Bolsonaro, this film from director Petra Costa commandingly and chillingly shows how precarious a democracy can be. For a fascinating examination of contemporary Brazilian politics with warnings of the fragile nature of democracy worldwide, The Edge of Democracy receives a Peabody.”
A cautionary tale for a time when many global democracies are in crisis—the personal and political fuse in The Edge of Democracy to explore one of the most dramatic periods in Brazilian history. Combining unprecedented access to leaders past and present, including Presidents Dilma Rousseff and Lula da Silva, with accounts of her own family’s complex past, filmmaker Costa witnesses their rise and fall and the tragically polarized nation that remains.
The Peabody Award, named after the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and online media. The Peabodys are awarded by a panel of nineteen jurors appointed by the University of Georgia. In lieu of an awards ceremony, this year’s winners were announced via press release.
