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Program Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film

Prize Winners

2025 PRIZE WINNERS

  • Luis Valdez looking at papers
    credit: Elizabeth Sunflower / Retro Photo Archive

    “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” - WINNER

    Directed by David Alvarado

    From farm fields to Broadway, Luis Valdez transformed American theater during the turbulent 1960s and ’70s. This documentary chronicles how one man's visionary artistry illuminated the Mexican-American experience through powerful stagecraft and created landmark films, including “La Bamba,” that forever altered our national cultural landscape and collective identity as Americans.

  • Babe Ruth, Zeni, and Lou Gehrig standing together smiling
    credit: Nisei Baseball Research Project

    “Diamond Diplomacy” - RUNNER UP

    Directed by Yuriko Gamo Romer

    One hundred and fifty years ago, a bat and a ball forged a bond between two nations, inspiring such unexpected ambassadors as Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Masanori Murakami, Warren Cromartie and Ichiro Suzuki. “Diamond Diplomacy” reveals how the iconic American pastime lands in Japan, endures war and racism, and becomes Japan’s national pastime.

  • Barbara Jordan black & white headshot
    credit: Frank Wolfe

    “The Inquisitor” - FINALIST

    Directed by Angela Tucker

    “The Inquisitor” examines the life of Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, whose electrifying voice and moral clarity during President Richard Nixon's impeachment process captivated the nation. From the fifth ward of Houston to the halls of Congress, Jordan offers a compelling blueprint for navigating one of America’s most turbulent political chapters.

  • amputee vet in a wheelchair on stage addressing a crowd at Valley Forge September 7, 1971
    credit: Ed Gray

    “One More Mission” - FINALIST

    Directed by Edward Gray

    Soldiers who survive a war take on another risky mission. “One More Mission” tells the stories of some of the thousands of veterans of the U.S. war in Vietnam who joined together to try to convince their fellow Americans to stop it.

  • group of 6 african american vietnam soldiers standing and kneeling with their weapons
    credit: Jason Harper

    “Soul Patrol” - FINALIST

    Directed by J.M. Harper

    When Vietnam's first African American special operations long-range patrol team reunites after 50 years of silence, they embark on one final mission: bearing witness to their untold chapter of American history.

  • a politician and a worker shaking hands in front of a burning fire.
    credit: Josh Penn

    “The White House Effect” - FINALIST

    Directed by Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk and Pedro Kos

    Three decades ago, the world was poised to stop global warming. Using exclusively archival material, “The White House Effect” tells the origin story of the climate crisis and how a political battle in the George H.W. Bush administration changed the course of history.