Thursday, May 7, 2026

'Prime Minister' leads nominees for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards


Happy Throwback Thursday! As I wrote yesterday, I'm resuming my series on the News & Doc Emmy Awards. Today's topic is Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. One nominee stands out, Prime Minister with two nominations as the preview image shows, Best Documentary and Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. The rest of the field has only the one nomination for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary. On that basis, I'm declaring Prime Minister the favorite. Watch Prime Minister | Official Trailer | HBO.

“World leaders have rarely been captured with as much intimacy” - @variety

A rare and unfiltered portrait, #PrimeMinisterHBO chronicles the unexpected journey of Dame Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s 40th Prime Minister. Premieres September 30 on @hbomax.
I found Jacinda Ardern inspirational while she was Prime Minister during the pandemic, and I felt that way again watching this trailer.

Now for the nominees with just one nomination in roughly alphabetical order, beginning with Bodyguard of Lies | Official Trailer | Paramount+.

Bodyguard of Lies is the first unvarnished documentary on the Afghanistan War, exposing the falsehoods told to Americans and the secrets kept. The film reveals the staggering cost of deception: thousands of lives lost, trillions spent, and a truth buried for decades.
Watching that reminded me of what I wrote in Colbert and Meyers take closer looks at the Taliban taking over Afghanistan.
I expressed what a waste of time, money, and lives the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan was ten years ago in We could have had the Moon, instead we get Afghanistan. Seeing this collapse a decade later demonstrates that I wasn't disgusted enough at the squandering of blood and treasure in "the Graveyard of Empires" at the time.
It was even worse than I thought and the people in charge knew it.

Speaking of Afghanistan and "worse than I thought," I'm moving HOLLYWOODGATE - Official Trailer (2024) up to examine the aftermath.

Unprecedented and audacious, HOLLYWOODGATE is the riveting result of the year director Ibrahim Nash'at spent with the Taliban in the wake of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Risking his life in the war-torn nation, Nash'at is on the ground with the Taliban when they enter an American base loaded with a portion of the roughly $7 billion worth of U.S. armaments left behind. Driving towards an astonishing and chilling end, Nash'at tracks Taliban leaders as they attempt to transform from a fundamentalist militia into a modern military regime, employing Hollywood-style propaganda to achieve their goals.
That's depressing.

I moved The Dark Money Game | Official Trailer | HBO to get the two Afghanistan nominees together.

Money Changes Everything.

#TheDarkMoneyGame: Ohio Confidential & Wealth of the Wicked by Academy Award Winner Alex Gibney premieres Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16 at 9pm on @hbomax.
That's two nominated documentaries from Alex Gibney. The man is a powerhouse.

I close with The Making of a Japanese - Trailer (2023).

Which are the distinct attributes sculpting the Japanese identity? What makes you Japanese? In order to figure out the answers, the British Japanese filmmaker closely follows 1st and 6th graders for one year at a public elementary school in Tokyo, as well as their teachers, unveiling how teachers and students interact and shape one another. The outbreak of the pandemic and its restrictions constitute just another controlling measure. The kids in Japan are after all forged by their homeland's culture through a strictly defined education process which is in pursuit, with unwavering focus, of the appropriate equilibrium between individual progress and harmony of the society as a whole. Offering a unique hybrid perspective, the filmmaker critically examines a culture that is equally familiar to her as it is foreign, while she peruses the school environment in terms of an industrial production plant, in which the raw materials for processing are the students.
One of the points I make when I cover shows about government is that public education is government, too. I'm glad to see the News & Doc Emmy selection committee recognize this.

Now for Prime Minister's second category.


2000 Meters to Andriivka leads with six nominations, Turning Point: The Vietnam War follows with five nominations, Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time, Life After, and Love + War tie at four nominations, and Black Snow and Union tie at this one nomination. I had 2000 Meters to Andriivka penciled in to win this category because of its awards history, especially its wins at the DGA and WGA Awards, but seeing it lead this category, if not all nominees, in nominations inks that prediction in.

I'll probably examine Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time tomorrow. In the meantime, follow over the jump as I continue my retrospective of top posts about the Emmy Awards during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.


Normal social media promotion plus web search contributed to 'Rebel Ridge' leads Gold Derby odds to win Outstanding Television Movie at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards from August 14, 2025 132 default and 165 raw page views, ranking 20th by the former, 14th among entries posted during the month, and 18th overall according to the latter during August 2025. Heavy web traffic during September 2025 added to the 337 default and 503 page views by March 20, 2026 to end the blogging year in 15th by the former, 44th among entries posted during the year, and 63rd overall by the latter.


I shared 'Asia' and 'The Americas' lead nature documentaries at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards from July 23, 2025 at the movie and TV groups on MeWe, helping it earn 66 default and 70 raw page views to tie for 18th by the former and 32nd overall by the latter and rank 19th among entries posted during August 2025. High web traffic during September 2025 contributed to the entry ending the 15th year of the blog with 351 default and 502 raw page views to rank 14th overall by the former, 64th overall by the latter, and 45th among entries posted during the blogging year.


Heavy web traffic during September 2025 contributed to 'The Pitt' edges 'Severance' for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmy Awards from September 24, 2025 ending the blogging year with 500 raw page views to rank 46th among entries posted during the blogging year and 67th overall.


Heavy web traffic during September 2025 contributed to Gold Derby's predictions for title design and music at the Emmy Awards from August 31, 2025 ending the blogging year with 462 raw page views to rank 52nd among entries posted between March 21, 2025 and March 20, 2026 and tie for 74th overall.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for another installment on Flashback Friday.

Previous posts in this series Previous posts about the 57th News & Doc Emmy Awards Previous retrospectives about entertainment
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