'Flint' and 'Jane' win environmental movies of the year at 2018 EMA Awards

Before I return to the Emmy Awards, I am catching up on the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Awards for film and television, which were held on May 23, 2018.  I'm late, but not as late as last year, when I wrote about them in December.  Progress!

Here are the nominees  and winners of the 2018 EMA Awards.

Feature Film
Ferdinand (20th Century Fox)
Downsizing (Paramount Pictures)
Flint (Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime) -WINNER
Geostorm (Warner Bros. Pictures, Skydance, and Electric Entertainment)

I'm encouraged that the EMA found four feature films to nominate; last year, they nominated only two, "Moana" and "Okja."  I am also encouraged that I mentioned all of them already while covering other awards shows.  I listed "Ferdinand" among the top animated films on National Science Fiction Day and noted its nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, PGA Awards and Oscars, so it was a quality nominee.  "Downsizing" turned out to be a box office disappointment, which I thought was a shame, as the movie had a serious environmental message.  I'm glad the EMA nominated it.  I think the EMA was scraping the bottom of the barrel to nominate "Geostorm."  I thought it should have been nominated for a Razzie or two.  Still, I suppose it had a serious environmental message buried under all the bad science.

As for the winner, I listed "Flint" among the nominees at the 2018 Critics' Choice Television Awards but did not comment on it.  When I reported the WGA Award winners, I realized what I was missing, writing "'American Horror Story: Cult' was the sole speculative fiction in Long Form Original, but lost to 'Flint.'  Hey, that's a show I should blog about!"  Yes, I still should.  Instead, I'll congratulate the TV movie on its EMA Award and NAACP Image Award for Queen Latifah and note that it's nominated for an Emmy Award as Outstanding Made for Television Movie.  I'll give it the blog entry it deserves when I write about that category.

Documentary Film
Third Industrial Revolution (Viceland)
Jane (National Geographic)-WINNER
Ghost of The Mountains (Disneynature)
Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution (HBO Documentary Films and The Redford Center)

I wrote an entire entry about "Jane" being the best documentary not nominated at the 2018 Oscars, so of course I'm thrilled that it won this honor.  It deserved it, especially against the relatively obscure competition it had.  Just the same, I now have more movies I can recommend to my students as extra credit films they can watch.  As for "Jane," I predicted that "both 'Jane' and 'Abacus' will be eligible for News and Documentary Emmy Awards this fall, where they will be favored in their categories."  Both are nominated for those awards, so I will write more about them in the near future.  In the meantime, congratulations!

Follow over the jump for the television winners and a video of the awards ceremony.

Television Episodic Drama
The Blacklist - "The Invisible Hand" (Sony Pictures/NBCUniversal) -WINNER
Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams - "Crazy Diamond" (Sony Pictures/Channel 4 and Amazon)
Famous In Love - "La La Locked" (Warner Horizon Scripted Television/Freeform)

The speculative fiction nominee was "Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams," which I listed among the Best New Media Television Series at the Saturn Awards.  If I had known about it, I'd have rooted for it to win.  Instead, I get to write about it in a future entry, as it is nominated for two Emmy Awards, including one for this episode.  I listed "Famous In Love" among the television nominees at the 2018 Teen Choice Awards and 2017 Teen Choice Awards, but I admit the name didn't even register.  I'm surprised it had a serious message beyond the price of fame.  As for the winner, "The Blacklist" was nominated last yar, so I shouldn't have been surprised at its winning.  That's what happen when I have known about "The Blacklist" since it debuted five years ago, but have never watched it.  Maybe I should start.

Reality Television
VICE: Dirty Oil & Rebuilding our Reefs - "Ep 78" (HBO) -WINNER
Caribbean Pirate Treasure - "Ship Sinker: Lighthouse Reef in Belize" (Travel Channel)
StarTalk Neil deGrasse Tyson (National Geographic)

I'd have rooted for "StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson," as it was nominated for an Emmy last year and again this year.  It lost to "Vice," which it is competing against for Outstanding Informational Series or Special this year, just as it was last year.  I'll be writing about both later, espeically "Vice," which also has nine News and Documentary Emmy nominations.  In the meantime, congratulations to "Vice."

As for "Caribbean Pirate Treasure," it should just feel lucky to be nominated.  I expected an episode of "Bill Nye Saves The World" to have been nominated instead.  After all, it's nominated for another Emmy Award this year and Bill Nye was present for the ceremony.  The Hollywood Reporter quoted him at length.

Jenna Dewan, Jaden Smith and Bill Nye were all present at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills on Tuesday night for the Environmental Media Association Awards, spotlighting the sense of urgency over the hard work that needs to be done to protect the environment.

Both of Nye’s parents were World War II veterans, and he told The Hollywood Reporter that America needs to rediscover that sense of unified national purpose if we are ever going to solve our environmental problems. “Everybody from either side of the aisle, from any background, from any ancestry, everybody worked together to resolve this global conflict and so we can do this everybody. Let’s be optimistic. Let’s get it done,” he said.

Well said, Mr. Nye, well said.

Television Episodic Comedy
The Good Place - "Somewhere Else" (NBCUniversal)
Adam Ruins Everything - "Adam Ruins The Suburbs" (TruTV) -WINNER
American Housewife - "Back to School" (ABC Studios)

The speculative fiction entry was The Good Place and this particular episode was one in which Kristen Bell's character Eleanor Shellstrop returns from the afterlife and becomes an environmental activist, so I can see why it was nominated.  While it didn't win, it is nominated for two Emmys, so I'll write about it again.  I did mention "American Housewife" in Speculative fiction on television at the People's Choice Awards 2017, part 1, where it competed against "The Good Place" for Favorite New TV Comedy (both lost to "Man with a Plan"), so it's not completely unknown to me as a blogger.  On the other hand, this is the first time I've mentioned "Adam Ruins the World" here, so congratulations to the show for winning and to the EMA Awards for making me blog about it.  Now I'll have to watch the show and blog about it.

Children's Television
Ready Jet Go! - "Back To Bortron 7" (PBS Kids)
Cyberchase - "Back to Canalia's Future" (PBS Kids) -WINNER
Sesame Street - "The Helpful Cloud" (HBO)

I don't have grandchildren, so I wouldn't watch any of these shows.  If I did, I'd be rooting for "Sesame Street," which won last year for "The Recycling Fairy."  I hadn't heard of either "Ready Jet Go!" or "Cyberchase," but the former is a science program and the latter has earned multiple Daytime Emmy nominations and one Daytime Emmy, so I'm glad EMA helped make my acquaintance with them.  Now that I know about them, I might start writing about the Daytime Emmy Awards.

Finally, here is The 2018 Environmental Media Awards - Full show for my readers' enjoyment and edification.

Each year in Los Angeles, the EMA Awards recognize projects in media that, through their narrative, bring attention to environmental issues and solutions. The 2018 EMA Awards feature an impressive lineup of movies, TV shows, and documentaries, all worth our attention. Hosted by EMA Board Member Amber Valletta. Toyota presents the EMA Awards.

Next year's awards will be give out on May 30, 2019.  Here's to my covering the ceremony on the first Sunday in June, when doing so would be timely!