Honors & Awards

• Winner, Documentary Peabody Award. Peabody Awards, 01/30/2020
• Winner, Best Current Affairs Documentary, Emmy Awards. National Association of Television Academy Sciences, 01/20/2020
• Nominee, Best Production (for Midnight Traveler). Cinema Eye Awards, 12/15/2019
• Nominee, Best Documentary, Midnight Traveler. IFP Gotham Awards, 12/02/2019
• Shortlist, Best Documentary, Midnight Traveler. International Documentary Association Awards, 11/01/2019
• Award of Excellence, Midnight Traveler. Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, 07/31/2019
• Centaur Prize for Best Full-Length Documentary Film & Fipresci Prize Midnight Traveler. Message to Man Festival, 07/31/2019
• LifeTales Award, International Competition, Midnight Traveler. Biografilm Festival, 06/30/2019
• Best World Documentary, Midnight Traveler. Cinetopia, 06/30/2019
• Honourable Mention, Midnight Traveler, Doxa Feature Documentary Award. 06/20/2019
• Best International Feature & Category Winner, Best of Fest, Midnight Traveler. Documentary Edge Festival, 05/31/2019
• Special Jury Prize, Midnight Traveler. DocAviv International Documentary Film Festival, 05/31/2019
• Audience Award for Best Feature Film & Special Jury Mention, International Competition, Midnight Traveler. DocumentaMadrid, 05/17/2019
• McBain Documentary Award, Midnight Traveler. San Francisco International Film Festival, 05/10/2019
• Audience Award, Midnight Traveler. Visions du Réel, 05/01/2019
• Best Editing, Midnight Traveler. Salem Film Festival, 04/30/2019
• Special Jury Award, Midnight Traveler. Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival , 04/22/2019
• Grand Jury Award, Midnight Traveler. Sheffield Doc/Fest, 04/19/2019
• Orr Award (for a woman in film). Thin Line Festival, 03/22/2019
• True Life Award, Midnight Traveler. True/False Film Festival, 02/21/2019
• Second Place, Panorama Audience Award; Special Mention, Panorama Ecumenical Jury Prize; Special Mention, Peace Prize, Midnight Traveler. Berlinale, 02/15/2019
• Special Jury Prize, Midnight Traveler. Sundance Film Festival, 02/09/2019

In the Media

• The Guardian, “The best movies of 2019 that you haven’t seen,” Monday Dec 30, 2019. 12/30/2019.
• The Boston Globe, “The 10 best documentaries of 2019,” by Peter Keogh, Dec 20, 2019. 12/20/2019.
• Daily Fix, “Review: Midnight Traveler,” by Jonathan W. Hickman, November 5th, 2019. 11/05/2019.
• Glitter & Doom, BRIC, October 21, 2019 (TV interview). 10/21/2019.
• Insight with Beth Ruyak, Capital Public Radio, Sacramento, October 21, 2019. 10/21/2019.
• Washington Post, “A filmmaker documents his family’s flight from the Taliban in the extraordinary ‘Midnight Traveler.’ By Vanessa Larson, Oct 15, 2019. 10/15/2019.
• “Film Producer Emelie Mahdavian discusses her award winning film ‘Midnight Traveler’,” KTVU (San Francisco Fox Affiliate), October 5, 2019. 10/05/2019.
• LA Times, “’Midnight Traveler’ uses cellphone cameras to make the refugee crisis personal and real,” by Kenneth Turan, Oct 3, 2019. 10/03/2019.
• Film Comment, “Short Takes: Midnight Traveler” by Kelli Weston, Sept/Oct 2019. 10/01/2019.
• The Frame, “A Family’s Perilous Journey in ‘Midnight Traveler’,” KPCC Radio, September 30th, 2019 (Radio Interview). 09/30/2019.
• All Things Considered, “A Refugee Family is Behind the Camera in ‘Midnight Traveler’ Documentary,” NPR, Sept 28, 2019 (Radio Interview). 09/28/2019.
• The Guardian, “Midnight Traveler: a powerful refugee documentary filmed on a phone” by Adrian Horton, September 25, 2019. 09/25/2019.
• Now This, “Inside This Family's Escape From the Taliban,” September 22, 2019 (video interview). 09/22/2019.
• Film-Forward, “Midnight Traveler” by Benjamin Tran, September 20, 2019. 09/20/2019.
• Rogerebert.com, “Midnight Traveler” by Christy Lemire, September 18, 2019. 09/18/2019.
• The New York Times,“‘Midnight Traveler’ Review: A Refugee Family’s Search for Safe Harbor” by Manohla Dargis, Sept 17, 2019. 09/17/2019.
• The New Yorker, “Midnight Traveler” Expands the Narrative of the Refugee Documentary” by Doreen St. Felix, September 17, 2019 . 09/17/2019.
• Slant Magazine, “Review: Midnight Traveler Is a Harrowing Document of a Family’s Escape” by Pat Brown, September 16, 2019. 09/16/2019.
• Forbes, “In ‘Midnight Traveler’ One Refugee Family Documents Their ‘Journey To The Edge Of Hell’” by David Alm, September 11, 2019. 09/11/2019.
• Your Call with Rose Aguilar, “Capturing the stories of refugees from Africa and the Middle East through film,” KALX, April 17, 2019 (Radio Interview). 04/17/2019.
• Global Journalist, “’Midnight Traveler’ spotlights Odyssey for Asylum Seekers,” KBIA, March 28, 2019 (TV interview). 03/28/2019.
• Variety, “Film Review: Midnight Traveler,” Scott Tobias, March 21, 2019. 03/21/2019.
• The True/False Podcast, “The Journey with Emelie Mahdavian,” KBIA, Allison Coffelt, Feb 28, 2019. 02/28/2019.
• American Cinematographer, “Park City Standouts,” Pat Thomson, Feb 21, 2019. 02/21/2019.
• Cineuropa, “Review: Midnight Traveler” by Kaleem Aftab, February 9, 2019. 02/09/2019.
• No Film School, “’Midnight Traveler': How Three Cellphones Documented a Harrowing Journey” by Erik Luers, February 4, 2019. 02/04/2019.
• KPCW Radio-Daily Buzz, John Wildman, January 31, 2019. 01/31/2019.
• Docs/Ology, “Midnight Traveler,” by Elijah Davidson, Jan 30, 2019. 01/30/2019.
• The Playlist “’Midnight Traveler’: Refugees Reclaim Their Story in Harrowing Documentary,” Gary Garrison Jan 28, 2019 . 01/28/2019.
• Eye for Film / Sunday Mail, “Midnight Traveler,” Amber Wilkinson (UK), Jan 28, 2019. 01/28/2019.
• Hyperallergic, “In Midnight Traveler, a Refugee Family Documents Their Journeys,” Dan Schindel, Jan 28, 2019 . 01/28/2019.
• Screen International, “Midnight Traveler: Sundance Review,” Wendy Ide Jan 27, 2019. 01/27/2019.
• Park City TV, Diego Romo, Sundance Film Festival 2019. 01/27/2019.
• Solzy at the Movies, “Midnight Traveler,” Danielle Solzman, Jan 27, 2019 . 01/27/2019.
• The Hollywood Reporter, “Midnight Traveler Review,” Caryn James, Jan 27, 2019. 01/27/2019.
• Hammer to Nail / Film Festival Today, “Midnight Traveler,” Christopher Llewellyn Reed, Jan 27, 2019 . 01/27/2019.
• KPCW Radio, “Sundance Reel Weekend,” David D’Arcy and Rick Brough, January 26, 2019. 01/26/2019.