TRT World bags three awards at New York Festivals TV & Film Awards

TRT World’s documentary programme ‘Off the Grid’ has received three awards at this year’s New York Festivals TV & Film Awards for its work on Syria, Sudan and Lebanon.

'Surviving Torture – Syria's Imprisoned Women' won the gold medal; 'Sudan's Soldiers of Misfortune' earned a bronze medal, and 'Lebanon, Between Two Evils', received a finalist certificate. 

‘Surviving Torture’ follows the journey of former Syrian women detainees as they try to rebuild their lives.

The Syrian regime’s brutal response to peaceful protests over a decade ago crushed lives and hopes. 

Many who spoke for freedom had ended up behind the bars. Tens of thousands were sent to Bashar al Assad’s infamous prisons, including women. Millions were forced to flee the country.

Beaten and tortured, many of the women died or disappeared.

Years after their release, some are still broken, while others are angry. They all want justice. The documentary talks about their journey.

The second 'Off the Grid' documentary - 'Sudan's Soldiers of Misfortune' - revisits Darfur, a region cut off from the world that still bears the scars of genocide.

Many residents of the volatile area have been looking for a better future elsewhere. This quest led some to the battlefields of Libya. Some were tricked. Others were trapped. All were forced to kill.

From Darfur to the capital Khartoum, the documentary uncovered ruthless recruiting networks and spoke to those who risked a terrifying escape to break free from a conflict that isn’t theirs.

The third documentary to have received an award, ‘Lebanon, Between Two Evils’, looks at the surge of violence in the country, fuelled by poverty.

Militias and sectarian leaders try to take advantage of the grim and explosive situation. So do criminal gangs. As a result, life is becoming harder by the day.

In 2018, the TRT World’s 'Off the Grid' was awarded with the DIG Investigative Medium format Award for its episode 'Silent Death on a Syrian Journey' – which exposes a booming illegal trade in the Middle East in organ trafficking.