- BYU
College of Fine Arts and Communications Communications Alumni & Friends Department News 2008 News Two COMMS Alum Receive Gracie Awards ®
Lindsey Blumell Jurdana’s film “An Off-Court Story: The Life of Kresimir Cosic” won for Outstanding Portrait/Biography and Outstanding Documentary—Mid-length Format. The piece, produced by Jurdana while attending BYU, tells the story of the Croatian basketball player and his life off the court. Specifically, it highlights his contributions to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through stories told by Cosic’s family members, President Thomas S. Monson, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, church scholars Ann and Truman Madsen, and Utah Jazz player Gordan Giricek.
Having been baptized a member of the church while attending BYU, Cosic returned to Croatia and spread the gospel as the first member of the Church in Communist Croatia. He also translated the Book of Mormon into Croatian.
Jurdana’s interest in Cosic began when she served an LDS mission in Croatia. “I feel that the life of Cosic is a great thing to learn about, “Jurdana said. “Even if my ability to tell the story could never give him the justice he deserves.”
The award for Outstanding Documentary went to Kimber Holt Crandall for her piece “Mwana Wako Ni Mwana Wagnga—Your Child is My Child,” a film on how HIV/AIDS is affecting the children of Zambia. With over 650,000 children in Zambia orphaned due to HIV/AIDS, it is estimated that 1 in 4 are left without parents. Crandall and co-producer Josh Greenbaum set out to Zambia to capture the stories of those trying to make a difference in the lives of these children.
The AWRT has been recognizing programming created for and about women for over 30 years. The awards are given to encourage realistic portrayal of women in entertainment, commercials, news, features and other programming.
Last modified: April 14, 2008 Maintained by CFAC Webmasters.
Copyright © 1994-2006. Brigham Young University. All Rights Reserved.