UNESCO Award and Reception
500 Years Later was the first film to win a UNESCO award for documenting slavery. UNESCO subsequently funded a series of documentaries which would document slavery. When 500 Years Later was first sent to Channel 4 the commissioning editor documentaries, Danny Cohen said "It's an interesting idea but I'm afraid, with limited slots available, it's not one I feel strongly enough about to take forward." The producers complained about the racism involved in screening African-centred content and many in the African-British community saw this as part of the racism in the United Kingdom. Even California Newsreel who applauded the approach said "While we applaud your effort to present African and African American history in a new and more favorable light, we think that your innovative techniques and broad scope are too radical for our largely academic market." Despite this the film has be internationally recognized as the hallmark film on the legacy of slavery and used in universities and academic boards (e.g., Toronto school district) in the USA, UK, Caribbean and Canada.
Read more about this topic: 500 Years Later
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