Acclaim, Awards Grow for Ohio Drug Courts Documentary
Anne Fife, producer and editor of “Second Chances: One Year In Ohio’s Drug Courts,” wins a Gold Telly Award (left) and a regional Emmy (right).
Anne Fife, producer and editor of “Second Chances: One Year In Ohio’s Drug Courts,” wins a Gold Telly Award (left) and a regional Emmy (right).
A documentary depicting the struggles and successes of Ohio drug courts earned a regional Emmy and also a Gold Telly Award, the highest honor for excellence for a film produced in the public interest.
“Second Chances: One Year in Ohio’s Drug Courts” follows the personal journeys of 19 drug court participants as they face the ups and downs of addiction and shows how courts play a critical role in recovery.
“I am humbled and thrilled to accept these awards for this documentary,” said Anne Fife, who edited, produced and narrated the film for Ohio Government Television. “I appreciate the drug court participants who opened their lives to me and the judges who showed them compassion.”
Fife and her film crew spent an entire year recording drug court sessions and interviews in Medina, Marion and Hocking counties. Fife is one of three Ohio Government Television employees who work under contract with the Supreme Court of Ohio.
“I’m very proud, yet not surprised, this documentary received these awards and well-deserved recognition,” Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said. “It captures the empathy that drug court judges and treatment teams show towards those who face addiction and the positive results that are possible with teamwork on the local court level.”
Among several other honors, “Second Chances” also won an AVA (Audio Video Arts) platinum award, the organization’s highest award, for excellence in long form video production within government. AVA Digital Awards are administered by the Dallas-based Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
All the awards were based on the film’s release in 2019 on public television stations in Ohio.
The film also was widely streamed across the country, and the Judicial College of Ohio used the film to create a drug court course for judges and attorneys.
