An Erieau native is claiming yet another prestigious award in the film industry for a Canadian documentary.
Banger Films' Hip-Hop Evolution won a 2017 International Emmy Award in the Arts Programming category Monday night.
Chatham-Kent's Darby Wheeler helped in directing the documentary series, which aired on HBO and Netflix in 2016.
"It was definitely a labour of love," he says. "We were behind when we did deliver it -- we were out probably a year out from when we were supposed to originally do it. Sometimes that kind of stuff can be really stressful and then in the end it can also mean that a project is better."
"It's really nice to get something like an Emmy and to be chosen [from] a lot of people around the world," he says. "It feels great."
This recent accomplishment comes a few months after the documentary series won a 2017 Peabody Award.
Although the story behind Hip-Hop Evolution is based in the US around hip-hop culture, it's a Canadian production, which involves the work of many Canadians. Wheeler says, in a way, it does help in opening the doors for future Canadian films.
"I think it definitely helps to show that Canadians can tell outside stories," he says. "It's a pretty unique thing for a Canadian production to be able to knock off... We love the [hip-hop] culture."
Wheeler has been working on another project within the music/film sector, however, the only details being released at this time is that they're "possibly working on more seasons of Hip-Hop Evolution."
Best Arts Programming Nominees @iamdarby & @Buns of “Hip-Hop Evolution” walk the red carpet #iemmys @hiphopevolution @bangerfilms pic.twitter.com/myDkv93Htg
— Intl Emmy Awards (@iemmys) November 20, 2017
