“Kabul Falling” from Project Brazen and PRX is Honored with A Peabody Award Nomination
The Peabody Awards represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in 2022 across broadcasting and streaming media
The “Kabul Falling” podcast from Project Brazen and public media organization PRX is nominated in the 83rd annual Peabody Awards, the awards announced. The nominees were chosen by a unanimous vote of 17 jurors from over 1,200 entries from television, podcasts/radio, entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth media, public service, and multimedia programming released in 2022.
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban regained control of Kabul, Afghanistan nearly 20 years after Coalition Forces had cast them out of power. The takeover sent shockwaves throughout the country and the international community. Chronicling firsthand accounts in Afghanistan, “Kabul Falling” is hosted by journalist and war refugee Nelufar Hedayat. The podcast brings listeners first-hand stories from Afghan women and men from different walks of life, including a young journalist starting her career at a women’s TV station, a former CIA interpreter and father of four, a pair of newlyweds caught in the jaws of the U.S. immigration system, and a young man who chose to fight with the Taliban — in his eyes, to protect the country he loves.
“Kabul Falling” also explores big questions: How does a war end, and who is accountable for the human wreckage left in its wake? In the face of systemic failures by the U.S. and Afghan governments, ordinary people did what they could to help each other survive. What they couldn’t do — and what they lived through — still haunts them. “Kabul Falling” grapples with the aftermath of the fall while exploring feelings of loss, abandonment, betrayal, and survivor’s guilt as Afghans work to rebuild their lives.
The cover art features original embroidery by the women of Kandahar Treasure, a cooperative of embroiderers creating income sources for women in Afghanistan. Music heard throughout the podcast is composed by Arson Fahim, a pianist who was born an Afghan refugee.
Previous Peabody Awards nominees from PRX include “Mississippi Goddam: The Ballad of Billey Joe” from “Reveal” and PRX and “The Land That Has Never Been Yet” from “Scene on Radio” and PRX, as well as podcasts part of the Radiotopia podcast network, including “Ear Hustle” and “Radiotopia Presents: S***hole Country.”
“Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody is an honor like no other… a collection of stories that powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day. From major productions to local journalism, the Peabody Awards shine a light on the Stories That Matter and are a testament to the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, social justice, and equity. The Peabody Awards were founded in 1940 at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.”
Peabody Award winners will be announced in May. Read the full list of nominations here.
Listen to “Kabul Falling” from Project Brazen and PRX at kabulfalling.com.
About PRX
PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. One of the world’s leading podcast publishers, PRX works in partnership with TED, PBS, the Smithsonian, Futuro Media, GBH, Religion of Sports, and more. PRX is also home to Radiotopia, known as one of the most creative and successful podcast networks. In addition, PRX distributes trusted public radio programming to hundreds of stations nationwide, including “The World,” “The Moth Radio Hour,” “This American Life,” “Snap Judgment,” “Reveal,” “The Takeaway,” and “Latino USA.” PRX programs have been recognized by the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the IDA Documentary Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes. In 2022, Futuro Media and PRX won a Pulitzer Prize. Visit prx.org for more.
