Mette Hoffmann Meyer, the Danish documentary producer, editor and founder of THE WHY Foundation, will be granted an Honorary Emmy for her 25 years of work in the documentary sector. The ceremony will take place on September 26th at the Palladium Times Square in New York.
Mette Hoffmann Meyer is one of four industry professionals to receive the Silver Circle Award this year in the documentary category, and is the first Dane to be granted the honour.
The other Silver Circle Award recipients in 2024 are Canadian documentary director and producer Ric Esther Bienstock of Good Soup Productions), Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of PBS’ ‘Frontline’ news doc strand, and director and producer Abby Ginzberg of Ginzberg Productions. This year, the Gold Circle Award for Documentary will be given to US director and editor Tom Spain. Also receiving special awards at the News & Documentary Emmys will be documentarian Alex Gibney, who, along with TV journalist Jane Pauley, will receive Lifetime Achievement awards.
Hoffmann Meyer is the CEO and founder of THE WHY Foundation, a Peabody Award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to “ensuring access to reliable information for everyone.”
“I’m honoured to be included in the Silver Circle,” she says. “The award recognizes not only my work, but also the power of storytelling and the crucial role documentaries play in shaping our perception of the world. Factual and insightful stories strengthen our human awareness and empathy across ethnicity, tradition, religion and cultural barriers. Something that is needed more than ever.”
Hoffmann Meyer was previously head of documentaries at Danish broadcasters TV2 (1992-2007) and DR (Danish Broadcast Corporation) from 2007-16. At DR, she launched the IDA-winning Dokumania series. She has produced and financed films such as Taxi to the Dark Side (2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature), Solar Mama and Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013), Democrats (2014), India’s Daughters (2015), Last Men in Aleppo (2017) and A Storm Foretold (2023).
Hoffmann Meyer has previously recognized for her contribution to the documentary film industry, including the 2014 Doc Mogul Award at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto for supporting young filmmakers from around the world.
