‘Once Upon A Time In Harlem’ Wins $200,000 Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize For Film

The Oscar-contending documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem, directed by David Greaves from footage shot by his late father, William Greaves, has earned the eighth annual Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.

The honor from the Library of Congress, The Better Angels Society, Ken Burns, and the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation comes with a $200,000 award, making it the richest prize in nonfiction film.

The documentary produced by Liani Greaves (William Greaves’ granddaughter) revolves around an extraordinary gathering in 1972 of surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance. They assembled at the Harlem townhouse of Duke Ellington for a once-in-a-lifetime reunion.

“Greaves invited every surviving creator of the Harlem Renaissance he could locate, including Aaron Douglas, Romare Bearden, Arna Bontemps, Richard Bruce Nugent, James Van Der Zee, and Countee Cullen’s widow, Ida Mae Cullen,” notes a release. “Many of them had not seen one another in fifty years. Greaves’ 16mm cameras follow the action as the group reminisces, argues, and wrestles with how culture survives across generations. Fifty years later, Greaves’ son David restored and finished the film as an essential living archive of the Harlem Renaissance.”

The national jury for the prize “recognized the film as a stunning, seminal work that will be written about and referred to for decades to come,” the release states. “Jurors noted the importance of the Harlem Renaissance in American history and praised how the film conveyed the complexities and legacies of this period. They commended how the film uniquely captured living icons reflecting on and debating their own roles in shaping American culture, making the viewer feel like they have ‘a window into history.’”

In a statement, filmmaker Ken Burns said, “I was won over from the moment the camera started rolling. It’s literally the best party I have ever been to, a festive time travel through the memory of these extraordinary individuals. Once Upon a Time in Harlem is a celebration of the Harlem Renaissance but just as important—and riveting—it’s an intimate conversation about the meaning of art and life and how we share ideas across generations. We are all indebted to William Greaves for curating and capturing this moment and to David Greaves for bringing to life what his father so lovingly started more than 50 years ago.”

Deadline spoke with David Greaves and Liani Greaves at the Camden International Film Festival in Maine where Once Upon a Time in Harlem screened on Friday.

“It’s tremendous,” Liani Greaves told us of the award. “We’re honored that they chose this film… and looking forward to having people see it.”

“They had over a thousand applications, so it’s wonderful that we were considered,” David Greaves added. “I’m sure my father and my stepmother [Louise Greaves] would be absolutely delighted.”

“Once Upon a Time in Harlem is a revelation,” observed Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen. “It reintroduces us to a range of personalities and perspectives and invites us to participate. It embodies how compelling archival footage can be–not only does it make this history feel alive in the present, but it is a great deal of fun to watch.”

Coincidentally, the runner-up for the Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film focuses on one of the Harlem Renaissance figures seen in Once Upon a Time in Harlem – artist Romare Bearden. Deborah Riley Draper’s film Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage earns a $50,000 cash prize for runner-up.

“Told through Bearden’s own words and archives, the film reintroduces a towering yet underrecognized modernist, athlete, and activist whose influence still shapes contemporary culture,” a release notes. “The National Jury praised how the film captured the breadth of Bearden’s work through archival photographs, works of art, and film, while also illuminating his personal philosophy and his artistic practice in his own words. As the Jurors put it, ‘Romare Bearden deserves to be much better understood, and this film proves why.’”

Newlen, the acting Librarian of Congress, said Romare Bearden: A Life in Collage “captures how the practice of this extraordinary artist was fully integrated into his life. Bearden’s personality shines through as the arc of his life exemplifies perseverance and vision.”

This year’s jury included documentarians Yoruba Richen, Betsy West, and Peter Yost; Tenement Museum President Annie Polland; University of Virginia history professor and film director Claudrena Harold; DOC NYC Artistic Director Jaie Laplante; Harvard’s Black Film Project Executive Director Jacqueline Glover, and Chief of the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center Rachael Stoeltje. Acting Librarian of Congress Robert R. Newlen, in consultation with Ken Burns, selected the winner and runner-up.

The winner and runner-up will be honored at a ceremony in New York City with Ken Burns on October 22. Since 2019, the Library Of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Filmm has awarded $2.6 million to support outstanding documentaries about U.S. history. Winning films have included Flannery (directed by Elizabeth Coffman and Mark Bosco, S.J.); Hold Your Fire (directed by Stefan Forbes); Gradually, Then Suddenly: The Bankruptcy of Detroit (directed by Sam Katz and James McGovern); Bella! This Woman’s Place Is in the House (directed by Jeff L. Lieberman); Philly on Fire (directed by Ross Hockrow and Tommy Walker); Drop Dead City (directed by Peter Yost and Michael Rohatyn); Cartoon Kings (directed by Asaf Galay), and American Pachuco: The Legend Of Luis Valdez (directed by David Alvarado).

Four 2026 finalists receive $25,000 cash prizes:

THE ANIMATED MIND OF OLIVER SACKS, directed by Dempsey Rice

The Animated Mind of Oliver Sacks draws on immersive animation and a newly uncovered trove of personal recordings to trace the young neurologist’s early work with patients alongside the private conflicts shaping his inner life. It reveals how a brilliant, humane, yet flawed man challenged prevailing medical culture and found in his patients a mirror for himself.

BARRIO TELEVISION, directed by Christina DiPasquale

Barrio Television uncovers how Puerto Rican activists in 1970s New York disrupted live television to launch “Realidades,” the first bilingual Latino series in U.S. history—expanding the public in public television. With original creators and never-before-seen materials, it reveals the rise, rupture, and return of a series that shattered expectations and refused to stay buried.

THE DAY FREEDOM DIED, directed by Joseph Dorman and Kelly Williams

In 1873 in Colfax, Louisiana, more than 60 Black men were murdered because they dared to vote. The Day Freedom Died is a journey to the dark heart of American racial history—the single bloodiest day of violence during Reconstruction and the Supreme Court decision that followed, which spurred more violence and undermined the country’s attempt at racial equality.

ZENÓN AND THE REBEL BOATS, directed by Juan C. Dávila Santiago

Zenón and the Rebel Boats tells the untold story of Carlos “Taso” Zenón, a Puerto Rican fisherman and unsung hero who led the struggle against the U.S. Navy’s prolonged occupation of his native island of Vieques, which began in 1941 and lasted over six decades. Narrated by Zenón himself before his death, the documentary weaves together his voice with never-before-seen archival footage that reveals the strategies implemented by fearless fishermen to defy warships and inspire an environmental and anti-War movement.