Acclaimed filmmaker and poet Susan Polis Schutz received her second Christopher Award in the TV, cable, and streaming category for her ninth documentary, Bridging Divides: Sharing Heartbeats (IronZeal Films). The film highlights global efforts to bridge cultural and religious divides through shared experiences.
Schutz received her first Christopher Award in 2019 for The Homeless Chorus Speaks, a poignant portrayal of a community choir composed of individuals experiencing homelessness. The film was praised for its empathetic storytelling, with the Los Angeles Times noting it as "a lesson in empathy, demonstrating how ground-shifting the simple act of listening can be.”
All of Schutz’s documentaries have been distributed by American Public Television and aired on PBS stations.
Her body of work includes Love Wins Over Hate, which delves into the lives of former extremists seeking redemption, and The Misunderstood Epidemic: Depression, offering intimate insights into mental health struggles.
Schutz’s documentaries reflect her commitment to exploring social issues through personal narratives.
The Christopher Awards honor the creators of films and books that exemplify compassion, courage and the sacrifices necessary to help others, reflecting its motto “It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.”
This year's 2025 Christopher Awards also recognized other notable works, including Sing Sing (A24), White Bird (Lionsgate), Young Woman and the Sea (Walt Disney Studios), and A Man on the Inside: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (Netflix).
IronZeal Films is a social purpose enterprise. Its sole mission is to shine a light on important present-day topics through honest, vulnerable and impactful storytelling, and influence audiences throughout the world.
This Award-winning film can be streamed at Bridging divides: sharing heartbeats on PBS.org.
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