Fisher Adjunct Wins Emmy Award

Rochester-based filmmaker Linda Moroney, an adjunct professor in the Department of Media and Communication at St. John Fisher College, received a 2019 New York Emmy® Award for the documentary feature, “TURN THE PAGE.”

Moroney, a producer and director, won alongside co-producers Ray Manard and Don Casper in the Human Interest Program/Special Category. They were honored during a ceremony held on Saturday, May 4, in New York City.

Moroney, who teaches documentary film and documentary production at Fisher, worked on the documentary over a three-year span. “TURN THE PAGE” shows how a local community is transforming the issues of parental incarceration, children left behind, and the role of literacy.

The film profiles a group of volunteers at Ontario County Jail in Canandaigua, New York, who are helping inmates stay connected with their children through the Storybook Project. The program helps incarcerated parents record themselves reading children’s books. These ‘bedtime stories,’ the recording and the books, are then sent to the inmate’s child, which may be the child’s only chance to hear their parent’s voice during their period of separation.

“TURN THE PAGE” blends observational storytelling with traditional interviews and incorporates whimsical animation created by Emily Hubley, who has been making short animated films and high profile commissions for more than 30 years.

The film has been broadcast on over 50 public television stations across the United States since its debut on WXXI in 2018. It is also available on DVD and Bluray.

Support for “TURN THE PAGE” was provided by the Marie C. & Joseph C. Wilson Foundation, the Sea Stone Foundation, and the Seeds of Peace Fund, with production support provided by Crystal Pix. NETA is the distributor.