Director Spike Lee has won a George Polk award for his documentary about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Called When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, the doc chronicled the natural disaster and the disastrous way the federal government responded to the humanitarian crisis. The awards are considered among the highest honors in American journalism, along with the Peabody.

Lee's documentary was four hours long and initially premiered to a New Orleans crowd before airing on HBO last August. The program was filled with news photos and video footage, and all sorts of interviews from celebrities and regular folk who recount their experience in the aftermath of Katrina. Ultimately, the federal government and the Army Corps of Engineers are blamed for the sub-par levees and the response to the disaster.