Oscar and Emmy-winning documentarian Kirk Simon (Strangers No More, Masterclass) celebrates the 100th year of the Pulitzers with The Pulitzer at 100, a 91-minute feature doc arriving at Lincoln Plaza NYC with indie distributor First Run Features on July 21st with other cities to follow. 

Featuring interviews with several notable Pulitzer Prize recipients such as Michael Chabon, Toni Morrison, Junot Diaz, Tony Kushner, Ayad Akhtar, Carl Bernstein, Wynton Marsalis and a host of others, The Pulitzer at 100 is brought even more vividly to life by readings from Pulitzer Prize winning works by the likes of Martin Scorsese, Natalie Portman, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren, Liev Schreiber, and Yara Shahidi. 

The film is a thought-provoking production, an intellectually satisfying tapestry of what is the literary world's most iconic prize, a remarkable legacy from Joseph Pulitzer, who came to America to fight as a mercenary in the Civil War and who, upon his death in 1911, left money to Columbia University to establish the School of Journalism and the Pulitzer Prize that started in 1917. 

The Pulitzer at 100 is at its best when recipients of the prize share their stories and offer not just insight into the high esteem held for the prize but also how the prizes are selected in each of the 21 categories. While in some ways a rather straightforward doc, The Pulitzer at 100 is an involving work that will likely shine the light on the vitality of literature over the last 100 years. At a time when the journalism industry is undergoing remarkable, and in many ways challenging, changes, The Pulitzer at 100 is a vivid reminder of the power of literature across the spectrum to change lives, communities and the world. 

For more information on The Pulitzer at 100, visit the First Run Features website linked to in the credits. 

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic