Documentary about trans soul singer Jackie Shane wins Peabody Award

A Canadian documentary about trailblazing transgender soul singer Jackie Shane has won a Peabody Award.

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, directed by Edmonton's Michael Mabbott and Toronto's Lucah Rosenberg-Lee, was named a winner in the documentary category.

The film tells the story of Shane, who disappeared from the spotlight in 1971 after dominating Toronto's music scene throughout the 1960s. Shane died in Nashville in 2019 at 78, a year after getting a Grammy nod for best historical album, which put her back on the map. 

The album, also titled Any Other Way, was released in 2017 after archival label Numero Group reached out to Shane and urged her to release her previously unreleased music from the 1960s.

The documentary heralds Shane's contributions to Toronto's music scene after fleeing Jim Crow in the United States, and also highlights her connection to musicians including Little Richard and Etta James. 

The Banger Films and National Film Board of Canada co-production was also named best Canadian documentary by the Toronto Film Critics Association in February.

Mabbott told the Canadian Press earlier this year that the reception to the film has been "overwhelming."

"I've never seen anything like it, where young teenagers are moved by Jackie, and people in their 70s and 80s who remember seeing Jackie are moved by the story," he said. "It's really incredible, the response and support."

Another Canadian Peabody winner was the Vancouver-based video game studio Sunset Visitor, which took home an award in the interactive and immersive category for 1000xResist, described as a "narrative adventure game set a thousand years in the future." 

Peabody winners will be celebrated at a ceremony in Los Angeles on June 1.

Any Other Way is currently streaming on Crave.