Awards Dinner Tributes

The National Maritime Historical Society actively supports film production on a broad range of maritime related topics, including biographical tribute videos highlighting the work of outstanding individuals and organizations involved in the preservation of our maritime heritage.  Produced by NMHS Vice-Chairman Richardo R. Lopes/Voyage Digital Media and camerman/editor Alessandro Lopes, the videos are a highlight of the Society’s Annual Awards and Maritime Awards Dinners, each year mesmerizing audiences and bringing the histories of the awardees to life.   You can view videos on our YouTube Channel, including this most recent tribute to Captain Bert Rogers from our 2017 Annual Awards Dinner.

Documentaries & Film Series

The Society has also partnered with Voyage Digital Media to sponsor documentaries highlighting our common maritime heritage. Sails over Ice and Seas, a 4 part-documentary series, is a voyage through history told through the amazing life’s story of the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey.  Flight 1549: Miracles on the Hudson is a feature-length documentary showcasing the remarkable maritime rescue and one-on-one retelling of Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s and co-pilot Jeff Skiles’ dramatic 2009 landing in the freezing waters of the Hudson River.  Both documentaries are intended for broadcast on national television, with adapted versions for theatrical and film festival release.

 

Watch the Trailer for Sails over Ice and Seas, the 4-part documentary series on history seen through the life and times of the schooner Ernestina-Morrissey.  Currently in post-production thanks in part to generous support from the H. F. Lenfest Foundation, the film series explores the 123-year history of this National Historic Landmark spanning her launch in 1894 as a dory fishing schooner through the Grand Banks fishing era, Arctic exploration in the early 20th century, Cape Verdean packet trading in the mid-20th century and environmental and marine science educational programming, sail training and ship preservation today.   Historically significant in her own right, the story of Ernestina-Morrissey far surpasses the story of any one ship, weaving themes in not just maritime history but also the history of maritime economics and trade, sea exploration, immigration, and a history of environmental and maritime-related sciences that is relevant to this day.

 

Watch the Trailer for Flight 1549: Miracles on the Hudson, a feature length documentary on that bitter cold day in January 2009 when a US Airways commuter Airbus made crippling impact with a flock of geese, forcing Captain “Sully” Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeff Skiles to make a ditched landing in the freezing waters of the Hudson River.  Due in part to the Port of New York’s rebirth as a thriving maritime hub in recent years, there were commuter and working boats nearby to rush to the rescue of 143 passengers and crew members, working in tandem with the Coast Guard and New York and New Jersey’s first responders. Despite the frigid temperatures, strong currents and the alarming rate at which the plane was sinking, not a single life was lost.  A fascinating subject as evidenced by its ongoing media coverage as well as the 2016 release of the Oscar nominated film Sully starring Tom Hanks, this film focuses less on the captain and more on the riveting firsthand accounts of that life-changing experience by the plane’s passengers and their police, firefighter, EMT and Coast Guard rescuers, providing a powerful story of New York and a unique insight into human triumph in the face of certain disaster.  The film examines the event’s historical context as well, including New York City’s history as a key port, its decline in the wake of air travel and shipments by plane, and the resurgence of the port in recent years.