Two UC Berkeley Journalism Students Nominated for Television Academy Foundation Award
Two University of California, Berkeley, students have been nominated for the Television Academy Foundation’s 45th College Television Awards. Zane Karram (director/producer/writer) and Kelsey Oliver (director/producer/writer) received a nomination in the Nonfiction Series category for a project they created titled Strangers on Our Land.
The annual awards show recognizes and rewards excellence in student-produced programs nationwide. Winners in the competition will be announced by television stars at the red-carpet awards ceremony on March 28, 2026, at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, California.
Strangers on Our Land is a nonfiction project focused on a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, a federally-recognized tribe that occupies tribal lands in Southwestern Arizona, Raymond Mattia, who was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents outside his home on May 18, 2023.
“I chose to tell this story because Raymond Mattia’s death revealed far more than a single act of violence, it exposed the daily reality of surveillance, militarization and eroded sovereignty that the Tohono O’odham community endures,” said Karram. “Once I met his family and saw the depth of their grief, resilience, and love for him, it became clear that this film needed to center their voices, not the headlines. As a filmmaker, I feel a responsibility to document stories that are overlooked or misunderstood. This film was my way of honoring Raymond’s life and helping broaden awareness of the challenges Indigenous communities continue to face today.”
https://patch.com/california/berkeley/two-uc-berkeley-journalism-students-nominated-television-academy-foundation
