“The Education of Shelby Knox,” a film that explores issues of teen pregnancy and sex education through the eyes of a teenager coming of age in conservative Lubbock, Texas, won the Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media at the Council on Foundations’ 2006 annual conference. The documentary, which was directed by Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt, was funded in part by a grant from the Hewlett Foundation.
The film follows the journey of a self-described “good Southern Baptist girl,” 15-year-old Shelby Knox, who initially agrees with the Lubbock school system’s abstinence-only approach to sex education, but eventually becomes an unlikely advocate for comprehensive sex education when she learns that Lubbock has some the highest rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in the state. The film was an official selection at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and also aired nationwide on PBS.
The Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film & Digital Media recognizes excellence in documentary filmmaking that focuses on compelling social movements and issues. It is named for one of America’s most recognized and influential documentary filmmakers.