NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Documentary Channel (DOC), the first and only 24-hour television network devoted exclusively to independent documentary films, was awarded an Emmy for Best Documentary at the recent 28th Annual News & Documentary Emmy® Awards for the film, “Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire.”

The feature-length documentary, directed by renowned filmmaker Peter Raymont and distributed by Films Transit International, was co-winner of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ prestigious Best Documentary Emmy along with Cinemax’s God Sleeps in Rwanda. “Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire” recounts the harrowing experience of Canadian General Romeo Dallaire as he commanded the U.N. peacekeeping mission in 1994 to Rwanda , a country immersed in a genocidal bloodbath.

“We are proud and honored to share in this award with Peter Raymont,” said Tom Neff, CEO of Documentary Channel, regarding the network’s first Emmy win. “For a young network such as Documentary Channel to be included with the other major networks at this level of achievement is humbling and encouraging. We feel the independent documentary is being recognized as a vital component of the American viewing landscape.”

Raymont’s wife Lindalee Tracey, a credited producer on the documentary, died last year of breast cancer, making the win additionally poignant. Raymont was instead joined by his son Liam at the black-tie Emmy Awards ceremony, held Sept. 24 at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in New York City.

In his heartfelt acceptance speech for the evening’s final, coveted award, Raymont thanked “The Documentary Channel, a little known network you’ll be hearing more about, and its founder Tom Neff. This film was a chronicle of one man standing up for justice, and the quest for justice for those who can’t fight for themselves was the goal that inspired Lindalee. She would be proud tonight.”