A television current affairs programme made by Belfast company Fine Point Films has become the first documentary from Northern Ireland to be nominated for a prestigious News & Documentary Emmy Award.

Elián is the story of Elián González, a five-year-old Cuban boy who was rescued from the sea off the Florida coast in 1999, while trying to reach relatives in Miami. Elián's mother and ten other family members drowned when their boat sank.

Elián covers the custody battle between Elián's Cuban father and his Miami-based relatives who wanted him to stay in the US.

The stand-off ended when US Federal Agents took Elián from Miami and back to Cuba.

The film, which was backed by Northern Ireland Screen and the Irish Film Board, tells how the fight for Elián's future changed the course of US-Cuba relations.

Trevor Birney, CEO of Fine Point Films and producer of Elián, told RTÉ News that many believe the Elián González affair ultimately led "to the detente that we saw in the relationship between Cuba and America".

This year's News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented in New York on October 1. The Primetime Emmy Awards take place on September 17 in Los Angeles.