FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A SHOW FOR A CHANGE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES MARCH 2020 AWARD WINNERS FOR SOCIAL IMPACT FILMS

Long Beach, CA – April 24, 2020 – A Show For A Change today announced several winners for its monthly global film festival, celebrating social impact films from around the world. The awarded films include projects from around the world and were created by numerous celebrated filmmakers. Several of these projects may soon be available to stream on Movikarma, an impact streaming platform created by A Show For A Change.

“We’re proud to recognize these powerful films that advance the social causes of our time,” said Jared Milrad, founder and president of A Show For A Change. “Our festival continues to attract a strong diversity of socially conscious films from around the world. This month’s awarded films address timely causes, including homelessness, conservation, and civil rights.”

This month’s winners include:

● Social Impact Award: What If... Directed by Noah Berlow. What If... is a Documentary Short about Homelessness in Southern California, shattering preconceptions, exploring adverse ramifications of unstable housing for children, and showing how the Illumination Foundation of Orange County is providing a model for disrupting the cycle of homelessness and harmful childhood experiences one family at a time.

● Creativity Award: Mekong 2030. Directed by Anocha Suwichakornpong, Pham Ngoc Lan, Kulikar Sotho, Anysay Keola, and Sai Naw Kham. MEKONG 2030 is a film anthology, comprising five stories that envision the future of the Mekong River from different cultural perspectives. Set in the year 2030, it aims to both entertain and inspire audiences to actively protect this critical life source. Watch the trailer here!

● Storytelling Award: Resisterhood Directed by Cheryl Jacobs Crim. RESISTERHOOD is a documentary about the power of women, hope and resistance in modern American politics. When millions of Americans rise up after the shocking results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election our cameras are there and RESISTERHOOD is born. We follow a diverse group of fledgling and veteran activists as they fight for our civil rights on the streets and in the halls of power. RESISTERHOOD combines dynamic protest footage and the inspiring stories of six American patriots as they work to re-energize the resistance and encourage others to get involved and vote. Produced, directed, filmed and edited by women, RESISTERHOOD is a testament to the strength of ordinary Americans in this extraordinary time. Watch the trailer here!

● Cinematography Award: Baby Boy. Directed by Jessica Heng. Baby Boy is a documentary short about Zaki, a 17-year-old ex-gang member. In this intimate portrait of change, Zaki’s passion for boxing and return to education bears much promise, yet is disrupted by the splintering of his familial unit. His coming of age is distinctly marked by the crucible of impending fatherhood. Watch the trailer here!

“We are very grateful to receive this award, and most importantly to be able to share’s Zaki’s story with a wider audience. I’m sure you will feel Zaki’s youthfulness, charisma and warmth as much as we did. We hope you find the film to be a safe space, Zaki’s sharing of these intimate parts of his life encouraging you to contemplate the inextricable connections between family, change, and hope.” – Baby Boy Team

“A filmmaker is a visual storyteller and well told stories have so much power. That is why Winning the Storyteller Award for Resisterhood is so gratifying. Resisterhood is tells the stories of 6 diverse activists as they fight for social justice during the age of Trump. After 3 years of filming, it was extremely important to tell their stories in an honest and compelling way. Thank you to A Show For A Change Film Festival for this honor.”

– Resisterhood Production Team

"Soul River, the film that I made, is about the relationship between man and nature, and the unforeseen consequences of what it will be like when nature is taken for granted, misused, and abused."

– Kulikar Sotho (Cambodian Director) Mekong 2030

"Sadly, during our shooting of this film, there was a natural disaster happening in Laos...There was a lot of flooding, which caused 40,000 houses to be destroyed. This was something that showed us that, with environmental issues –– not only those related to the Mekong River –– we are actually in more crisis than we know we are..." – Anysay Keola (Lao Director) Mekong 2030

"Film goes directly into your heart. You can put any issue or anything, any story into it, and then present it to an audience. That's why I use film as a medium." – Sai Naw Kham (Myanma Director) Mekong 2030

"I hope that this film challenge the dominant discourse surrounding the Mekong's ecology, and that is one of empirical sciences. In this film, we will look at the Mekong, and the environmental issues surrounding the Mekong, from the perspective of animistic thought." – Anocha Suwichakornpong (Thai Director) Mekong 2030

"The message of my film is the relationship of people to the river, it affects the way that people think –– not only from the present, but also from the past. The attachment to the river is not something we can seperate."

– Pham Ngoc Lan (Vietnemese Director) Mekong 2030

“To be named the recipient of the 2020 Social Impact Award at A Show For Change Film Festival is truly an honor. But more importantly, it carries with it an artistic and moral responsibility. I am so grateful for my entire film and music team who allowed me to orchestrate their combined talents to bring "What if..." to life and to illustrate how the Illumination Foundation is solving the crisis of homelessness one family at a time.

We are proud and humbled that "What if..." is part of the movement A Show For Change Film Festival seeks to inspire, and we look forward to joining the Festival's mission on many new creative and impactful ventures as this new decade unfolds!” – Noah Berlow, Director of What If…

A Show For A Change invites filmmakers who share a passion for changing the world through the power of storytelling to submit to our monthly film festival. We seek diverse, engaging stories that address societal, environmental, and cultural issues. To apply for our next film festival, filmmakers can submit their projects by April 29, 2020 using this link: https://filmfreeway.com/ashowforachange

About A Show For A Change Film Festival

With 350+ global submissions, A Show For A Change has awarded some of the most creative, groundbreaking, and inspiring stories highlighting social issues since launching its monthly festival in December 2017. The company’s mission is to celebrate socially impactful films through the art of storytelling and advocate for enduring social change. It embraces films that challenge the status quo and stand up for urgent causes like human rights, animal rights, and the environment.

Learn more about our current projects and monthly global film festival at ashowforachange.com

Website: A Show For A Change

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