DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

Best Documentary

SOFTIE
Director: Sam Soko
Producer: Toni Kamau, Sam Soko
82 min | Kenya

Synopsis: Boniface Mwangi is daring and audacious, and recognized as Kenya’s most provocative photojournalist. But as a father of three young children, these qualities create tremendous turmoil between him and his wife Njeri. When he wants to run for political office, he is forced to choose: country or family?

Best Director & Best Cinematography

WRITING WITH FIRE
Director: Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh
Producer: Sushmit Ghosh & Rintu Thomas
93 min | India

Synopsis – In a cluttered news landscape dominated by men, emerges India’s only newspaper run by Dalit women. Armed with smartphones, Chief Reporter Meera and her journalists break traditions, be it on the frontlines of India’s biggest issues or within the conﬁnes of their homes, redefining what it means to be powerful.

Best Editing

A THOUSAND CUTS
Director: Ramona S. Diaz
Producers: Ramona S. Diaz, Leah Marino
100 min | Philippines

Synopsis: “A Thousand Cuts” is a feature documentary from award-winning filmmaker Ramona Diaz and FRONTLINE examining Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s escalating attacks on the media, told through the story of his prime target: journalist Maria Ressa. Along with her colleagues, Ressa, a TIME Magazine 2018 Person of the Year and the CEO and co-founder of the independent Philippine news site Rappler, has been at the forefront of chronicling Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, enduring harassment, arrests and a cyber libel conviction that could send her to prison.”

Best Sound Design

FROM THE WILD SEA
Director: Robin Petré
Sound Designer: Thomas Perez-Pape
Producer: Malene Flindt Pedersen
78 min | UK

Synopsis – As the peak of winter draws near, a vast European network of marine animal rescue volunteers are bracing themselves for the rough season. Night and day, all year round, they work tirelessly to rescue coastal wildlife from life-threatening elements: Oil. Plastic. Treacherous conditions. But the worst is ahead. Climate change fuels violent weather across the seas, and the annual winter storms are coming at them with an unprecedented roar. Simultaneously, the wild animals are struggling against their human surroundings. The film is a poetic documentary that zooms in on the complex collision between human and nature. We are taken on a disturbing and fascinating journey into the emerging Anthropocene Era, seen from both the human and animal perspective.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Best Documentary

THREE SONGS FOR BENAZIR
Director: Gulistan Mirzaei, Elizabeth Mirzaei
Producers: Gulistan Mirzaei, Elizabeth Mirzaei, Omar Mullick, Jamil Rezaei, Homayoun Noori
22 minutes | Afghanistan

Synopsis: The story of Shaista, a young man who—newly married to Benazir and living in a camp for displaced persons in Kabul—struggles to balance his dreams of being the first from his tribe to join the Afghan National Army with the responsibilities of starting a family. Even as Shaista’s love for Benazir is palpable, the choices he must make to build a life with her have profound consequences.

Best Director

URGE TO LIVE
Director: Alexandra Roca
Producers: Juan Rendon, Alexandra Roca, Katrina Kaufman
25 min | USA and Mexico

Synopsis: Known as “the drug that ends all drugs” Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychedelic, and Eli’s last hope to free himself from an opioid addiction. Desperate, he must travel to Mexico since Ibogaine is not legal in the United States. Will this last option save his life?

Best Cinematography

DO NOT SPLIT
Director: Anders Hammer
Producers: Charlotte Cook, Anders Hammer
35 min | Hong Kong

Synopsis: Told from within the heart of the Hong Kong protests, “Do Not Split” begins in 2019 as a proposed bill allowing the Chinese government to extradite criminal suspects to mainland China escalated protests throughout Hong Kong. Unfolding across a year, “Do Not Split” captures the determination and sacrifices of the protesters, the government’s backlash, and the passage of the new Beijing-backed national security law.

Survivor of the forest fire of June 17th joins other community members along with Sofia Carmo and hero fireman Sergio TK at the Victims association.

Victor Neves poses for a portrait in his home, revealing his scarred body after 75% of his body was burned in the forest fire of June 2017, in Pedrogao grande, Portugal, March 11, 2020. . (Credit: Lynsey Addario)

Best Editing

FROM DEVIL’S BREATH
Director: Orlando von Einsiedel
Producers: Harri Grace, Chloe Leland
40 min | Portugal

Synopsis – A nation devastated by tragic wildfires fuelled by climate change. A population determined to save themselves using the unlikely power of trees. A chance to change the future of us all. FROM DEVIL’S BREATH reveals the story of the devastating 2017 wildfires in Portugal, which claimed 120 lives and darkened the skies across Europe. It is the story of a community of survivors who refuse to be broken, fighting to ensure that this tragedy can never happen again. It is the story of a world-changing discovery, igniting a global revolution in humanity’s fight against climate change.”

Best Sound Design

A BROKEN HOUSE
Director: Jimmy Goldblum
Producers: Harrison Nalevansky, Senain Kheshgi, Dick Gephardt, Matt Gephardt, Matt Weaver, Nick Stern Runtime
20 min | USA, Lebanon

Synopsis: The Syrian architect Mohamad Hafez received a one-way ticket to the United States. Missing his homeland, he decided to create a stand-in, sculpting life-like miniatures of the Damascus cityscape he had left behind. “A Broken House” is a story of love, loss and creating pathways home.

IMPACT VIDEOS

Humanitas

INVISIBLE HEROES
Director: Mak CK
Producers: Shawn Khoong & Sharon Pereira
7 min | Singapore

Synopsis: In Singapore culture, where filial piety is expected, the caregiver is often the forgotten piece of the healthcare puzzle. Our cameras were given a special access pass into a closed-door support session with four caregivers of family members with mental health concerns. This rarely seen footage reveals the challenges, emotional anxieties and stresses caregivers face, as well as the support they receive as they help their loved ones with mental health issues. Caregivers Alliance Limited (CAL) provides this judgement-free support. Find out what these ‘invisible heroes’ speak about when shame and stigma are left at the door.

Creative Activism

STREET REPORTER
Director: Laura Waters Hinson
Producer: Bryan Bello
26 min | USA

Synopsis: An aspiring photojournalist discovers the power of her own voice while struggling to survive homelessness.

Innovation

(Sponsored by Human Sustainability Project)

VIDEO VISIT
Director: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
Producers: Malika Zouhali-Worrall
22 min | USA

Synopsis: Each week, scores of people visit the Brooklyn Public Library to see their incarcerated loved ones via a free video call. For many, the imperfect, virtual interactions of the so-called video visits are preferable to the traumatizing and humiliating process of traveling to New York City’s notorious Rikers Island jail. “Video Visit” tells the story of two mothers and their sons, and the librarians who negotiate daily with the Department of Corrections (and a growing for-profit prison telecoms industry) in an effort to keep the families connected.

Impact

(Sponsored by Human Sustainability Project)

WHEN GOD ROARS
Director: Sean Dimond, John Harrison
Producer: Randy Franz, Gary Karns, Sean Dimond
18 min | Philippines

Synopsis: When God Roars is the story of a company providing healthy, highly-skilled livelihoods to trafficking survivors in the Philippines by partnering with a real estate photography company in the U.S. Called to work with those exploited and traumatized by human trafficking, Sam and Mindy started Regenesys to create living-wage jobs for survivors. In partnership with Next Door Photos, they built a photo-editing supply chain that provides next-day service and equips their employees with world-class technology skills. This business enables survivors to break free from the trauma of trafficking.

JURY PRIZES – DOCUMENTARY

Transparency

(Sponsored by Black Magic Design)

DISCLOSURE
Director: Sam Feder
Producer: Amy Scholder
100 min | USA

Synopsis – DISCLOSURE is an unprecedented look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender. Leading trans thinkers and creatives share their reactions and resistance to some of Hollywood’s most beloved moments. What emerges is a fascinating story of dynamic interplay between trans representation on screen, society’s beliefs, and the reality of trans lives. Reframing familiar scenes and iconic characters in a new light, director Sam Feder invites viewers to confront unexamined assumptions, and shows how what once captured the American imagination now elicit new feelings.

Lens to Action

(Sponsored by Black Magic Design)

NOT GOING QUIETLY
Director: Nicholas Bruckman
Producer: Amanda Roddy
97 minutes | USA

Synopsis: When activist Ady Barkan confronts a powerful senator on an airplane their exchange goes viral and sparks a once-in-a-generation movement for healthcare.

Ethos & Stylistic Achievement

(Sponsored by Black Magic Design)

FLY SO FAR
Director: Celina Escher
Producers: Mónica Hernández Rejón, Maria Åkesson, Saúl Callejas
89 min | El Salvador

Synopsis – Fly So Far follows Teodora Vásquez, the spokesperson of the women accused of aggravated homicide and imprisoned in El Salvador for having had a miscarriage or a stillbirth. Teodora’s case has become a symbol of the extremism in the criminalization of abortion and the cruelty against women within the Salvadoran system. But also, of empowerment, resilience and solidarity.

XR (EXTENDED REALITY) + INTERACTIVE

Immersive Impact

A QUIET RIPPLE
Director: Sabrina Poon
Producers: Shawn Khoong & Sharon Pereira
6-9min | Singapore

Synopsis: “A Quiet Ripple” is a multi-plot interactive video experience that takes the audience through at least three decision-making moments of a father’s journey as he copes with the aftermath of his son’s suicide attempt. The interactive film invites viewers to step into the shoes of Fredrick, a loving father, whose world changes after discovering the mental state of his seventeen-year-old son, Jason. By prompting viewers to choose between options that closely resemble the daily dilemmas caregivers face, the film is a poignant illustration of how every action, as simple as it may appear, impacts caregivers and those they care for.

Journalistic Achievement & Creative Advocacy

(Sponsored by Human Sustainability Project)

UN(RE)SOLVED
Director: Tamara Shogaolu
Producer: Riyad Alnwili, Michelle Mizner, Collyn Stephens, Marcela Stolzmann USA

Synopsis: Un(re)solved is a major initiative that draws upon more than two years of reporting, thousands of documents and dozens of first-hand interviews. The multiplatform investigation tells the stories of lives cut short, and examines a federal effort to grapple with America’s legacy of racist killings through the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act. The story is told through a web-based interactive experience, serialized podcast, augmented-reality installation and documentary. In addition, the project makes available to the public for the first time a comprehensive interactive list of all those whose cases were re-examined by the Department of Justice.

PRODUCTION COMPANIES

Vital Voices Award

MULTITUDE FILMS

Founder: Jessica Devaney

CEO/Executive Producer: Jessica Devaney

Mission Statement: Multitude Films is an award-winning queer, women-led independent production company dedicated to nonfiction
storytelling. Our LGBTQ-led team produces documentaries by and about underrepresented voices and is
committed to a representational storytelling model, where the core creative team behind a film has a stake in the
communities that will be most impacted by the story.
Deeply rooted in a cultural change approach, we’re committed to telling compelling, well-crafted stories that change
the way audiences understand and relate to the pressing issues of our time. Our productions embody the values
represented in the films themselves, and we’re committed to playing a constructive role in the industry to work
towards greater representation, access, and equity, towards a more robust, varied set of stories that better reflect
the world we live in.

Creative Impact

SARAPE FILMS

Founder: Juan Pablo Rojas

CEO/Executive Producer: Alejandra Etchegaray

Mission Statement: Sarape Films is a film, television and digital video production company focused on making audiovisual products with a social, environmental and cultural impact sense. We deeply believe in the power of audiovisual communication to generate awareness, inform and positively impact our environment. Our goal is to create and communicate projects that aim towards a more just, informed, inclusive and sustainable society. Through our lens we have told stories to promote values and support the causes that move us, such as violence prevention, inclusion, education, culture and gender equality, always with a human sense focused on generate a positive change in the world. Given the nature of its essence and social commitment, it is the only
producer of its kind in México, which is why it has projects in different regions, both urban and rural, throughout the national territory; having a presence in different states of the Mexican Republic, as well as Latin America and anywhere in the world where we can tell stories. At sarape films we do not believe in borders, but in global care for the world around , his environment and its people. It is important to highlight that at Sarape Films we are currently certified as “B Corp” which means that in addition to generating impact we are continually committed as a company to be concerned and dedicated to maximizing our impact. In this sense, we have assumed an agenda of “green film making” taking care of waste and adopting sustainable practices in our filming. On the other hand, we have an active role in advocacy in the industry to generate better social security practices and benefits for industry workers, this is one of the great debts in the Mexican audiovisual industry and we are actively promoting formality with workers, productions insured against any incident in addition to taking great care that all people have their social and health benefits, both with our workers and with the suppliers who work for us. And finally, we have an active agenda of gender equality in the roles of audiovisual production, we can proudly say that we are a production house where there are more women than men working.

SPECIAL MENTIONS