Inaugural Shine Global Spirt Award Honorees Carlos de la Cruz and Roy Langbord

At Shine Global’s second annual party on November 4, 2016, we had the privilege of presenting the first Shine Global Spirit Award honoring individuals who have given service to children. This inaugural award went to two long-time Shine volunteers who have provided pro-bono support since 2007, enabling us to make films that raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change on behalf of children struggling against difficult odds.

At Shine Global’s second annual party on November 4, 2016, we had the privilege of presenting the first Shine Global Spirit Award honoring individuals who have given service to children. This inaugural award went to two long-time Shine volunteers who have provided pro-bono support since 2007, enabling us to make films that raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change on behalf of children struggling against difficult odds.

We’re indebted to them both for their support of Shine as well as their wise counsel.

The Eagle Huntress follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, as she trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter, and rises to the pinnacle of a tradition that has been handed down from father to son for centuries.

Set against the breathtaking expanse of the Mongolian steppe, the film features some of the most awe-inspiring cinematography ever captured in a documentary, giving this intimate tale of a young girl’s quest the dramatic force of an epic narrative film.

Directed by Otto Bell, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS is narrated by Daisy Ridley, executive produced by Ridley Morgan Spurlock,and Susan MacLaury and produced by Stacy Reiss, Sharon Chang and Otto Bell. The director of photography is Simon Niblett, the editor is Pierre Takal and the film features a stirring end credits song,“Angel by the Wings,” by Sia.

A.O. Scott of the New York Times writes of Aisholpan “With the release of “The Eagle Huntress,” a thrilling new documentary directed by Otto Bell, she may well become something else: a pop-culture heroine with the power to inspire girls (and not only girls) everywhere.”

And that’s not the only praise The Eagle Huntress has received, starting with its premiere at Sundance in January:

The Eagle Huntress is rated G. In English and Kazakh, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes.

The Eagle Huntress opens today in New York and LA with more cities through November.

Check for your city and buy tickets at http://bit.ly/EagleHuntressTheaters

Notes from Susan: The Importance of Hope

We just got back from the Hamptons International Film Festival, where The Eagle Huntress won best documentary. We’re proud to have helped produce it and hope you’ll see it in theaters after its release on 10/28. This story about young Aisholpan is inspiring and hopeful, one of the reasons it’s so well-received by audiences.

Today, though, I’d like to focus on another hopeful film we saw at the festival that profoundly moved Albie and me. It’s called Disturbing the Peace and is the story of Combatants for Peace, a group of former Israeli military who’ve joined with Palestinian citizens from all walks of life to create a dialogue of peace. You can watch its trailer here.

These men and women found each other more than 10 years ago in a meeting they all describe as terrifying. They began their first discussion by each sharing stories of acts they’d committed against one another that they now regretted. Today their movement includes eight paired cities – 4 Israeli and 4 Palestinian – and grows against all odds. The Combatants are vilified by the majority of both states and have suffered very real reversals, yet turn to one another in their darkest moments for love and support.

When I see a film like Disturbing the Peace I’m reminded again how very important hope is in a film, be it documentary or narrative. We also saw Lion, a fiction film based on the true story of a 5-year old Indian child separated from his mother and siblings who, though adopted by an Australian family, manages to be reunited with his family after 25 years.

Hope. It’s essential.

I’m proud that Shine makes films that embody it and honored to be part of the filmmaking community that tells stories that are real, difficult, but ultimately celebrate the human spirit.