$25K Prize Will Be Awarded to Winning Picture that Shines a Light on Children & Families in Unprecedented Circumstances 

NEW YORK, NY – Shine Global, the non-profit media company behind Academy Award-winning and Emmy Award-winning films Inocente (2012) and War/Dance (2005), has announced the four nominees for the first-ever Children’s Resilience in Film Award, one of whom will be selected as the inaugural winner in October. The following nominees were chosen from a pool of feature-length film submissions from 32 countries across the world: 

	Gabi: Between Ages 8 and 13 (Sweden/Denmark/Norway) Directed by Engeli BrobergGabi: Between Ages 8 and 13 follows the remarkable Gabi over the course of five formative years as she wrestles with society’s stereotypes about boys and girls.
	LIFT(USA) Directed by David J. PetersenFilmed over the course of ten years, LIFT shines a spotlight on the invisible story of homelessness in America through the eyes of a group of young home-insecure ballet dancers enrolled in New York Theater Ballet’s LIFT program, and the mentor who inspires them, internationally-renowned ballet dancer Steven Melendez.
	Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy (Vietnam) Directed by Ham TranVietnam’s first-ever kids science fiction film, Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy, follows an 8-year-old boy who overcomes the loss of his mother when he helps an alien girl get back home.
	Scenes From the Glittering World (USA) Directed by Jared JakinsFollowing three Indigenous students, Scenes from the Glittering World is a meditation on adolescence, trauma, and the power of connecting with an isolated Navajo homeland.

Ticket can be purchased and a preview of the four nominated films can be viewed here: shineglobal.org/childrens-resilience-in-film-award/.

Shine Global will hold special screenings of the four nominated films in New York City from September 15-18. The winner will be selected by an esteemed jury panel composed of:

• Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President of Creative and Production, Sesame Workshop
• Maria Perez Brown, Head of Kids & Family, TIME Studios
• Amy Kennedy, Children’s rights activist, educator, and 2020 Democratic Congressional Nominee
• Scott Feinberg, Senior Awards Analyst, The Hollywood Reporter
• Jana Sue Memel, Academy-Award winning producer (Ray’s Male Heterosexual Dance Hall (1987), Lieberman in Love (1995)) 

The winning film will be announced at a VIP awards show breakfast at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles, California on October 20. The winner will be awarded a $25,000 cash prize. 

The first-of-its-kind award will honor the preeminent filmmakers who masterfully highlight and celebrate the inspiring strength, creativity, and power of children across the world. Amidst an ongoing pandemic that has disrupted everyday life and social-emotional development for billions of children globally, and a humanitarian crisis that has forced hundreds of thousands of children and families to flee Ukraine, the Children’s Resilience in Film Award seeks to shed much-needed light on the uplifting, inspiring stories of children who offer global audiences hope and the talented filmmakers who tell them.

The inaugural 2022 Children’s Resilience in Film Award is sponsored in part by media partner The Hollywood Reporter who will uplift these powerful, culture-shifting films to receive the recognition they deserve; Paramount Pictures; Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang; Mattel Inc; pocket.watch; Quest Pacifica; Jim and Kimberly Caccavo; Ellen and Wendell Maddrey; DreamWorks Animation; and hospitality partner Sunset Marquis Hotel.

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, and Home Is Somewhere Else which is currently in festivals.