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The Shine Global Resilience Awards recognize and celebrate the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity. The awards are open to films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination. Past Grand Prize winners include the feature documentaries Name Me Lawand (2023, Directed by Edward Lovelace and produced by Fleur Nieddu), Lift (2022, Directed by David Petersen and produced by Mary Racine), and the short film Ayenda (2023, directed by Marie Margolius). Other categories and prizes are also offered through our partner film festivals.

Winning Films

Rise

Winner of Children’s Resilience Short Film Prize at 2025 Indy Shorts International Film Festival

In this short film, a charismatic young boy (Sikhanyiso Ngwenya) who lives on a rubbish dump in Zimbabwe, must convince a reclusive boxing coach (Tongayi Chirisa) to teach him to fight to find safety and strength in a world that has left him behind. The film is inspired by the true story of Tobias Mupfuti who started a boxing academy and orphanage in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and the film was brought to life by an all Zimbabwean cast and crew.

Written and Directed by Jessica J. Rowlands | Produced by Joe Njagu | 21 min | Zimbabwe | 2025

DJ Ahmet

Winner of Children’s Resilience in Screenwriting Award at 2025 Nantucket Film Festival

DJ Ahmet follows Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote Yuruk village in North Macedonia, who finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love — a girl already promised to someone else.

Written and Directed by Georgi Unkovski | Produced by Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska | 99 min | Croatia, Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Serbia | 2025

Savages

Winner of the Unstoppable Kids Prize for family-friendly films at the 2025 New York International Children’s Film Festival

The film follows 11-year-old Keria who lives on the edge of Borneo’s tropical rainforest with her father, where deforestation is rampant. Her life is upended when she adopts an orphaned baby orangutan and her Penan cousin, Selaï, comes to stay.

Comparsa

Winner Children’s Resilience in Documentary Prize at 2025 Sheffield DocFest

Comparsa is a stirring portrait of two teen sisters in Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala who, in the wake of their friends murder and a backdrop of unchecked violence against women and girls, stage a carnival street parade and public performance as a protest. Through their courageous, art-driven resistance, they fight for the safety and freedom of women and girls and a new way for their community to come together.

Directed by Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson | Producers Olivia Ahnemann, Anna Hadingham, Vickie Curtis, Doug Anderson| 79 min | USA, Guatemala | 2025

In Case You Forgot

*Winner of the Shine Global Resilience Award for Young Filmmakers at Montclair Film*

In “In Case You Forgot,” a high school senior receives a letter from his fifth-grade self, offering a poignant and heartfelt look at growing up—the challenges of changing friendships, college and academic pressures, shifting dreams, and struggles with mental health as the world’s complexities are more felt.

Directed, written, and produced by Jackson Provan and Henry Slater | 4 min | USA | 2025

Ebony Blanding

2025 Shine Global Children’s Resilience Flaherty Seminar Fellow

Ebony Blanding is a writer and director with deep Southern roots and a passion for telling the stories of Black people navigating the world and internal discoveries. She explores the complexities and possibilities of Blackness and female relationships on screen through narrative, experimental and documentary film.

Laurie J Gardiner

Winner Children’s Resilience in Disability Stories Screenwriting Award at 2025 ReelAbilities Film Festival

The script for proposal for Remedial follows Will, a young boy struggling in the aftermath of his father’s accident. At his new school, Will’s behavior spirals, plagued by memories of the accident and a crippling fear of drowning. While his mother battles her own grief, she fails to see Will’s PTSD. As his grip on reality slips, Will’s frantic need to preserve his father’s memory leads to violent outbursts, leaving his teacher to wrongly diagnose him with ADHD.

Daughters

2024 GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. jail.

Angela Patton, Natalie Rae | Producers Natalie Rae, Lisa Mazzotta, Justin Benoliel, James Cunningham, Mindy Goldberg, Sam Bisbee, Kathryn Everett, Laura Choi Raycroft | 107 min | USA | 2024

Dounia: The Great White North

Winner of the Unstoppable Kids Prize for family-friendly films at the 2024 New York International Children’s Film Festival

“Dounia: The Great White North” follows the journey of 7 year-old Dounia and her grandparents as they get to know Canada, the country that welcomed them when they fled their war-torn homeland.Directed by Marya Zarif, André Kadi | Produced by Judith Beauregard| 51 min | Canada | 2023

Los Frikis

Winner of Children’s Resilience in Screenwriting Award at 2024 Nantucket Film Festival

A group of punk rock teenagers from Havana deliberately inject themselves with HIV to escape the oppression of “special period” Cuba.

Written and Directed by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson | Producers Jordan Fudge, Jeremy Allen, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Rebecca Karch Tomlinson, Aditya Sood, Michael Schwartz & Tyler Nilson| 105 min | USA, Dominican Republic | 2024

Okthanksbye

Winner Children’s Resilience in Disability Stories Award at 2024 ReelAbilities Film Festival

An adventurous coming-of-age drama about two young deaf girls who go on an unforgettable road trip together where they not only get to know each other better, but also themselves.Directed by Nicole van Kilsdonk | Produced by Rogier Kramer, Laura Bouwmeester| 92 min | The Netherlands | 2023

Unibrow

Winner Children’s Resilience in Short Film Prize at 2024 Indy Shorts International Film Festival presented by Heartland Film

An Irani-Canadian girl (Lina Sennia) is forced to rethink her relationship with her unibrow and her Irani heritage, when she is forced to make friends with the new girl from Iran.

Directed by Nedda Sarshar| Producers Rabiya Mansoor, Shreya Patel| 14 min | Canada| 2023

3am Thoughts

Winner of the 2024 Shine Global Resilience Award for Young Filmmakers at Montclair Film

A teenager has an anxiety attack in the middle of the night about absolutely everything. Directed, written, and produced by Gabriella Kei l| 5 min | USA | 2024

Name Me Lawand

GRAND PRIZE WINNER 2023

Name Me Lawand is a rapturous portrait of a deaf Kurdish boy’s emotional journey towards discovering how to express himself using British Sign Language. A love letter to the power of communication and community.

Directed by Edward Lovelace | Produced by Fleur Nieddu, Sam Arnold, Beyan Taher, Neil Andrews, Marisa Clifford, Edward Lovelace | 84 min | UK | 2022

*Winner of the Film Accessibility Prize presented in Partnership with Reel Abilities*

Ayenda

Short Film Prize Winner Presented in Partnership with Indy Shorts Film Festival / Heartland Film

Summer 2021 – As Kabul falls to the Taliban, members of the Under-18 Afghan National Women’s Football Team attempt a daring evacuation from their homeland. AYENDA tells the thrilling story of the how the girls escaped with their lives, and the improbable network that banded together to get them out.

Directed by Marie Margolius | Produced by Marie Margolius, Connor Schell | 39 min | USA | 2023

LIFT

2022 GrandPrize Winner

Ten years in the making, LIFT shines a spotlight on the invisible story of homelessness in America through the eyes of a group of young home-insecure ballet dancers in New York City and the mentor who inspires them.

Directed by David J Petersen | 87 min | USA | 2022

Jury Members

Previous Resilience Award Jury Members include:
Jill Burkhart, VP of Unscripted Programming for MGM+
Maria Perez Brown, Head of Kids & Family, TIME Studios
Anita Chandra, VP and Director of Social and Economic Well-Being, RAND Corporation
Tyler Coates, Awards Editor at The Hollywood Reporter
Scott Feinberg, Executive Editor of Awards Coverage at The Hollywood Reporter
Amy Kennedy, child rights activist and Democratic congressional candidate
Anita Raswant, Lead Programmer at Nantucket Film Festival
Jana Sue Memel, Academy-Award winning producer
Eden Sapir, Campaign and Grassroots Partnership Manager at Picture Motion
Greg Sorvig, Artistic Director of Heartland Film
Amanda Spain, VP Longform Acquisitions at MSNBC Films
Kay Wilson Stallings, Executive Vice President, Chief Creative Development and Production Officer for Sesame Workshop
Brian Walker, CEO Picture Motion

Past Honorees

UmaSofia Srivastava

2024 Shine Global Youth Activist Honoree

UmaSofia Srivastava is the 17-year-old author and illustrator of the multi-lingual children’s book The White Jaguar and the first Mexican-Indian, first generation Miss Teen USA. She is a champion for children’s education, nutrition, and healthcare, working closely with organizations such as The Lotus Petal Foundation, Bridge of Books, Smile Train, and Vote.org to improve the lives of children in the US and around the world.

Jim Steyer

2024 Shine Global Titan Honoree

Jim is one of the world’s most respected experts on issues related to children, education, media and technology. He is the Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading child advocacy group and the most influential nonprofit in the kids’ media and technology space globally. Jim is an award-winning adjunct professor at his alma mater, Stanford University, where he has taught popular courses for more than 30 years and currently teaches Stanford’s largest class. He and his wife have four wonderful children and live in San Francisco.

SpongeBob SquarePants

2024 Shine Global Children’s Champion Honoree

SpongeBob is incurably optimistic, innocent, earnest, and well-meaning sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. He is a free spirit, fascinated by the obvious, yet creative enough to see everything in a new light. His good humor and good intentions often irritate others, but his refreshing attitude makes him a likable underdog. He embraces each moment with enthusiasm and has a love for his job at The Krusty Krab, a fast-food restaurant, where he has earned “Employee of the Month” for 25 years and counting. SpongeBob’s strongest trait is his optimism. His positive energy transforms the way others look at things, helping find the humorous irony in even the dullest of life’s details.

Margie Cohn

2023 Shine Global Titan Honoree

Margie Cohn is the President of DreamWorks Animation, home of iconic children’s films including Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, and Puss in Boots. Before DreamWorks Animation, Margie Cohn spent more than 20 years at Nickelodeon, where, in various development and production roles, she helped make the network number one in cable television for 18 consecutive years. She has worked in all media from documentary to animation to producing events like the Kids Choice Awards. For her commitment to imbuing children’s entertainment with heart, hope, and purpose, we are delighted to honor her as our 2023 Titan Honoree.

Graceyn Hollingsworth

2023 Shine Global Youth Activist Honoree

Graceyn was 7 years old when she and her dad Javoris began their YouTube channel “Gracie’s Corner” to bring more diverse representation to children’s educational content. Through the series, they teach children nursery rhymes, counting, letter recognition, phonics, Black history, coping skills, and much more! She is now 11 with 1.9 million subscribers and their 100+ videos have been viewed over a billion times.

Cydney Brown

2022 Shine Global Youth Activist Honoree

Cydney Brown is the former Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate and the award-winning author of “Daydreaming.” She has recited her poetry at The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Benjamin Franklin Hall, Lincoln University, The Ideas We Should Steal Festival, and she wishes to inspire people to speak their truth and share her poetry with the world.

Marcellus Wiley

2023 Shine Global Children’s Champion Honoree

Marcellus Wiley played ten seasons in the NFL, was voted to the NFL’s top 50 players list and selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team in 2001. He also has spent years as a broadcast media analyst and co-host on hit shows like ‘SportsNation,’ and ‘Max & Marcellus” When not on the air, Wiley is hard at work using his talents to make a difference in his community. His charitable organization “Project Transition,” provides leadership training to at-risk youth with the goal of creating tomorrow’s thought leaders.

Lucille Roybal Allard

2022 Shine Global Children’s Champion Honoree

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress, has shown a deep commitment to advancing children’s rights throughout her thirty-year tenure on Capitol Hill. In Congress, she has pioneered protections for children’s health through the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act and the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking (STOP) ACT. Roybal-Allard is also a leading advocate for immigrant families and children, having been an original co-author of the Dream Act and the sponsor of the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment (CARE) Act.

Sonia Manzano

2022 Shine Global Titan Honoree

Sonia Manzano is an Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, screenwriter, author, and speaker, whose contributions to children’s media spans over five decades and multiple mediums. Best known as “Maria” on Sesame Street to multiple generations of viewers across the world, Sonia is a fifteen-time Emmy Award winning screenwriter, having written for iconic children’s TV shows including Sesame Street and Little Bill. She is also the author of numerous acclaimed children’s books, many of which shed much-needed light on Latino families and children’s resilience. Most recently, Manzano has returned to PBS as the creator of Alma’s Way, a new children’s show set in The Bronx.

In the Words of Attendees and Filmmakers

“It reminded me why I love being in the [film] industry and how we play a role in positive change… Shine Global did that! So thank you”
– 2023 LA Awards Ceremony Attendee

“In all the years I have been making films and attending festivals, Shine Global’s Awards stands out as one of the greatest experiences I’ve had so far.”
– David Petersen, Director, LIFT

“It was an inspirational experience and reminds me of the bigger things in the world that need help and support… What you do reinvigorates my hope that we can make a difference in children’s’ lives.”
– 2023 LA Awards Ceremony Attendee

Film Festival and Organization Partnerships

Shine Global and Heartland Film have partnered to present the Spotlight: Children’s Resilience program at the Indy Shorts International Film Festival and award the $2,500 Short Film Prize.

All short film submissions should be submitted directly to Indy Shorts International Film Festival: https://filmfreeway.com/HeartlandFilmIndyShorts

Reel Abilities is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. Shine Global is presenting a $2,500 prize for a project demonstrating the resilience of children withdisabiltieis

Montclair Film and Shine Global are presenting two prizes for student filmmakers participating in Montclair Film Education’s annual Emerging Filmmaker Competition (EFC). An award of $500 will be granted to the winning film in a new filmmaking category focused on resilience, and another cash prize of $500 will be awarded to the EFC’s Grand Prize winning film.

This prize is given to a film with outstanding storytelling that effectively portrays the resilience and strength of children and young people.

This collaboration establishes a special prize for filmmakers participating in the New York International Children’s Film Festival, with an Unstoppable Kids Prize award of $2,500 to the winning film, intended for youth audiences, that highlights children’s resilience.

This collaboration establishes a documentary prize for filmmakers participating in the Sheffield DocFest.

The Shine Global Flaherty Fellowship, provides funding for one filmmaker working in fiction and/or nonfiction form to attend the 70th Flaherty Fellowship. The Shine Global Fellowship applicants must be working on or have worked on a film centering on children’s voices and aiming to improve children’s lives.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Shine Global provides corporations, businesses, and community partners with opportunities to engage with audiences and support Shine Global in our mission of improving children’s lives with powerful storytelling that raises awareness, promotes action, and inspires change!

Please contact Francile Albright Mullen at francile@shineglobal.org for additional sponsorship information.

Benefits for sponsors include:

Branding exposure
Marketing outreach
Advertising placements
Opportunity to co-present an event
Film ticket packages and access to special events

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