Maya Castronovo Maya Castronovo is a senior at Columbia University studying Film and Media Studies. Her short films have played at festivals across the country. As a marketing intern, Maya hopes to share children’s stories and promote Shine Global’s mission through social media content and outreach. After graduation, Maya plans to pursue a career in documentary film production.
Yaren Ay Yaren Ay is a detail-oriented individual with a creative eye for stories and progressive experience developing social media and video content. She is an aspiring filmmaker and writer with a Bachelor’s degree in Film & TV Production from Lynn University. Having gained experience with a wide range of marketing functions, including communications, advertising, branding, and digital marketing, she is continuously helping out organizations by striving for full excellence and achieving their ultimate goal(s). One of her favorite quotes about children’s resilience is by Oprah Winfrey where she states that “challenges are gifts that force us to search for a new center of gravity. Don’t fight them. Just find a new way to stand”.
We admit that every year it seems like we say it was our biggest and best yet, but the thing is – it’s true!
In 2022, Shine Global built on our previous successes and also expanded to reach audiences in new ways to transform children’s lives with the power of film. From the release of our latest film pushing the forms of documentary storytelling to expert panels on mental health to the launch of the first annual Children’s Resilience in Film Awards, we’ve had a truly inspiring 2022.
Launch of the first ever Children’s Resilience in Film Awards which honored four filmmakers whose films celebrate the strength and power of children around the world with a $25,000 grand prize awarded to the documentary LIFT and $2,500 for the three other nominees Scenes from the Glittering World, Maika: Girl From Another Galaxy, and Gabi: Between Ages 8 and 13. As our 2022 Titan Honoree actress and writer Sonia Manzano (best known as Maria from Sesame Street) said in her acceptance speech: “All children are born resilient. We had a Sesame Street producer who used to say, ‘If you look into a crowd of kids and say, anybody who can sing and dance raise your hand, they will all raise their hands.’ It’s our job to keep that hope in them alive, and these films that show us children and families that we might not ordinarily see make us understand that they should not be forgotten.”
The release of Home Is Somewhere Else! This animated documentaryprovides a window into the hearts and minds of young immigrants and their undocumented families. It premiered at the world’s most important animation film festival Annecy Film Festival in France (with an appearance by Guillermo del Toro at our premiere party!) and has continued to screen around the world, winning awards and sparking conversations about immigration. Other highlights include a workshop at the AFT Annual Convention this summer with teachers and winning the Best Youth Documentary Ages 14+ at the world’s largest documentary film festival IDFA.
For Month of the Military Child in April, we hosted two virtual panels using our film Through Our Eyes: Homefront as a starting point to talk about the mental health needs of veterans and their children. Featuring experts in PTSD, veterans, and mental health experts, panelists discussed the needs of military families and how our nation can better serve them. The panels are available to watch on our website and the film can be streamed on HBOMax. And in additional news – Homefront has also been named a finalist for the Columbia Journalism duPont awards!
Huge news for Maison, one of the three children featured in our documentary Tre Maison Dasanabout children with incarcerated parents. He has received a full scholarship to Brown University for Fall 2023! Maison writes: “Being a part of Tre Maison Dasan and seeing how it touched so many people made me realize the power of storytelling, and I hope to continue to inspire and uplift people with my stories, whether they be plays, comic books, short films, or any other medium.”
Being back in person! It was so wonderful to be able to be back in person with so many Shine Global supporters – especially welcoming our new team member Autumn Gonzalez and as part of the Children’s Resilience in Film Awards. Sitting together in the theater to watch the nominated films was magical and the Q&As and awards ceremony both provided the opportunity for the filmmakers and audiences to meaningfully interact and inspired many actions for change. That is after all why we do this work.
And there’s so much more to come in 2023!
Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk 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.
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LIFT Wins the First-Ever Children’s Resilience in Film Award
Acclaimed Documentary — Featuring New York Theatre Ballet’s LIFT Program and Internationally-Renowned Ballet Dancer Steven Melendez — Will Receive $25,000 Unrestricted Cash Prize
Three Runner-Up Films Will Each Receive $2,500 Cash Prizes
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 20: (L-R) David J. Petersen accepts an award onstage from Susan MacLaury and Albie Hecht at Children’s Resilience in Film Awards at Paramount Pictures Studios on October 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Shine Global Inc)
LOS ANGELES, CA – Today, LIFT (2022) was named the inaugural winner of Shine Global’s Children’s Resilience in Film Award at the VIP awards ceremony at Paramount Picture Studios. Filmed 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 Theatre Ballet’s LIFT program, and the mentor who inspires them, internationally-renowned ballet dancer Steven Melendez.
“This is a gift to these children, and I am so grateful to see the vision of all of these filmmakers, to see the vision of what Shine Global has done for the last 17 years. It is astonishing to come to this moment and to see that part of that journey, that torch that has been carried from their work has been carried by these children. They’re now dancing on stages in New York, and all over the world, and they’re now going to be dancing very brightly and highly knowing that they have been honored,” said LIFT director David J. Petersen. “This has been a community that we’ve all shared, and I cannot thank filmmakers who are entirely equals on this stage. We are all equals on the dance floor.”
As the winner of the Children’s Resilience in Film Award, Petersen will receive a $25,000 unrestricted cash prize. LIFT was selected by an esteemed jury panel composed of Kay Wilson Stallings, Maria Perez Brown, Amy Kennedy, Scott Feinberg, and Jana Sue Memel. The winner was selected from an incredible group of nominees including: Gabi: Between Ages 8 and 13 Directed by Engeli Broberg (Sweden/Denmark/Norway), Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy Directed by Ham Tran (Vietnam), and Scenes From the Glittering World Directed by Jared Jakins(USA). The three runner-up films will each receive a $2,500 unrestricted cash prize. All four films were selected from a pool of feature-length film submissions from 32 countries around the world. The first-of-its-kind award honors the preeminent filmmakers who masterfully highlight and celebrate the inspiring strength, creativity, and power of children across the world. 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.
“LIFT tells a powerful story of how young ballet dancers can create arresting art and still offer boundless hope in the face of housing instability and poverty, and we are elated to award them the first-ever Children’s Resilience in Film Award,” said Susan MacLaury, co-founder andexecutive director of Shine Global. “By not allowing its young subjects to be defined by their hardships, LIFT is an outstanding model for other filmmakers hoping to tell children’s stories. When we allow children’s strength, hope, and spirit to shine through these traumas and hardships, we create ever-more impactful, boundary-breaking stories for audiences across the world.”
At the VIP awards breakfast ceremony, hosted by Glee actor Mike O’Malley, Shine Global also celebrated its inaugural honorees. Pioneering U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard was honored with the Champion for Children Award for her commitment to advocating for children’s rights; actress and screenwriter Sonia Manzano, best known as “Maria” on Sesame Street, was awarded the Titan Award for her contributions to children’s entertainment; and, 2020-21 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate Cydney Brown received the Youth Activist Award for her work to inspire children and families to speak their truth and fight for change.
“To receive the 2022 Champion for Children Award from Shine Global has a very special meaning for me, because it comes from an organization devoted to ensuring that neglect, injustice, and tragic consequences suffered by children are neither ignored nor forgotten. Susan MacLaury and Ablie Hecht, I commend you both for giving a strong, effective voice to underserved children and their families across the globe. Your work sharing their incredible and too often tragic stories has indeed raised awareness, promoted action, and inspired change,” said U.S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard. “As Americans, we have a moral obligation to protect every child and ensure that every child has the opportunity for a better, safer, and healthier life.”
“Thank you for this Titan Award, and congratulations to Congresswoman Roybal-Allard and activist Cydney Brown. The films that you are honoring today made me pause,” said actress and screenwriter Sonia Manzano in her acceptance speech. “All children are born resilient. We had a ‘Sesame Street’ producer who used to say, if you look into a crowd of kids and say, anybody who can sing and dance raise your hand, they will all raise their hands. It’s our job to keep that hope in them alive, and these films that show us children and families that we might not ordinarily see make us understand that they should not be forgotten.”
“Thank you Shine Global for choosing me as the 2022 Youth Activist Honoree,” said Youth Poet Cydney Brown. “As a poet, I find joy in making big ideas more accessible through poetry and inspiring others to speak their truth.”
The inaugural Children’s Resilience in Film Award was sponsored in part by media partner The Hollywood Reporter who uplifted these powerful, culture-shifting films to receive the recognition they deserve; Paramount Pictures; Sunlight Entertainment, Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang; Mattel Inc; pocket.watch; Quest Pacifica; Jim and Kimberly Caccavo; Ellen and Wendell Maddrey; DreamWorks Animation; IMAX; A.JAFFE; 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.
Pioneering Congresswoman, Children’s Entertainment Icon, and Youth Poet Laureate Honored at First-Ever Children’s Resilience in Film Award
Academy and Emmy Award-Winning Non-Profit Media Company, Shine Global, Will Honor Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Actress Sonia Manzano, and Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate Cydney Brown in LA on Oct. 20
We are pleased to announce the three esteemed honorees we will recognize at the upcoming awards show at Paramount Pictures Studios in LA on October 20, 2022. Shine Global will honor pioneering Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard for her commitment to advocating for children’s rights; actress and screenwriter, Sonia Manzano for her contributions to children’s entertainment and the impact it’s had on future generations; and 2020-21 Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate, Cydney Brown, for her work to inspire children and families alike to speak their truth and fight for change. Below we’ve provided information on each honoree and the award they will receive:
Titan Award – Recognizes a leader in the film and TV/media industry who has made a significant impact in advancing children’s causes and media for young audiences.
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. Photo by David Gonzalez courtesy of Fred Rogers Productions.
Champion for Children Award – Recognizes an individual who has demonstrated a deep commitment through generous support and engagement to youth and family causes.
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.
Youth Activist Award – Recognizes the advocacy of a young person who raises awareness on important topics facing the next generation and has positively affected policy or change in their communities.
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.
“There are countless individuals who have committed their lives to shining a light on the challenges youth face, but few have committed themselves to elevating their voices. Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, Sonia Manzano, and Cydney Brown are three such people, and I am grateful to honor each of them for their incredible work centering youth causes at the heart of politics, television and film, and poetry respectively,” said Susan MacLaury, executive director of Shine Global. “Despite their varied spheres of influence, each of our honorees has harnessed their power to highlight oft-forgotten issues, amplify youth voices, and make this world shine brighter for the next generation.”
In addition to honoring these three esteemed individuals, Shine Global will announce the inaugural winner of the Children’s Resilience in Film Award at the October 20th ceremony. The winner of the award will receive a $25,000 cash prize. The nominees for the award include the following films:
Gabi: Between Ages 8 and 13 (Sweden/Denmark/Norway), directed by Engeli Broberg
LIFT (USA), directed by David J. Petersen
Maika: The Girl From Another Galaxy (Vietnam), directed by Ham Tran
Scenes From the Glittering World (USA), directed by Jared Jakins
The winner will be selected by a jury panel, including Kay Wilson Stallings, Maria Perez Brown, Amy Kennedy, Scott Feinberg, and Jana Sue Memel.
A preview of the four nominated films can be viewed here:
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; Sunlight Entertainment, Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang; Mattel Inc; pocket.watch; Quest Pacifica; Jim and Kimberly Caccavo; Ellen and Wendell Maddrey; DreamWorks Animation; IMAX; A.JAFFE; 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.
An Amazing Weekend of Film, Conversations and Camaraderie
Our hearts are full of gratitude for all of the support we received last weekend from donors, attendees, and filmmakers at the Opening Night Party and film screening series of the inaugural Children’s Resilience in Film Award at Bryant Park Hotel in New York City. It was wonderful catching up with longtime friends and creating relationships with new ones. We are especially proud to have created opportunities for filmmakers and audiences to engage in meaningful conversations about how we can all make positive changes in our communities using the power of film.
Check out the photos from the fun filled weekend:
What a wonderful weekend in NYC celebrating the 2022 Children’s Resilience in Film Awards nominees with an opening night…
The four nominees were chosen from a pool of feature-length film submissions from 32 countries across the world. A $25,000 prize will be awarded to the winning film, chosen 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.
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 Jakins Following three Indigenous students, Scenes from the Glittering World is a meditation on adolescence, trauma, and the power of connecting with an isolated Navajo homeland.
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; IMAX; A.JAFFE; 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.
Maya Castronovo
Yaren Ay
Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk 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.
