Through Our Eyes: Homefront and Virtually Free at Heartland Film Indy Shorts

Through Our Eyes: Homefront and Virtually Free at Heartland Film Indy Shorts

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Through Our Eyes: Homefront and Virtually Free at Heartland Film Indy Shorts

The full film lineup for the 4th Annual Academy Award®-Qualifying Indy Shorts International Film Festival is now available and we are pleased to announce that two of Shine Global’s films have been selected to play in the “Youth Impact” program: Through Our Eyes: Homefront by Director Kristi Jacobson and Virtually Free by Director André Robert Lee.

The festival is organized by the non-profit arts organization Heartland Film with the mission to “curate, promote and celebrate thoughtful and engaging films from diverse perspectives.”  This year, they reviewed 3,300 submission for the Indy Shorts Film festival to program 201 short films included in 33 themed programs which are available to watch virtuallyand in person in Indianapolis July 20-25.

–> Get your tickets for the Youth Impact program to watch Shine Global’s films here

Through Our Eyes: Homefront is directed by News and Documentary Emmy Award winner Kristi Jacobson (The Election Effect: Anmal, A Place at the Table, Solitary) and produced by Shine Global’s Alexandra Blaney and Catalyst Films’ Netsanet Negussie. There are currently 1.9 million service members and veterans relying on caregiver support in the United States, and 3.4 million children live in the homes of these caregivers. In HOMEFRONT, three children of veteran families cope with the emotional impact of having a wounded parent, navigate the unique challenges of visible and invisible injuries sustained during military service, and together journey toward collective healing.  The film is produced by Sesame Workshop in association with Shine Global and will be premiering on HBOMax on July 22 after the world premiere at Indy Shorts.

Virtually Free, Directed by André Robert Lee and produced by Shine Global’s Susan MacLaury and Alexandra Blaney, is a documentary about unlikely allies in Richmond, VA who partner to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration. In the film, we meet Sid, Taee, and AR, three teens currently being held in a detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power by participating in a local arts organizations’ program.

Virtually Free sparking discussions about juvenile justice and anti-racism

Virtually Free sparking discussions about juvenile justice and anti-racism

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Virtually Free sparking discussions about juvenile justice and anti-racism

In addition to winning several awards, including the Jury Award for Impact in the Social Impact Media Awards, Virtually Free has been screening around the country as part of workshops focusing on anti-racism and conversations about policing in America.  Check out this video for a taste of how engaging and thought-provoking these conversations have been – and if you are interested in booking a workshop of your own with the film and Director André Robert Lee – please let us know! Or you can reach out to Point Made Learning at programming@pointmade.com

Virtually Free Wins Jury Award for Impact from SIMA

Virtually Free Wins Jury Award for Impact from SIMA

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2021 SIMA Award for Impact for Virtually Free Shine Global SIMA Award Special Mention

Virtually Free Wins Jury Award for Impact from SIMA, Shine Global named a Special Jury Mention for Production Company

Shine Global’s latest film Virtually Free has won the Jury Award for Impact at the 9th Annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2021) for innovative videos that share unique insight into “how impact works” and that inspire critical consciousness of current social issues.  Directed by André Robert Lee, the short documentary shows unlikely allies who work together to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration in Richmond, VA. In the film, we meet Sid, Taee, and AR, three teens currently being held in a Richmond, VA detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power. Participating in a local arts organizations’ program, Performing Statistics, they are taught by different artists to deliver their powerful, authentic messages to the public, law enforcement, and government officials using their art, including a virtual reality jail cell they’ve helped create.

Shine Global also received a Special Jury Mention in the Production Company category for “companies with a demonstrated track record of producing social impact media.” As a non-profit media company, Shine Global produces inspiring films and compelling content about children and their families. 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.

WATCH THE TRAILER FOR VIRTUALLY FREE (now available for screenings and workshops)

See the full list of winners at https://simaawards.org/2021-winners/

 

SIMA Awards Finalists Shine Global and Virtually Free

SIMA Awards Finalists Shine Global and Virtually Free

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SIMA Awards Finalists Shine Global and Virtually Free

We are honored to announce that Shine Global and our film Virtually Free are both finalists for the 9th Annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2021).

The annual awards program was founded in 2012 by award-winning documentary filmmaker and human rights activist, Daniela Konto to support and champion excellence in social impact filmmaking and amplify the power of media to foster a world that is free from prejudice, discrimination and oppression.

From SIMA: “Storytelling has always been an effective vehicle for change and this year’s SIMA 2021 finalists have set the gold standard for what that responsibility means. With captivating storytelling and remarkable access, these diverse and courageous filmmakers not only amplify the stories of marginalized communities and individuals, but inspire and empower audiences to question and rise up against the oppressive systems that hold our society hostage from reaching its full potential.”

Shine Global is a finalist in the Production Company category for “companies with a demonstrated track record of producing social impact media.”
As a non-profit media company, Shine Global produces inspiring films and compelling content about children and their families. 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.

And Shine Global’s most recent film Virtually Free, directed by André Robert Lee, is a finalist in the Impact Videos category for innovative videos that share unique insight into “how impact works” and that inspire critical consciousness of current social issues. In the short documentary, unlikely allies work together to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration in Richmond, VA. In the film, we meet Sid, Taee, and AR, three teens currently being held in a Richmond, VA detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power. Participating in a local arts organizations’ program, Performing Statistics, they are taught by different artists to deliver their powerful, authentic messages to the public, law enforcement, and government officials using their art, including a virtual reality jail cell they’ve helped create.

 

See the full list of finalists at https://simaawards.org/2021-finalists/

 

Virtually Free Shortlisted for IDA Documentary Awards

Virtually Free Shortlisted for IDA Documentary Awards

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Virtually Free Shortlisted for IDA Documentary Awards

Virtually Free, Shine Global’s latest documentary produced by Susan MacLaury and Alexandra Blaney and Directed by André Robert Lee, has been shortlisted for the IDA Documentary Awards in the Shorts category. The IDA Documentary Awards is “the world’s most prestigious event dedicated to the documentary genre, celebrating the best nonfiction films and programs of the year. It seeks to represent excellence in the documentary field from around the world, by emerging and established documentarians.” Up to ten nominees in each of the feature and short documentary categories will be selected from the shortlist and will be announced on November 24th.

Virtually Free is a documentary about unlikely allies in Richmond, VA who partner to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration. In the film, we meet Sid, Tae, and AR, three teens currently being held in a Richmond, VA detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power. Participating in a local arts organizations’ program, Performing Statistics, they are taught by different artists to deliver their powerful, authentic messages to the public, law enforcement, and government officials using their art, including a virtual reality jail cell they’ve helped create.

More information on how to book an exclusive virtual screening and workshop can be found at: https://www.virtuallyfreemovie.com/watch

Watch the trailer:

Shorts Shortlist

Abortion Helpline, This is Lisa (USA / Woman Make Movies. Directors/Producers: Barbara Attie, Mike Attie, Janet Goldwater)

All That Perishes at the Edge of Land (Pakistan. Director/Producer: Hira Nabi. Producer: Till Passow)

Tutwiler (USA / Frontline, PBS, The Marshall Project, American Documentary, WORLD Channel. Director: Elaine McMillion Sheldon. Producer: Alysia Santo)

Call Center Blues (USA, Mexico / TOPIC. Director: Geeta Gandbhir. Producer: Jessica Devaney)

Eddy’s World (USA. Director/Producer: Lyn Goldfarb. Producers: Jannat Gargi, Daniel Zimbaldi)

Huntsville Station (USA / NY Times Op-Docs. Directors/Producers: Chris Filippone, Jamie Meltzer)

Hysterical Girl (USA / NY Times Op-Docs. Director: Kate Novack. Producer: Andrew Rossi)

John Was Trying to Contact Aliens (USA / Netflix. Director/Producer: Matthew Killip)

The Lost Astronaut (USA / NY Times Op-Docs. Director: Ben Proudfoot. Producers: Abby Lynn Kang Davis, Gabriel Berk Godoi)

Mizuko (USA, Japan. Directors/Producers: Kira Dane, Katelyn Rebelo)

Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem (USA. Director/Producer: Robert Greenwald. Producers: Casey Cooper Johnson, Jim Miller)

sống ở đây (USA / University of California, Santa Cruz. Director/Producer: Melanie Ho)

To Calm the Pig Inside (Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos) (Philippines. Director/Producer: Joanna Vasquez Arong) 

Unforgivable (El Salvador. Director/Producer: Marlén Viñayo. Producer: Carlos Martínez)

Virtually Free (USA. Director: André Robert Lee. Producers: Alexandra Blaney, Susan MacLaury)

Features Shortlist

76 Days (USA, China / MTV Documentary Films. Directors: Anonymous, Weixi Chen. Director/Producer: Hao Wu. Producer: Jean Tsien)

Acasă, My Home (Romania, Germany, Finland / Manifest Film, HBO Europe. Director: Radu Ciorniciuc. Producer: Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan)

Boys State (USA / Apple, A24. Directors/Producers: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss)

City Hall (USA / Zipporah Films, Inc. Director: Frederick Wiseman. Producer: Karen Konicek)

Collective  (Romania / Magnolia Pictures, Participant. Director/Producer: Alexander Nanau. Producer: Bianca Oana)

Crip Camp (USA / Netflix. Directors/Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham. Producer: Sara Bolder)

Disclosure (USA / Netflix. Director/Producer: Sam Feder. Producer: Amy Scholder)

The Earth is Blue as an Orange (Ukraine, Lithuania / TVP. Director: Iryna Tsilyk. Producers: Anna Kapustina, Giedrė Žickytė)

The Forbidden Reel (Canada / National Film Board of Canada. Director: Ariel Nasr. Producers: Kat Baulu, Sergeo Kirby)

Gunda (Norway, USA / NEON. Director: Victor Kossakovsky. Producer: Anita Rehoff Larsen)

I Walk on Water (USA / Grasshopper Film. Director: Khalik Allah. Producers: Sofian Khan, Vikki Tobak)

Me and the Cult Leader (Japan. Director/Producer: Atsushi Sakahara. Producers: Pearl Chan, Matsuo Etsuko)

A Metamorfose dos Pássaros (Portugal / Portugal Film – Portuguese Film Agency. Director: Catarina Vasconcelos. Producers: Pedro Fernandes Duarte, Joana Gusmão)

MLK/FBI (USA / IFC Films. Director: Sam Pollard. Producer: Benjamin Hedin)

The Mole Agent (Chile, Germany, USA / POV, Hulu, Gravitas Ventures. Director: Maite Alberdi. Producer: Marcela Santibañez)

Notturno (Italy, France, Germany. Director/Producer: Gianfranco Rosi. Producers: Camille Laemlé, Serge Lalou, Orwa Nyrabia, Donatella Palermo, Eva-Maria Weerts)

Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (Venezuela, UK, Brazil / Cargo Film Releasing. Director: Anabel Rodríguez Ríos. Producer: Sepp Brudermann) 

The Reason I Jump (USA, UK / Kino Lorber. Director: Jerry Rothwell. Producers: Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow)

Reunited (Denmark. Director: Mira Jargil. Producer: Kirstine Barfod)

Self Portrait (Norway. Directors: Katja Høgset, Margreth Olin, Espen Wallin. Director/Producer: Margreth Olin)

Softie (Kenya / POV. Director/Producer: Sam Soko. Producer: Toni Kamau)

Stray (USA / Magnolia Pictures. Director/Producer: Elizabeth Lo. Producers: Shane Boris, Ceylan Carhoglu, Ina Fichman)

‘Til Kingdom Come (Israel, UK, Norway / IPBC Kan, NDR. Director/Producer: Maya Zinshtein. Producers: John Battsek, Abraham (Abie) Troen)

Time (USA / Amazon Studios, Concordia Studio, The New York Times. Director/Producer: Garrett Bradley. Producers: Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn) 

To See You Again (Mexico. Director: Carolina Corral Paredes. Producer: Magali Rocha Donnadieu)

The Truffle Hunters (USA / Sony Pictures Classics. Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw)

Unapologetic (USA. Director/Producer: Ashley O’Shay. Producer: Morgan Elise Johnson)

The Viewing Booth (Israel, USA / ro*co films, Temple University, Channel 8 (Israel). Director/Producer: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz. Producer: Liran Atzmor)

Welcome to Chechnya (USA / HBO. Director/Producer: David France. Producers: Alice Henty and Askold Kurov)

Wintopia (Canada / National Film Board of Canada. Director: Mira Burt-Wintonick. Producers: Annette Clarke, Bob Moore)