FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A SHOW FOR A CHANGE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES MAY 2020 AWARD WINNERS FOR SOCIAL IMPACT FILMS

Los Angeles, CA – June 13, 2020 – A Show For A Change today announced several winners for its monthly global film festival, celebrating social impact films from around the world. The awarded films include projects from around the world and were created by numerous celebrated filmmakers.

“We’re proud to recognize these powerful films that advance the social causes of our time,” said Jared Milrad, founder and president of A Show For A Change. “Our festival continues to attract a strong diversity of socially conscious films from around the world. This month’s awarded films address timely causes, including criminal justice, equality, and health and wellness.”

This month’s winners include:

● Social Impact Award: In Their Shoes: Unheard Stories of Reentry and Recovery Directed by Taylor Katsanis. In Their Shoes is a documentary film about a year in the lives of four men whose stories intersect in a Writers Without Margins prison reentry and addiction recovery creative writing program. In these complex portrayals of both hope and heartache, we learn, from their own words, what led each person to commit their crimes, and we witness the challenges of their ongoing stories on the outside, interspersed with interviews and appearances by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, Sheriff Michael Bellotti, Author Randall Horton, Professor James Pennebaker, Dr. Bertha Madras of Trump’s Commission on the Opiate Crisis, and more. Watch the trailer here!

● Creativity Award: A New Start Directed by Alex Toh Hong Tah. An ex-convict working hard to change himself, struggles to start anew in a changing urban landscape and society he was once so conversant with, finds himself in a situation that tests his determination to change and the principles he now embraces. This short film explores the notion of forgiveness and that everyday is indeed a test of our commitment to a new self. Watch the trailer here!

● Storytelling Award: Beyond Words Directed by Chang Hui Bin, Amanda. Beyond Words follows the Ng family on their journey caring for their 13-year-old daughter Amelia, who has a rare degenerative condition. The film centers around the strong relationships that hold the family together, in particular Amelia’s bond with her older sister, Amanda. Amanda chose to be homeschooled to spend more time with Amelia, and also dedicates her time to advocating for those with special needs and their siblings. Watch the trailer here!

● Cinematography Award: Yoghurt Utopia Directed by Anna Thomson. Whilst society shut down the asylums, it never truly found a place for the mentally ill. But when a young psychologist at a failing institution in Spain took a handful of patients and started a business, it grew into a multi-million dollar yoghurt brand that now employs hundreds of people with mental health problems. But after 35 years its founder, Cristobal Colon, needs to find a replacement to ensure the business has a future without him. Yoghurt Utopia follows a tumultuous year in the life of the La Fageda Cooperative and its workers, both inside and outside the factory. Watch the trailer here!

"We are honored to have received the Social Impact Award from A Show For A Change, which is so aligned with our mission of art and advocacy. When we set out to produce this film our goal was to provide a new and informed perspective on the compounding American drug crises and related criminal justice system, by giving voice to those who had lived it, learned from it, and are usually given the least time to speak. By allowing the most silenced and vilified people, the drug felons, to take back their own narratives, we also hoped that they might take more control of their futures. What unfolded were not all the stories we hoped would be told, but they were the stories that needed to be told, exposing the hardest truths. We are grateful to A Show for Change A for recognizing our efforts and expanding our audience so that we might increase empathy, enhance understanding, and promote change."

– Cheryl Buchanan, Producer of In Their Shoes: Unheard Stories of Reentry and Recovery

“Yoghurt Utopia is the story of a maverick psychologist and his patients who broke out of the asylum and into big business. It champions an alternative way to treat mental illness. A Show for Change could not be a more fitting festival and we are delighted to have been selected and awarded a cinematography award"

– Anna Thomson, Director of Yoghurt Utopia

"First of all, I am really honoured to be receiving this award from A Show for A Change Film Festival. I think winning the award is not about winning itself. Knowing that our effort is being appreciated, the message we wish to convey is being paid attention to and highlighted, and also being accredited and recognized from an international film festival on the film quality, meant a lot to me as an independent filmmaker. This award would certainly encourage me to strive harder to make better films. I would say this short film is important because of the messages and values that it encompasses, espouses and upholds, which is about forgiveness and a commitment for changing oneself for the better. It is an aim and a hope to make the world a better place through touching the hearts of as many viewers as possible.”

– Alex Toh, Director of A New Start

“"We are honoured to receive this recognition and to bring this story to a wider audience. At its core, Beyond Words is a film about selfless familial love. We hope that it can embolden others to care for their loved ones without fear of judgment, and serve as a capsule of the family’s precious memories with Amelia."

– Esther Rim, Producer of Beyond Words

A Show For A Change invites filmmakers who share a passion for changing the world through the power of storytelling to submit to our monthly film festival. We seek diverse, engaging stories that address societal, environmental, and cultural issues. To apply for our next film festival, filmmakers can submit their projects by June 29, 2020 using this link: https://filmfreeway.com/ashowforachange

About A Show For A Change Film Festival

With 350+ global submissions, A Show For A Change has awarded some of the most creative, groundbreaking, and inspiring stories highlighting social issues since launching its monthly festival in December 2017. The company’s mission is to celebrate socially impactful films through the art of storytelling and advocate for enduring social change. It embraces films that challenge the status quo and stand up for urgent causes like human rights, animal rights, and the environment.

Learn more about our current projects and monthly global film festival at ashowforachange.com

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