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VIEW WINNING FILMS FROM THE MY HERO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2024 - 2023 - 2022 - 2021 - 2020 - 2019 - 2018 -  2017 -  2016-  2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005
 
 
2013 WINNERS! 
Best of Fest

Best of Fest		 A Declaration of Interdependence
Produced by Tiffany Shlain and Global participants

Award Winning Director Tiffany Shlain crowd sources her revision of the Declaration of Independence as A Declaration of Interdependence!

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Dan Eldon Activist Award
Vital Voices: Hawa Abdi
Produced by Aaron Kisner

Dr. Hawa Abdi is Somalia's first female gynecologist. When the central government collapsed in 1989, Dr. Abdi's one-room clinic on her family farm began treating and housing local people fleeing the fighting.

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Ron Kovic Peace Prize
Moral Courage: Stopping shootings in Brooklyn before they start
Produced by Adam Grannick and Moral Courage TV

Kenneth is a part of the Save Our Streets organization, and he uses his own experiences with violence to prevent it from happening to the youths of Crown Heights.

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Engage Award From Life Giving Moments
Sports Illustrated Kids of the Year
Produced by Ian Orefice

Highlighting the amazing brothers Conner and Cayden Long.

Jenny Brown - Producer/Editor
Ian Orefice - Executive Producer
Jack Schurman - Director of Photography
Luke Schurman - Audio Engineer



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Global Educator Award
Peace in the world: iEarn 2013
Produced by Cheikh Seck

Cheikh Seck visits the iEarn conference in Doha Qatar.

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Peter Copen
Peoples Choice

1st Place		 The Dream of Life - Alan Watts
Produced by Isaac Blencowe

Visualizing an inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts.

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Alan Watts
Professional Portraits of Individuals

1st Place		 SLINGSHOT
Produced by Paul Lazarus

Best known for his Segway Personal Transporter, inventor Dean Kamen is taking on great challenges one invention at a time. SlingShot is the story of Kamen, his water purification technology, and his innovative approach to the safe water crisis.

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Dean Kamen

2nd Place		 Connecting Through the Beat
Produced by Sally Nellson Barrett

Kristin Lukow is an elementary school music teacher with an unorthodox approach to education that has parents and students inspired.

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Kristin Lukow

2nd Place		 Shari Holiday
Produced by LAHSA / Directed by Antonio Mendoza

Shari Holiday is a recovering drug addict who was homeless, and has been helped by LAHSA.

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Shari Holiday

3rd Place		 Marco Alcala, My Story, My Union
Produced by Antonio Mendoza Produced by: UNITE HERE Local 11



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Professional Portraits of Organizations

1st Place		 Intersections in the Land of Eternal Spring
Produced by Wayne Schoenfeld, Nadia Duguay and Mailis Burgaud

Poignantly shot and relevant, Intersections in the Land of Eternal Spring stars a group of 8 volunteers during a 2-week mission of Rotaplast International in Guatemala in March 2011, and paint an example of the global works of Rotary International.

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2nd Place		 HALO Foundations Mission Redefined
Produced by Josh Fry

Along with providing orphan's basic needs around the world, HALO now provides vocational training when the orphans become adults.

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3rd Place		 Faces of HART
Produced by Diane Namm

Baroness Caroline Cox founded the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, HART, which works to provide targeted aid and international advocacy for those who are, or who have been, suffering oppression and persecution.

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4th Place		 Make a Film Foundation: Magic Bracelet Project
Produced by Jon Poll Story by: Rina Goldberg

This project was created by Make A Film Foundation to fulfill the wish of 15 year old Rina Goldberg whose final words to her mom before she died of mitochondrial disease were “Promise to take care of my film.”

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Make a Film Foundation
Trailer

1st Place		 FEMME [Trailer]
Produced by Sharon Stone and Emmanuel Itier

Female scholars and activists discuss the role of women in leading necessary changes in our world.

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Sharon Stone

2nd Place		 Connected [Trailer]
Produced by Tiffany Shlain

A personal film with universal relevance, Connected explores how, after centuries of declaring our independence, it may be time for us to declare our interdependence instead.

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3rd Place		 Running Blind [Trailer]
Produced by Deborah Ann Woll, Christine O'Malley and Ryan Suffern

'Running Blind' is the story of EJ Scott, who set out to run 12 marathons in 12 states in 2012 for charity, and he did them all blindfolded!

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EJ Scott

3rd Place		 Visions for the Future [Trailer]
Produced by Robert Rippberger

Visions for the Future is a series about visionaries, their views, and how they’re getting their hands dirty changing the world.

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Environmental

1st Place		 Synthetic Seas
Produced by Jody Lemmon

13 people from different walks of life board a research vessel to explore the South Atlantic Gyre and learn more about the constantly worsening problem of plastic pollution.

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2nd Place		 Freediving with Sharks
Produced by Lesley Rochat

Lesley Rochat, also known as the Shark Warrior due to her passionate efforts in shark conservation, is a marine and shark conservationist, filmmaker, photographer, writer and inspirational speaker.

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3rd Place		 Delta Amazons
Produced by Adam SIE

As the sea progress inwards, inhabitants of the Delta Amazon plant various greenery to slow it down.

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Humanitarian

1st Place		 Vivienne
Produced by Diane Namm

Young Vivienne Harr was deeply affected by the story of children suffering from human trafficking. So she founded Make a Stand Lemon-aid to raise fund for organizations that fight child slavery.

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2nd Place		 SYRIA REFUGEES CHILDREN VOICES
Produced by Unicef Television

Families who are innocent victims of the civil war in Syria seek refuge in an alien country.

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Unicef

3rd Place		 Three Lives Being Lived in Zaatari Refugee Camp
Produced by World Food Programme

Forced to adapt to new lives as refugees in Jordan's Zaatari camp, these three Syrians are making the best of things and staying positive.

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College Narrative

1st Place		 No Child Left Deprived
Produced by Mark Manalo

A young, inner-city public school student named Jaden takes a stand against his principal after the school's art teacher has been fired for choosing to teach art instead of the state-mandated, standardized test.

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2nd Place		 The Sweatshop
Produced by Chin Tangsakulsathaporn

The story about Lee (7, boy) and Mimi (11 girl) who struggle with their imprisonment in an illegal sweatshop and hope for a way out. Ahong (the sweatshop owner) confines the group of children workers in a depressed basement. When Lee finally discovers a chance to get away, he will make a decision that could change both of their futures forever.

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3rd Place		 We Real Cool
Produced by Alex Ruiqing Ma

A teenage girl copes with her new adoption by a well-intentioned couple as well as peer pressure from old friends.

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College Documentary

1st Place		 Impressions in A Minor
Produced by Jason Liljenquist

A character profile reveals more than what meets the eye.

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2nd Place		 Fishing in the Anacostia
Produced by Colby Waller

Efforts are underway to return the river to a more natural state and the fisherman themselves are key to addressing the problem.

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3rd Place		 Heating Up
Produced by Shaina Pakravan

Heating Up explores the raw milk controversy through the eyes of its most active supporters. The film provides a brief history of pasteurization in the United States and reveals the legal obstacles today.

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Indy Features in Development

1st Place		 A Good American: The Times of Ron Kovic [excerpt]
Produced by Loretta Smith

Loretta documents the amazing journey of Ron Kovic, a Viet-Nam war veteran and a world renowned peace activist.

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Ron Kovic

1st Place		 The Penguin Counters
Produced by Peter Getzels and Harriet Gordon

Tackling climate change, one penguin at a time

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2nd Place		 Friends of Mine [Trailer]
Produced by Matthew Palmer

A young filmmaker details his experience at a camp that brings non-disabled and disabled individuals together to create an experience they can all relate to.

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Music Video

1st Place		 Mr. Blue Sky
Produced by Michael Patterson & Candace Reckinger - Song by ELO

An imaginative interpretation of the ELO song Mr. Blue Sky.

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1st Place		 Traveller
Produced by Sam Chegini

Story of a traveller who is asking herself symbolic questions about the meaning of life along the road.

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2nd Place		 Perfect
Produced by Madison Boll

A student-created music video for Perfect by P!NK.

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Experimental

1st Place		 A Declaration of Interdependence
Produced by Tiffany Shlain and Global participants

Award Winning Director Tiffany Shlain crowd sources her revision of the Declaration of Independence as A Declaration of Interdependence!

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2nd Place		 Gratitude
Produced by Louie Schwartzberg

Gratitude takes us on a journey of discovery, through nature and cultures, makes us grateful and opens our heart to all the things we take for granted.

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2nd Place		 The Dream of Life - Alan Watts
Produced by Isaac Blencowe

Visualizing an inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts.

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Alan Watts
Narrative

1st Place		 Run With Me
Produced by Cameron Covell

This young athlete does not let anything limit his efforts to succeed.

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2nd Place		 The Other Side
Produced by Madison Boll

This is a story of a girl who has it all, but is never satisfied. Suddenly, when she is transported to a different lifestyle, she learns a big lesson about what she has from a little boy.

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3rd Place		 Black Holi
Produced by Karan Sharma and Sharan Kainth

Divya is blind but she wants to feel the colors of happiness through Holi, the Festival of colors.

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Excerpt

1st Place		 Tokimane [Excerpt]
Produced by John O'Keefe

Tokimane follows various leaders as they work to make a positive impact in Congo in order to overcome the regions dark past.

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2nd Place		 Blues Planet: Sounds [Excerpt]
Produced by Wyland

"There is music to our planet."

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Student/Mentor

1st Place		 That Family Thing
Produced by Miguel Rivera

In this film, Bonita talks about her experience with foster care, and what it's like to get to know her birth family.

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High School

1st Place		 Title IX: The Journey to Equal Opportunities
Produced by Sarah Dillemuth / Directed by Madison Boll

A short student-created documentary about the history of Title IX for National History Day.

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2nd Place		 Beyond Difference
Produced by Mariel Lunar Produced by: Katrina Lantin

Joemari Beloso, 19 years old has Down Syndrome. Being difference is not a hindrance to his happiness.

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Student/Mentor

2nd Place		 You Are a Good Foster Parent If...
Produced by Bonita Tindle, Tony Contreras and Juliet Velarde

Created in a partnership with Fostering Media Connections, this documentary tells the experience of 3 youth who have been through the foster care system, and two foster parents. Together they provide tips on what it takes to be a good foster parent.

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High School

3rd Place		 Homeboy Industries
Produced by Wesley Smart, Megan Harger and Julia Arciga

Homeboy Industries, founded by Father Greg Boyle, helps former gang members turn their lives around through education and acceptance.

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Father Greg Boyle
Student/Mentor

3rd Place		 Young Dads
Produced by First Light and Latimer Creative Media

Young dads speak out.

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High School

4th Place		 Oceans
Produced by Sharlene Richemond

"The danger is us."

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High School student / Mentor

1st Place		 Displaced But Not Defeated [Trailer]
Produced by Mari­a Ceballos Paz and Susan Hoenig

María Ceballos Paz, a 16-year-old Colombian girl, directed, filmed and narrated this award-winning documentary that puts a human face on the statistics of displacement.

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1st Place		 My Journey
Produced by Luz Rioja

Jennifer is 11 years old and has moved 8 times in her life. This documentary is about her life and how she has dealt with moving around as much as she has.

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2nd Place		 Tinted Minds
Produced by Lupe Hernandez and Leanne Wu

Tinted Minds is about three Bay Area high school students and their thoughts on colorism (the concept of being treated differently by the lightness of one's skin color).

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3rd Place		 Start Ups and Downs
Produced by John Paul Mackey and Melissa Millan

This piece addresses gentrification, and how the Bay Area tech boom has affected locally communities, focusing on the Mission.

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Middle School / Mentor

2nd Place		 Africa Childrens Choir
Produced by Santa Barbara Teen Press



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2nd Place		 Tech-Free for a Weekend
Produced by Stella Gutierrez

Carrie Leilam Love takes BAYCAT's challenge to go technology free (no screens) for 48 hours.

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3rd Place		 Ben Affleck
Produced by Santa Barbara Teen Press

Matt and Grace interviews Ben Affleck at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival about his work with the Eastern Congo Initiative.

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Middle School

1st Place		 You Are Beautiful
Produced by Cameron Dreyer

A public service educational silent drama depicting the effects of eating disorders on teens.

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2nd Place		 My Planet My Hero
Produced by Kiro [Lisbet Amaya]

Kiro's thankful for our precious planet.

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2nd Place		 The Child in Nature - Excerpt
Produced by Miranda Andersen

A film about Nature Deficit Disorder featuring California author and journalist, Richard Louv.

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3rd Place		 Thank You, Janet Miller
Produced by Ben Isaak

Since 1978, Janet Miller has impacted countless lives as a teacher at Berwick Academy. Her students wish her a happy retirement with a look back at her career.

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Elementary

1st Place		 GoPro Hero Montage
Produced by Fernando Alonso

Fernando walk us through the Boys and Girls Club of Laguna Beach!

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2nd Place		 Pennie Hero Montage
Produced by Pennie Pasion

Montage by Pennie Pasion celebrating Boys and Girls club of Laguna Beach.

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3rd Place		 Boys and Girls Club Harlee Montage
Produced by Harlee Links

Montage by Harlee Links celebrating Boys and Girls club of Laguna Beach.

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Emerging Artist

1st Place		 Travelers
Produced by Kenza Kadmiry

Two girls from troubled backgrounds meet on a train and share a heartwarming moment that allows them to briefly forget about their situations.

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2nd Place		 J A Bullard: Surf Cinematographer
Produced by Andy Alison

Andy Alison inherited a treasure trove of surfing history from his grandfather, J. A. Bullard.

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3rd Place		 Art Is
Produced by Jasa Laliberte

Boys and Girls Club students share their love of Art.

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3rd Place		 The Tree
Produced by Imran Khan

An urban boy dreams about Trees in his town of concrete.

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Animation College

1st Place		 Handi and V
Produced by Fenway Fan

Grandpa V misses his wife, who passed away. He takes "time capsules" to go revisit the past.

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2nd Place		 Silent Voices
Produced by David O'Brien

‘Silent Voices’ is the story of a young man, whose idle lounging and apathetic attitude could cost him the right to speak up. His procrastination is met head on when what once seemed distant and irrelevant to him, suddenly becomes a reality. This animated film mashes up digital and natural worlds in a montage of conflicting environments. Will this man find his voice before it’s too late?

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3rd Place		 Fat Cory
Produced by Kun Yang

The animated film serves as an allegory for the destruction of the environment by thoughtless human practices.

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3rd Place		 Lantern
Produced by Danielle Heitmuller

Late one night, as she is reading, Molly hears the sound of an approaching ship. She knows that the ship will crash in to the sharp rocks in the fog. Molly quickly decides she must warn them.

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Animation

1st Place		 Brain Power: From Neurons to Networks
Produced by Tiffany Shlain

Based on new brain research from Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child and University of Washington's I-LABS, the film explores the parallels between a child's brain development and the way the Internet is developing, offering insights into the best ways to shape both our children's brains and the global brain of the Internet.

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2nd Place		 Our Oceans Narrated by Sylvia Earle
Produced by Jo Priest

A film about the importance of protecting the blue heart of our planet; our oceans.

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3rd Place		 Mouk - The Cloud Catcher
Produced by François Narboux and Millimages

Mouk and Chavapa are in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Part of a series produced by Millimages.

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4th Place		 Facing the Future
Produced by Tiffany Shlain

1 min parody film that imagines what the world will look like when everyone is friends on Facebook.

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Series

1st Place		 Field Spotlight: Nan Hauser
Produced by Peter Stonier

Nan Hauser is a marine biologist in the Cook Islands working to save whales. "They know something we don't."

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Nan Hauser

2nd Place		 Field Spotlight: Monique Pool
Produced by Peter Stonier

Monique Pool: Environmental conservationist. Founder of the Green Heritage Fund Suriname. Friend to all animals, especially sloths.

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Monique Pool

3rd Place		 Moral Courage: Stopping shootings in Brooklyn before they start
Produced by Adam Grannick and Moral Courage TV

Kenneth is a part of the Save Our Streets organization, and he uses his own experiences with violence to prevent it from happening to the youths of Crown Heights.

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Kenneth Edwards

4th Place		 Moral Courage: Former Nazi fights against racism
Produced by Adam Grannick

TJ Leyden is an example of redemption. A former Nazi skinhead, he is now taking a stand against racism despite threats to his life.

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Narrative Animation

1st Place		 Vital Voices: Hawa Abdi
Produced by Aaron Kisner

Dr. Hawa Abdi is Somalia's first female gynecologist. When the central government collapsed in 1989, Dr. Abdi's one-room clinic on her family farm began treating and housing local people fleeing the fighting.

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Dr. Hawa Abdi

2nd Place		 Rescue
Produced by Po Chou Chi

A rescue mission!

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3rd Place		 The Land of Healthy Smiles
Produced by S. Torriano Berry

Heroes can also be saved...from bad dental hygiene.

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Overcoming Obstacles

1st Place		 Piros Feher Zold (Red White Green)
Produced by TareCk Raffoul

A mother worries for the fate of her son, who has mental disabilities, if anything were to happen to her.

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2nd Place		 The Story of Monica
Produced by Bua Philip

Monica remains active despite her disabilities. Her strength is greatly admired by people in her community.

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3rd Place		 Driven: The Story of Tanner Godfrey
Produced by Lane Russell

Tanner Godfrey, a member of the Nitro Circus family, was a sponsored motocross racer at the age of 18. However, his promising future was taken from him after a crash in 2007. He became paralyzed from the waist down and was told he would never walk again. This is the inspiring story of how Tanner has defied those odds.

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4th Place		 Daddy
Produced by Miah Detjen

A glimpse into the life of growing up with a deaf father and the two worlds (hearing and deaf) that collide daily.

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PSA

1st Place		 Best Friends Animal Society Infographic
Produced by Best Friends Animal Society

Spay and neuter you pets at 4 months to help prevent accidents and prevent millions from being killed in shelters each year.

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1st Place		 Women Rights-PSA
Produced by Rajat Diwan

A PSA calling for better ways to protect women in India.

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2nd Place		 Engage
Produced by Tiffany Shlain/Global participants

Engage is about the importance of being an active member in society. Over the course of 6 months, we asked people from all over the world to send videos of themselves feeling their heartbeat and thinking about what it means. This 2 min cloudsourced film shows the power of hundreds of people coming together to collaborate and make a film together.

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3rd Place		 PSA for Syria
Produced by World Food Programme

Syrians need our help.

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Documentary

1st Place		 Albino
Produced by Fary Sakho

"Albino" calls attention to the human rights issues of Albino people in Africa who are victims of discrimination due to their skin color.

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2nd Place		 A Stray Hero
Produced by Hisyam Salleh and Rahmah Ghazali

Mohammad Azmi, fondly known as Pak Mie, is a 55-year-old former contractor who has dedicated his life to rescuing stray dogs and cats.

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Mohammad Azmi

2nd Place		 Kay Smith Paints Red Tails
Produced by Steven Rosofsky



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3rd Place		 Helmets for Heath
Produced by Tania Romero



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Community

1st Place		 KX 93.5
Produced by Dave DeSantis

KX 93.5 is an independent radio station based out of Laguna Beach.

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2nd Place		 Living in the City
Produced by Lauren Schneiderman

Transitional Housing Corporation (THC) helps homeless families in DC with open arms.

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2nd Place		 The Susi Q
Produced by The Susi Q

At the Susi Q center, senior citizens remain active as they age gracefully.

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Student / Mentor PSA

1st Place		 Righteous Conversations - Religious Tolerance
Produced by Lily Zweig & Noa Schwartz / Mentor: Ruah Edelstein

A PSA by the Righteous Conversations project.

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1st Place		 Seek The Truth
Produced by Sofia Barrett & Purag Moundjian / Mentor: Cheri Gaulk

Helen Freeman's story as a Holocaust survivor.

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2nd Place		 Share Our Stories - David
Produced by Maxine Malekmehr, Hannah Berookhim and Niki Nickfardjam

A story about David as Holocaust survivor encourages the young generations to be brave and have hope for a brighter future.

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3rd Place		 Share Our Stories - Curt
Produced by Chance Hakimi, Yonah Yasmeh, Tiffany Farshi, Dr. Jim Lichti

Curt's story as a Holocaust survivor encourages the young generation to be strong and have hope.

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Elementary / Mentor

1st Place		 Picture the World
Produced by The Dreamteam

Picture A World of Peace

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2nd Place		 PIX IS HOME
Produced by Danny & Paulo

Pix the tortoise is finally ready to go home.

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3rd Place		 Sylvia Earle
Produced by Mariela Cantu & Natalias Segura

Sylvia Earle is a renowned scientist and ocean conservationist.

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Environmental PSA

1st Place		 Big Cat Rescue
Produced by Stephanie Derdouri

The Big Cat Rescue orgnization helps to protect exotic wild cats from in-humane treatment.

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BIG CAT RESCUE ORG
Special Hero Award

1st Place		 Sports Illustrated Kids of the Year
Produced by Ian Orefice

Highlighting the amazing brothers Conner and Cayden Long.

Jenny Brown - Producer/Editor
Ian Orefice - Executive Producer
Jack Schurman - Director of Photography
Luke Schurman - Audio Engineer



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Conner and Cayden Long
Environmental PSA

2nd Place		 Question Your Shrimp
Produced by Leo Thom

The mass demand for shrimp can have devastating effects on the environment.

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Special Hero Award

2nd Place		 The Mohamed Sidibay Story
Produced by Mohamed Sidibay / Mentored by Listen Up and The MY HERO Project

Mohamed Sidibay's story of overcoming his past as a child soldier to succeed in life through the help of the power of education.

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Mohamed Sidibay

3rd Place		 Edible City - Joy Moore
Produced by Andrew Hasse

Joy Moore, longtime food activist, teaches gardening and nutrition to high schoolers at Berkeley Technology Academy, makes them smoothies, and discusses her views on social justice, food, and education.

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JOY MOORE

3rd Place		 HoneyLove
Produced by Ryan Bautista and Melanie Lim

Husband and wife team Rob and Chelsea McFarland started HoneyLove as a nonprofit conservation organization with a mission to protect the honeybees and inspire and educate new urban beekeepers.

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Chelsea and Rob McFarland
Environmental PSA

3rd Place		 Save Kipper
Produced by Marcos Davalos / Directed by Rufus Lusk

William Shatner asks you to save Kipper and protect the Bering Sea.

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3rd Place		 SOS: California Coast in Trouble
Produced by Lauren Linsmayer and Farnaz Farhang

Climate change can have a huge impact on the California coast, but we can help.

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