FILMS
DONATE
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
 

 

Best of Fest

Best of Fest		 The Future of Our Species
Produced by The Moxie Institute/Dir. Tiffany Shlain

This fall marks the release of 'Leonardo's Brain,' the book that Director Tiffany Shlain's father and best-selling author, Leonard Shlain, finished days before he passed away. Tiffany builds off her father's ideas to explore the future of our species.

Watch this Film
Ron Kovic Peace Prize
Defying Death in South Sudan
Produced by Francis Mead

Defying death in South Sudan. Featuring Humanitarian Hero Award Winner Ken Payumo.

Watch this Film
Ken Payumo - Humanitarian Award
Dan Eldon Activist Award
Frame by Frame [Trailer]
Produced by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach

After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own -- reframing Afghanistan for the world and for themselves.

Watch this Film
Global Educator Award
Freedom Writers: Stories From an Undeclared War [Trailer]
Credits - Freedom Writers Foundation

2015 Global Educator Award Winner

Watch this Film
MY HERO Media Award

1st Place		 Vulcan Productions
Credits - Paul Allen - Vulcan / Louie Psihoyos - Director of Racing Exctinction

Vulcan Productions initiates, develops and supports projects of substance and enduring significance. We believe in the power of stories to change minds and ignite action. Through our collaborative partnerships, Vulcan Productions tells powerful stories that help audiences understand the world around them, respond to challenges, and bring about lasting change.

Watch this Film
PAUL ALLEN
Environmental Hero Award

1st Place		 One Woman Roadblock
Credits - Mill Valley Film Group

A former tribal chief, Marilyn Baptiste led her native community in defeating proposed gold and copper mines that would have destroyed Fish Lake—a source of spiritual identity and livelihood for her people.

Watch this Film
Marilyn Baptiste
Immersive Storytelling Award

1st Place		 Project Syria: An immersive Journalism Experience
Credits - Nonny de la Peña

Nearly one half of Syria’s 23 million people have been displaced in its civil war and no group has been as severely affected as children. Children make up more than half of the three million refugees living in camps or makeshift housing and some news reports indicate that children are actually being specifically targeted in the violence.

Watch this Film
Emerging Artist

1st Place		 Kayla Briet - SIZZLE
Credits - Kayla Briët

Kayla is a multi-talented young artist who creates and shares inspirational soul-quenching media.

Watch this Film
Kayla Briët
Media Arts Educator Award

1st Place		 Teen Press - Featuring John Seigel Boettner
Credits - Produced by: Pamela Tanner-Boll / Directed by: T.C. Johnstone

“Teen Press” is a short documentary about one semester of the Santa Barbara Middle School Teen Press program.

Watch this Film
John Seigel Boettner
Peoples Choice

1st Place		 Young Storytellers -
Credits - Prod. Nanuq Originals/ Dir. Jill Jones, Brent Yontz

Our mission is simple: we inspire young people to discover the power of their voice. Using one-on-one mentorship, low-income students learn how to write original stories and see them brought to life on stage and film. As a result, young people learn that their voice matters.

Watch this Film
STUDENT HONOREE

1st Place		 DEAR AMERICA - student honoree
Credits - Gabrielle Gorman

An exploration of what it means to be a Black American.

Watch this Film
Gabrielle Gorman
Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award

1st Place		 With Change Comes Opportunity
Credits - Bluebottle Films - James Sherwood, Danielle Ryan

Rob Pennicott was disappointed the day his local fishing spot was turned into a marine park. Today, Rob says his fishing tourism business, Pennicott Wilderness Journeys, is reliant not just on good fisheries management, but on the longevity of marine park areas in Tasmania.

Watch this Film
Professional Portraits of Individuals

1st Place		 The Thousand Year Journey
Credits - RYOT FILMS / Kenny Laubbacher

Jedidiah quit a job that he loved to ride his bicycle from Oregon to the southern tip of South America.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Magho
Credits - Christen Brandt / Directed by: Kate Lord, Christen Brandt

Eighteen-year-old Maheshwari comes from a family of quarry workers in rural India, none of whom completed schooling past the eighth grade.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Focused
Credits - Christen Brandt / Directed by: Kate Lord, Christen Brandt

Have you ever woken up with a business idea that you just knew would change everything? Fatou has.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Gordon Chang Ph.D, CHSA GALA 2014 Honoree
Credits - Rick Quan

Gordon Chang speaks about appreciating Chinese culture & art at a young age, anti-war activism during the Vietnam War era, his educational background, and the Chinese Railroad Workers Project in Stanford.

Watch this Film
Professional Portraits of Organizations

1st Place		 YOUNG STORYTELLERS
Credits - Prod. Nanuq Originals/ Dir. Jill Jones, Brent Yontz

Our mission is simple: we inspire young people to discover the power of their voice. Using one-on-one mentorship, low-income students learn how to write original stories and see them brought to life on stage and film. As a result, young people learn that their voice matters.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Semilla Neuva
Credits - Rob Holmes

Semilla Nueva is a sustainable agriculture development organization that fosters environmental and social stewardship in the rural farming communities of Guatemala.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Pacific Marine Mammal Center Call to Action
Credits - Produced by: Amy Sabreen / Directed by: Amy Sabreen

Pacific Marine Mammal Center's Call to Action in Response to the Unusual Mortality Event Affecting Seals and Sea Lions in California.

Watch this Film
Trailer

1st Place		 Havana Curveball [Trailer]
Credits - Dir. Marcia Jarmel, Ken Schneider Exec. Prod. Marc Smolowitz

Mica is a classic teen. Enthusiastic. Idealistic. Dreaming baseball. At 13, he is studying of his Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish coming of age ritual.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Smoke That Travels [Trailer]
Credits - Kayla Briët

What happens when a story is forgotten? I'm making a film about my dad, Gary Wiski-ge-amatyuk, my family, and what it means to be Native American today.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Adelante Con El Sol: The Solar Women Of Totogalpa [Trailer]
Credits - Calm Dog Productions / Directed by: Jenna Morse & Lee Fritz

A women's group in rural Nicaragua empowers themselves and their community using Solar Energy

Watch this Film
Environmental

1st Place		 Mother of All Rivers
Credits - Produced and Directed by Will Parrinello

Berta Cáceres rallied her indigenous Lenca people to wage a grassroots protest that successfully pressured the government of Honduras and the world's largest dam builder to withdraw from building the Agua Zarca Dam. Sadly she was murdered in March of 2016. Her legacy lives on and we will not forget this brave hero.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Edge
Credits - Carlos Toro

Sharks have fascinated both Joe Romeiro and Bill Fisher since childhood.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Mbalite
Credits - Dir. mortalla byfall

Stephen Senghor is a young entrepreneur looks for innovative ways to reduce trash and create innovative solutions to environmental issues.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Tinau (My Mother)
Credits - Victoria Burns

Scientists predict that Kiribati - a remote Island Republic in the Central Pacific - could be lost to rising sea levels in the next 50 years.

Watch this Film
Humanitarian

1st Place		 Trinity
Credits - Ray Zablocki

Trinity is a short documentary film about a struggling Ugandan primary school located in the center of a suburban Kampala slum. The school educated more than 1,000 kids - most of whom can't pay - but the school's enigmatic, passionate founder Romans cannot bear to turn them away. It's a story of hope in the face of extreme poverty, and about creating a home for those who have nothing else.

Watch this Film
Romans

2nd Place		 The Last Resident
Credits - Catherine Cartwright & Josh Gaunt

The last resident in the final days at a women's refuge, closing after 38 years. This is her testimony, spoken with poignancy, honesty and humour.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 86,402 seconds in Haiti | IMPACT
Credits - Produced by Mallory Brown & CrowdRise / Directed by: Mallory Brown, Ryan Doyle

One day to help a family in Haiti. Every seconds counts.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 A Diary From Syria - Walking The Empty Streets of Homs
Credits - Produced and Directed by the World Food Programme

A Diary From Syria - Walking The Empty Streets of Homs

Watch this Film
Human Rights

1st Place		 Defying Death in S. Sudan
Credits - Francis Mead

Defying death in South Sudan. Featuring Humanitarian Hero Award Winner Ken Payumo.

Watch this Film
Ken Payumo

2nd Place		 Down The Stream
Credits - Directed by: Chi Mai

Not much of a glimmer of hope. No happy ending to follow. Life goes on. The river flows on.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 To Kill a Sparrow [Trailer]
Credits - Zohreh Soleimani, Stephanie Mechura and Sharon Tiller / Directed by: Zohreh Soleimani

In Afghanistan, there are hundreds of young women imprisoned for so-called moral crimes: running away from forced marriages, domestic violence or simply falling in love and marrying against a father's wishes.

Watch this Film
Indy Features in Development

1st Place		 The Donut Dollies [Trailer]
Credits - Norm Anderson

The untold story of the American women who volunteered to go to Vietnam on an impossible mission: help the troops forget about the war.

Watch this Film
Dorset Anderson, Mary Blanchard

2nd Place		 Many Bones, One Heart [Trailer]
Credits - Leslie Ann Epperson

This trailer previews the documentary Many Bones, One Heart, a film that marks a passage from loss to celebration: a course etched by artistic expression and the flowering of a cultural tradition, the All Souls Procession.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Battle of the Reef
Credits - Silky Fox Productions / Directed by: Silke de Vos

Rehabilitating and sustaining the coral reefs in the Philippines

Watch this Film
Animation Pro

1st Place		 A Knock on My Door
Credits - David Chai

Escaping a life of sadness and adversity, a young Korean boy moves to America and learns that even though life is full of hard knocks, the time does come when it's safe to answer the door.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Box: Teens in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Jails, Prisons and Juvenile Halls
Credits - Michael Schiller

This animation tells the story of Ismael "Izzy" Nazario and the time he spent in solitary confinement in New York City's Rikers Island jail.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Always a Family
Credits - StoryCorps / Directed by: The Rauch Brothers

On September 11th, 2001, Michael Trinidad called Monique Ferrer from the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center's North Tower to say one last goodbye.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 MẸ (Mother)
Credits - Jackie Khanh Doan

The project speaks of the subject of motherhood.

Watch this Film
Music Video

1st Place		 Alchemy
Credits - Produced by: Bheja fry Rec. / Directed by: Team Ekabhuya

'Alchemy' is a music video about modern day India. The lives of a billion people.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Party Line
Credits - Alan Magee

The satirical film Party Line, 2014, addresses the universally-recognized fact of governmental surveillance.

This film is not available for viewing.

3rd Place		 9/11 Memorial: To Light
Credits - Carolyn Downie

'To Light' is a piece made for the opening of the new 9/11 Memorial in NYC.

Watch this Film
For a young audience

1st Place		 Tomorrow
Credits - Prod. Jennelle Jordan/Dir. Michael Jordan

A music video about a young girl leading her friends to freedom in a dystopian world.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Life We Got
Credits - Directed by Carol Anne McGuire and the ROW Team

A global collaboration to promote living in a positive way.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Free to Be Me
Credits - Ove Pictures / Directed by: Michaela Copikova & Veronika Obertova

Listen trees and follow raccoons! Music video for the song

Watch this Film
Experimental

1st Place		 Balud
Credits - Panx Solajes

This short experimental film is a response to Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan), which swallowed my hometown Tacloban city last November, 2013. This film dedicated to family, friends and fellowmen who were lost on its wake, and to those who are still fighting for survival and for new beginnings.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Photographs that Changed the World
Credits - Don Giwantha

Photographs do more than document history–they make it. This video shows some of the most iconic, and talked about photos from around the world.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 (desire)
Credits - Alex Zou

A girl struggles with an eating disorder and her desire for control.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 A Song of Oil, Ice and Fire
Credits - Greenpeace

Right now, Shell is preparing to drill in the Arctic for the first time. If we don’t stop them, it could be the beginning of the end for everything we hold dear --

Watch this Film
Documentary

1st Place		 A Marriage to Remember
Credits - Banker White & Anna Fitch

In this documentary short filmmaker Banker White explores how Alzheimer's disease has revealed the strength of his parents' marriage.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 An Equal Playing Field
Credits - Produced by: Take Part/Erit Yellen / Directed by: Rebekkah Ferguson Gwen Oxenham

US forward Christen Press is living her dreams and inspiring a new generation of soccer players in the Women’s World Cup. But like many of the game’s greatest female players, she’s faced a circuitous road to success and a sustainable career in the sport she loves.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Black H'mong of Lao Chai Village
Credits - Kyle Sandilands

A look inside one H'mong community's relationship with tourism in Northern Vietnam.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Half-century of Love Drives Couple's Pride
Credits - Sam Wolson

Donald Bird and David Young have married each other three times

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Isle de Jean Charles
Credits - Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee

This short film offers a portrait of the Isle de Jean Charles, a tiny island deep in the bayou’s of Southern Louisiana. The film explores the changes taking place on the island through the lives of two residents whose families are facing a future where rising seas, coastal erosion and storms are threatening to wash their home away.

Watch this Film
Series

1st Place		 A Case for Dreaming
Credits - The Moxie Institute/Dir. Tiffany Shlain

This short 6 min film explores the creative and emotional importance of….letting our brains do nothing.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Punk Rock Diplomacy
Credits - The Moxie Institute/Dir. Tiffany Shlain

Starting with a hilarious story about Director Tiffany Shlain when she was 18 and out of her element, this short film explores her recent journeys as a filmmaker with the US State Department and how everyone can participate in what she calls 'Punk Rock Diplomacy.'

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Photosynthesis of Social media
Credits - The Moxie Institute/Dir. Tiffany Shlain

They say the 5 people you hang around with most shape who you are.

Watch this Film
Womens Rights

1st Place		 How I escaped forced marriage in Egypt
Credits - Produced by: Irshad Manji / Directed by: Adam Grannick

New Yorker Nashwa el-Sayed was abducted to Egypt, raised in an abusive household, and forced into an impending marriage. But she insisted that life had more to offer.

This film is unavailable to view.

2nd Place		 Femme au Fone
Credits - WorldCom Foundation and LolaMora Producciones / Directed by: Ramon Sanchez Orense

This is the story of innovative program between the female journalists in the province of South Kivu in DRC

Watch this Film
 

3rd Place		 My Little Thing is To Plant A Tree
Credits - Produced by UNESCO-Sasha Rubel / Directed by: Edouard Joubeaud

Sheila, a female student living in Dar es Saalam, Tanzania, learns in her computer lab about Wangari Maathai, the famous female Kenyan environmental activist. This lesson will build her trust in her future

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Straw Hat
Credits - Christina Daniels & Andrea Cornwall / Directed by: Christina Daniels

Straw hat is a civil society organization dedicated to the fight for rural women's rights.

Watch this Film
Unsung Heroes

1st Place		 Nepal Heroes
Credits - Aaditi Dutt

After the Nepal Earthquake individuals from over 60 countries joined hands to help Nepal with relief and rescue operations.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Marie's Dictionary
Credits - Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee

This short documentary tells the story of Marie Wilcox, the last fluent speaker of the Wukchumni language and the dictionary she created in an effort to keep her language alive.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Jim Cotter: An Appalachian Renaissance
Credits - By Nancy Jennings, William Jennings, and Kent Meloy

A local resident wants to give back to his community and quietly starts a renaissance of beauty and strength with a paint brush and a little elbow grease.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Mr. Santa Monica
Credits - by Mark Lawson Shepard

A story of Nat Trives, philanthropist and former mayor of Santa Monica.

Watch this Film
Nat Trives
Overcoming Obstacles

1st Place		 CRISTIAN
Credits - Prod. Marina Hecker / Dir.Filipe Zapelini, Douglas Bernardt, Lucas Oliveira

Cristian is a Paralympic champion from Chile who lost his sight at the age of 12. This short documentary is a tribute to his person and his legacy. The combination of strength, will and sensitivity.

Watch this Film
CRISTIAN

2nd Place		 Way Up, Way Down (AKA Sam I Am)
Credits - Produced by: Jay Farnie & Nader Ibrahim / Directed by: Jay Farnie & Nader Ibrahim

Delve into the mind of a musician with bipolar disorder. This documentary conveys both sides of Sam's experience.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Jules: A Documentary
Credits - Prod. Nick Zerlentes/Dir. Jules Dameron

Jules Dameron is an award-winning director of feature films, shorts, and music videos who happens to be deaf.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 We Are Deaf
Credits - by Joel Barish

The Deaf community is made up of extremely diverse people.

Watch this Film
Joel Barrish
Narrative Pro

1st Place		 Momentos
Credits - Nuno Rocha

An homeless man sleeps in front of an empty store when suddenly a vehicle stops and two men start to carry cases inside. Meanwhile the man tries to understand what is going on.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Passengers
Credits - Dir. Dickie Hearts

A romantic comedy about a charming, surprising young driver who gets pleasantly surprised by his last fare of the day.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Copper Wire
Credits - Hasan Najmabadi

A young boy salvages copper wire in order to earn money for something he covets, despite the difficulties and obstacles.

Watch this Film
Strides in Education

1st Place		 Teen Press [Trailer]
Credits - Produced by: Pamela Tanner-Boll / Directed by: T.C. Johnstone

“Teen Press” is a short documentary about one semester of the Santa Barbara Middle School Teen Press program.

Watch this Film
Santa Barbara Middle School Teen Press

2nd Place		 Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD+)
Credits - Plan Rwanda / Directed by: Ramon Sanchez Orense

Uniting communities around the needs of the child

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Why Open Education Matters
Credits - Produced and Directed by Adrian Burger

Open Education can change the world!

Watch this Film
Strides in Science

1st Place		 The Contenders
Credits - by Lucy Walker & Joseph Peeler

Using the online puzzle game Fold It, scientists are enlisting video gamers to solve real- world problems.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Providing Mobility Through Low-Cost Prosthetics
Credits - Ford Go Further

Mobility Mission is a local, nonprofit organization providing prosthetic care to hundreds of amputees worldwide that otherwise could not afford this needed service.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Super Supercapacitor
Credits - David Paul Meyer, Laura Lee / Directed by: Brian Golden Davis

Ric Kaner set out to find a new way to make graphene, the thinnest and strongest material on earth. What he found was a new way to power the world.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Bill's Bounty
Credits - James Sherwood, Danielle Ryan

Fisherman Bill Sawynok was ahead of his time back in the 1990s when he brought the fun of recreational fishing and science together.

Watch this Film
Informational Animation

1st Place		 The Power of Empathy
Credits - Katy Davis

The audio of this RSA short is of Dr Brené Brown who spoke at the RSA on The Power of Vulnerability

Watch this Film

1st Place		 The World's Largest Lesson
Credits - Produced by: Helen Argo / Directed by: Sarah Cox

Everyone must work together to achieve the 17 Global Goals for sustainable development.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Adaptable Mind
Credits - Produced by: Sawyer Steele / Directed by: Tiffany Shlain

The Adaptable Mind (11 mins) explores the skills we need to flourish in the 21st Century.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Blame
Credits - Katy Davis

The audio of this RSA short is of Dr Brené Brown who spoke at the RSA on The Power of Vulnerability

Watch this Film
Artist Heroes

1st Place		 XST
Credits - Produced & Directed by Morgan Maassen

This is a portrait of Shawn Theodore, a street photographer in Philadelphia.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Free Art 4U
Credits - Dir. Nicole Powell

One of Atlanta's hidden treasures can be found through the Free Art community.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Art for Change
Credits - Produced and Directed by Will Parrinello

Facing heavy government scrutiny, Myint Zaw, an accomplished photojournalist, launched a series of art exhibits that influenced the government to stop construction of the Chinese backed Myitsone Dam on Myanmar's treasured Irrawaddy River.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Frame by Frame [Trailer]
Credits - Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach

After decades of war and an oppressive Taliban regime, four Afghan photojournalists face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own -- reframing Afghanistan for the world and for themselves.

Watch this Film
Individuality

1st Place		 The Reinvention of Normal
Credits - Liam Saint-Pierre

"Go straight off the wall" said his dad and Dominic does just that.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Saturday Night Bingo with Miss Rosie
Credits - Produced and Directed by Lena Nozizwe

The tender true tale about a Saturday Night Bingo game in Hollywood, California called by Miss Rosie.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Hans
Credits - Harris Cohen

Despite the disruption of his childhood Hans grew up with a sunny disposition and an easy charm.

Watch this Film
Excerpt

1st Place		 F R E E [Excerpt]
Credits - Suzanne LaFetra, David Collier

F R E E follows a group of Oakland teens on their journey of personal liberation, while working toward a collaborative performance at Destiny Arts Center, an organization devoted to youth empowerment through dance, theater, and martial arts.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Hooked on Diving
Credits - James Sherwood, Danielle Ryan

Nigel Hayward never thought of the impact he had on the ocean as a fisherman until the day he went diving.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Warroora's Salty Oasis
Credits - James Sherwood, Danielle Ryan

Pastoralist Leonie McLeod hopes to keep her property, which borders Ningaloo Marine Park, a pristine paradise for the world to see.

Watch this Film
PSA

1st Place		 Love Has No Labels
Credits - Prod. The Ad Council / Dir. R/GA

The Love Has No Labels campaign challenges us to open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, others and institutions.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 You Know Me
Credits - Produced and Directed by Raj Yagnik

There are 15 million children out of school in the Middle East and in North Africa. In this film some of them explain why.

Watch this Film
UNICEF

3rd Place		 Veterans for Peace UK
Credits - Prod. Ben Griffin Dir. Andrew Davies

Veterans For Peace UK is an ex-services organisation of men and women who have served in every war that Britain has fought since WW2.

Watch this Film
College Narrative

1st Place		 Light of the Night
Credits - Prod. Elijah Steenhoek / Dir. Danny Ramirez

In the darkness of WWII, one woman takes on the entire Holocaust movement-- and wins 2,500 times.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Punulla
Credits - Rodrigo Arias

Albertina, a fourteen year old, lives in a shanty town. Her mother is a maid for a wealthy family, she can't go to work that day. Albertina knows they are short on money, so she skips school and goes to work instead of her mother with out her knowing.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Relative Persuasion
Credits - Megan Baer, Hannah Lawrence / Directed by: Brandon Baer

A grandmother attempts to run away when her family sits her down and insists she move into an aging home.

Watch this Film
College Documentary

1st Place		 Sigo Adelante
Credits - Prod. Chrisann Hessing / Dir. Kaila Taylor

Silvia is a hard-working, single mother who has faced hardships throughout her life in Ecuador.

Watch this Film
Sylvia Margarita

2nd Place		 Los Angeles Calls to Prayer
Credits - Produced by: Selena Scott / Directed by: Omer Bayrakdar

This film will be about a group women who tries to change the second-class status in their society and founding of the Women's Mosque.

This film is unavailable to watch

3rd Place		 Second Cycles
Credits - Prod. Rachel C. Doe / Dir. Gwendolyn Hamilton

With a passion for bicycles, Baker Nicholaou - the director and co-founder of Bicicmaximo - traveled from the United States to Nicaragua to open up a business in hopes of providing better quality bikes while training locals as bike mechanics in order to provide sustainable jobs for people in need.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 This is My Place
Credits - Prod. Sahar Safavi / Dir. Zach Mather

"This Is My Place" follows Armando who, in addition to growing up in the forest, works with FCT as a bear research technician- trekking for hours in the forest to set up and check cameras to document the status of the bear in the forest.

Watch this Film
Student/Mentor Music Video

1st Place		 Take a Look at Yourself
Credits - Produced by: BAYCAT / Directed by: Bechy Choi

In this music video, BAYCAT youth media producers take a deeper look at the mainstream media and it’s flaws.

Watch this Film
BAYCAT

2nd Place		 Patience
Credits - Yvan Gonzalez

Adobe Youth Voices 1st place award winning music video depicting the lives of youth living in the Alma community of San Jose, CA.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Reach for the Stars
Credits - Produced by: BAYCAT / Directed by: Ginger Chen

Reach For the Stars was written by the BAYCAT musicians, specifically for young people who don’t think they have a bright future. If your head is down, look up and reach for the stars!

Watch this Film
High School student / Mentor

1st Place		 Better than Baghdad
Credits - Dir. Reid Hildebrand

A Palestinian teenage refugee named Majed recalls the day that a terrible yet inspiring event occurred in the refugee camp in the Iraqi desert where he lived with his family for five years.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Community
Credits - OPEN ROADS : Tony Zeng, Jazmin Miranda, Jose Corrales, Tyrone Fullilove

The importance of having community when you're going through struggles.

This film is unavaiable to view.

3rd Place		 Happy Place
Credits - Dir. Samantha Barbot, Kiva Harper, Efren Meza, Herendira Yanes

What is your happy place?

This film is unavailable to view.

3rd Place		 Tomorrow Today
Credits - Into Film/Kidderminster College Students

A young girl is haunted by the past. Her small box of possessions only serves as a painful reminder to a past that she longs to forget.

Watch this Film
High School Documentary

1st Place		 My Cambodia
Credits - Kevin Ng Jia Quan

A Khmer's journey searching for hope.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Bright Connection
Credits - Produced and Directed by Madison Boll

The Bright Connection is a center that cares for children with severe developmental disabilities. It's a place where everyone is encouraged to be the best version of themselves.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Stats of Life
Credits - Produced by: BAYCAT / Directed by: Hugo Castillo

In this documentary, Hugo Castillo explores his concerns about his own future and being able to make a living in the film industry.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 #Activism
Credits - Produced by: BAYCAT / Directed by: Isabella Vallero

How does social media affect social change?

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 The Impact of Giving Back {KaringforKaiden}
Credits - Erin Benning

A stranger is no longer a stranger, but a best friend, thanks to an act of kindness.

Watch this Film
High School Experimental

1st Place		 Dear America
Credits - Gabrielle Gorman

An exploration of what it means to be a Black American.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Raven Comes Alive
Credits - Kayla Briët

A musical interpretation of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe. A young girl battles with the darkest secrets of her subconscious.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 The Destructive Effects of Climate Change
Credits - Austin Varco

Actors pretend for a living, politicians do not. Take your step into the real world of climate change and contribute with the masses towards saving the planet.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Warm Bath of Complacency
Credits - Gabrielle Gorman

A reluctance to fight for justice because you don't feel that you've suffered from social injustice and you don't see it around you.

Watch this Film
High School Narrative

1st Place		 Cacophony
Credits - Directed by: Madison Boll

Separated from his expatriate family in the hectic Shanghai metro, Perrin, an Autistic teenager, undergoes a treacherous journey around the bustling city.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Take a Stand
Credits - Dir. Austin Fickman

One of the biggest issues affecting children and teens worldwide is bullying, and it's continuing to grow and spread to new mediums.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 A Glass Half Full
Credits - Dir. Hannah Maselli and Jennifer Mursch

While teenager Clair Thompson's father is away on military duty, she has to face her own enemy at summer camp.

Watch this Film
Animation Student/Mentor

1st Place		 Tipping Scales: The Story of Lisa Jura
Credits - The Righteous Conversations Project Students

Tipping Scales' follows the journey of a young woman on the Kindertransport from Vienna to London in 1938. This short film was created by students in the Righteous Conversations Project Digital Storytelling Workshop, Summer 2015.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 The Story of Three Rings: The Memoir of Dana Schwartz
Credits - The Righteous Conversations Project Students

Holocaust Survivor Dana Schwartz recounts her life in the Lvov Ghetto during the Holocaust in 'The Story of Three Rings', created by students in the Righteous Conversations Project Digital Storytelling Workshop, Summer 2015.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Pseudo Evolution
Credits - Escola Parque Animation Workshop Students

An irreverent and critical insight into the evolution of human kind through the development of the consumerist society.

Watch this Film
Student/Mentor

1st Place		 Slaves to Fashion
Credits - Wide Angle Media/Evodie Ngoy

In this powerful video essay, filmmaker Evodie Ngoy explores the disturbing conditions in which our clothing, electronics, and fashion accessories are made.

Watch this Film

2nd Place		 Forget the Beef, Bring the Peace PSA
Credits - Wide Angle Media

Youth producers in the Baltimore Speaks Out! Program at Patterson Park Public Charter School express the importance of eliminating violence and bullying in their community.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 Free Running Through Baltimore
Credits - Dir. Tyson Sanford-Griffin/Prod. Wide Angle Media

Tyson Sanford-Griffin is a young man that loves free running and parkour, activities that involve finding acrobatic ways of moving through urban spaces.

Watch this Film
Middle School

1st Place		 Amazing
Credits - Cecilia Martinez

Amazing acts as a call out to young Anishinaabe people to remind them that they are amazing and that they are capable of doing anything - despite the barriers others might place in front of them.

Watch this Film
Anishinaabe People

2nd Place		 Are You a Feminist?
Credits - Produced & Directed by Maeve Schrode

Are you a feminist?

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 My Hero Access Grigoriopol
Credits - Produced by: / Directed by: Natalia Constantinov, Taran Olga

This video is about the work the Access Grigoriopol Team has done in My Hero Learning Circle in the iEARN online community.

Watch this Film
Student / Mentor PSA

1st Place		 Take Notice
Credits - The Righteous Conversations Project Students

This PSA asks us to slow down and remember to take notice of those in our community looking for care. This PSA was created by 7th graders at IKAR in the Righteous Conversations Limudim PSA Workshop, Spring 2015.

Watch this Film
The Righteous Conversations Project

2nd Place		 Bench for All
Credits - The Righteous Conversations Project Students

This PSA addresses discrimination we all face, and the importance of accepting others. Created by students in the Righteous Conversations PSA Workshop, Summer 2015.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 The Lemonade Stand
Credits - The Righteous Conversations Project

This PSA reminds us to be aware of our local drought and protect our environment. Created by students in the Righteous Conversations PSA Workshop, Summer 2015.

Watch this Film

3rd Place		 We Are Heroes
Credits - Wide Angle Media

We Are Heroes, confronts social issues such as bullying, teen violence, and the environment, in order to present positive solutions to improve the community.

Watch this Film
Elementary Honoree

1st Place		 Sultana Elementary Pet Fair
Credits - Madeline Gillum

Students from Sultana Elementary taking part in the MyHero Call to Action circle to support animal rights by organizing and hosting an informational Pet Fair to educate their local community.

Watch this Film