TORONTO YOUTH WINS EMERGING ARTIST AWARD

Contact: Wendy Milette                                                                For Immediate Release
The MY HERO Project
[email protected]
949-376-5964

Kasha Slavner - winner of MY HERO's 2017 Emerging Artist Award 

Kasha SlavnerNOVEMBER 1, 2017 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Kasha Slavner, whose documentary captures resilient human stories across seven countries that serve as a beacon of hope for others to take action, is the winner of The MY HERO Project’s 2017 Emerging Artist Award. The documentary The Global Sunrise Project tells the story of Vietnamese-Canadian napalm bomb survivor & Unesco Goodwill Ambassador Phan Thi Kim Phuc, the nine-year-old girl depicted in the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken during the Vietnam War on June 8, 1972. She brings to the film a crucial message about forgiveness and peace.

The emerging artist award is presented to young, creative individuals who show great potential to use their talents in a positive way. “We selected Kasha for the emerging artist award because we see great promise in this young person to make significant change in the world with her talents,” says Wendy Milette, Director of Media for The MY HERO Project.

Slavner, a young filmmaker and student, embarked on a mission at age sixteen to travel the world for six months with her mom, Marla Slavner, in search of what it means to be a global citizen. Young Slavner says she was disillusioned and outraged by the negativity and powerlessness she felt as one consumer of mainstream media and, while attending a UN conference about this subject, she was compelled to find an alternative narrative. The trailer for her film will be screened at the My Hero International Film Festival.

This award will be presented at The MY HERO International Film Festival Awards Ceremony on November 11, 2017, at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theater at New Roads School in Santa Monica (3131 Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica, 90404). 

The festival is part of The MY HERO Project (myhero.com), an award winning educational project that celebrates the best of humanity by sharing stories of the world’s heroes. Teachers in 197 countries use MY HERO resources and lesson plans in their classrooms and after school programs. For more information about the festival, or to request interviews and photographs, contact Wendy Milette at [email protected] or visit the MY HERO website at myhero.com/films/festival.