My Hero International Film Festival Announces People’s Choice Winner 2012

LOS ANGELES, CA - An Inconvenient Youth, a documentary by 20-year-old Slater Jewell-Kemker, is the winner of the 8th Annual MY HERO International Film Festival's People's Choice Award. This past November viewers from all over the world visited MY HERO's online People's Choice ballot, and voted for Jewell-Kemker's film.

Slater is introducing her generation to the international youth climate movement. Her winning documentary, "An Inconvenient Youth", gives voice to young people on the front lines of climate change, both the victims of erratic weather swings and the movement of young people trying to affect the world's climate policy. One of these young activists, Jeremy Osborn, a co-founder of the renowned climate activist organization 350.org, is one of the film's growing legion of fans. Osborn calls An Inconvenient Youth "The inspired beginnings of what is already a knock-out climate documentary- told from the perspective of our generation." 

"Documentary filmmaking can be difficult and exhausting at times, and receiving this kind of acknowledgement is encouraging and reminds me to keep going," said Jewell-Kemker. "I accept this award not only for myself, but also on behalf of the youth climate movement around the world fighting for a caring, just, sustainable world."

Jewell-Kemker has been recognized for her filmmaking and activism by the United Nations, Toronto International Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, My Hero Film Festival, SilverDocs and others. She has been selected as a Dan Eldon fellow by Creative Visions, a non-profit founded by Kathy Eldon that develops outstanding socially conscious filmmakers. Slater has also given numerous workshops on filmmaking within the youth climate community, enabling young people to tell their own stories and be empowered to stand up for a green, sustainable, caring world.

Slater and "An Inconvenient Youth" are currently working with Architecture for Humanity to develop a prototype off-the-grid facility for the Nepali village you see in the film. These shelters, designed to collect fresh water and solar power, are more than shelter during times of emergency, they are year-round safe spaces designed to address each village's cultural and communal needs.

To view "An Inconvenient Youth," and other finalist films from the 2012 MY HERO International Film Festival, please visit http://www.myhero.com/films.

You can check out some of Slater's work and the latest segment from "An Inconvenient Youth" here: http://vimeo.com/36197312

For information about Slater and An Inconvenient Youth or to interview her please email [email protected] or call +1-416-566-7260.

The MY HERO International Film Festival is part of the acclaimed MY HERO Project, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization devoted to sharing stories of everyday heroism through interactive media. MY HERO's interactive website (www.myhero.com) hosts the world's largest archive of hero stories. Submissions for the MY HERO International Film Festival are accepted year-round. For more information, please visit http://www.myhero.com/filmfestival.

For more information on the MY HERO Project, contact Los Angeles Publicist Eileen Koch of Eileen Koch & Company INC., a PR, Marketing and Branding Firm at 310.441.1000 or e-mail [email protected]. Visit www.eileenkoch.com.