MY HERO International Film Festival Awards Ceremony

Program

HOST Gabrielle Gorman

Musical Performance by SOZI 

MY HERO Media Award 
The Teen Brain by Tiffany Shlain & Goldie Hawn MindUp 

Ron Kovic Peace Prize
Grillo - by Dima Puchkarev

Dan Eldon Activist Award
Presented by Kathy Eldon & Dan Eldon Turteltaub
Ambassadors of Hope - by Cassidy Friedman, Amber Allen-Peirson

Eva Haller's - Women Transforming Media Award
Daga - A Woman’s Fight to Empower Girls in her Village - by Fama Ndiaye
Her Voice - by Carletta S. Hurt, Sunnye C. Durham
Joy Buolamwini - by Abbigail Mira - Ascot Avenue Elementary School

Humanitarian Award
Unite to Light 

Special Hero Award 
Tige Charity | Kids in the Spotlight 

Media Arts Spotlight Award
Samara Hutman | C. Lily Ericsson | Second Nurture | Judge Songhai Armstead

20th Anniversary Tribute
Wendy Milette | Film Festival Founding Director | MY HERO

Scripps Family Impact Fund 
Molly McCabe 

Media Arts Educator Award
Frank Guttler

MY HERO Leadership Award
Dr. Gustavo Ortiz

Woj Youth Reporter Award 
Presented by Esther Wojcicki

BEST OF FEST
When the Devil Smoked in Paradise by Katherine Liao    

LIVE MUSIC 
SOZI, Stu Pearlman & Friends

See all the winning short films online

myhero.com/winners

Sponsors

Thanks to our generous supporters

Foundations
Scripps Family Impact Fund
Seedlings Foundation 
Max Factor Family Foundation

Special Award Sponsors
Ron Kovic - Peace Prize
Eva Haller - Women Transforming Media Award
Kathy Eldon & Amy Eldon Turteltaub - Dan Eldon Activist Award
Esther Wojcicki -  “Woj” Youth Reporter Award
Foundation for the Contemporary Family - Relationships First Award
Sing for Hope - Music Video Award 
Macgillivray Freeman Films - Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award

Lead Donors
Renée Edelman
Rita Stern Milch
Karen Pritzker
Molly McCabe
Eva & Yoel Haller
Barbara & Greg MacGillivray
Judith Anderson
Jeanne Meyers

Supporters

Corporate Sponsors
KFA Architects
KPFF Engineering
Kingston Technology

2024 Film Festival Event Sponsors
New Roads School
Luxe Hotel
D’Aquino Italian Imports
That’s It Fruit.com 

Prize Sponsors
Shure
Think Tank
InkTip

In-kind Donations
Google Grants
Executive Service Corps
Rivian South Coast Theater
Laguna Art Museum
The New School University - NYC
Illumination Festival 
Wall Street Journal Live

Educational Partners
Americans Who Tell the Truth
Art Miles Mural Project
Ascot Avenue Elementary School
Baycat
BellaGaia.com
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach
Coalition for Engaged Education
Coast Film Festival
Creative Visions Foundation
Facens University
Foshay Learning Center
Francis W. Parker School
Freedom Writers Foundation
Glasgow Caledonian University
Global Education Conference
Google Cultural Institute
Guitars in the Classroom
iEARN.org
ISTE.org
Laguna Art Museum
Laguna College of Art
Mattie J. T. Stepanek Foundation
New Roads School
One World One Ocean Campaign
Palo Alto High School Media Center
Peace Pals International
Royal Film Commission – Jordan
Righteous Conversations Project
Santa Barbara Middle School Teen Press
Soka University
Taft High School
UC Irvine Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences
UCLA Center X
University of Leeds
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Weemes Elementary School
Young Voices for the Planet
Video Volunteers – Change Chitra

MY HERO Film Festival Team

Director
Wendy Milette

Assistant Director
Rachel Priebe 

Festival Team
Brandy Hernandez
Kitty Richardson
Santos Herrera

USC School of Cinematic Arts Interns:
Ambi Butler
Sam Fredericks

Festival Interns 
Emily Sedeno
Maria Alonso
Madeline Kirsch
Sarah Bravo
Andrew Scibelli
Shealagh Brower
Stew Hvidston
Hannah Bodnar
Patrick Hetland
Jeric Binuya
Josh Mejia
Amit Sewnauth
Jose Chavez

Motion Graphics / Webmaster
Nathan Smith
Festival Graphics
Maria Alonso 

Film Festival Judges
Rachel Priebe 
Brandy Hernandez
Sam Fredericks 
Ambi Butler 
Kitty Richardson
Gabrielle Gorman
Santos Herrera
Gregory Stamos
Andrew Scibelli
Cheikh Darou Seck
Betty Bailey 
Jose Chavez
Skip Blumberg
Sara Armstrong
Shealagh Brower
Maria Alonso
Sarah Bravo
Stew Hvidston
Juliette Bouquerel

The MY HERO Project  

Co-Founders
Karen Pritzker - Jeanne Meyers - Rita Stern Milch

Executive Director
Jeanne Meyers

Administrative Manager
Stephanie Cole

Education Outreach and Development
Ben Guest

Media Arts Education and Film Festival Director
Wendy Milette 

Media Arts Educator and Film Festival Staff
Santos Herrera

Media Arts Educator & Film Festival Assistant Director
Rachel Priebe

Social Media & Eva Haller Salon Series Manager
Kitty Richardson
Education Outreach
Laura Nietzer

Web Designer, Database and Website Manager
Nathan Smith

Software Design & Development
Anthony Pouw

Writers / Story Editors 
Abigail Richardson
Naomi Gledhill

Audio Studio Curator & Musician 
Stu Pearlman

Communications
Betty Bailey

Thanks to our Educational Partners
Guitars in the Classroom
Art Miles
California StoryTelling Association
iEARN.org
Youth Unstoppable
Creative Visions Foundation
One World One Ocean
Foundation for the Contemporary Family
New Roads School
AAUW
Mattieonline.com
Eva Haller Saturday Salons
ISTE.org
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Sing for Hope