Shine Global, an Academy Award-Winning Nonprofit Media Company, Opens Call for Entries to Honor Filmmakers

Call For Submissions Opens Today, Closes May 31

NEW YORK, NY – Today, Shine Global, the non-profit media company behind Academy Award-winning and Emmy Award-winning films, announced the launch of the Children’s Resilience in Film Award. The first-of-its-kind award will honor the preeminent filmmakers who masterfully highlight and celebrate the inspiring strength, creativity, and power of children across the world. Amidst an ongoing pandemic that has disrupted everyday life and social-emotional development for billions of children globally and a humanitarian crisis that has forced hundreds of thousands of children and families to flee Ukraine, the Children’s Resilience in Film Award seeks to shed much-needed light on the uplifting, inspiring stories of children who offer global audiences hope and the talented filmmakers who tell them.

“Since we started Shine Global back in 2005, we’ve had the privilege of meeting and telling the stories of inspiring, resilient children growing up in the crossroads of diverse political, cultural, and social forces,” said Shine Global Co-Founder and Emmy-winning producer Susan MacLaury. “Telling these stories is no easy feat but it’s incredibly important. That’s why we’re honored to introduce the Children’s Resilience in Film Award to not only honor these visionary filmmakers and their outstanding work but empower the next generation of filmmakers to realize the power in children’s narratives.”

The inaugural 2022 Children’s Resilience in Film Award is sponsored in part by The Hollywood Reporter, a media partner, which will uplift these powerful, culture-shifting films to receive the recognition they deserve. An open call for film submissions to be considered for nomination opens today, March 16th, and will close on May 31. Five nominees, all feature length films released in the last year, will be selected and announced later this summer. An esteemed jury composed of leading film industry experts, children’s rights activists, and distinguished youth voices will select the winner. The five nominees will screen their films in New York City from September 15th to 18th. The winner will be announced at a VIP awards show breakfast in Los Angeles, California and will be awarded a $25,000 cash prize on October 20th.

Through its films, Shine Global has celebrated children’s resilience and tackled issues of child labor, child abuse, child soldiering, parental incarceration, undocumented immigration, and homelessness since its founding in 2005. Shine Global’s first film War/Dance (2007) – a documentary profiling Acholi children refugees living in Patongo, the northern Ugandan refugee camp under military protection from terrorist group Lord’s Resistance Army – debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary, and was awarded two Emmys in 2010. Inocente (2012) told a coming-of-age story of a 15-year-old homeless and undocumented girl in California received the 2013 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject).

Deadlines and Eligibility
All entries must be submitted at https://filmfreeway.com/ShineGlobalChildrensResilienceinFilm/ by May 31 at 11:59pmET. Submissions must be full feature-length films – animation, documentary, or fiction – released in the last year in order to be eligible for nomination.

Call For Entries Key Dates:
Wednesday March 16, 2022: Call for Entries Opens
April 1, 2022: Earlybird Submission Deadline
May 1, 2022: Regular Submission Deadline
May 31, 2022: Final Submission Deadline
September 15-18: NYC Screenings
October 20, 2022: LA Awards Show

About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.Since our founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, and Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax.