NEW YORK - s4story -- SR Socially Relevant Film Festival 2021 #SRFF 2021 wrapped up its virtual Eighth Edition on March 21, 2021, announcing winners in the competition categories. Stand-out awards were the Vanya Exerjian Award, given to Robin Starbuck for her doc short, How We See Water. The award is named in memory of festival founder Nora Armani's cousin, Vanya Exerjian, who was a victim of a violent hate crime in 2004. The Grand Prize Narrative Feature award went (Ex-Aequo) to Dustwun directed by Genevieve Anderson and starring actor Shane Dean (Best Actor Award), and Angie: Lost Girls directed by Julia Verdin, and starring actress Jane Widdop (Best Actress Award).

GRAND PRIZE NARRATIVE FEATURE:
Dustwun | Genevieve Anderson | USA, Mexico | 2020 | 88 min (Ex-Aequo)


Angie: Lost Girls | Julia Verdin | USA | 2020 | 108 min (Ex-Aequo)



GRAND PRIZE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
The Boys Who Said NO! | Judith Ehrlich | USA | 2020 | 90 min



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THE VANYA EXERJIAN AWARD for Empowering Women and Girls:
How We See Water by Robin Starbuck | USA/ Mexico | 2020 | 24 min

THE IndiePix VISION AWARDS:

A Walk in Her Shoes by Selina Garcia (USA)

Back to Sölöz by Serge Avedikian (France)

The Buffalo Man by David Torres Labansat (Mexico)

Out Loud by Gail Willumsen (USA)

The Universality of It All by Andrès Bronnimann (Costa Rica)

THE FLIXA-TV AWARD:

Antigone by Sophie Deraspe (Canada).

The other awards and mentions:

--Best Narrative Short: Gets Good Light by Alejandra Parody (USA) and Ballerina by Kristian Gianfreda (Italy)

--Best Documentary Short: Shattered: Beirut 6:07 by Carol Mansour (Lebanon)

--Life During COVID Short: Endless Summer by Patrick Crellin (UK)

--The Women Film Critics Circle Award: When I'm At Home by Ivana Todorovic (Serbia)

--Best Actress (Narrative Short): Milica Stefanovic from When I'm At Home

--Best Actor (Narrative Short): Pol White from Dustwun

--Scriptwriting Competition - Winner: Those Who Wander by David Neal and Oscar Sanchez (USA)

--Special Jury Mention (Narrative Feature): I Married My Mother directed by Domenico Costanzo (Italy)

--Special Jury Mention (Documentary Feature): The Universality of It All by Andres Bronnimann (Costa Rica)

--Special Jury Mention (Narrative Short): George Floyd: Say Their Names by Christopher R. Owens and Alyssa Dann (USA)

--Special Jury Mention (Documentary Short): Son Of A Sweeper by Lisa Mills (USA/ India)

--Emerging Filmmakers Award (Documentary Short): Against The Current by Daunette Moniz-Reyome (ByKids) (USA)

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--Scriptwriting competition - 2nd place: I Promise You This by Todd G. Sorrell  3rd Place: The Hunters by Karl Shefelman

Nora Armani, Founding Artistic Director of SRFF said,

"This has been a whirlwind experience; an enriching week of cinema for our patrons. Our YouTube channel subscriptions more than quadrupled, we reached audiences never before reached, and our website visits went out the roof. I thank everyone involved, specifically the filmmakers, our partners and sponsors, and the festival team for making it all possible."

SR Socially Relevant ™ Film Festival New York is a 501(c)3 non-profit film festival founded by actress Nora Armani. The Mission of the SR Film Festival is to shine the spotlight on filmmakers who tell compelling, socially relevant™, human interest stories, across a broad range of social issues. The festival was created as a response to the proliferation of violence and violent forms of storytelling in media and entertainment. During its first eight years, the festival showcased close to 500 films from 35 countries. Submissions for SRFF 2022 open in May and films are received from all over the world.

Spokespersons and guests of SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival NY include Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Erin Brockovich, Martin Sheen, Pulitzer Prize, and Tony award-winning writer Robert Schenkkan, prolific and best-selling French novelist Marc Levy, Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Award Winner Guy Davidi, American TV commentator and author Gretchen Carlson, and Liaison Officer of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, Kunga Tashi.

For interviews and images contact the festival at ratedsrfilms@gmail.com

ENDS

Contact: Sophia Benz
(808) 282-7048