10 Community SIMA Award Wins & Mentions

Last month, SIMA, the nonprofit impact media agency that celebrates, curates, and distributes documentaries and creative media projects that advance positive social change, announced the winners of the 12th annual Social Impact Media Awards. Of the 2024 winners, we were proud to have five supported films and two filmmakers win awards, and three alumni films and filmmakers receive special mentions. Congratulations to all those strong social impact leaders recognized in this year’s awards.

Eat Bitter

dirs. Ningyi Sun, Pascale Appora-Gnekindy

prod. Mathieu Faure

The upper half is characters Luan and Thomas' faces and Thomas prays to the left of their faces; and the lower half is the back of Thomas' head and him getting ready to dive in the yellowish river.
Stills from Eat Bitter

Eat Bitter is a 2022 (Egg)celerator Lab finalist who won the award for Best Cinematography.

graphic of a film reel

PAY OR DIE

dirs. & prods. Rachael Dyer, Scott Alexander Ruderman 

prod. Yael Melamede

PAY OR DIE
Still from PAY OR DIE

PAY OR DIE is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee and won the Systemic Change Award (Sponsored by the Foundation for Systemic Change (FSC)).

graphic of a film reel

The Eternal Memory

dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi

prod. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue

Still from the Eternal Memory
Still from The Eternal Memory

The Eternal Memory was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and won the award for Best Director.

graphic of a film reel

The Script

dir. Brit Fryer, Noah Schamus

prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney

Still from The Script. In a set, a person with their back to the camera, talks to two other persons that are sitting in chairs in front of a table. To the right and left, there are camera crew people.
Still from The Script

The Script was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES series and won the Creative Activism Award.

graphic of a film reel

Twice Colonized

dir. Lin Alluna

prods. Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok, Bob Moore

The main character of Twice Colonized, Aaju Peter, in a close-up shot holding her hands in front of her face so her traditional tattoos on her hands and her chin are visible.
Still from Twice Colonized

Twice Colonized is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee who won the Transparency Jury Prize.


Special Mentions

How to Carry Water

dir. Sasha Wortzel

prod. Jess Devaney, Anya Rous, Colleen Cassingham

Still from How to Carry Water

How to Carry Water was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series.

graphic of a film reel

Suddenly TV

dir. & prod. Roopa Gogineni 

prods. Reem Haddad, Trevor Snapp, Fiona Lawson-Baker

A young Sudanese protester points a cardboard camera towards an interview unfolding on a bridge in the middle of a large sit-in demonstration.
Still from Suddenly TV

Suddenly TV is a Project: Hatched 2023 grantee.


From the AlumNest

  • Mourning in lod – Ethos Jury Prize
    dir. Hilla Medalia
    prod. Sheila Nevins

  • This Is Where I Learned Not To Sleep – Humanitas Award
    dirs. & prods. Kirsten Kelly & Anne de Mare
    prod. Andrew Schwertfeger

  • Who I Am Not – Special Mention
    dir. Tunde Skovran
    prods. Andrei Zinca, Danielle Turkov, Paul Cadieux, Patrick Hamm, Amy Shepherd, Edith Weil, Daniel Szandtner, Janos Kovacs

Post written by Communications Assistant Tess Caldwell

18 Nominations for the IDA Documentary Awards!

The IDA Documentary Awards recently announced the nominees for the 39th IDA Documentary Awards. We are proud to have 18 nominations and 3 shortlisted films within the Chicken & Egg Pictures community! The awards will be presented virtually on December 12. Congratulations and good luck to all of the nominees.

  • 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Against the Tide | dir. & prod. Sarvnik Kaur | prods. Koval Bhatia, Quentin Laurent | Nominated for Best Feature Documentary and Best Director
  • QUEER FUTURES project How to Carry Water | dir. Sasha Wortzel | prods. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney, Anya Rous | Nominated for Best Short Documentary
  • 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Milisuthando | dir. Milisuthando Bongela | prod. Marion Isaacs | Nominated for Best Feature Documentary, Best Director, and Best Writing
  • 2021 (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Q | dir. & prod. Jude Chehab | Nominated for Best Feature Documentary and Best Editing
  • 2022 Chicken & Egg Award Recipient Margreth Olin’s Songs of Earth | dir. & prod. Margreth Olin | Nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Original Music Score
  • Project: Hatched 2023 participant Suddenly TV | dir. & prod. Roopa Gogineni | prods. Reem Haddad, Trevor Snapp, Fiona Lawson-Baker | Nominated for Best Short Documentary
  • 2020 Chicken & Egg Award Recipient Maite Alberdi’s The Eternal Memory | dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi | prods. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue | Nominated for Best Editing
  • QUEER FUTURES | dirs. Brit Fryer, Lindsey Dryden, Noah Schamus, Sasha Wortzel, Twiggy Pucci Garçon | prods. Jess Devaney, Anya Rous, J Wortham, Colleen Cassingham | Nominated for Best Short-Form Series

From the AlumNest

  • Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court | Nominated for Best Multi-Part Documentary
    dir. & prod. Dawn Porter
    prods. Vinnie Malhotra, Aaron Saidman, Eli Holzman
  • Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project | Nominated for Best Feature Documentary and Best Original Music Score
    dirs. & prods. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster
  • King Coal  | Nominated for Best Cinematography
    dir. & prod. Elaine McMillion Sheldon
    prods. Shane Boris, Diane Becker, Peggy Drexler
  • The U.S. and the Holocaust  | Nominated for Best TV Feature or Mini-Series
    dir. Lynn Novick, Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein

Shortlist Shoutouts

  • QUEER FUTURES project The Script | dirs. Brit Fryer, Noah Schamus | prods. Jessica Devaney, Colleen Cassingham  | Shortlisted for Best Short Documentary
  • Project: Hatched 2023 participant Twice Colonized | dir. Lin Alluna | prods. Emile Hertling Péronard, Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, Stacey Aglok, Bob Moore | Shortlisted for Best Feature Documentary
  • AlumNest project How We Get Free | dirs. Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles | prods. Kathleen Lingo, Sweta Vohra, Jess Devaney | Shortlisted for Best Short Documentary

Post written by Communications Intern Tess Caldwell

Six Nest-Supported Films at DC/DOX FEST!

We are egg-stremely proud to announce that six Nest-supported films and four AlumNest filmmakers were in the lineup for the first-ever edition of DC/DOX Fest!

Breaking the News

dirs. Chelsea Hernandez, Heather Courtney, Princess A. Hairston

prod. Diane Quon

Still from Breaking the News Film. Editor-at-large Errin Haines is smiling directly at the camera in a pink sweatshirt that reads "Represent."
Still from Breaking the News

Breaking the News a 2022 Critical Issues Fund Grantee had its DC Premiere.

graphic of a film reel

How to Carry Water

dir. Sasha Wortzel

prod. Jess Devaney, Anya Rous, Colleen Cassingham

Still from How to Carry Water. Three people in swimsuits are posing for the camera. They are in a lagoon.
Still from How to Carry Water

How to Carry Water was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series and had its DC Premiere in the “Shorts Program 3: Out/Spoken” section.

graphic of a film reel

It’s Only Life After All

dir. & prod. Alexandria Bombach

prods. Kathlyn Horan, Jess Devaney, Anya Rous

Still from It's Only Life After All
Still from It’s Only Life After All

It’s Only Life After All was supported through Alexandria Bombach’s 2019 Chicken & Egg Award and had its DC Premiere.

graphic of a film reel

MnM

dir. Twiggy Pucci Garçon

prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney

Still from MnM. Close up to the face of a person while a hand is using a brush to paint their eyelids.
Still from MnM

MnM was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES (2022) series and had its North American Premiere in the “Shorts Program 3: Out/Spoken” section.

graphic of a film reel

The Eternal Memory

dir. & prod. Maite Alberdi

prod. Juan de Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue

Still from The Eternal Memory

The Eternal Memory was supported through Maite Alberdi’s 2020 Chicken & Egg Award and had its DC Premiere.

graphic of a film reel

The Script

dir. Brit Fryer, Noah Schamus

prod. Colleen Cassingham, Jess Devaney

Still from The Script. In a set, a person with their back to the camera, talks to two other persons that are sitting in chairs in front of a table. To the right and left, there are camera crew people.
Still from The Script

The Script was supported in partnership with Multitude Films as a part of the QUEER FUTURES series and had its East Coast Premiere in the “Shorts Program 3: Out/Spoken” section.


From the AlumNest


Post written by Spring Intern Tess Caldwell