Social Innovation Through the Power of Film
It's film season! We have had the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and now, the Oscars are around the corner. Added to this list are the annual LightStay Sustainabilitydocumentary film awards, run by Hilton Worldwide with theSundance Institute, which aims to honour those film-makers whose social innovation documentaries bring burning issues to our attention. This year's winning films have been announced: in true Hollywood style, the winners are . . . Revolutionary Optimists, receiving a $22,500 prize; Hungry receiving $15,000; and the short film Jungle Fish, receiving $5,000. The prizes were presented at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival last month.
The 2013 LightStay Sustainability Award winners were chosen out of 1,500 feature-length documentaries and more than 5,000 short film entries which were submitted to the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund. The winning films each reflect global issues relevant to Hilton Worldwide's business and community impact. Christopher Corpuel, Vice President, Product Management and Sustainability, Hilton Worldwide, says, "Filmmakers have an opportunity to share stories that can be a catalyst for change and the LightStay Sustainability Award recognises these compelling documentary projects for inspiring solutions and highlighting the complexities around living in a resource-constrained world."
The Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund provides year-round support to nonfiction filmmakers worldwide. The program advances social innovation nonfiction storytelling about a broad range of contemporary social issues and promotes the exhibition of documentary films to audiences. The Sundance Institute was founded by Robert Redford in 1981 and is a global, not-for-profit cultural organisation dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theatre and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. Cara Mertes, Director, the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund, says, "Sustainability issues and solutions around the health of our communities are urgent and critical topics for many documentary filmmakers. The support provided directly to documentary filmmakers through this collaboration between us and Hilton Worldwide will help ensure the sustainability of these independent artists in their careers.
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Sangeeta Haindl is a staff writer for Justmeans on Social Enterprise. When not writing for Justmeans, Sangeeta wears her other hat as a PR professional. Over the years, she has worked with high-profile organizations within the public, not-for-profit and corporate sectors; and won awards from her industry. She now runs her own UK consultancy: Serendipity PR & Media.
