Students from Sealth High Schoo have won the Gold Jury Prize in the Social Justice Film Festival. The third annual festival held last month took place over two weeks andl screened 52 films from around the world.

Riffing on the Dream—winner of the Gold Jury Prize for Youth Visions—is a documentary by students from the Black Student Union in which students answered unscripted questions from classmates to prompt racial dialogue within their school.

“The Black Student Union at Chief Sealth made a courageous film to give some answers on what racism really is, especially as it relates to traps of language like ‘ghetto,’ ‘nigga,’ and ‘ratchet.’ We are brought face-to-face with young people who honestly tell their experiences with harmful stereotypes and labels. The film exemplifies the goal of our Youth Visions competition: to reveal the often-overlooked youth experience,” says Paxton.

Return of the River—winner of the Gold Jury Prize for Feature Film—tells the story of the Port Angeles, Wash., community that made the controversial decision to remove the Elwha River dam and restore the river’s ecosystem. At the screening last month, the audience raved about the movie’s cinematography and story of the biggest dam-removal project in history.
“Whenever social justice issues are debated, one question always comes up: Is there any hope? Return of the River gives us the confidence to say yes,” says Festival Director Anne Paxton. “When we see this film, we know there is never an excuse for giving up and saying ‘what's done is done.’"

Director’s Choice film humanizes the struggle for citizenship
The festival also awarded its Director’s Choice Award to the feature-length documentary The Vigil. In the film, Gina, an undocumented single mother, risks arrest and deportation when she joins a vigil on the Arizona State Capitol lawn to stop America’s most controversial immigration law, “Papers Please,” from going into effect.
“The Vigil is about the American dream, a dream of a better life for one's children, and how a woman of deep character fought for it. To see Gina's serene conviction that she will overcome all obstacles to change America's harsh immigration policy is deeply inspiring. We loved The Vigil; it’s a powerful film that shows the sheer moral force of a human being who appeals to everyone's better nature,” says Paxton.

2014 Awards

Director’s Choice Award
The Vigil, directed by Jenny Alexander (USA)

Gold Jury Prize – Feature
Return of the River, directed by John Gussman and Jessica Plumb (USA)

Silver Jury Prize - Feature
War Against Women, directed by Hernán Zin (Spain)

Bronze Jury Prize - Feature
Prison Terminal, directed by Edgar Barnes (USA)

Gold Jury Prize – Short
Mestizo, directed by Talon Gonzalas (USA)

Silver Jury Prize - Short
L’Efect Aleatori (The Random Effect), directed by Nofre Moyà (Spain)

Bronze Jury Prize - Short
Tears, directed by Yahya Ghobadi (Kurdistan)

Gold Jury Prize – Youth Visions
Riffing on the Dream, directed by Chief Sealth International High School students (USA)

Silver Jury Prize - Youth Visions
Out of Focus, directed by Adrián Arce and Antonio Zirión (Mexico)

Bronze Jury Prize – Youth Visions
Lie, directed by Lisa Jiang (USA)

Prisoner Justice Prize
Natural Life, directed by Tirtza Even (USA)

Worker Justice Prize
Wisconsin Rising directed by Sam Mayfield (USA)

Best Narrative Film Prize
Paper Crane, directed by Yu Shibuya (Japan)

Best Animation Prize
The Box, directed by Michael Schiller (USA)

To learn more about these films, visit socialjusticefilmfestival.org.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Based in Seattle, Washington, the Social Justice Film Festival showcases bold and creative films on social issues that shape our humanity.