The 11th annual edition of SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival NY in-person section closed on Monday, March 18, with an Awards Ceremony hosted by The National Arts Club. In the presence of over 140 attendee members, filmmakers, jury members, and friends, the screening of the last block of short films Before the Oil, ByKids: Beekeeper, and SeaMonster was followed immediately by the Awards Ceremony where 20 awardees were announced. The trophies are a silk scarf donated by Lost Pattern.

NEW YORK - March 19, 2024 - PRLog -- The 11th Edition of the SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival in-person section closed on March 18, at the National Arts Club in New York. The Festival opened at the Maysles Cinema on March 13 and ran at MRHS and Cinema Village. The festival covers social issues totaling 53 films this year. The Official Selection is accessible online through the festival website. The main themes are 100 Years of Armenian Cinema, Black History, BIPOC films, Aging and Disability, Women, LGBTQI+, and more. The films stream online starting today, March 19, and can be accessed here.

The Festival's YouTube Channel posts live Meet the Filmmakers interviews and presents the awards and awarded films.

The SRFF 2024 film Maya directed by Julia Verdin garnered The Vanya Exerjian - Empowering Women and Girls Award, which is an award given by Founder Nora Armani in memory of her cousin who was the victim of a hate crime against a woman. The Narrative Feature Grand Prize went to Valley of Exile directed by Anna Fahr, and the Jury Special Award went to two films I Am Gitmo by Philippe Diaz and From Life to Life by Beka Sikharulidze. The Documentary Feature Grand Prize was a tie between ORA by Michel Garcia and Blockade by Hakob Melkonyan, and the Jury Special Award in the documentary feature category went to DEPOT: Reflecting Boijmans by Sonia Herman Dolz. Awards were given in the best Narrative Short, where the winner was Impasse by Nabil Shahar, with a Jury Special Award for Limbo by Alex Ramsey. In the Documentary Short category, the award went to ByKids: Beekeeper by Keith Griffith III, with Jean Fell In Love by Romain Roellet garnering a Jury Special Award. There was also Best Actor, Willie Rayson in Forbidden Fruit - a short film, and Beka Sikharulidze in From Life to Life a feature film. Best Actress, Ruzan Khachatryan in 250km, a short film, and Maria Hassan in Valley of Exile a feature, the Women Film Critics Circle Award went to 250km by Hasmik Movsisyan. The IndiePix Unlimited Vision Award went to Bleecker by Edith Hagigi and Phantom Parrot by Kate Stonehill. The Best Screenplay award went to Glams Casino by Darcia Prada, second place Everybody Knows by Rangeley Wallace, and third place Joe Goes Courting by Evan Laughlin. The full list of awards and details may be found here.

"We're proud to have had the opportunity to present over 700 socially relevant films from 40 countries over the past 11 years. This year's selection comprised 53 amazing social issue-oriented films from all over the world. Congratulations are due to the winners and a hearty applause to all participants." Festival Founding Artistic Director Nora Armani.

SRFF was founded by Actress/ Filmmaker Nora Armani in 2013, following a family tragedy that cost the lives of two of her dearest, cousin Vania, and her uncle Jack Exerjian, Armani founded the festival to commemorate them in a meaningful way. SRFF believes in the power of the film medium in raising awareness of social issues and promoting positive social change. This new edition deals with Climate Change, LGBTQ Rights, Aging and Disability, Incarceration and Freedom, New York City, and BIPOC cultures.

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 without resorting to violence and violent forms of storytelling.

Contact the festival for information, images, posters, and interviews with the winning filmmakers.