Top Films at SI DocFest 2008 Win Close to $25,000 in Awards

Top Films at SI DocFest 2008 Win Close to $25,000 in Awards

Bay Area Non-Profits and High Schools to Share Awards

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The First Annual Bay Area Social Issues Documentary Film Contest (SI DocFest) held its awards ceremony at the Camera 12 Cinemas on Sunday February 10, 2008. Close to $25,000 in awards provided by sponsor and organizer Do Good Docs Corporation were shared by the top six films.

The event started with a screening of four Semifinalist films and a montage of films that received an Honorable Mention. The screening of the six Finalist films was preceded by a panel discussion in which two of the events judges, Blanche Araj-Shaheen, TV production professional and host of KTEH's "Video I" and Jan Krawitz, a distinguished documentary filmmaker and Director of the M.F.A. Program in Documentary Film and Video at Stanford University, discussed the role of documentaries in affecting social change.

First place was awarded to "Feeding the Forgotten," a film by Andrew Datu, Nico Litonjua and Patrick Li that deals with poverty issues. The $10,000 award will be shared with Bellarmine College Preparatory and Sacred Heart Community Service.

Second place was earned by "Building a Better Future," a film by Amy Schleicher about affordable housing. The $6,000 award will be shared with San Ramon Valley High School and Habitat for Humanity East Bay.

Third place went to "Autism Spectrum Research Alliance," a film by Alex Shebanow, Terrence Crawford and Arjun Prabhakar that deals with special education needs. The $4,000 award is to be shared by Saratoga High School and the non-profit organization after which the film is named.

In a surprise announcement, the organizing committee awarded $3,000 to the fourth place film, "Defeating Loneliness," based on merit demonstrated by the close proximity between the first four films in the independent judges' ballots. The film by Josh Lee and Daniel Huffman deals with elderly loneliness and the award will be shared with Valley Christian High School and Love I.N.C.

The organizing committee also decided to contribute $750 to Books Aloud, an organization profiled by fifth place winner Diana Pearson of Presentation High School, and $500 to Lifebuilders Emergency Housing Consortium, an organization that is the subject of a film by Adam Lopiccolo, Justin Vu and Evan Moore of Archbishop Mitty High School, winners of sixth place.

A special recognition award was presented to Terry McElhatton, professor of video production at Valley Christian High School, for producing the most entries for the SI DocFest 2008.

The event was hosted by SI DocFest organizers and co-founders, sisters Monica and Loreli Alba, and was followed by a reception. Camera Cinemas, the leading independent movie theater company in the South Bay, was an official sponsor and the official host of the SI DocFest.

Do Good Docs Corporation is a new non-profit organization located in San Jose, California. Its first project is the sponsoring and organization of the Bay Area Social Issues Documentary Film Contest (SI DocFest), conceptualized and organized by two if its co-founders, Monica and Loreli Alba. For more information visit http://www.sidocfest.com/.

For over 30 years, the Camera Cinemas have presented a wide variety of well-made, intelligent films, from re-released classics to independents, international to mainstream. With three distinct locations, Camera Cinemas has become an important institution in the local film community, making vital contributions to the cultural life of San Jose and representing the best of what the South Bay has to offer. For more information visit http://www.cameracinemas.com/.

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Web Sites:

http://www.sidocfest.com

http://www.cameracinemas.com

Source: Do Good Docs Corporation

CONTACT: Monica Alba, Do Good Docs Corporation, +1-408-218-7799,
monica@dogooddocs.com

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