More than 20 awards presented to filmmakers across all genres
Santa Monica (Nov. X, 2022) – The ETHOS FILM AWARDS, founded by actor/filmmaker Anabelle D. Munro and a team of passionate industry professionals, announces the 2022 award winners following last week’s film festival debut at the Laemmle Monica Film Center and Santa Monica College. ETHOS FILM AWARDS received submissions from up-and-coming filmmakers in over 27 countries in all genres.
Festival organizers chose about 150 projects to screen and presented more than 20 awards for genres that are atypical of other awards—with judges looking at outstanding achievements in film and written work in categories focusing on values such as courage, sustainability, tolerance, diversity and inclusion, addiction recovery, and social justice. To recognize up-and-coming talent, ETHOS created a Next Generation award for content developed by children under 18 years old.
2022 International Film Festival Award Winners
- Ethos Lifetime Achievement Award: Henry Jaglom
- Best Animation: David Foster
- Best Director: Laurel Adler, Split Feather
- Best Writer: Dawn Menge
- Best Short: Mindy and Jeremy Philips
- Best Documentary Short: The Short
- The Overcomer Award: Colton Ventura, The Prisoner
- Best Produced Screenplay: The Anxiety of Laughing
- Most Inspirational: Dani’s Twins
- Best Music Lyrics: Don’t Give Up, Diane Kaufman
- Best Short Script: Gabrielle Barlattier
- History in Film: Leaving The Factory, Alessia Cruci
- Rising Star Category, Purpose-Driven Writing: Jessee Dorian
- The Human Connection: Under The Sun
- Purpose-Driven Script Of The Year: Big Girl Face
- Klaus Klein Special Award: Stairway To The Stars
- Impact Kids Awards: Liam Linton
- Regenerative Technologies and Sustainability: Lindsey Ward
- Neuro-Diversity: Marlow Peyton, Medical Anomaly, and Harri James/ O’Kelley Legends, 2E Behind the Scenes
- Environment and Nature: Sej Saraya, Curious Woods
- Outstanding Achievements In Acting: Sean Young, Stairway To The Stars
- Outstanding Achievement in Purpose-Driven Film: Diane Miller
- Politics and Culture: Alci Rengifo, Azizam
- Outstanding Achievements Purpose-Driven Film, Community Support: Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein
- Kara Scott Dently Award for Female Empowerment: Cherie Kerr, 3rd Mattricher Falls International Film Festival
- Human Condition: Million Loves in Me
- Addiction/Recovery: Kay Sumner, “Survivors”
- Impact Director/Producer Of The Year: James Keach, Body Of Work
- Impact Director of The Year, Purpose-Driven Film: Salvador Carrasco
- Impact Writer Of The Year: Sophia Louisa Lee
- Outstanding Achievements In Thought Leadership: Melinsa and Don Boyer, The Power of Thought
The ETHOS Film Awards International Film Festival was created to honor artists who tell stories that change the world and make it a better place, and recognize artists who take creative approaches to break a genre stereotype have proved to be the most acclaimed.
“The goal is not just to honor beautifully captured films but also to recognize purpose-driven script writers and filmmakers who sometimes are overlooked by the industry but have content and value in their work that could significantly impact the culture. The pedigree and passion of the rising filmmakers selected, indicates they are sure to do just that,” said Munro, who founded the ETHOS Film Festival with the idea that it would be different from other such events in Hollywood.
Past ETHOS Film Award Winners, seminar speakers, and judges include: producer Lee Broda (poet, activist, and producer of films such as Martin Scorsese’s “The Card Counter,” “The Kindergarten Teacher,” “A Private War”); Hollywood director and ETHOS Lifetime award winner Lewis Teague (“Cujo,” “The Jewel of the Nile,” “Navy Seals”); director Roger Christiansen (“Friends,” “Hanna Montana”); two-time Emmy winner Jerri Sher (“Quiet Explosions”); actor/director Jeremy Taylor (“It,” “It Chapter Two”); actor James Franco, actor Winsor Harmon (“Sarogeto,” “The Bold and the Beautiful); actor/director Daniel Baldwin (“My Promise to PJ”); Entrepreneur Joe Polish (“Genius Network”); Yifan Du, a newly invited judge and a new Chinese director/editor, once won more than 20 Best Short Film Awards at International Film Festivals when he was the director and editor of short films “A.I.” and “Blue”; and many more.
At the festival, Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated producer Cindy Cowan led a panel, “Conquering Disabilities with Film,” andl received an ETHOS Impact Award—along with Kevin Smith—for their contributions to those efforts. She won the 2018 Woman of The Year Award presented by Women’s Image Network, and in 2019, Cowan was the Humanitarian of the Year Award recipient from the Hollywood Women’s Film Institute.
Other speakers included: top talent Agent Carol Lynn Sher from CESD Talent Agency; casting Agent Robin De Lano from Stella Nova Casting; casting Agent Jeff Olan from Jeff Olan Casting; Carol Dean from ‘From The Heart Productions,” and more.
About the ETHOS Film Awards International Film Festival
Anabelle D. Munro founded the ETHOS Film Awards, formally the TMIF Impact awards, four years ago in Las Vegas in an effort to give back to the filmmaking community. She set the festival from its inception to honor filmmakers who create messages that both serve society and impact the world.
For more information, visit: filmfreeway.com/ETHOSfilmawards