Film Festivals & Awards

From Liberty to Captivity is a brave and bold documentary about slavery and human trafficking. I liked how facts, numbers and experiences are shared. I also liked how the documentary showed people who are willing to stop this injustice. Debbie Wright has effectively showed how this social problem has been continuously growing even if there are people who aim to stop it. It is also good that it can open the eyes of the society what really happens behind human trafficking, slavery and prostitution. The information shared in this documentary is clear and shocking but it can raise an awareness on how this can be stopped. The truth is really heartbreaking and unacceptable. I salute Debbie Wright and everyone behind this documentary for sharing the truth and showing how this can be stopped and persuading people to put an end to human trafficking.  Read more about the film festival at: http://www.theutahfilmawards.com/

From Liberty to Captivity was an Official Selection of the Dumbo Film Festival!  By the end of the Seventies, a prosperous renewal has brought the district of Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York, to a new life, and it is now considered to be one of New York’s most glamorous districts and a thriving destination for artists to meet and share their thoughts. On this background of revival within the New York panorama, DFF aims to establish itself among the most important independent festivals in the world. Producers and directors from around the world can meet each other here, encounter new ideas, and begin working toward prestigious goals.  Read more about the film festival at: https://www.dumbofilmfestival.com/about/

From Liberty to Captivity was accepted into the Richmond International Film Festival, and the film’s Director, Debbie Wright, was honored to be a Panelist for two of The FLOW Collective Conference Series industry expert panels!  The Richmond International Film Festival (RIFF) is a competitive festival that accepts features and shorts of all genres and niches (films & screenplays).  It is an inclusive and spirited festival designed to honor international film and music artists. It is also a competitive festival that brings 130+ Official Selection film screenings from more than 30 countries (making it one of the Mid-Atlantic’s largest international competitive festivals) plus industry panels, the FLOW Collective, Q&As, live music showcases, red carpet awards, and entertainment mixers, all of which bring the spirit of Hollywood to beautiful Richmond, Virginia at the BowTie Cinemas and historic Byrd Theatre. The FLOW Collective Creative Conference Series for Film & Music is a gathering where creatives and heads of the industry come together to discuss the current state of the film, music, and television plus provide feedback to participants through pitch sessions, think tanks, and breakout sessions incorporating the concept of flow across a variety of creative disciplines.  Read more about the film festival at: https://www.rvafilmfestival.com

From Liberty to Captivity was accepted into and WON BEST DOCUMENTARY at the Philadelphia Independent Film Awards Film Festival!  In 2016 and 2018, the Philadelphia Independent Film Awards Film Festival was voted as one of the TOP 100 FILM FESTIVALS.  For the past three years, the Philadelphia Film Awards Film Festival has grown to become one of the hottest and most important events in Philadelphia as well as a significant part of the indie film industry as a whole. Filmmakers also have an amazing opportunity to have their films distributed with our new international distribution partner Shami Media Group, based in New York.  Read more about the film festival at: https://www.philadelphiaindependentfilmawards.com/

From Liberty to Captivity won BEST DOCUMENTARY and was the OPENING NIGHT FILM at the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival!  The Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival is Pittsburgh’s own film festival for truly independent films, and a headline event for micro-budget and no-budget films from around the world. The 2016 and 2018 Best Feature Film secured a distribution deal as a result of their recommendation, upon winning our festival. PIFF uses the strength of the independent filmmaking community to put on a fantastic festival.  Read more about the film festival at: http://pghindie.com/Welcome.html

From Liberty to Captivity won the CULTURAL SPIRIT AWARD and was NOMINATED for BEST DOCUMENTARY at the New Hope  Film Festival!  Touted as the “emerging ‘Sundance East’” in a Huffington Post article, this internationally respected indie fest was founded by an author screenwriter and formed with a group of artists who shared his passion for discovering and nurturing independent artists. With a strong publicity and marketing program that includes an annual awards announcement in Variety as well as press coverage in mainstream outlets such as NBC, ABC, The Huffington Post, The Times of India and more, this cutting-edge and growing festival is a powerful bridge between indie obscurity and the mainstream.  Read more about the film festival at: https://newhopefilmfestival.com/

Of 6,900 films of all genres from all around the world that were submitted, From Liberty to Captivity was in the top 7.5% and a Finalist at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival!  What sets Flickers apart is that the Festival is one of only a handful of broadly focused, independent festivals in New England accepting works of any type (dramatic, documentary, experimental, animation), on any subject matter, and in any genre. In 2002, Flickers was notified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that it had elected to recognize the Rhode Island International Film Festival as a qualifying festival for the Short Films category, and in 2013 it was notified that it was a qualifying festival in the documentary short category. In 2015, it was notified that it would also be a qualifying festival for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). With more than 7,000 film festivals worldwide, only 10 have this dual recognition. Read more about the film festival at: http://www.film-festival.org/Flickers.php

From Liberty to Captivity was an Official Selection at the Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards Film Festival!  Very rapidly PRISMA has become one of the best monthly festivals on FilmFreeway, internationally recognized by the Internet Movie Database, the most important website in the world for films and professionals of the industry.  Read more about the film festival at: http:/https://www.romeprismafilmawards.com/

From Liberty to Captivity was selected to screen online, during Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival 2019! Read more about the Amsterdam Lift-Off Film Festival at: https://filmfreeway.com/AmsterdamLiftOffFilmFestival

From Liberty to Captivity won BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY and was the OPENING NIGHT FILM at Festival Angaelica Film Festival!  Voted Top 100 Best Reviewed Festivals (FilmFreeway), this international film festival and related events were founded to help artists gain exposure, connect with other artists and create opportunities for collaboration.  Read more about the film festival at: http://www.angaelica.com/about

From Liberty to Captivity is an Official Selection at the Polish International Film Festival! The Polish International Film Festival is established to support independent filmmakers to get international recognitions, exposure, and opportunity for their careers.   Read more about the film festival at: https://filmfreeway.com/PolishFilmFestival

From Liberty to Captivity is an Official Selection at the Red Rose Film Festival!  RRFF is dedicated to the enrichment of Lancaster County and its artistic community through the promotion of independent films, new technologies and continued economic development, tourism, and education.  This festival recognizes the many voices of filmmakers & innovators across the planet and celebrates their perspectives, cultures and visions.  Read more about the film festival at: https://filmfreeway.com/RedRoseFilmFestival

From Liberty to Captivity is an Official Selection at the ReadingFilmFEST!  Voted by filmmakers as a 100 Top Reviewed Film Festival, ReadingFilmFEST is the small festival with a big attitude! New for 2019 – an award for Best Film by a Female Filmmaker. Looking for the best films in all genres by Women Filmmakers to highlight in our festival in November to honor the upcoming 100th year anniversary of the 19th Amendment! The festival is juried by a panel of local film enthusiasts, with winners chosen by film professionals in each genre. Read more about the film festival at: http://readingfilmfest.com/about/

From Liberty to Captivity was a Semi-Finalist at the Near Nazareth Film Festival! The goal of NNF is to serve to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the world. Through cooperation with movie lovers from around the world, they believe that we will make history. Read more about the film festival at: https://filmfreeway.com/NearNazareth

From Liberty to Captivity WON the AWARD OF EXCELLENCE: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest AND the AWARD OF MERIT: Special Mention: Documentary Feature at the Accolade Global Film Competition!  A prestigious and unique global film competition.  The Accolade, established in 2003 is currently in its 16th year and is a top-tier prestigious global film competition that is unique in the industry.  It discovers and honors the achievements of filmmakers who produce high quality entertainment and new media. Attracting both powerhouse industry veterans as well as talented new filmmakers, the Accolade is a unique hybrid awards competition with seasonal deadlines; not a traditional film festival. Our talented award winners have gone on to win Oscars, Emmys & Tellys.  MovieMaker Magazine named The Accolade as “One of the top 25 festivals worth the entry fee” they stated: “Past participants can’t stop raving about the professional opportunities participation in this event has generated for their work.”  The Accolade promotes award winners through press releases to over 40,000 filmmakers and industry contacts as well as five additional global media/distribution outlets.  To see the Accolade Global Film Competition awards winners, go to: http://accoladecompetition.org/

From Liberty to Captivity WON the SILVER AWARD at the Spotlight Documentary Film Awards!  The Spo​tlight Documentary Film Awards is dedicated to promoting experienced and new documentary filmmakers through a unique and important international film competition. They search the globe for the best documentary films on Earth to spotlight and support.

They publicize their award-winning films through various websites, press releases, social media posts and email campaigns to industry leaders, film festival organizers, and more. Their award-winning filmmakers get the recognition they deserve, and can have a better success rate on the sometimes arduous journey through the festival circuit.

Their organization is composed of industry professionals: filmmakers, independent film consultants, film festival organizers, festival programmers and judges who have been in the business nearly 20 years, and share a passion for independent film. Their team has evaluated and judged more than 25,000 independent films from directors and producers.

To see the Spotlight Documentary Film Awards winners, go to: https://filmfreeway.com/spotlightdocawards

From Liberty to Captivity was a FINALIST at TMFF!   TMFF has been named by ShortFilm Connection “probably the most famous film festival currently on the web”. TMFF has almost 3000 SELECTED FILMS and tens of thousands of website visits each month, helping films like From Liberty to Captivity stand out and get the reach needed!  To see their extensive FILM COLLECTION, go to: https://tmff.net/collection/