Press

Cinereach Presents Reach Out 2009 Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Reva Goldberg (reva@cinereach.org)
Cinereach, Communications & Special Projects Manager
212.727.3224 x11

CINEREACH PRESENTS REACH OUT 2009 AWARD
TO REACH FILM FELLOWS BRENDON MCQUEEN AND DANIELLE RUSSELL

Cinereach Screens and Celebrates Short Films
Created by 2009 Reach Film Fellows

www.cinereach.org

NEW YORK, NY, April 7, 2009 - Cinereach presented filmmakers Brendon McQueen and Danielle Russell with its first-ever Reach Out Award at last night’s screening and reception celebrating the culmination of its annual Reach Film Fellowship, which is now in its second year. Cinereach was founded in 2006 by a group of young filmmakers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs with the goal of championing socially relevant films.

McQueen and Russell each received a $2,500 grant they can use to cover costs related to finishing and distribution of their Reach Film Fellowship films.

McQueen worked with mentor and acclaimed director So Yong Kim (Treeless Mountain) on his film, Skip Rocks, which weaves a moving tale of intergenerational alienation and connectedness between a 12-year-old girl, and a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Russell, a recent graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design student, worked with mentor Renee Bishop, a Savannah-based, Emmy-winning producer, on Bridging the Gap, a documentary in which she challenges her parents, aunt and uncle to open up about their participation in a historic civil rights march, hoping to inspire the younger generation to continue the legacy of social action.

Last night’s event was the conclusion of the intensive six-month Reach Film Fellowship program in which McQueen, Russell and two other fledgling filmmakers – Jules Monteyne and Dena Greenbaum, – were paired with mentors and advisors who helped them take their short films from script or treatment through completion. In addition to Kim and Bishop, this year’s mentors were Jeremy Kipp Walker (Half Nelson) and Nicole Kassell (The Woodsman).

All four fellows received a grant of $5,000 at the start of the program, in addition to donated materials and services from sponsors like Kodak, Postworks and Showbiz Software. The fellows also participated in a series of workshops led by advisors such as Academy Award-nominated director Ellen Kuras (The Betrayal: Nerakhoon), producer Susan Leber (Down to the Bone), documentary director Edet Belzberg (Children Underground), screenwriter Afia Nathanial, an acclaimed independent filmmaker from Pakistan, and writer/director/actor Paola Mendoza (Still Standing).

Reflecting the effectiveness of the Reach Film Fellowship program, So the Wind Won’t Blow it All Away, the film directed by 2007/8 Fellow Annie Waldman, was selected to screen at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival among other honors. The other 2007/8 filmmakers have been recognized for their films and subsequent projects at festivals and other venues as well.

“It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch this year’s fellows grow and evolve,” said Cinereach founder Philipp Engelhorn. “At a challenging time like this, it’s more important than ever that we nurture and support filmmakers who dare to tackle difficult issues in an original, entertaining way. They need opportunities to practice their craft and real exposure to the film industry.”

The two additional 2009 Reach Film Fellows are:

• Jules Monteyne (Fiction) – A recent New York University graduate, Monteyne made the film I Go to War With Everything That Doesn’t Make Sense in a Bathtub. His film enters the troubled mind of a young boy at the onset of severe mental illness. The boy’s troubles are further complicated by the adults who misinterpret his delusions.

• Dena Greenbaum (Fiction) – A junior at New York University, Greenbaum made Blues. Her film tells the story of two boys, a religious Jew and African American, who develop a unique friendship during the 1991 riots of Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

About Cinereach
Cinereach was created in 2006 by a group of young filmmakers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs with the goal of championing socially relevant films. Its three key areas, Grants & Awards, Productions, and The Reach Film Fellowship facilitate the creation of films that challenge, excite innovate, offer new perspectives and inspire action. Cinereach has awarded more than $1.6 million in grants and achievement awards since its inception. Past recipients include: The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), a 2009 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary; A Jihad for Love, the acclaimed documentary exploring the complex global intersections of Islam and homosexuality; and Hometown Bagdad, the recipient of four 2008 Webby Awards. Through The Reach Film Fellowship, a program in its second year, Cinereach supports talented young filmmakers creating meaningful short films with artistic merit. Cinereach Productions’ first in-house documentary, The Road Ahead: The First Green Long March, was an official selection of the Hamptons, Queens (Best International Documentary Film), and Cleveland International film festivals and has screened in connection with leading environmental organizations and at the Asia Society in New York.