AWFJ EDA Award Presented At Salem Film Fest

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is pleased to announce that the winner of our juried EDA Award for the Best Female-Directed Film at the 2012 Salem Film Fest is WISH ME AWAY, directed by Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf.

AWFJ also presented a special award for Synthesis of Theme and Form to ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT, directed by Vivian Ducat.

The jury for the EDA Awards presented at Salem Film Fest 2012 included AWFJ members Cynthia Fuchs (Popmatters.com), Jennifer Merin (Documentaries.About.com and Womens eNews), Erin Trahan (The Independent), Susan Wloszczyna (USA Today) and Jeanne Wolf (JeanneWolfsHollywood.com and PARADE Magazine).

All jurors participated in the nominating process, selecting from all female-directed films programmed at the festival, the five following titles as EDA Award nominees:

•ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT – Director: Vivian Ducat

•IN HEAVEN, UNDERGROUND – Drector: Britta Wauer

•SKYDANCER – Director: Katja Esson

•WE STILL LIVE HERE: AS NUTAYUNEAN – Director: Anne Makepeace

•WISH ME AWAY – Directors: Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf

The EDA Award winner was announced and the award certificate was presented on Saturday March 3, at 1:30 pm, during an AWFJ-facilitated panel discussion about “How does media cover documentary film?.”

Salem Film Fest 2012 took place from March 1-8, 2012, in Salem, MA.

AWFJ commends Salem Film Fest selection committee for its high ratio of female-directed films and for helping to facilitate this award process. AWFJ thanks the qualifying filmmakers and distributors for submitting their films for consideration, and our jury members for their participation in presenting this AWFJ EDA Award.