Modern films and the Kering Foundation announce winner and two runners-up for short film initiative: 16 days 16 films

Céline Bonnaire Executive Director Kering Foundation, Jessie Ayles Waves director, Stella Heath Keir The Third Sorrow editor, Ginta Gelvan Communications Director Modern Films

Today Modern Films, in partnership with The Kering Foundation, announced Myriam Raja’s THE THIRD SORROW as the winner of the 16 DAYS 16 FILMS campaign. 

The winning film is the story of a Nigerian immigrant and single mother, Yejide, who is preparing for her daughter’s cutting ceremony. As maternal instinct and duty come into conflict, she begins to question the tradition and her daughter’s future. 

Director Myriam Raja now has the opportunity to create a new public service announcement for UK Says No More. 

The runners-up, are KEDAMONO, directed by Antonella Fabiano and Chiara Speziale and WAVES directed by Jessie Ayles.

Jury member and actress Thandie Newton commented: “It’s been a pleasure and a privilege to witness such innovative, informative and original work. We will be seeing a lot of these names in the future.”

Inspired by the UN Women campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, 16 DAYS 16 FILMS is a short film initiative that focuses on filmed content addressing violence against women. The campaign ran from 25 November to 10 December, between International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and International Human Rights Day. 
Today a special screening of all 16 films and the awards presentation took place in London. Notable guests at the ceremony actors Danny Sapani and Joseph Mawle, actress Josephine de La Baume and DJ Yasmin Evans. 

The independent jury was made up of Actress Thandie Newton, Director Alice Winocour, Executive Director of the Kering Foundation Céline Bonnaire, Creative Director Modern Films Betty Aldous, Actress Jodie Whittaker, Broadcaster Edith Bowman, Head of Special Projects Obscured Pictures Julie La’Bassiere, Editor in Chief Elle France Katell Pouliquen, Partnerships Manager UKSNM Sarah D’Angelis and Advocate and Activist Marai Larasi.  

“We’re delighted to announce the winners of our 16 Days 16 Films Competition. These films not only highlight an incredible range of female filmmaking talent but reflect the diversity of styles expressed throughout our submissions. The campaign aims to raise awareness on the many forms that violence against women can take, through the power and truth of film. We aim to ignite conversation around the issue, champion the cause, and inspire more emerging female filmmakers to feel empowered on their journey.” Ginta Gelvan, Communications Director Modern Films and Johanna von Fischer, Producer 16 days 16 films

“These 16 powerful films convey the complex realities of violence that women around the world face and its lasting effects from generation to generation. We are grateful for the work these filmmakers have done, to bring topics like female genital mutilation to the forefront. We hope this year’s 16 Days 16 Films campaign not only raises awareness but also mobilizes others towards collective action, supporting activists and specialist organisations.”  Céline Bonnaire, Executive director of the Kering Foundation

Winner:

Runners-up:

The 13 finalists:

This year, 16 DAYS 16 FILMS received nearly 150 submissions, with the programme including entries from France and Italy, along with the UK. All films submitted are 25 minutes or under, directed by female-identifying filmmakers and say something significant about gender-based abuse. In 2018, 89 films were submitted from UK filmmakers, including newcomers and starring such established names as Lesley Manville. The jury selected Jayisha Patel’s Circle (first prize), Miranda Stern’s Everybody’s Business (second) and Fiona Compton’s Silence, (third).

16 DAYS 16 FILMS takes place in association with UK Says No More, a national campaign focused on raising awareness and preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence in the UK. European partners include Chayn in Italy, an open source platform that addresses gender-based violence by providing tools, information and support to women survivors, and En avant toute(s) in France, an organisation working for gender equality and the end of gender-based violence, by fighting stereotypes and supporting survivors. 

“For us at Chayn Italia, talking about violence means talking about female empowerment; it means giving back voice to women who have come out of violence; it means making women who still live situations of violence feel that they are not alone. Participating in the #16days16films initiative is a unique opportunity to discover many different, strong and innovative narratives. These short films are an example of how movies and filmmaking can be a powerful tool to combat violence against women.” Chayn Italia

“The calibre of films submitted for this year’s 16 Days 16 Films Competition has been extraordinary. To end gender-based violence, we first have to name it, to be able to understand the impact of it. These films – cut through the noise of life and slam reality into your soul, they make you sit up and take note. Knowing that only by working together we can end domestic abuse and sexual violence.” Lyndsey Dearlove, Head of UK SAYS NO MORE.



For more information and to watch the films, online until December 24th 2019, please visit:

www.16days16films.com
www.modernfilms.com/16days16films
www.KeringFoundation.org
Facebook: @modernfilms / @Keringgroup / @16days16films
Instagram: @16days16films / @Kering_official
Twitter: @16days16films / @KeringforWomen

For further press information please contact:

For Modern Films

PREMIER: Elizabeth Taylor / Charlotte Moore / Jamie Rushden 
Tel: + 44 20 7292 8330 / Email: firstname.surname@premiercomms.com

For Kering Foundation

Juliette Jacovidis +33 (0)6 48 49 83 15 - juliette.jacovidis@jaycommunication.com
Mélanie Japaud +33 (0)6 59 47 29 43 - melanie.japaud@jaycommunication.com 

About Modern Films

Modern Films is a London-based, female-led film production, distribution and event cinema agency. Established in 2017 with a mandate to work on stories that address social issues head-on through film and media content, they launched with the Event Cinema release of Manifesto starring Cate Blanchett and with Executive Production on the BAFTA-winning I am Not a Witch. They focus on A-list festival competitors, critically acclaimed titles and international award winners. Highlights of their slate include Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro, Iciar Bollain’s Yuli: The Carlos Acosta Story, documentary Shooting the Mafia by Kim Longinotto and the upcoming The Perfect Candidate by Haifaa al Mansour.

About the Kering Foundation 

Worldwide, 1 in 3 women is or will be a victim of violence during her lifetime. Since 2008, the Kering Foundation combats this violence that affects all cultures and all social classes. To maximize its impact, the Foundation works hand in hand with a limited number of local partners in the three main regions where the Group operates: the American continent, Western Europe and Asia.
The Foundation supports local survivor-centered organizations that provide comprehensive services to women, and works with younger generations, particularly young men and boys, to combat violence against women through prevention programs. 
The Foundation also seeks to change behaviors within Kering and in society in general. It offers training sessions on domestic violence for Kering employees and created, in 2018, alongside the FACE Foundation, “One in Three Women”, the first European network of companies engaged against gender-based violence. 

About UK SAYS NO MORE 

UK SAYS NO MORE is a national campaign launched in early 2016 with the aim to raise awareness of domestic abuse and sexual violence across the UK. UK SAYS NO MORE unites and strengthens a diverse community of members under one powerful, visual symbol, and provides open-source tools, information and resources for individuals and organisations to get involved. Together, we are challenging the myths and misconceptions around domestic abuse and sexual violence, sharing resources and information and ultimately working together to make real positive social change.

About 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence is an annual campaign, which has run since 1991, and has 164 countries and 3,700 organisations involved. It uses the 16 days between International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25th November) and International Human Rights Day (10th December) to reinforce that eliminating all forms of violence against women is a human rights issue, and that the act of perpetrating violence against women is a human rights violation.

About En avant toute(s)

En avant toute(s) is an organisation working for gender equality and the end of gender-based violence, by fighting stereotypes and supporting survivors. This innovative organization created the first chat room in France focused on responding to the needs of young people who are questioning their romantic relationships and the violence they may be experiencing in it.

About Chayn Italia

Chayn Italia is an open source platform that addresses gender-based violence by providing clear and comprehensive tools, information and support to women survivors and those who are close to them.