The Meaningful Movies Project’s annual awards celebration is our opportunity to say THANK YOU to all of the amazing people who make our work possible – especially the amazing filmmakers, and representatives from partner organizations that make it possible for our incredible community of volunteers to produce events!
The volunteer leaders at MMP understand that truth and community are fundamental building blocks of real democracy. By supporting independent media and fostering important conversations about social justice issues that are often ignored by mainstream media, they are helping to inspire families, friends, neighbors, and communities to work for the common good. By creating spaces – whether online or in person – where people can come to know each other, learn about pressing issues, and talk to one another about hard topics, they are helping to bridge divides, strengthen community, build understanding, and find common cause.
On October 27, 2021 the Meaningful Movies Project (MMP) hosted its 3rd Annual Awards Celebration. For those of you who are still learning about the Meaningful Movies Project – it is a network of volunteer-run neighborhood venues that are organizing, educating, and advocating for a more peaceful and just world by showing inspirational social justice documentaries followed by facilitated conversation and a call to action. (Click HERE to watch the 2021 MMP Awards Celebration Video)
Special guests who attended the 2021 Zoom celebration included Robert Greenwald (2021 Filmmaker of the Year); Michelle Storms (Executive Director, ACLU Washington – 2021 Organization of the Year); Eric Stange (2021 Turner Legacy Award Winner); Michael Peterson (2020 Environmental Impact Award Winner); Cindy Black (Executive Director, Fix Democracy First – 2020 Organization of the Year); Alanna Tritt (Deputy Director, Social Justice Film Festival – 2019 Organization of the Year); Tomasz Biernacki (2019 Emergent Filmmaker of the Year).
List of 2021 Award Winners:
Filmmaker of the Year, Robert Greenwald – Filmmaker of the Year is presented to persons whose dedication and talent enlighten us with a timely and unique presentation of important social justice messages. The 2021 winner is Robert Greenwald for his extraordinary body of work provided for free to audiences around the world via Brave New Films – including his latest production, Racially Charged: America’s Misdemeanor Problem.
Film of the Year, True Justice directed by George Kunhardt, Peter W. Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt – Film of the Year is chosen for the work which has best expressed the mission of MMP to build positive and meaningful community in a more just and peaceful world; showing us how independent documentary film can help us do better in loving and caring for all people by focusing our attention on issues perhaps less well-covered in mainstream media. The beautiful and incredibly important film, True Justice, is Meaningful Movies 2021 Film of the Year!
Social Justice Impact Award, Coded Bias, directed by Shalini Kantayya – One concept of Social Justice holds that all people should have equal access to wealth , health, wellbeing, justice and opportunity. Our Social Justice Impact Award is presented to the film that most effectively focuses our energy on one or more of these tenants, covering issues that have struggled for our attention in the past. The powerful film, Coded Bias, has been recognized with the 2021 Social Justice Impact Award for its timely and urgent message.
Environmental Impact Award, 2040, directed by Damon Gameau – The Environmental Impact Award is given to the film which most effectively delivers the message of our common obligation to planetary stewardship and the interdependent links between all elements of nature. The film 2040 has been recognized with the 2021 Environmental Impact Award for its inspiring and hopeful message!
Organization of the Year, ACLU Washington – The Meaningful Movies Project network of local Groups typically work with over 100 partner organizations each year. Organization of the year is awarded to the group which has most effectively promoted the ideals of social justice in our community through efforts focused on tangible change while upholding a shared mission of peace and justice and care for our common humanity and world.
Turner Legacy Award, Eric Stange, director of Activized – The Turner Legacy Award is given to a filmmaker for work that reflects a deep commitment to peace and justice for all people and which also reflects the values of Rick and Diane Turner, the founders of the Meaningful Movies Project. This year’s award is given to Eric Stange for his extraordinary work on the inspiring and beautiful film, Activized.
Curious about our past winners? See below for more information!
2020 Meaningful Movies Awards Celebration 
A huge thanks to everyone who joined us at our 2nd annual Awards Celebration and made it so successful and fun! Because of the pandemic, this year’s Awards Celebration was held online and hosted by our new Board Co-Chairs – Ren Deitel and Diane Tilstra. As part of the event, we were able to show a video with testimonials from venue leaders, supporters and most importantly our 2020 award winners. We are incredibly thankful for all of the incredible filmmakers who provided video clips of themselves talking about their work and the importance of providing spaces where people can learn and talk about social justice documentaries and the critical issues they focus on.
We are also extremely grateful and appreciative to everyone who donated to our auction which was held on the same evening. Thank you for helping the Meaningful Movies Project sustain our local venues so that they can continue this important work; thank you for supporting new venues coming on board; and thank you for allowing us to reach out to more communities!
We were thrilled to present the following awards at the event:
- Organization of the Year: Fix Democracy First, for their support of and collaboration with the Meaningful Movies Project
- Filmmaker of the Year: Raoul Peck, for his film “I Am Not Your Negro”
- Emergent Filmmaker of the Year: Holly Yasui, for her film “Never Give Up”
- Film of the Year: “Dolores” for its impact in educating people about many intersectional issues including environmental justice, farmworker rights, women’s rights, economic justice and so much more.
- Social Justice Impact Award: “I Am Evidence” for bringing awareness to and advancing political action around the important issue of backlogged rape kits.
- Environmental Impact Award: “Dammed to Extinction” for bringing awareness to and advancing political action around the importance of saving salmon habitat and thus saving orca whales from extinction.
- The first Turner Legacy Award: Melinda Raebyne for her compassion and dedication to promoting peace and justice for all people, as demonstrated in her film “Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance.”
2019 Meaningful Movies Award Winners
A huge thanks to everyone who joined us at our FIRST Spring Fundraiser & Awards Celebration and made it so successful and fun! We are extremely grateful and appreciative to everyone who donated. Thank you for helping the Meaningful Movies Project sustain our local venues so that they can continue this important work; thank you for supporting new venues coming on board; and thank you for allowing us to reach out to more communities!
We were thrilled to present the following awards at the event:
- Organization of the Year: Social Justice Film Institute, for their support of and collaboration with the Meaningful Movies Project
- Filmmaker of the Year: Ava DuVernay, for her film “13th”
- Emergent Filmmaker of the Year: Tomasz Biernacki, for his film “Trickle Down Town”
- Film of the Year: “A Plastic Ocean,” for its impact in educating people about the environmental hazard of plastics
- Career Achievement: Melissa Young and Mark Dworkin for 33 years of making media that matters!
We were also thrilled to present Honor Awards to the following filmmakers:
- Vlada & Chadd Knowlton, for “The Most Dangerous Year”
- Sandra & Yasu Osawa, for “Princess Angeline”
- Derek McNeill, for “The Road to Nickelsville”
- Sarah & Vasant Salcedo, for “Promised Land”
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