Audience Awards:

Feature: HERB AND DOROTHY
Director: Megumi Sasaki

Short: THE TAILOR
Director: Oscar Perez

Sterling US Feature Award:

Winner: THE GARDEN
Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

Special Jury Mention: TROUBLE THE WATER
Directors: Carl Deal and Tia Lessin

Sterling World Feature Award:

Winner: THE ENGLISH SURGEON
Director: Geoffrey Smith

Special Jury Mention: THE RED RACE
Director: Jan Zabeil

Sterling Short Award:

Winner: WHAT WOULD THE DROP KNOW ABOUT THAT? (screens with THE GARDEN)
Director: Jan Zabeil

Honorable Mention: GROUND FLOOR RIGHT
Director: Marlene Schiött Rasmussen
and ONE DAY
Director: Ditte Haarløv-Johnsen

Music Documentary Award:
THROW DOWN YOUR HEART
Directed: Sascha Paladino

Cinematic Vision Award:
THE ORDER OF MYTHS
Director: Margaret Brown

WITNESS Award:
PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL
Director: Gini Reticker

American Film Market/SILVERDOCS Award:
KASSIM THE DREAM
Director: Kief Davidson

Writers Guild of America Documentary Screenplay Award:
FORBIDDEN LIE$
Director: Anna Broinowski

ACE Grant Winner:
THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM

The riveting documentary will screen on Friday, June 20th in the Silver Spectrum section and is eligible for the “Cinematic Vision” award honoring excellence in visual storytelling

The 2008 SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival has announced that Executive Producer Sheila C. Johnson’s feature documentary, A Powerful Noise has been accepted as an “Official Selection” at this year’s Festival. A Powerful Noise was chosen from among nearly 2,000 submissions from all over the globe, making it the most competitive year in SILVERDOC’S history. The 6th annual SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival takes place June 16-23, 2008 in Silver Spring, Maryland. A Powerful Noise will screen on Friday, June 20th at 5:15pm. Following the screening there will be a Q&A with Filmmakers Scott Thigpen and Tom Cappello, Executive Producer Sheila C. Johnson and Bui My Hanh from Vietnam, one of three women profiled in the film.

"A Powerful Noise" follows the lives of three extraordinary women as they overcome deep-seeded barriers to spark remarkable change in their societies. Hanh is an HIV-positive widow in Vietnam; Nada is a survivor of the Bosnian war; and Jacqueline works in the slums of Bamako, Mali. The documentary takes you inside the lives of these women as they lead daily battles against ignorance, poverty, oppression and ethnic strife. Their stories are personal yet illustrate larger issues affecting millions of women worldwide. Fighting AIDS. Educating girls. Rebuilding communities. "A Powerful Noise" is a meditation on the inherent potential of women to change the world.

“SILVERDOCS is one of the world’s preeminent documentary film festivals,” say filmmakers Scott Thigpen and Tom Cappello. “As a forum to present stories about important social issues, and so near to the heart of our nation’s capital, we feel it is a great place to reach policymakers, organizations and general audiences alike. We are thrilled to have 'A POWERFUL NOISE' included in this years lineup.”

About Sheila C. Johnson:

Sheila C. Johnson, Executive Producer of "A Powerful Noise," is an entrepreneur and philanthropist whose accomplishments span the arenas of hospitality, sports, TV/film, the arts, and humanitarian causes. Ms. Johnson serves as a Global Ambassador for CARE, whose mission is to fight global poverty, and is an advocate for arts education. She is CEO of Salamander Hospitality and President & Managing Partner of the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. As a partner in Lincoln Holdings, LLC, Ms. Johnson is the first woman to have a stake in three professional sports teams, including the Washington Wizards (NBA) and the Washington Capitals (NHL). She is also a TV pioneer, having been a founding partner of BET (Black Entertainment Television.)


About SILVERDOCS:



SILVERDOCS, an international film festival, honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world. Now in its sixth year, the festival runs June 16-23 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington, DC area, and has expanded by two days to meet growing demand. The 2007 Festival featured 100 films from 43 countries presented to over 21,000 attendees, including the influential audiences of the nation’s capital and media professionals from around the world. 2008 lineup will be announced on May 22. www.SILVERDOCS.com



For press inquiries regarding A POWERFUL NOISE and/or Sheila C. Johnson, please contact Emily Lowe at 212-843-8011 or Casey Fitzpatrick at 212-843-8293. Bui My Hanh (from the film), Scott Thigpen (Producer), Tom Cappello (Director) and Sheila C. Johnson (Executive Producer) will attend the Festival and are available for Press. For additional information on A POWERFUL NOISE, including the trailer, artwork and electronic press kit, please visit: www.apowerfulnoise.org

Carbon Neutral
SILVERDOCS is the first carbon-neutral documentary festival in North America through a partnership with Clean Currents, LLC, a DC-area sustainably operated clean energy business that is donating carbon offsets.
More info: Cleancurrents.com

Merchandise
At the AFI Silver concessions you can purchase sustainable SILVERDOCS t-shirts from TS Designs and the J.Sac, a bag made from partially recycled plastic bottles, provided by Living Changes: www.living-changes.com.

Publications
SILVERDOCS publications are printed by Harris Lithographics Inc., the first forest stewardship council (FSC)–certified printer in the US. The FSC promotes responsible forest management globally by certifying forest products that meet the most rigorous standards in the world.

Recycling
Please be sure to use the recycling bins found in all Festival venues, including the Cinema Lounge. SILVERDOCS will also be recycling other items such as batteries and CDs/DVDs at the lounge— see SILVERDOCS.com for details.

Online
This year, SILVERDOCS launched new website with a "low-watt web color palette" in order to reduce energy consumption when displayed by computer monitors.

Green Docs

ARCTIC TALE
BIG RIG
4 ELEMENTS
GARBAGE WARRIOR
HOW TO COOK YOUR LIFE
IN THE SHADOW OF
THE MOON
NEW HOME MOVIES FROM THE LOWER NINTH WARD
OFF THE GRID: LIFE ON THE MESA
SUPER AMIGOS
THE PRICE OF SUGAR

At the Conference

PROJECT GREENCODE: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE OF ECO-FRIENDLY PRODUCTION

Sterling Award Best Feature: "PLEASE VOTE FOR ME"
Directed by: Weijun Chen

Special Jury mention: “ENEMIES OF HAPPINESS”
Directed by: Eva Mulvad

Sterling Award Best Short: “LOT 63, GRAVE C”
Directed by: Sam Green

Honorable Mention: “I WANT TO BE A PILOT”
Directed by: Diego Quemada-Díez

Music Documentary Award: “NOMADAK TX”
Directed by: Raúl De la Fuente

The Cinematic Vision Feature Award: “KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON” Directed by: AJ Schnack

The Cinematic Vision Short Award: “MY EYES”
Directed by: Erlend Mo

The WITNESS Award: “THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK”
Directed By: Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg

Witness Award Honorable Mention: “THE PRICE OF SUGAR”
Directed By: Bill Haney

SILVERDOCS/American Film Market Award: “BIG RIG”
Directed By: Doug Pray

Beyond Belief Award: “AUDIENCE OF ONE”
Directed By: Michael Jacobs

Feature Audience Award: “SOUVENIRS”
Directed By: Shahar Cohen and Halil Efrat

Short Audience Award: “A SON’S SACRIFICE”
Directed By: Yoni Brook

ACE Grant winner: “THE CONCRETE JUNGLE”
Directed By: Rachel Buchanan and Don Bernier