SMALLRIG AWARDS LAUNCHES THE GLOBAL FILMMAKER TALK SERIES WITH 2024 CANNES BEST DIRECTOR MIGUEL GOMES

Los Angeles, CA. (LAPost / December 4, 2024) –– The SmallRig Awards kicked off the Global Filmmaker Talk series last night with a preview screening of Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour, copresented by the Los Angeles screening series Acropolis Cinema. Grand Tour, which earned Miguel Gomes the Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was screened at the Culver Theater in historic Culver City.

The screening was followed by an engaging conversation with director Miguel Gomes and Acropolis Cinema founder Jordan Cronk, focusing on the nonfiction techniques Gomes employed in the film. This marked Miguel Gomes’ first-ever appearance in Los Angeles. The event attracted a vibrant audience of cinephiles, emerging filmmakers, film critics, industry professionals, and Oscar voters, as Grand Tour is also Portugal’s official selection for the Academy Awards.

SmallRig Awards, launched this year by SmallRig—renowned for its affordable, compact, and versatile rigs for filmmakers, journalists, and photographers—aims to discover impactful films and videos addressing global social issues. Winners will receive significant cash prizes and the opportunity to secure financial backing from SmallRig for future projects.

From now until December 31, the SmallRig Awards is accepting entries of fiction or documentary films and videos under 40 minutes in length, featuring compelling stories that shed light on worldwide challenges, including but not limited to:

• Marginalized Communities Lacking Representation
• Global Warming
• Animal Conservation
• Economic and Social Inequality
• Health Crises
• Cultural and Social Divides
• Gender Inequality

Participants will compete for 22 awards, with cash prizes ranging from $800 to $12,000. The award categories include:

• SmallRig Gold Award
• SmallRig Silver Award
• SmallRig Bronze Award
• Audience Choice Award
• Emerging Talent Award
• Outstanding Achievement Award

With the slogan “See It. Change It.,” the SmallRig Awards are designed to encourage young filmmakers with limited resources to think creatively about how films of modest scale and budget can engage with universal issues through a variety of tools and storytelling techniques.

“The SmallRig Awards are for socially conscious filmmakers,” says SmallRig founder Zhou Yang. “We believe that images are very powerful. They allow people, behavior, and important moments to be seen.” He continues: “While we support films that call for action on global issues and aim to create positive change, our focus is more on addressing issues constructively rather than taking a critical or activist approach.” As for eligibility, Zhang points out that “the award isn’t limited to films alone. It’s also open to other types of works, such as journalistic videos or even PSA videos. We hope applicants will join us in making change happen.”

The jury panel will be led by Ruby Yang, Academy Award-winning filmmaker of The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006). Yang has also been honored with an Emmy, the DuPont-Columbia Journalism Award, FilmAid Asia’s Humanitarian Award, the Global Health Council Media Award, and two IDA Pare Lorentz Award nominations. The jury will assess entries based on storytelling technique, production quality, and artistic creativity.

To date, over 3,500 entries from 110 countries have been submitted to the SmallRig Awards. The submission portal will close at midnight on December 31.

For more information about the Smallrig Awards and submission guidelines, visit the official awards website at https://www.smallrig.com/activity/SmallRigAwards. Submissions can be made directly on the website or on Filmfreeway at https://filmfreeway.com/SmallRigAwards.