PRODUCED AND DIRECTED IMPACTFUL feature FILMS
“California’s Forgotten Children is an award-winning feature documentary that follows a diverse group of resilient survivors who have overcome commercial sexual exploitation of children and are changing the world by ensuring no child is forgotten.”
Festivals, Awards, and Honors (selected)
Public Media Awards, NETA (Nationwide), Best Topical Documentary, 2022
Soho International Film Festival (New York)- Winner Best Documentary, 2018
Riverside International Film Festival - Winner of Rising Filmmaker Award, 2018
Chico International Film Festival (California), Winner of Best Director, 2019
The California Film Awards, Winner the Orson Welles Award, 2019
Angeles Documentary (California), Winner Best Documentary, 2018
San Diego International Film Festival (California), Official Selection
Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival, Nom. for Best Documentary, 2018
Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival (Nepal), 2018
Montana International Film Festival, 2019
Oakland International Film Festival, Nominated for Best Feature Documentary, 2018
Newport Beach International Film Festival, Nominated for Best Documentary, 2018
Chagrin Documentary Film Festival (Ohio), 2019
Long Beach Indie International Film Festival, Nom. for Dolores Huerta Award, 2019
IMPACT AND REACH
UNITED STATE SENATE
Invited by Vice-President Kamala Harris, the film screened on Capitol Hill at the United States Senate in 2019, encouraging policymakers to create and implement laws and policies to combat trafficking.
UNITED STATE OF WOMEN SUMMIT
Screened at the United States of Women Summit, same event as guest speaker former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at in 2018.
UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION - USA
"California's Forgotten Children" documentary team joined United Nation Association World Day Against Trafficking 2023 hosted by the United States Human Rights and Women Affinity groups engaging in meaningful discussions around this global movement.
MOBILIZING CHANGE
Screened with 100+ organizations from the government, foster care systems, juvenile detention facilities, crisis centers, tech companies, and healthcare organizations to prevent these injustices from continuing.
The documentary helped fundraise for safe-homes, crisis centers, and direct services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation, sexual assault, homelessness, and HIV/AIDS.
PREVENTION EDUCATION
Launched #iWontForget Prevention Education Campaign in high schools. The film helped educate over 2,000 students and growing. Crisis Centers and police recovered several victims after classroom screenings with a trauma informed crisis team.
GLOBAL REACH
Created an Ambassador program to create jobs for survivor leaders. Brought audiences and local human rights organizations together in the US, Nepal, Germany, and the UK to discuss the film and how it relates to their community.
Screened at FACEBOOK HEADQUARTERS in California, Texas, and Dublin, Ireland to train an international staff in protecting at-risk people from real-world harm and formulate strategies for protecting children.
RAISING AWARENESS
Screened 45 times on PBS Stations, reaching millions across the nation, available on Apple TV, Amazon, Hoopla, Kinema, and New Day Films.
““ruth weiss, the beat goddess” is an electrifying Emmy Award-Winning documentary about one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation who empowered the world of poetry to jazz and art. ”
Festivals, Awards, and Honors (selected)
Emmy Award for Best Cultural/Historical Documentary by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Northern California / San Francisco Chapter, 2023
Cinequest Film Festival (California), Maverick Spirit Award Winner, 2020
Riverside International Film Festival (California) - Winner of Best Documentary, 2020
Santa Cruz Film Festival (California) - Winner of Visionary Women In Film Award, 2019
Peekskill Film Festival (New York) - Winner of Best Documentary, 2019
Asolo Art Film Festival (Italy) - Nominated for Best Film on Art, 2019
American Documentary Film Festival (California) - Nom. for Best Documentary, 2021
FIN Atlantic International Film Festival (Canada) - Nom. for Best Documentary, 2021
Chicago Underground Film Festival (Illinois) - Nominated for Best Documentary, 2020
Romford Film Festival (England) - Nominated for Best Documentary, 2020
Impact and Reach
Magnetizing success for poetic artists
Co-founded a non-profit called the ruth weiss Foundation that creates opportunities to support poetic artists through an annual grant program and encourage poetry and art to create a better world. www.ruthweissfoundation.org
UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION
- LOS ANGELES
Worked with the United Nations Association - USA Los Angeles Chapter, UNICEF, Loving Way Foundation, UCLA and the Beat Museum in 2023 to raise awareness of the impacts of war on children and discuss solutions through art, poetry, and film.
PBS
Won an Emmy Award for Best Cultural and Historical Documentary. Screened on over 200 PBS Stations across the nation reaching millions, and available on Apple TV, Amazon, Hoopla, Kinema, and Alexander Street.
EDUCATIONAL IMPACT
Developed curriculum from grades 1-12 implemented into schools. Created partnerships with Universities, Libraries, Organizations that empower young people in poetry and the arts showing the film and supporting its artists through the foundation.
THE BEAT MUSEUM
Collaborated with the Beat Museum on a stationary exhibit about ruth weiss in San Francisco and the film joined the Beat Museum on Wheels across the country to shed light on one of the era's most creative and impressive female Beat poets, ruth weiss.