NEW YORK - TelAve -- SR Socially Relevant Film Festival 2020 (#SRFF 2020) wrapped up its virtual Seventh Edition today, revealing the winners of its various competition categories. Stand-out awards were the Empowering Women and Girls Award, given to Jeanne Marie Hallacy for her documentary short, Mother, Daughter, Sister. The USA, Bangladesh, and Myanmar production calls for an end to sexual violence in conflict and was picked by the festival for the award named in the memory of festival founder Nora Armani's cousin, Vanya Exerjian who was victim to a violent hate crime in 2004. The Grand Prize Narrative Feature Award went to Lorik, directed by Alexey Zlobin starring Armenian actor Michael Poghosian.

The awards are comprised of the following categories: Vanya Exerjian - Empowering Women and Girls Award, Grand Prize Narrative Feature, Grand Prize Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC) Award, two runner up finalist scripts for the scriptwriting competition with a first place winner. There were a number of jury special meanions, one ensemble acting award and prizes.

The narrative films slate, the documentary features, and the shorts complete the roster of 38 selected films this year. "Meet the Filmmakers" live sessions, industry insights, and networking opportunities made SRFF 2020 "online" another unforgettable year. Visit www.ratedsrfilms.org for information on all the films, filmmakers, live chats, and more.

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GRAND PRIZE NARRATIVE FEATURE:
Lorik by Alexey Zlobin - Armenia
GRAND PRIZE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
A Call for Peace by Juan C Borrero, Melodie Carli - USA
--The Vanya Exerjian Empowering Women & Girls Award: Mother, Daughter, Sister by Jeanne Marie Hallacy.
--Special Jury Mention (Narrative Feature): Transference by Raffaello Degruttola and Good Morning by Bahij Hojeij
--SRFF Circle Award (Narrative Feature): Butter by Paul A. Kaufman
--Grand Prize Documentary: A Call for Peace by Juan C Borrero and Melodie Carli
--Jury Mention (Documentary): Inside/Outside by Nandini Sikand and Tell My Story by David Freid
--Best Documentary Short: Brewed in Palestine by Emma Schwartz
--Jury mention (Documentary Short): Voices on the Road by Bethan John and Eilidh Munro
--Best Narrative Short: Unsafe by Adria Dawn and David Tarleton
--Acting Ensemble award to the schoolchildren in Unsafe by Adria Dawn and David Tarleton
--Special jury mention (Narrative Short): Detained by Khushnuda Shukurova
--Scriptwriting Competition - Winner: Ziggy and Rachel
--Scriptwriting Competition - 2nd place: Rose from Concrete, 3rd Place: North River
--The Women Film Critics Circle Award: Detained by Khushnuda Shukurova

Nora Armani, Founding Artistic Director of SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival said,
"In our seventh year, SRFF continued despite the many challenges of this unordinary time. We thank all the filmmakers who came together with us to create an online program that was as enriching as a week, at the theater, and maybe even more far-reaching. With online "Meet the Filmmakers" live sessions, SRFF2020 persevered despite the ongoing circumstances with COVID-19. Stay safe, wear a mask, wash your hands, and keep on fighting for the causes you believe in. The most important ingredients for a successful festival are impactful films and a faithful audience of followers. SRFF is proud to see both these ingredients present and thriving annually."

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SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival New York is a 501(c)3 non-profit film festival founded by actress Nora Armani. The Mission of the SR Film Festival is to shine the spotlight on filmmakers who tell compelling, socially relevant™, human interest stories, across a broad range of social issues. The festival was created as a response to the proliferation of violence and violent forms of storytelling in media and entertainment. SR™ believes in the power of cinema in raising awareness of social issues and promoting positive social change. During its first seven years, the festival showcased close to 400 films from 35 countries. Submissions for SRFF 2021 are now open and received from all over the world.

Spokespersons and guests of SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival NY include Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Erin Brockovich, Martin Sheen, Pulitzer Prize, and Tony award-winning writer Robert Schenkkan, prolific and best-selling French novelist Marc Levy, Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Award Winner Guy Davidi, American TV commentator and author Gretchen Carlson, and Liaison Officer of Tibet and the Dalai Lama, Kunga Tashi.

For images, screeners and interviews contact the festival at ratedsrfilms@gmail.com