KIM LONGINOTTO WINS GRIERSON TRUSTEES' AWARD; HONORED AT DOC NYC VISIONARIES TRIBUTE

 New York, NY - Kim Longinotto, winner of Best Director at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival for her newest film, DREAMCATCHER, has been named the 2015 recipient of the prestigious BBC Grierson Trustees' Award and DOC NYC's Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence, which comes with a $5,000 prize.

The Grierson Trustees' Award is the Grierson Trust's highest honor and recognizes outstanding contribution to the craft of documentary making. Previous winners include luminaries Sir David Attenborough, John Battsek, Penny Woolcock, and Nick Fraser. The Griersons are acknowledged as the Oscars of the documentary world.

DOC NYC will honor Longinotto at the Visionaries Tribute on November 12 with the Robert and Anne Drew Award for Documentary Excellence, which goes to a mid-career filmmaker distinguished for observational cinema.  Last year's recipient was Laura Poitras, who went on to win the Oscar for CITIZENFOUR. In addition, DREAMCATCHER will screen in NYC as part of DOC NYC's 2015 Short List Program, which has a history of being a predictor of other awards, including the Oscars.

Longinotto has been directing documentaries since the late 1970's with a particular interest in the plight of women around the world. "Kim is a filmmaker like no other. In a genre still dominated by men, she holds a unique place in that world," said Grierson Trust chairman Lorraine Heggessey. Longinotto's work has screened around the world at hundreds of film festivals and she was honored with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC in 2009.

Women Make Movies has been distributing Longinotto's work since the 1980's.  Her films include the Peabody award winner SISTERS IN LAW, the widely acclaimed DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE and SALMA which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. "It's wonderful to see Kim receive the accolades she so richly deserves, " said Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director of Women Make Movies.

DREAMCATCHER, called "intensely moving" by Variety,  and "powerful, honest, and empowering" by The Guardian, is currently screening around the country on tour with film subject Brenda Myers-Powell from the Dreamcatcher Foundation, and producer Lisa Stevens in attendance for post screening discussions. WMM has partnered with The British Council, and The Fledgling Fund and the film is showing to packed houses throughout the month of November in 10 cities including Chicago, Phoenix and Philadelphia. For more information, click here.

Emily Sternlicht contact [email protected]

About WMM:

Since our beginnings in 1972, WMM has grown from a feminist filmmakers' collective into an industry-leading nonprofit media arts organization and distributor. For over 40 years, WMM has transformed the landscape of filmmaking for women directors and producers, bringing the issues facing women around the world to screens everywhere. Now, with more than 550 films in our catalog, including Academy®, Emmy®, Peabody and Sundance nominees and award winners, WMM is the largest distributor of films by and about women in the world. Women Make Movies. By Women. About Women. For Everyone.

 Women Make Movies gratefully acknowledges the support of our funders: The National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The Andy Warhol Foundation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.