Winners of the world’s biggest sustainability film festival announced on Europe’s biggest screen

Category: Press release | Date: November 14, 2023 | By: Big Syn Institute, London. UK.

A Grand Jury comprised of OSCAR, BAFTA and EMMY award-winners and leaders from sustainability, business, media and policy such as green investor Deborah Meaden, BAFTA, EMMY & CANNES award-winning filmmaker Waad Al Kateab, BT group’s head of sustainability Gabrielle Giner, OSCAR winner Chris Tashima, London Business School’s Sustainability Guru Prof. Ioannis Ioannou, Freegle’s founder and UK’s resource goddess Cat Fletcher, amongst others, selected the winners of the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival from over 400 films and over 200 charity films received from over 120 countries. 

Following a gala awards ceremony at the iconic Curzon Mayfair in support of #savecurzonmayfair, the winners were publicly announced with their films screening on Europe’s biggest screen, London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights on 14th Nov to the roaring support and cheers of scores of onlookers, filmmakers and their supporters.

Founders of the festival Dr Ragini G Roy and Dr Sourav Roy remarked, “This is the world’s biggest platform unifying the power of all forms of films from shorts, features, documentaries, animations to charity films and public service videos that draw attention to sustainability, and inspires people to act on the 17 United Nations Global Goals to combat major issues such climate change, mental health, inequality, discrimination, poverty and many more.”

Through the films and dialogue, millions of viewers are getting inspired to do more in their own lives because they see the big-picture and how all our lives are interconnected in this modern world. All films touch upon or cover one or more major issues faced by the planet and the people; around social, economic or environmental sustainability. The festival screens features, shorts, animations, documentaries, public service announcement, charity films, social media videos from independent filmmakers and established production houses, across the globe. Winners are screened in London and worldwide. OSCAR, BAFTA and EMMY winning films have screened at the festival and vice-versa.

The Grand Jury and the organisers take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners, special mentions and participants of the 2023 Big Syn International Film Festival. 

CHARITY FILMS 

Winners were chosen from over 200 entries and 40 finalists. Films have been judged based on three criteria: cinematic brilliance, clarity of core message, and finally how memorable is it.

  • Joint winners, Health and wellbeing, Sight Savers and London’s Air Ambulance
  • Joint winners, Education, children and youth, Scouts and Young Westminster Foundation
  • Joint winners, Mental health are Child bereavement UK and Carers Worldwide
  • Winner, care and dignity, Martlets
  • Joint winners, diversity, equality and inclusion, Stamma and My Life, My Choice
  • Winner, people and planet, Haller Foundation
  • Winner, justice and human rights, Justice and Care 

Special mentions: Mental Health, Grief encounter and Phoenix heroes CIC; Education, children and youth, MCC foundation; Health & Wellbeing, Chiva; Justice and Human rights, Solace; and People and planet, Manta Trust. 

PICCADILLY LIGHTS SPOTLIGHT PRIZE

The finalists of this category received over 11 thousand votes from members of public during the official screening of the films on bigsyn.org.

  • Winner, Imagine by Child Poverty Action Group
  • Runner-ups: Paperheads by Juli Manara, and Vulnus by C999.

FILMS FROM UKRAINE

  • Winner: It’s hard to wait by Tetiana Chorna

Special mention: Sunflower Field by Polina Buchak

MARGINALISED UK 

  • Winner, film by a female filmmaker, Dog Run by Lorna Nickson Brown and team
  • Winner, film by a LGBTQIA+ filmmaker goes to Saving Art by Remi R.M. Moses and team
  • Winner, film by a Disabled filmmaker goes to Typical? by Sarah Leigh and team
  • Winner, film by an ethnic minority filmmaker goes to That’s Life by Kazra Firouzeear and team 

EXPERIMENTAL FILMS

Experimental films challenge our expectations from the medium of film and are incredible visual poetries at times – with sustainability at its core, experimental films of the current season have wowed our judges and jury.

  • Winner, UK: Marvin the Vampire by Adrian León
  • Winner, International: Doran Doran Colbert by Kevin Steen

Special mentions: I want to live on the moon by Emily Burke, and Scorch Off towards the Utopia by Yihong Huang

YOUNG FILMMAKERS

  • Joint winners, UK: A London boy in Ukraine by Oliver Freeston-Wilkes, and Passion, purpose and Parkinson’s by Olz McCoy.
  • Winner, International: Bystander by Rebs Fisher-Jackson.

DOCUMENTARIES

  • Winner, UK feature: That Great British Documentary by Joan Hillery and team
  • Winner, UK short: KELP! by Kaylon Jasmine La Mantia, Anna Roberts
  • Winner, International feature: Listen the land was torn by Cassandra Mello & Fred Rahal
  • Winner, International short: Extinguish the gas burners and light up life by Angle Hernandez

Special mention: Riverwoods by Matt Larkin (feature), Heavy metal by Timo Bruun & Edward Knowles (short)

UK STUDENT FILMMAKERS

  • Winner: The Weather Boy by Boyan Borchakov

 Special Mention: Sahan Shakti (Fortitude) by Chandni Brown

SHORT FILMS

  • Best Producer & best cinematography, UK: Echo by Jo Southwell
  • Best short & best director, UK: The Stupid Boy, by Phill Dunn
  • Winner, International: Common as Red Hair by Robbie Robertson 

Special Mention: Invisible Flags by Meitar Paz, Monochromatic by Karen Bryson, Enjin by Gayatri Vijay Saindane 

FEATURE FILMS

  • Winner, Mermaid’s Lament by GB Hajim and team
  • Best producer, The Mad King by Borsu R Highson 

Special mention: Rice by Islahuddin N S

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