Social Impact Documentaries on View This Weekend

Rocky Braat went traveling through India and met a group of HIV positive children living in an orphanage – a meeting that changed everything for him. He left his life, friends, and career in Pittsburgh to live with the kids. In an effort to find out what compelled Rocky to give up every source of stability in his life, his best friend decided to trace Rocky’s story, following him to India. BLOOD BROTHER is a story of friendship. It’s a story of a life, stripped down to its essence. Most of all, it is a story about love and endurance.

Winner of the Social Impact Media Award (SIMA) 2014 “Best Director” Award in the Feature Documentary category, BLOOD BROTHER will screen on July 19 from 8pm-10pm at the Topanga Film Festival. Tickets available online at www.topangafilminstitute.com.

A scene from 'Blood Brothers'
A scene from BLOOD BROTHER

SIMA Film Programs aim to maximize impact and exposure of the best social impact documentaries from its annual competition. With over 700 film submissions from over 120 countries over that past two years, SIMA partners with international film festivals, cultural, educational, human rights, and humanitarian forums at year-round screening events that foster dialogue and cross-cultural exchange to educate, activate and inspire. “SIMA is quickly becoming the gold standard for social impact films, and the genre quickly becoming our planet’s truest form of journalism. The content SIMA draws is jaw dropping,” said President of Creative Visions Foundation, Trevor Hall.

SIMA sponsors and community partners list includes Creative Visions Foundation, GO Campaign, CSR Wire, Poverty Cure, The Angel Station, CineCause, EOTO World, Compathos Foundation, Hollywood Film Festival, Global Voices, and the highly celebrated Topanga Film Festival, among others.

The festival will also screen a number of short films from SIMA’s annual competition, including MINERITA for the 2014 Best Director Award, WHEN THE TIME COMES for the 2014 Best Documentary Short, WOMEN OF FUKUSHIMA for the 2013 Best Documentary Short, and BASEBALL IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA for the 2013 Best Director Award. The SIMA Shorts Showcase will take place on July 20 from 12pm-2pm. For tickets: www.showclix.com/event/SIMAWINNINGSHORTS.
To learn more visit www.simaawards.org

Top image: A scene from ‘Baseball in the Time of Cholera,’ one of the films being screened.

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