Agentic Digital Media, along with Story Money Impact, has sponsored the inaugural VIFF Impact Award. The award will be presented at the 33rd annual Vancouver International Film Festival to a Canadian documentary focusing on social issues. This prestigious award consists of a $5,000 cash prize from Agentic, and $5,000 in marketing and strategic in-kind services supplied by Agentic and Story Money Impact. A distinguished jury consisting of Hot Docs programmer and filmmaker Lynne Fernie, documentarian Julia Ivanova (Family Portrait in Black and White) and television news producer David Rummel, will award the prize to the documentary that has the highest potential to stimulate positive social change.

The six nominated films are The Boy From Geita, Everything Will Be, Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, Monsoon, The Price We Pay and The Pristine Coast. These films will all screen at VIFF between September 25 and October 4, 2014, and the winner will be announced at the BC Spotlight Gala on Saturday, October 4 at 6:30pm at the Vancouver Playhouse. The dedicated website for the award features exclusive interviews with filmmakers and information about the nominees, and can be accessed at impact.viff.org.

Agentic recognizes the power of storytelling as a tool to generate positive change in the community. "Together," states Phillip Djwa, president of Agentic, "we are helping the next wave of filmmakers change the world." Through the sponsorship of the VIFF Impact Award, Agentic aims to support and promote Canadian 'impact production': documentary storytelling that is connected to a positive outcome.

"There is otherwise so little support in Canada for this stage of a documentary's life. Outreach, marketing and audience development are crucial," states Tracey Friesen, founder of Story Money Impact and initiator of the award. Agentic and Story Money Impact are delighted to have partnered with VIFF, "an organization which believes strongly that cinema has the ability to create conversation and encourage change," according to Canadian Images Programmer, Terry McEvoy.

Additionally, Agentic is currently running a VIFF Impact Award Twitter contest until September 27, 2014. Twitter users have the chance to win two tickets to VIFF by tagging #VIFFImpact and sharing the title of any documentary that they feel has had a social impact. The winner will be chosen at random on September 27 and their prize will allow them to attend any VIFF film of their choice. Details can be found at twitter.com/agentic.

ABOUT VIFF

Greater Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) Society is a well-established not-for-profit cultural society with year-round programing at the Vancouver International Film Centre in addition to the 16-day International Film Festival and the four-day VIFF Industry Conference. The mandate to which our programs and services are built upon is: to encourage the understanding of other nations through the art of cinema, foster the art of cinema, facilitate the meeting of cinema professionals from around the world in BC and stimulate the motion picture industry in BC and Canada. In its 33rd year, VIFF welcomes the world to Vancouver from September 25 – October 10, 2014 as it showcases the top BC, Canadian and international films and plays host to industry professionals from around the globe. 

VIFF gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our major partners: Rogers Communications, Fidelity Investments Canada, and Telefilm Canada. VIFF also extends its thanks and appreciation to the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development's Community Gaming Grants program, as well as the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage's Building Communities through Arts & Heritage.

ABOUT THE SPONSORS:

Agentic Digital Media is a web development agency that provides core website design, strategy, and transformational digital media solutions for social change organizations.

Story Money Impact is an initiative that seeks to increase connections between artists, funders and activists using media to transform hearts, minds and public policy.