The CherryPicks Female First Feature Award was announced at the SXSW Film Festival. This year’s award went to “Alice”, a story about a woman who finds the strength within herself despite all odds to save herself and her child. The film was directed and produced by Josephine Mackeras.
A Special Recognition Award was bestowed to “Days of a Whale”. The film was directed by Catalina Arroyave Restrepo and produced by Natalia Agudelo.
“CherryPicks created the Female First Feature Award to support its mission to shine a spotlight on female voices,” said Miranda Bailey, CEO of CherryPicks. “We hope to encourage women and audiences alike to create and support the stories women tell. Alice, aside from being a strong story, filmmaker Josephine Mackeras proves she has the vision and talent to become a leading voice in the film industry.
“We are excited to support women’s voices with this unique award and we’re so pleased that CherryPicks had so many wonderful and worthy projects to choose from,” said Janet Pierson, SXSW Director of Film.
“The Cherry Picks award means so much to a film like this. Because it is a film that could disappear overnight. It doesn’t have stars, I’m not known. It’s small, there are no cars crashing. It’s really a film that could disappear overnight, so to have the spotlight put on us means so much,” said director and producer Josephine Mackerras.
“We are also proud to give a Special Recognition Award to Days of a Whale, to recognize the incredible work of director Catalina Arroyave Restrepo and producer Natalia Agudelo,” adds Miranda Bailey. “Like Alice, this film stood out on its own with a unique, interesting story and a strong voice, showing filmmaking skill at a high level.”
The aim of the awards is to create more inclusive storytelling and teamwork in entertainment. CherryPicks launched last year as an all-female critics platform for reviews, ratings and quality original content.
About CherryPicks
CherryPicks is a new venture that amplifies the female critical voice by aggregating reviews by women and looking at film through a female lens. CherryPicks website: www.thecherrypicks.com
