Wing Wins for Filmmakers

At Chicken & Egg Pictures, we know that “wins” for filmmakers look different depending on their goals—whether they seek to generate impact or aim to receive awards that have the potential to change the trajectory of their careers. Here are a few big wins from 2021:

Impact

Project: Hatched grantee Belly of the Beast, which follows a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California’s women’s prisons, had a year of impact wins, culminating in California Governor’s approving a $7.5 million budget request providing reparations to forced sterilization survivors. The film was also nominated for a Peabody Award and received the Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary Emmy Award.

Accolades

At the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, (Egg)celerator Lab grantee Writing With Fire, directed and produced by Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, received the Audience Award and Special Jury Award: Impact for Change in World Cinema Documentary; and Natalia Almada received the US Documentary Directing Award for Users, supported by our Chicken & Egg Award. After winning the awards, both films went on to screen virtually and in-person at festivals all around the world. 

Academy Recognition

The Mole Agent follows an 83-year-old detective, who poses as a resident in a Chilean nursing home to see if he can find signs of abuse. Directed by 2020 Chicken & Egg Award recipient Maite Alberdi, the film received an Oscar nomination in 2021 and was awarded the The Ariel Award for Best Iberoamerican Film and the 2021 Platino Award for Best Documentary.

Community Change

(Egg)celerator Lab grantee Pray Away, which documents the true stories of the “pray away the gay” movement, launched a robust impact campaign to combat conversion therapy and start conversations within religious networks, with a focus on survivors’ stories and mental health. The film is now streaming on Netflix, which makes small watch parties within LGBTQ faith communities possible.

Critical Acclaim

Ascension won the Award for Best Documentary Feature at Tribeca Film Festival 2021, and first-time director Jessica Kingdon received the 2021 Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director. The film was also nominated for six Critics Choice Documentary Awards!