Annual Report August 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017 2017 TABLE OF Changemaker Audience Overview CONTENTS 6 Awards 14 3 Introduction 7 Artist Support 16 Financial Overview Impact by Numbers Program Acknowledgments 4 8 Highlights 17 5 Charity Partners 13 Impressions INTRODUCTION e are thrilled to share with you the 2017 Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF) Annual Report, highlighting our achievements from the past year. The mission of GIFF is to provide an effective platform for filmmakers to Wshowcase their work, while harnessing the power of film to serve the greater good by supporting important causes. With this in mind, we launched the #MakeAnImpact campaign to draw attention to the many benefits the Festival offers. In just three years, we have spotlighted a wide range of charities, raising much needed awareness, as well as funds totalling over $350,000 in donations. Additionally, we have awarded $100,000 in cash prizes to filmmakers to date, giving much needed support to new voices in the arts. We were honored to premiere Bending the Arc as our 2017 Opening Night Film, which was followed by a panel discussion on the state of global health care. Our 2017 Festival celebrated Renee Zellweger and Christy Turlington Burns as our Changemaker Honorees for their tremendous philanthropic and artistic accomplishments. GIFF has matured into a year-round organization with programming that entertains, educates and inspires audience members through film. GIFF offered a number of free programs, which included screening events and panel discussions. In early 2017, we had the opportunity to work with NBC’s Emmy-winning show GIVE to highlight the incredible work that two of our local charity partners, Family Centers and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, are doing for so many in our region. The episode became a free community event to honor these partners with a special advance screening for our audience. We are thankful for the generosity of our community of supporters that have given their time and resources to make GIFF and its programs possible. We look forward to continuing this amazing journey with you for years to come. Colleen deVeer Wendy Stapleton Reyes Ginger Stickel Director of Programming/Founder Chairman/Founder Executive Director/COO 2017 GIFF Annual Report · 3 IMPACT BY NUMBERS $25,000 AWARDED 2.5 Billion TO FILMMAKERS POSITIVE MEDIA IMPRESSIONS 852 MILLION promoting the Festival 175 VOLUNTEERS, STAFF 280 MILLION MEMBERS & INTERNS and Greenwich, CT 54 NARRATIVE & DOCUMENTARY, 2015 2016 2017 SHORT AND FEATURE FILMS 20 Q&A DISCUSSIONS 10 FREE EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR $226,000 8 CHARITY PARTNERS $40K $86K RAISED FOR CHARITIES $ 4 EDUCATIONAL PANELS 2015 2016 2017 3 HUMANITARIAN HONOREES 7,500 8,500 10,000 ATTENDEES at events 2015 2016 2017 throughout the year 4 · 2017 GIFF Annual Report CHARITY PARTNERS The sole purpose of ALS Finding A Cure The ALS Association is the only national is funding research to find a cure for this non-profit organization fighting Lou devastating disease. Gehrig’s Disease on every front. Philanthropy is an integral part of the Greenwich International Film Festival. Every Mother Counts is a non-profit The Boys & Girls Club of Greenwich enables all One of the biggest achievements of young people, especially those who need us organization dedicated to making most, to realize their full potential as productive, pregnancy and childbirth safe for 2017 was that we more than doubled caring, responsible citizens. every mother. our financial donation, benefiting eight charities. GIFF directly donated $186,000 and secured $40,000 in matching gifts. Additionally, GIFF was able to provide a significant amount of marketing exposure to our charity partners. We invite you to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital is the advanced Family Centers empowers children, care pediatric hospital for New York’s Hudson adults, families and communities to get to know more about each of these Valley region and Fairfield County, Connecticut. realize their potential. incredible non-profit organizations. Your donation ranks among our highest individual gifts this year and allows SIMS to buffer against RBSS is a citizen journalist group reporting The SIMS Foundation provides access uncertainty caused by attempts to Syrian war news and human rights abuses by and financial support for mental health repeal the Affordable Care Act, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other and addiction recovery services to music which directly affects our clients,” forces occupying Raqqa. industry professionals and their families. Heather Alden, SIMS Foundation Managing Director 2017 GIFF Annual Report · 5 CHANGEMAKER AWARDS Each year, the Festival honors humanitarians who ANDREW NIBLOCK have used their voice to create positive social Teacher, Community Changemaker change by presenting them with the prestigious Andrew Niblock is a leader in the educational community. Changemaker Award at the Festival’s annual He is the former Head of the Lower School and the Changemaker Gala. The 2017 Gala was held on current Director of Schoolwide Initiatives at Greenwich June 1st, and included a cocktail party at Betteridge Country Day School. He has inspired thousands of and an awards dinner at L’Escale during which students, instilling in them a love of learning that will Jenna Bush-Hager served as Master of Ceremonies. inform and influence the rest of their lives. Andrew was The event raised funds and awareness for ALS recently diagnosed with ALS and is continuing to inspire Finding A Cure, SIMS Foundation, ALSA and his students and the entire community with his courage. Every Mother Counts. GIFF was proud to present He has become a committed advocate for the fight Changemaker Awards to these deserving honorees: against ALS and has demonstrated strength and grace as he confronts this disease. GIFF is proud to honor Andrew PHOTO BY GCDS Niblock as our first-ever Community Changemaker for his inspiring impact on our local community. RENÉE ZELLWEGER Actress & Humanitarian, Academy Award-winning actress Renée Zellweger was honored for her leadership and support of the search for effective treatments and a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Ms. Zellweger’s charitable gift to ALS Finding A Cure was in honor of her dear friend Nanci Ryder, veteran publicist and co-founder of BWR Public Relations who was diagnosed with the illness in 2014. She was also honored for her work with the SIMS Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting artists suffering from depression and mental health illnesses. CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS Founder, Every Mother Counts Humanitarian, maternal health advocate and model, Christy Turlington Burns, was honored for her work as Founder & CEO of Every Mother Counts, an organization working toward making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, globally. The organization is dedicated to raising awareness about the global maternal health crisis and links mothers to providers of essential care, addressing these three barriers to maternal health: transportation, education, and supplies. ARTIST SUPPORT GIFF strives to provide much-needed support to talented artists. From offering networking opportunities with a robust financial community, to awarding $100,000 to date in cash prizes, there are many ways that filmmakers benefit from being a part of the Festival. In addition to supporting the international film community, GIFF prides itself on celebrating local talent. In 2017, GIFF launched the Connecticut Best Short Film program in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Film, Television and 2017 Digital Media. This film series celebrating the talent and beauty of the state of Connecticut Award- sold out and included a cash award. Winning Thank you so much for hosting us at Films: GIFF! Anna and I both appreciate all you did to make our screenings and reception a success. Congratulations on Best Social Impact Film, $10,000 – City of Ghosts putting on a wonderful festival, and I hope Best Narrative Feature, $5,000 – The Strange Ones we screen with you again in the future,” Best Documentary Feature, $5,000 – Bending the Arc Sophia Kruz, Filmmaker, Little Stones Best Narrative Short, $2,000 – Under Pressure Best Documentary Short, $2,000 – The Rabbit Hunt I have a job in a couple of months because I Connecticut Best Short Film, $1,000 – Blind Sushi participated in the Greenwich International Film Festival,” Nadia Alexander, Actress 2017 GIFF Annual Report · 7 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS - GLOBAL REACH GIFF showcased United States Ireland, United Kingdom 54 films from 17 countries, Mexico Croatia, Greece many of which Israel had a social impact focus. Algeria Cuba Denmark, France, South Africa Norway, Poland, Sweden Austria, Germany 8 · 2017 GIFF Annual Report PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS - FILMS GIFF’s film program had a social impact emphasis and raised awareness of a variety of issues facing the world today, prompting important conversations through film, Q&A and panel discussions. To enhance these conversations, GIFF worked with community partners which included YWCA, Adopt-A-Dog, WMC Health Network, JCC of Stamford, Focus on French Cinema, Audubon, Avon Theatre, and several others. From a town hall on sexual assault and global rape culture to a panel discussion on the state of global health care, GIFF’s program highlighted the following causes: Health care Women’s rights Sexual assault Equality in the workplace Mental health Maternal health ALS Human trafficking Bullying Domestic violence Animal rights Poverty Conservation Disabilities Refugee crisis It was a great festival in an idyllic setting. My first time to Greenwich, but definitely not my last. We so appreciate you weaving in the ALS story line into the festival. With the great inspiration of Andrew Niblock - we were so excited to be represented. Please let us know if there’s anything we can do in the future.” Shannon Shryne, Producer, Augie 2017 GIFF Annual Report · 9 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS The big screen is so important for a film like this, because it provides a communal experience that you can’t Opening Night replace and makes viewers care even more about the film and its story.