Official South by Southwest® Film Festival Sponsor ACE91 presented HOPE Awards to Deepak Chopra, and to feature documentaries "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie", Director Davis Guggenheim, and "Confessions of a Good Samaritan", Director Penny Lane, films among juried documentary cash prize winners at SXSW

AUSTIN, Texas, March 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ACE91 Founder Ceci Chan's Inaugural HOPE AWARD filmmaker winners were announced at the 2023 South by Southwest Film Festival^® Films & TV Awards Ceremony on March 14, 2023, at the Paramount Theater in Austin, TX.

As an Official Sponsor for the SXSW 2023 Documentary Feature Competition, ACE91 is supporting this impactful platform at the festival for filmmakers to increase transformative understanding and to encourage sustainable impact through storytelling.

The HOPE AWARD amplifies individuals who use various forms of media to improve human behavior. Whether through books, films, or new media, awardees enlighten, inspire, and bring hope to others through engaging storytelling, an optimistic spirit, and an unwavering commitment to better the world.

According to ACE91 Founder Ceci Chan, "This year's recipients of the HOPE AWARD have worked selflessly to create a positive impact on society. At a time when we are confronted with public and private leadership failures, these awardees give us hope and inspiration. They enable us to have renewed faith in the human capacity to transcend our limitations, to stay resolute in the face of adversity, and to better our own behavior for the greater good."

HOPE VISIONARY AWARD
Dr. Deepak Chopra was recognized for his commitment to humanitarianism and transformational change, and for his more than 50 years of service to humanity. Said Chan, "Dr. Chopra's focus on loving kindness is inspirational." For the past 30 years, he has led the forefront of the meditation revolution. In these challenging times, when people seek benevolently wise leaders, Dr. Chopra gives us hope through his relentless efforts to help people enhance their physical and emotional wellbeing."

Dr. Chopra is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation, a board-certified medical doctor and neuroendocrinology specialist, he has written over 90 books, which have been translated into over 43 languages. His documentary series, Open Minds: Innovations in Consciousness, Psychedelics & Mental Health, was a featured session at the South by Southwest^® Conference.

HOPE FILMMAKER AWARD
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie directed by Davis Guggenheim ($5,000 cash award). "This moving exploration of a beloved artist and his incredible journey in seeking cures for Parkinson's Disease gives us hope about transcendence. While the documentary takes us deeply into Michael's personal history, Director Davis Guggenheim makes us feel like we are with Michael on the same journey as his supporters and not as voyeurs. The film is wonderfully crafted through exceptional editing and the creative use of Michael's body of narrative work. It is hugely uplifting, providing hope against all odds, and reminding us that no matter what hand we are dealt, adversity can become a driver of positive change. Michael's perseverance and noble bravery, along with the support of his loving family, all deftly shared in the film, are moving and profound."

Davis Guggenheim is an Academy Award-winning director of critically acclaimed documentaries including An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for 'Superman, and It Might Get Loud, as well as several films for President Obama. He executive produced Summer of Soul, Boys State, and Time, and he is the Founder & CCO of Nonfiction at Concordia Studio.

HOPE FILMAKER AWARD HONORABLE MENTION
Confessions of a Good Samaritan, directed by Penny Lane. ($2,500 cash award). Director and protagonist Penny Lane's courageous unpacking of her experience as she donates a kidney to an anonymous person, is a mesmerizingly raw examination of a rarely talked about but vital subject matter. From her initial decision to make the donation, we follow her toward the successful outcome of the operation, Penny's authenticity gives us a unique window into the various stages of her process and thinking. We come away from her film with a deepened awareness of the historical, social, and ethical complexities of organ transplantation. The film powerfully illustrates the possibilities of live donor organ transplantation and how ordinary citizens can save lives. 

Penny Lane has been making award-winning, innovative nonfiction films for over a decade. This includes five features – most recently Listening to Kenny G, an HBO Original Documentary that premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, and Hail Satan? (Magnolia Pictures), which premiered at Sundance 2019 – and over a dozen other short films.

ACE91 is a content and media company that creates films, TV assets, books, and more to inspire global audiences to increase positive change. ACE91's most recent documentary 2020 Chaos and Hope brings us face-to-face with the dramatic and emotional moments of the year 2020. COVID-19, racial strife, political unrest, truth under fire, and increased economic disparity all gathered into the perfect storm. Yet, at the same time, the tsunami of societal disasters has the potential to accelerate us towards a more evolved future. Where do we go from here? It's up to us to decide. Presented by ACE91, the film is Directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning Filmmaker June Beallor and Produced by Ceci Chan and June Beallor.

Jim Dobson
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SOURCE ACE91