Syria War Doc "Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution" wins at Winter Film Awards Indie Film Fest in NYC

NEW YORK - March 18, 2014 - PRLog -- The Third Annual Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival kicked off Wednesday, February 26 2014 in New York City with three full days of screenings and after-parties and came to a dazzling finish on Saturday March 1 with a Gala Awards Ceremony at the beautiful club 230 FIFTH in which 15 outstanding winners were announced.  This year's event offered something for everyone, highlighting the dynamic range of talent and storytelling capabilities the independent filmmaking community has to offer. Among the 61 films selected for screening was a diverse mixture of documentaries, shorts, features, animation, music videos and horror films, including 9 student films, 17 female directors and representation from over 20 countries.

Matthew VanDyke's powerful and heartbreaking 15-minute documentary Not Anymore: Story of a Revolution took home the Best Documentary award in front of a crowd of 500.  The awards show included live musical performances from Soleil J and Billboard artist Sessino and featured outrageous costume designs by Natasha Berezhnaya.

Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution is a documentary short film that tells the story of the Syrian struggle for freedom as experienced by a 32 year old rebel fighter, Mowya, and a 24 year old female journalist, Nour, in Aleppo, Syria. The film is a 15 minute documentary short about why the Syrian people are fighting for their freedom, told through the emotional words of two powerful characters whose lives have been turned upside down and torn apart by war.  Visit http://www.syrianrevolutionfilm.com for more information about the film.

In 2011 Matthew VanDyke was the subject of international press coverage when he fought against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi in the Libyan revolution as an American freedom fighter and soldier in the rebel army. He was captured by Gaddafi’s forces and spent nearly 6 months as a prisoner of war in solitary confinement, before escaping from Abu Salim prison and returning to combat until the end of the war.  Not Anymore has been screened at nearly 100 film festivals in 15 countries and a DVD of the film was sent to every member of the US Congress.  This is Matthew VanDyke’s first film.

The 2014 Winter Film Awards Judges Panel was comprised of 15 industry individuals with diverse points of view, including 20-year industry veteran Frank Calo, production executive of "The Believer", award-winning filmmaker Sam Borowski, Broadway and Hollywood composer Stephen Trask, cinematographer Mik Cribben, music personality Matt Pinfield, producer/writer/director Larry Rosen and Miss Albania Benardina Radi.

Winter Film Awards 2014 Independent Film Festival is proudly sponsored by GrayLine NY, B&H Photo, 20Grand Vodka, Coney Island Spirits, Cupcake Cartel NYC, Cyberlink, Fabric Mill, FearsMag, Final Draft Inc., Glidecam, Graphic Stock, Hunter Mountain, Indie Flix, Jo Malone London, JT Talent, Jungle Software, Pole Position Raceway, ProductionHub Inc, PS Print, Que Sabor Bakery, Ride of Fame, Rooftop Films, Sony Creative Software, SpotHero, Sweets First Bakery, Video Blocks, Viktor Koen, The Village Voice, Worldcast Inc and Ya Mastiha Liqueur,

Winter Film Awards (WFA) is a volunteer-run and operated celebration of the diversity of local and international film-making.  In addition to the annual Independent Film Festival, WFA hosts 4-6 events each year in New York City, including panel discussions, networking parties, a 48-Hour Film Challenge, archival cartoon screenings and other fun film-related events, and works with all local NYC film schools, colleges, arts high schools and many cultural societies.

For more information on WFA festival, sponsors, judges, and upcoming events
please visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com and find them on Facebook.