Diversity At 69th Festival de Cannes, Less Talk More Action!

LOS ANGELES - July 12, 2016 - PRLog -- Yolonda Brinkley, creator of Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase. Fifteen uniquely themed films from across the globe were in competition, in two parallel sections, at an independently produced event in France during the 69th Festival de Cannes.

Wrestling Za'atari, the sophomore film of Documentarian Daniel Levitt, which tells the story of Syria's national wrestling champion, Mohammad Al-Krad, and his life in Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp received the highest honor and won the General Showcase, while Russian filmmaker Elena Brodach, student of High Courses for Screenwriters and Film Directors, Moscow emerged as winner of the 2016 Diversity in Cannes Women in Formation Short Film Showcase. The only director with two projects in competition, Elena's second short Next, described as a well directed, well shot and well produced dark, erotic and scary film by Whitney Davis of CBS Entertainment Diversity, was the Showcase winner and also received the Director's Choice Award.

"I want to thank Yolonda Brinkley, creator of the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase for this very important mission of bringing together diverse filmmakers and giving them opportunity to get the pass to the film industry," comments Russia's Elena Brodach. "I am deeply honored and proud of winning the 2016 Diversity in Cannes Women in Formation Short Film Showcase.  The films presented where really strong so I did not expect a young director as me could win. My films are about love, which I believe has no limits or frames."

"It's an honor to have won the 2016 Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase. It's so important that we use film to give a voice to the voiceless," states American Filmmaker Daniel Levitt.

Additional accolades announced during the showcase include Director's, Jury and Audience Choice Awards as follows:

Audience Choice

Bound for Greatness by Jimmy Gadd (USA)

Hevêrk/The Circle by Rûken Tekeş (Turkey)

Director's Choice

B-Love by Christine List and Shahari Moore (USA)

Next by Elena Brodach (Russia)

Jury Choice

Touch by Noel Harris and Mark O'Neill (Canada)

Anna by Harriett Maire (New Zealand)

Presented by Yolonda Brinkley, a US based publicist and event producer, with support from RLJ Entertainment's Urban Movie Channel, CBS Entertainment Diversity, and Graphic Designer Leonard Green of Digital Slang Comics, the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase presented 15 films in competition from New Zealand to Russia and points in between, with a special screening of Kaylon Hunt's The Brink, produced by Viola Davis' Juvee Productions. The uniquely themed films were selected by an independent screening committee of diverse film industry executives and enthusiasts and judged on-site by a distinguished jury led by South Africa's Fulu Mugovhani and Bonginhlanhla Ncube.

"Less talk, more action is the theme of the 2016 Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase, General and Women in Formation editions. While Hollywood, The Academy and the international film community continue to create reports and conduct studies about the industry's lack of diversity, in response to #OscarsSoWhite, Beyond Borders: Diversity In Cannes is fighting for inclusion at the 69th Festival de Cannes," Yolonda Brinkley, the organization's creator, comments. "Diversity, inclusion and integration are not simply trending topics for us. We have been in the trenches since 2010 promoting diversity in Cannes before it was popular. Our efforts continue and I extend my sincere congratulations to David Levitt of the USA and Russia's Elena Brodach for winning the 2016 Diversity in Cannes General and Women in Formation Short Film Showcases respectively."

"The Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase is an incredible opportunity for globally diverse filmmakers to gather in an intimate atmosphere to promote their stories, which transcend boundaries," comments Fulu Mugovhani, South African actress and head of 2016 Jury. "The caliber of films in competition far exceeded my expectations and I congratulate Elena Brodach, David Levitt and all filmmakers on their impressive work!"

The independent Showcase was Monday, May 16, 2016 in France during the 69th Festival de Cannes.  To learn more, visit www.diversityincannes.com, https://www.facebook.com/diversityincannes, www.twitter.com/diversencannes or email us at diversityincannes@hotmail.com.