A poignant & unapologetic film
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PRESS RELEASE
Kelly Galindo, the writer, director, and producer of 26 Seconds, has won a prestigious Award of Merit for Best Shorts Competition of Women Filmmakers, Winner of the Best Cause-for-Change short film for AIFA Fest, and has received a Special Mention for the One-Reeler Short Film Competition. In addition, she has been officially selected for the Impact Doc Awards, Docs Without Borders, and the IndieFEST Film Awards.
The award was given for Kelly’s poignant and unapologetic documentary short on sex trafficking. Kelly’s vision for 26 Seconds is to spread awareness and a call to action by educating audiences and giving a voice to those who have been silenced. Through a captivating journey across the world, Kelly reveals the ubiquity of the problem and the gravity of the damage sustained by this evil, destructive trade. In intimate interviews, the audience gets a raw, often shocking glimpse into the lives of children and women in various cultures and regions, which include vivid details of how each girl was captured or lured into the sex trade, the horrors of their captivity, and the commitment of each individual, non-profit organizations, crisis intervention teams, and law enforcement in the fight to eradicate global sex trafficking. 26 Seconds was filmed in Thailand, Cambodia, Iraq, India, East Africa, Mexico, and in the USA. The pilot/short is currently available on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, and Google Play, which is available in 68 English-speaking countries, and 120 countries overall.
In winning a Best Shorts Award, 26 Seconds joins the ranks of other high-profile winners of this internationally respected award, including Disney Interactive for Vinlymation: A Love Story and Oscar-winning production Mr. Hublot from Laurent Witz from Luxembourg. Entries are received from around the world from powerhouse companies to remarkable new talent, who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change.
We are currently editing the feature documentary with Mark Wilcken, three-time Emmy award-winner, as our lead editor. The production will be making a strong push for top-tier film festivals, along with a PR campaign for the Academy Awards. Sid Ganis, the supervising producer, is advising Kelly on 26 Seconds. Ganis was past president of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences. He also served as chairman of the Academy’s International Outreach Committee up to 2017. Prior to this, Ganis has been on the board of directors at Marvel entertainment until its sale to Disney. His film career in marketing and publicity includes working at 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Warner Brothers, Lucasfilm, and Paramount Pictures.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
Film is my commitment to creating work that matters in our world. I wanted to film a documentary on global sex trafficking because it is a fast-growing horrific industry that tragically affects every child and woman worldwide. We can either do something or nothing. I simply chose to do something with the resources and creative talent that I posses and have access to as a Professor in film. As a filmmaker, my intention is to tell the story. It was not possible to tell the story about human trafficking unless I visited the countries, met the victims face-to-face that were trapped in the sex trade – the pimps and madams that sell them, and the johns who buy them – but the true heroes are the organizations that rescue, restore, and reintegrate these innocent children. Creating Awareness is not enough but rather a Call to Action is ALL of our responsibility. It will not only take an army of heroes but also a village of ordinary people. This is a story about giving victims, survivors and the voiceless a voice!
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” - Audre Lorde
