Director and producer Emma Macey-Storch is the inaugural winner of Screenwave International Film Festival’s Ferguson Film Prize, recognised for her documentary Geeta.
Designed to shine a light on fiction or non-fiction feature film directors that have made their debut or sophomore feature films, the new national award was set up in partnership with the family of actress Kate Ferguson and was open to films that were in SWIFF’s official selection.
Set in India’s Agra slums, Geeta follows the titular mother and her daughter Neetu, as they navigate the aftermath of an acid attack from the former’s husband that leaves them both badly injured. Facing poverty and social ostracism, they join a burgeoning social justice movement working to end violence against women, with Geeta soon catapulted onto a global stage, as co-founder of a local activist movement Sheroes.
Both a personal tale of a mother fighting for her daughter’s destiny and a call to action against domestic violence, the film is Macey-Storch’s second documentary following 2017’s The Colour of Love. She has also worked on animation and fiction projects with a social justice focus.
As part of the Ferguson Film Prize, the director will receive $3,000 cash, a trophy, and official accreditation.
Her selection came from a jury that comprised director Kriv Stenders, Sydney Film Prize-winning documentarian Sascha Ettinger-Epstein, ABC News Breakfast’s film critic Zak Hepburn, and actress Bonnie Ferguson.
SWIFF co-director David Horsley, co-director of SWIFF, said the award was an opportunity for the festival to celebrate new filmmaking voices.
“Supporting Australian film runs in our blood as a festival – and that starts with supporting Australian filmmakers,” he said.
“We are thrilled with the Jury’s decision to award the inaugural Ferguson Film Prize to Emma Macey-Storch, and honoured to carry on the legacy of Kate Ferguson.”