Susan MacLaury, Oscar winning film director, was awarded the Alice Guy Blaché Award at the Reel Jersey Girls: Working in Film Panel at the 2013 Garden State Film Festival on April 6th, 2013.
Maclaury is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Shine Global Inc., a non-profit film company that produces films that empower children around the world to tell their stories in a manner that gives "hope within horror."
Maclaury is in charge of the educational outreach and social advocacy efforts for all of Shine’s films. Susan executive produced the Emmy Award winning, Academy Award®-nominated documentary WAR/DANCE as well as THE HARVEST and the Academy Award® Winner INOCENTE. She is currently producing Shine’s upcoming film SELLING OUR DAUGHTERS. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and teaches at Kean University.
Tom Meyers, Christina Kotlar, Susan Maclaury
The Fort Lee Film Commission has worked in alliance with the Garden State Film Festival for many years to promote and bring to light the work of the first female filmaker, Alice Guy Blaché. Past winners of the Alice Guy Blaché Award include Academy Award winning actress and director Lee Grant; Director Guild of Americas Vice President Gary Donatelli; and actress Parker Posey.
Christina Kotlar, Women in Film & Television International Communications Chair, will moderated the panel. The event took place at the Stella Marina Restaurant, 800 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, NJ.
Each panelist screened a 3 minute sample from a work-in-Progress and spoke about their work in film. In addition to Maclaury, the panelists included:
Signe Baumane - Animator. Current project Rocks in my Pockets.
Melissa Donovan – Director, Cinematographer. Current project Zemene.
Stavroula Toska - Producer, Director. Current project Beneath the Olive Tree.
Kimberly Skyrme – Casting Director Kimberlyskyrmecasting.com
The Fort Lee Film Commission actively raises funds to preserve films made in Fort Lee, and works with
filmmakers who support promotion of Fort Lee’s role as birthplace of the American film industry.
For more information on the Film Commission or this award, please contact Tom Meyers at [email protected].