Festivals & Awards

A selection of recent festivals, awards and events

November 2025

BYkids wins the Gold Anthem Award for new Film Academy

October 2025

AGAINST THE CURRENT wins Audience Award at the Shining Mountain Film Festival

Richmond International Film Festival (September 24-29, 2024)

• BEEKEEPER
• SEEDS OF LIFE is an award finalist

Breakthrough Miami (June 29, 2024)

BEEKEEPER screening event with filmmaker and mentor

Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Trustees Lunch (May 21, 2024)

BYkids presents to 80 Trustees

Fotografiska New York Screening Event (April 14, 2024)

BEEKEEPER and ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE screened with a discussion moderated by the former White House climate expert David Sandalow with BYkids Founder and Executive Director, Holly Carter.

Socially Relevant Film Festival New York (March 18, 2024)

BEEKEEPER won Best Documentary Short

SXSW EDU (March 6, 2024)

RETURN DATE: UNKNOWN screens at one of the largest national K-12 education events in the country and conversation with Tymur Tsapliienko (BYkids teen filmmaker), Holly Carter (BYkids Founder and Executive Director) and Sandy Goldberg (WNET, Director of Education).

Fotografiska New York Screening Event (February 28, 2024)

Following the screening of RETURN DATE: UNKNOWN and SEEDS OF LIFE there was a conversation with Holly Carter (BYkids) and Peter Lattman (Managing Director of Media at Emerson Collective and former journalist).

Japan Prize (November 2023)

RETURN DATE: UNKNOWN named finalist of the Japan Prize 2023.

Youth Collective Film Festival (June 7, 2023)

RETURN DATE: UNKNOWN won best documentary

United Nations Association of New York (June 15, 2023)

Private screening of RETURN DATE: UNKNOWN with a panel discussion including Tymur, Rom Barnea (his mentor), Holly Carter (BYkids executive director), Susan Bissell (Harvard FXB Center for Human Rights and former Global Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF) and Pablo Espiniella (Chief of Staff at the U.N. Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children).

Women’s Voices Now Film Festival (March 24, 2023)

• FIRE IN OUR HEARTS was selected for the festival
• WALK ON MY OWN won Best Youth Documentary Short

International Youth Film Festival at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (Atlanta, Nov. 2022)

L’CHAIM and I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE were screened.

Portland Film Festival (Oct. 12-23)

AGAINST THE CURRENT was selected for the festival.

MY HERO Film Festival in LA (Nov. 19).

The trailers of WALK ON MY OWN and I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE were selected.

I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE tied for 1st place.

WALK ON MY OWN won 2nd place – Women’s Rights.

Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (Nov. 4-20)

FAITH’S WORLD was selected, and won 2nd Prize Best Documentary Short Film, Youth Jury.

UN Association Film Festival (Sept. 21)

FAITH’S WORLD showed at MoMA as part of the festival, followed by a panel.

Science Film Festival (Oct. 1 to Dec. 20)

FAITH’S WORLD, FIRE IN OUR HEARTS and I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE are touring with this traveling film festival to Bangladesh, India, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Mali, Pakistan, Singapore and Vietnam.

Our 17 films have won countless film festival awards and recognition including:

HOME IS WHERE YOU FIND IT

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS

• One to Watch Award at the Asian American International Film Festival

DISPLACED BUT NOT DEFEATED

• Featured in a book about Displacement by Malala
• Won the Youth Visions at the San Diego Latin Film Festival
• Selected as closing night at the Corto Circuito Film Festival

POET AGAINST PREJUDICE

• Best Documentary at the International Family Film Festival
• Award of Recognition at the Impact DOCS Awards
• Watkins Young Filmmaker Award at the Nashville Film Festival
• Made its world premiere at Lincoln Center

MY BEAUTIFUL NICARAGUA

• Grand Prize Winner in the Short Documentary category at the Silicon Beach Film Festival
• Screened in celebration of Earth Day at Soho House, Think Coffee and Colorado College

OUT OF ALEPPO

• Won a coveted spot at the SXSW EDU conference
• Best Documentary Short at the Move Me Film Festival

WALK ON MY OWN

• Youth Division finalist for The Japan Prize
• Winner of Gender Equity Prize at Prix Jeunesse International Festival
• Invited to screen at the Skoll World Forum

I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE

• Was the keynote at the Professional Business Women of California conference
• Invited to present at SXSW EDU
• Invited to present at the Museum of the City of New York as part of their NY Film Activism Series
• Invited to present at the Robin Hood Foundation’s Teen Council
• Selected for the International Youth Film Festival in Atlanta at the Social Justice Symposium at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

BUDDHISM, BHUTAN AND ME

• Screened as part of the UN Association of New York Film Series
• Screened at Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
• Won the One to Watch: Under 21 at the Asian American International Film Festival and won Second Place for Portrait of an Individual
• Official Selection for the 38th Annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival
• The UN Association of New York’s Film Series featured BUDDHISM, BHUTAN AND ME with a panel discussion including H.E. Ambassador Doma Tshering (permanent representative of Bhutan to the United Nations), Holly Carter (BYkids founder and executive director) and Cat Papadimitriou (filmmaker and BYkids mentor)

AGAINST THE CURRENT

• Screened for private audiences with the Soho House and the NationSwell Council
• Best Documentary Student Short at the Woodstock Film Festival
• Emerging Filmmakers Award at the Socially Relevant Film Festival
• First Place for Best Trailer at MY HERO International Film Festival
• An Official Selection at the United Nations Association International Documentary Film Festival in Palo Alto

FAITH’S WORLD

• Won the People’s Choice Award and a Digi Award at the DigiFest Temecula
• Finalist for the People’s Choice Award at the MY HERO International Film Festival and in the Japan Prize
• Youth Vision Award at the United Nations Association Film Festival
• Rising Star Award at the Richmond International Film Festival

L’CHAIM

• Screened privately for membership at the Harmonie Club and for the UN Association of New York
• Third Place in the Human Rights category at MY HERO International Film Festival
• Selected for the International Youth Film Festival in Atlanta at the Social Justice Symposium at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights

RETURN DATE: UNKNOWN

• Won Best Documentary at the Youth Collective Film Festival
• Screened at SXSW EDU 2024, Fotografiska New York, United Nations Association of New York, Soho House West Hollywood
• Finalist for Japan Prize 2023

BEEKEEPER

• Won Best Documentary Short at Socially Relevant Film Festival
• Screened at Fotografiska New York
• Private screening at Soho House New York and Soho House West Hollywood
• Screened at Breakthrough Miami
• Official Selection for the Richmond International Film Festival

SEEDS OF LIFE

• Screened at Fotografiska New York
• Finalist at the Richmond International Film Festival

ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE

• Screened at Fotografiska New York