FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Diana Takata
Phone: 212-465-3125
FAX: 212-658-9627
Email: info@nextpix.com

[Washington DC, February 21, 2009] nextPix, a film/media production company, announced today the 2009 winner of its firstPix grant. The firstPix program offers post-production funding to selected films that meet the criteria of 'humanistic filmmaking'.

The 2009 selection is MOTHERS OF A NATION, directed by Ansley West and produced by Danielle Bernstein. The project combines both a photography exhibition and a documentary film that chronicles the inspiring women of Jinga, Uganda, and their battle to survive with HIV. The film is narrated by Florence, a woman who has lived with the virus for over 13 years. Stories of betrayal and suffering evolve into stength and hope as these courageous women battle both physical illness and social oppression.

The film follows three indigenous women leaders across Colombia as they cope with killings, imprisonment, and combat in their territory. An intimate glimpse at the nonviolent struggle for indigenous rights and culture in Colombia, the film tracks the search for truth and justice by these courageous women.

Diana Takata states, "While we are proud to lend our support to MOTHERS OF A NATION, we also are happy to support the overall mission of Clear Films, whose mission statement is in close alignment with nextPix. We hope that Clear Films can serve as a model for how humanistic films can continue to be made in these challenging times in the independent film world".

Now in its ninth year, the firstPix program has supported a diverse mix of projects, ranging from narrative features to documentaries. The 2005 selection, TIBET IN SONG (dir. Ngawang Choephel) went on to be a nextPix co-production, was accepted at 2007 Sundance Documentary Lab and subsequently at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary. Other firstPix projects have been screened at Sundance, Mill Valley, Montreal World Film Fest, Chigaco Documentary Film Fest, among others, and many have gone on to theatrical and DVD release.

Founded in 2001, nextPix was conceived as a production company that would focus on "humanistic" media that would promote and produce films and filmmakers with an alternative vision to Hollywood. The company has also produced or co-produced two feature films and one documentary, and is developing the narrative feature film MESSAGE TO SHIGATSE, due for release in 2010. For more information about nextPix, please email info@nextpix.com.

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