Sands of Silence: Waves of Courage ~ AWARDS

  • 2020 — Festival del Cinema Latinoamericano di Trieste, Italy.
    • ~~Malvinas Award
  • 2018 — Porto Femme International Film Festival
    • ~~Women’s Struggles and RightsAward
  • 2017 — 59th SoCal Journalism Awards. Los Angeles Press Club.
    • ~~Best Documentary Feature
  • 2017 — TheWIFTS-Women’s Intl. Film and TV Showcase, Hollywood
    • ~~Best Humanitarian Documentary
  • 2017 — 32nd Imagen Awards, Beverly Hills, California.
    • ~~Nominated to Best Documentary Feature
  • 2017 — Fundación Vicki Bernadet, Barcelona. fada Cultural Award.
    • ~~Second Winner
  • 2017 — Festival Brasil de Cinema Internacional, Rio de Janeiro.
    • ~~Best Documentary Feature Honorary Mention
  • 2017 — Guayaquil International Film Festival, Ecuador.
    • ~~Golden Iguana and Best Documentary Feature
  • 2016 — Malibu International Film Festival, California.
    • ~~Best Documentary
  • 2016 — Malibu International Film Festival, California.
    • ~~Audience Choice Award
  • 2016 — Awareness Film Festival, Los Angeles.
    • ~~Best Documentary Audience Award
  • 2016 — Malaga Film Festival, Spain.
    • ~~First Prize and Silver Biznaga – Asserting Women’s Rights

MALVINAS AWARD

2020

FESTIVAL DEL CINEMA LATINOAMERICANO DI TRIESTE

ITALY

Award to the film that best interprets the values of respect and observance of international law, civil coexistence between peoples and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

Awarded to the documentary
Arenas de silencio: Olas de valor

“because it deals with the topic of sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of women, unfortunately still very current and close to us”. “The director built the film showing the history of several women who share a past of violence, including herself, and yet they manage to overcome it thanks to solidarity”.

The National Institute of Argentine Cinema and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA)
participated in the selection of films that compete for this section.

WOMEN’S STRUGGLES & RIGHTS AWARD

2018

PORTO FEMME INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Porto, Portugal

Chelo Alvarez-Stehle and main character Virginia Isaias with the porcelain TheWIFTS Award.

Watch Chelo’s TheWIFTS Award acceptance speech

2017 BEST DOCUMENTARY – HUMANITARIAN

TheWIFTS

(Women’s International Film and Television Showcase)

TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards

Los Angeles, California

Jury’s comment:

“Sands of Silence is a remarkable film, in that through the potency of its storytelling, it exposes the humanitarian issue both on the surface and beneath, of the suffering of individuals affected by this odious crime. The film has emboldened others to speak and  to no longer live in the ‘silence’.”

NBC Host Robert Kovacik presents Southern California Journalism Award for Best Feature Documentary to Chelo Alvarez-Stehle

2017 WINNER FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

59th Southern California Journalism Awards

Los Angeles, California

Comment by the Judges (from Los Angeles Press Club, the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and other press clubs in the country):

“In a searing exploration of the sexual exploitation and trafficking of women worldwide, journalist Chelo Alvarez-Stehle also documents her own relatives’ sexual abuse, as well as her own, as they work through their efforts at coping and healing. A moving, poignant documentary of women learning to deal with the physiological and psychological stresses of abuse.”

Sands of Silence editor Marla Ulloa and Chelo Alvarez-Stehle attending the Imagen Awards gala in Beverly Hills, CA

2107 BEST DOCUMENTARY NOMINEE

32nd Imagen Awards

Beverly Hills, California

The Imagen Awards by the Imagen Foundation are considered the Latino Golden Globes. The only premier Latino entertainment awards program dedicated to honoring the positive portrayal and creative excellence of Latinos and Latino cultures on screen.

Vicki Bernadet after awarding the “fada” (Catalan for “fairy”) award to Chelo Alvarez-Stehle  (2nd prize), and James Rodhes (first prize).

2017  FADA CULTURAL AWARD

Vicky Bernadet Foundation

Barcelona, Spain

The award aims to promote awareness and prevention of child sexual abuse in different artistic spheres, such as literature, music, journalism, and dramatic and audiovisual arts. First prize went to the book Instrumental by renowned pianist James Rhodes. “Sands of Silence” won over the also nominated Academy Award-winner film “Spotlight”.

The jury of Fundació Vicki Bernadet selected our film for being “a song to life and to reconciliation with our past. A work that shows us that it is only possible to overcome the devastating effects of sexual abuse if we are not alone.”

BEST DOCUMENTARY and GOLDEN IGUANA

2017 Guayaquil International Film Festival

Guayaquil, Ecuador

HONORABLE MENTION

BEST INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY

2017 Brazil International Cinema Film Festival

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


BEST DOCUMENTARY

2016 Malibu International Film Festival

Malibu, California

Chelo Alvarez-Stehle with main characters Virginia Isaias and daughter Lala Isaias

Sands of Silence Executive Producer Deirdre Roney, main character Virginia Isaias, director Chelo Alvarez-Stehle
Sands of Silence Executive Producer Deirdre Roney, main character Virginia Isaias, director Chelo Alvarez-Stehle

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

2016 Malibu International Film Festival

Malibu, California

Chelo Alvarez-Stehle receives the award from Skye Kelly, Awareness Film Festival founder

BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY

AUDIENCE AWARD

2016 AWARENES FILM FESTIVAL

Los Angeles, California

FIRST PRIZE & SILVER BIZNAGA

2016 MALAGA FILM FESTIVAL

ASSERTING WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Malaga, Spain


Chelo and siblings, including Marián, character in the film, at the iconic Teatro Albéniz, where the festival took place.