April 2008 - A/S Wins the Eisner Prize

American/Sandinista won in the film & video category of the prestigious Eisner Prize, "the highest award given for creativity on the U.C. Berkeley campus." A huge honor! The award, and a cash prize, will be presented at a campus ceremony on May 4th.

February 2008 - Portland International Film Fest

We premiered the film at the beautiful Northwest Film Center, home to the Portland International Film Festival. The film was well attended by people who remember Ben Linder's story (he grew up in Portland). Representatives from Green Empowerment, who continue to sponsor the Ben Linder Rural Worker's Association in Nicaragua, were in attendance and set up an information table. And we were honored to have the attendance of Ben's mother Elisabeth Linder, who received a huge standing ovation when I pointed her out during the Q&A. It was a beautiful moment, and a great festival.

December 2007 - IDA Awards

I attended the International Documentary Association awards gala in Los Angeles on December 5th with Charlotte Buchen, the film's cinematographer. The Pare Lorentz Award went Spike Lee for "When The Levees Broke," and the ABC News Source Award went to David Hoffman's "Sputnik Mania." As they say, it's an honor just to be nominated along such great filmmakers. You can see a list of the nominees, including American/Sandinista, here.

November 2007 - IDA Awards Nominations

Good news! We have been nominated for two awards by the International Documentary Association, which is like an Academy Awards just for documentary work. Our two categories are the Pare Lorentz Award for films with an activist spirit, and the ABC Video News Source Award, for best use of news footage in a film. The event will be held in LA on December 7, stay tuned for the results...