Auszeichnungen

Schattenwald Festivals & Auszeichnungen:

Surviving Family Festivals & Auszeichnungen:

Woods Hole Film Festival: ‚Runner Up‘ for the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature – what the jury (based in LA) wrote:

‚The jury was impressed with the efforts of SURVIVING FAMILY director Laura Thies and her portrayal of a family struggling to come to terms with the tragic events of the past and how they have shaped the people they have come to be today. Relying on an ensemble of strong central performances, Thies draws out the maximum effect of the protagonists as they battle with each other and themselves to understand the tragic suicide of their mother as a result of her life long battle with Bi-Polar disorder when they were children, and which has haunted their family ever since. Thies skillfully balances a combination of drama and humor without ever sliding too forcefully in either direction, resulting in characters that are both realistic and intriguing in equal measure, without ever resorting to melodrama or manipulation where other filmmakers may have stumbled.  In addition, she skillfully and emotionally tackles the sensitivities of a little understood mental disorder marked by stigma and shame at a time when few people acknowledged Bi-Polar as a disease let lone how to properly treat it. Overall, we are offered to a rich portrait of a family that has learned how to respectfully go back and view a dark past from a different perspective, move on to live a healthier life and in a way we can all relate to.‘