Eye health documentary cleaning up at awards ceremonies

A documentary highlighting the work of an ophthalmologist supported by The Fred Hollows Foundation has now won five international film awards, and will be shown at the 27th Warsaw International Film Festival in October.

August 2011

Award winning documentary, Out of the Darkness, directed by Stefano Levi

Out of the Darkness follows Dr Sanduk Ruit (a friend and colleague of Fred Hollows) and his team as they trek to remote villages in Nepal to provide sight restoring surgery to people who would otherwise have no access to eye health care.

Dr Ruit is the Medical Director of the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO) in Nepal, a partner of The Foundation. The Fred Hollows Foundation (UK) has been supporting the TIO since 2008.

After its world premiere at the Documentary Edge Film Festival in New Zealand, Out of the Darkness was selected by the:

European Independent Film Festival, France
Riverside International Film Festival, USA
Indie Spirit Film Festival, Colorado, USA
Hills Film Festival, USA
Tenerife International Film Festival, GB
Silent River Film festival, USA
27th Warsaw International Film Festival, Poland

The film has been awarded the following:

Winner Jury Prize Best Mountain Film, Mountain Film Award
Winner Best Educational Film, Honolulu Film Awards
Winner Bronze Palm, Mexico Film Festival
Winner Golden Ace Awards, Las Vegas Film Festival
Winner "Outstanding Cinematic Creation", Vesak Buddhist Film Festival
Nominated as Best Documentary Feature, Tenerife International Film Festival

Out of the Darkness was directed by Stefano Levi and produced by Werner Kubny, Per Schnell and Stefano Levi.

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© 2012 The Fred Hollows Foundation. All rights reserved.
The Fred Hollows Foundation (UK) is registered as a charity (no. 1140288) and as a company limited by guarantee (no. 07193829) in England and Wales. Registered office: 12-15 Crawford Mews, York Street, London, W1H 1LX, UK.