Ema Shah wins Best Music Video at Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival in NYC

KUWAIT CITY - March 11, 2014 - PRLog -- The Third Annual Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival kicked off Wednesday, February 26 2014 in New York City with three full days of screenings and after-parties and came to a dazzling finish on Saturday March 1 with a Gala Awards Ceremony at the beautiful club 230 FIFTH in which 15 outstanding winners were announced.  This year's event offered something for everyone, highlighting the dynamic range of talent and storytelling capabilities the independent filmmaking community has to offer. Among the 61 films selected for screening was a diverse mixture of documentaries, shorts, features, animation, music videos and horror films, including 9 student films, 17 female directors and representation from over 20 countries.

Ema Shah 's original video Masheenee Alcketiara took home the BEST MUSIC VIDEO award in front of a crowd of 500.  The awards show included live musical performances from Soleil J and Billboard artist Sessino and featured outrageous costume designs by Natasha Berezhnaya.

Masheenee Alcketiara (http://www.besorvia.com) is the story of a traditional Kuwaiti girl seeking life beyond her society, to achieve her ambitions and dreams in the modern era, to sing, to dance, and to flourish. We don’t know for sure if it’s a dream or reality.

Kuwaiti-born Ema Shah is an actress, musician, guitarist, pianist, composer, singer-songwriter, a modernist, anthropologist in the Arts. She is also a marionettist, puppeteer, dancer, choreographer, screenwriter and theatrical producer. She has attracted attention through her women’s rights activism, humanitarianism, radical and often controversial points of view, and her general eccentricity and unorthodoxy. Ema has performed as a singer, pianist, guitarist, composer and actress at various local and international events.

The 2014 Winter Film Awards Judges Panel was comprised of 15 industry individuals with diverse points of view, including 20-year industry veteran Frank Calo, production executive of "The Believer", award-winning filmmaker Sam Borowski, Broadway and Hollywood composer Stephen Trask, cinematographer Mik Cribben, music personality Matt Pinfield, producer/writer/director Larry Rosen and Miss Albania Benardina Radi.

Winter Film Awards 2014 Independent Film Festival is proudly sponsored by GrayLine NY, B&H Photo, 20Grand Vodka, Coney Island Spirits, Cupcake Cartel NYC, Cyberlink, Fabric Mill, FearsMag, Final Draft Inc., Glidecam, Graphic Stock, Hunter Mountain, Indie Flix, Jo Malone London, JT Talent, Jungle Software, Pole Position Raceway, ProductionHub Inc, PS Print, Que Sabor Bakery, Ride of Fame, Rooftop Films, Sony Creative Software, SpotHero, Sweets First Bakery, Video Blocks, Viktor Koen, The Village Voice, Worldcast Inc and Ya Mastiha Liqueur,

Winter Film Awards (WFA) is a volunteer-run and operated celebration of the diversity of local and international film-making.  In addition to the annual Independent Film Festival, WFA hosts 4-6 events each year in New York City, including panel discussions, networking parties, a 48-Hour Film Challenge, archival cartoon screenings and other fun film-related events, and works with all local NYC film schools, colleges, arts high schools and many cultural societies.

For more information on WFA festival, sponsors, judges, and upcoming events
please visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com and find them on Facebook.