To Be Heard by directors Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez, Deborah Shaffer and Amy Sultan won both the Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize and Metropolis Grand Jury Prize at the DOC NYC Film Festival.

Karina, Pearl and Anthony are three New York teenagers in a radical poetry workshop called Power Writing that has a profound affect on their lives. Putting pen to paper they’re able to imagine a future where fathers aren’t in jail, mothers aren’t abusive and college isn’t something you only see on TV. Can their words turn dreams into reality? Their lives are closely tracked by a dedicated filmmaking team who celebrate the value of great teachers, poetry, and the empowerment of writing your own life story.

The winners are:

Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize: Windfall, directed by Laura Israel.

Metropolis Grand Jury Prize: To Be Heard by directors Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez, Deborah Shaffer and Amy Sultan.

Audience Award: To Be Heard

Metropolis Special Jury Prize: Lost Bohemia by director Josef ‘Birdman’ Astor

source: DOC NYC