International Movie Awards Announced Best Film 2019

International Movie Awards (IMA), during its 8th-year anniversary celebration, announced its Best Film Winner in an Awards Ceremony that took place in the Russian Culture Center in Jakarta, Indonesia in March. IMA, as a respected international film festival seeks to annually acknowledge the finest in new independent and mainstream film production. This year, the Festival chose   "Herinneren: Het verhaal van Maurits Kiek�Remembering: The Maurits Kiek Story", directed by Cheryl Halpern, as Best Film.

The award-winning documentary competed with 357 other films from all over the world that were selected for consideraton. "Thank you for honoring me and my documentary. I am looking forward, together with my partners at HQ Creative, to continue producing and directing films that are both compelling and inspiring," said Mrs. Halpern, an international awards-winner producer and director.

"Herinneren: Het verhaal van Maurits Kiek�Remembering: The Maurits Kiek Story" presents one man's courage to return to Nazi-occupied Europe where a reward for his capture 'dead or alive' was posted.  He served as a covert MI-9 agent and engaged in saving lives. His unwavering determination to stand up, in the face of overwhelming odds, and fight the perpetrators of evil was acknowledged in the capital of the Netherlands, Den Haag, The Hague, in 2015. His heroism is a lesson to be remembered.

"Young people today need to be taught, with and by example, that when human lives are at risk; when men, women and children are persecuted because of gender, ethnicity, religion or physical limitations, that they, the young, must stand against the oppressors before they, too, join the herd and lose their human dignity," said director Cheryl Halpern.

"This documentary is especially important given the rise of Neo-Nazism, extremism, and intolerance around the world and the exposure of the younger generations to this bigotry and fanaticism on multiple global multimedia and social networking platforms," Mrs. Halpern explained.
 
Natasha Dematra, a member of the Festival's jury commented, "One of the primary reasons this film was chosen to receive the Award for Best film is because it presents a lesson from the past that must be remembered today in our world where violence, prejudice and injustice is emerging with renewed vigor.  The use of a compelling documentary narrative to teach and inspire all audiences is why the film deserved to be honored by the IMA this year. We must learn from the past as we work towards the elusive goal of peaceful human coexistence."

"Maurits Kiek is a hero for all of us to remember as we, too, are challenged to respond to human injustice and cruelty. May we find the personal strength to rise and engage evil, even if it means putting our own lives at risk, as did Maurits Kiek," concluded Mrs. Halpern.

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