THE CONTEST  

The Possible Futures Film Contest challenges storytellers from all over the world to create a new vision for the future of humanity and celebrates the passion of global voices coming together to share visions of a positive future. "There was such joy in the air as completed its screening in front of a fully packed theater. It was amazing to see the joy of the truly human act of forgiveness and love on the large screen," said Karen Redhawk Dallet, Project Manager for The Possible Futures Film Contest.  The contest comprised of an online voting period which resulted in over 14,000 votes and the esteemed jury panel screened the top 20 nominees from the popular vote from which to award the top prizes. 

"I am deeply thankful and humbled by the selection of SMOOCH," says the film's Director, Dawn Mikkelson, "I continue to be inspired by the people like Mary and OShea who send their stories on a daily basis for consideration for the film and honored by their willingness to entrust us with these stories.  It is through that one-on-one forgiveness that I believe we can impact the larger issues that divide us as global citizens." 


SMOOCH: A GLOBAL FORGIVENESS INITIATIVE

SMOOCH is a documentary still in production that will profile individuals who have found the humanity in the very persons they thought they could never forgive. Stories are being collected from around the world to foster an understanding of the peace that can come from forgiveness. The piece submitted to the contest highlights the story of Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel who have learned about the positive power of forgiveness in their lives. In 1993, Mary Johnson's only son Laramiun Byrd was murdered in a gang related incident. The killer? Oshea Israel who served 17 years of a 25 year sentence. Surprisingly, Mary visited Oshea in prison several years into his sentence to try and achieve an understanding and closure for the incident. Through these visits, the two formed a bond and found the peace that had eluded their lives for many years.   The SMOOCH team is made up of award-winning filmmakers, led by Director Dawn Mikkelson (The Red Tail, Green Green Water, THIS obedience).   

The production is still seeking personal stories of forgiveness to be showcased in the film as well as for creating a community website that will enable people all over the world to learn from others who have been able to find peace and reconciliation from seemingly unforgivable circumstances. If you have a story to share, please leave contact details on the website or the film's Facebook page.