Pulitzer Center-Supported Film Named Finalist in Social Impact Media Awards

Sean Gallagher's Pulitzer Center-supported film, Cambodia Burning, has been named a finalist in the 9th annual Social Impact Media Awards (SIMA 2021). 

Cambodia Burning uses a combination of drone cinematography and Cambodian poetry to analyze the effects of rapid deforestation on the country's landscape and its people. In 2018, as deforestation continued to accelerate across the country, an estimated 1,800 fires were burning, more than in any other country in Southeast Asia. Throughout the film, Gallagher explains how the conversion of logging and clearing land for agricultural use has driven the drastic change in the country's biodiversity. 

Gallagher is an award-winning British photographer and filmmaker based in Beijing. His work is centered around photography, video, and multimedia projects that tell the stories of communities affected by climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, desertification, and deforestation.

The Social Impact Media Awards started as the first documentary and educational media competition honoring members of the independent film and global humanitarian industries. According to its website, SIMA "sets out to propel and elevate social-impact filmmaking that inspires crucial perspectives and demonstrates unique potential to enlighten, transform, and positively impact our contemporary world." Cambodia Burning is one of 40 films chosen to advance to the final round of judging where finalists will compete for awards and cash prizes of up to $1,000 per category. Winners will be announced on February 10, 2021. 

For a full list of the SIMA 2021 finalists, please click here.