APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN 🚀 Join The SIMA 2026 Preselection Committee! Join the official Preselection Committee for the 14th annual SIMA Awards, celebrating the finest in documentary and XR impact storytelling from 140 countries. Our committee brings together filmmakers, editors, producers, curators, journalists, human rights advocates, social justice innovators, and postsecondary students. 👉 APPLY + MORE INFO: https://lnkd.in/gQ7RTJ9t As a committee member, you’ll have the exclusive opportunity to screen up to 100 documentary films (features and shorts) submitted to SIMA, using our evaluation tools and metrics to assess each project. This entirely virtual experience runs from September to December, allowing you to participate at your own pace. By joining, you’ll gain unparalleled insight into groundbreaking independent filmmaking, earning a certificate of completion for your CV, and deepening your perspective on the world through these compelling stories. We’re looking for candidates with a strong passion for human rights, social justice, and social innovation who are studying or working in media, communications, journalism, international development, or human rights. #ImpactStorytelling #DocumentaryFilm #SocialJustice #HumanRights #GlobalVoices #XRForChange #FilmForChange #MediaForImpact #IndependentFilm #SocialInnovation #StorytellingMatters #ChangemakerCommunity #VirtualVolunteering #GlobalCitizenship #FilmCurators #SIMA2026 #Filmmakers
SIMA STUDIOS
Non-profit Organizations
West Hollywood, California 1,263 followers
SIMA is a global impact media agency amplifying the power of documentary storytelling to advance positive change.
About us
We award, curate and distribute documentaries + creative impact projects that advance positive social change, and support creators, activists, educators and changemakers worldwide. Since 2012, the annual Social Impact Media Awards / SIMA Awards have set new standards of integrity and creativity in global impact storytelling, championing exceptional non-fiction cinema that challenges the status quo. Our year-round distribution programs, the Cinema Across Borders series and SIMA Academy, bring award-winning projects to communities and classrooms in over 100 countries, fostering lasting impact through local coalition building and high-impact engagement opportunities that transform audiences, learners, and leaders into agents of change. SIMA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program supports global impact projects in 50+ countries, helping to realize the vision of over 85 creative activists and changemakers. Serving independent arts, social justice, and academic industries worldwide, each year, our programs engage a network of over 4,000 filmmakers from 140+ countries, 145,000+ students access our educational resources, 90+ partners host community screenings in 30 countries, and over 7,000 digital film viewings reach more than 5 million viewers around the globe. SIMA is a 501(c)3 non-profit registered in California and Germany. https://simastudios.org | https://simaacademy.com
- Website
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http://www.simastudios.org
External link for SIMA STUDIOS
- Industry
- Non-profit Organizations
- Company size
- 2-10 employees
- Headquarters
- West Hollywood, California
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2012
- Specialties
- Impact Media, Documentary Films, Community Screenings, Advocacy, Impact Distribution, Community Engagment, Grassroots Engagement, Global Education, Global Citizenship Education, Sustainable Development, Human Rights, and Social Justice
Locations
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Primary
melrose
West Hollywood, California 90069, US
Employees at SIMA STUDIOS
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Kristi Manning
CFO, Impact Agent and Grassroots Program Officer I SOCIAL IMPACT MEDIA AWARDS (SIMA)
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Virginia Pittaro
Director of Partnerships at SIMA Studios
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Khushboo Dantre
Education Enthusiast, SDG Ambassador, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert, Teacher Trainer, Parent Mentor, Resource person-International…
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Daniela Kon Lieberberg
Founder | CEO at SIMA STUDIOS
Updates
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A warm welcome to Your Next Door Neighbor, the newest project to join SIMA’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Your Next Door Neighbor is a community-powered initiative that uses storytelling, experiential events, and human-centered technology to support people recovering from disaster, starting with those impacted by the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Born from lived experience and a recognition of how impersonal and inadequate traditional relief efforts can be, the project reimagines what support looks like by blending community events with micro-giving and storytelling that centers dignity, not charity. Through intimate, thoughtfully curated experiences, neighbors, brands, and volunteers connect directly with the needs of families, sharing space, stories, and real-time moments of care. A key part of the initiative is Neighbor Match, a digital platform in development that makes giving modern, personal, and transparent. The platform allows supporters to fulfill small, verified needs that make a big impact, removing red tape and restoring agency in a process that often feels overwhelming or faceless. From small grants that cover a missed bill to comfort-focused essentials like bedding, cookware, or creative supplies, Your Next Door Neighbor brings humanity into disaster response. These moments are captured and shared to inspire more participation and reshape how communities rally after a crisis. With roots in LA and a vision to grow, the project is creating a new blueprint for local giving—one where connection is prioritized, support feels personal, and technology brings clarity, access, and ease to the process of showing up for one another. SUPPORT THEIR WORK + LEARN MORE: https://lnkd.in/gNWBPt88 Your Next Door Neighbor is an impact initiative powered by cMedia collective #DisasterRelief #CommunityHealing #MutualAid #TechForGood #StorytellingForChange #HumanCenteredDesign #NeighborsHelpingNeighbors #LAFires #SocialImpact #WildfireRecovery #ReimagineRelief #SupportLocal #ImpactStorytelling #CommunityResilience #SIMAStudios #SIMA
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Double Exposure Film Festival Early Bird Deadline is TONIGHT at midnight. Double Exposure, a project of the investigative news organization 100Reporters, celebrates the finest new films inspired by the investigative instinct. It combines film screenings for the public with a professional symposium for journalists and visual storytellers. Now in its tenth year, DX does more than just identify and celebrate a new genre of filmmaking. It casts this vital body of work toward recognition as a coherent artistic vision. It connects audience appreciation for creative output to the rights of reporters and filmmakers to pursue investigations in the public interest; it ties stirrings of artistic curiosity to practical consequences and groundbreaking storytelling to policy changes. Learn More + Submit: https://lnkd.in/dAFiFNxf
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SIMA NEWS | June 2025 — Join the SIMA 2026 Preselection Committee; Cinema Across Borders touches down in Honduras and South Africa; SIMA Academy Pride Month Playlist; SDG Challenge hosted by UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU); Queendom Feature; and CRAZY AS A LOON by Lisa Cordileone Premiering at Dances with Films. OUTBOUND LINKS: https://lnkd.in/gnVyKQGh
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Fiscal Sponsorship Project INVITE + Spotlight: CRAZY AS A LOON / COMMITTED Premiering at Dances with Films 2024 on June 28, at 11am PST. Crazy As A Loon is a gripping proof of concept for the TV series Committed, centered on one American family simply trying to exist during the Lavender Scare in 1953 Washington, D.C. On the night of her son’s birthday party, a matriarch is hunted by a covert government unit—unleashing far more than her perpetrators bargained for. The story exposes the ruthless tactics of the Miscellaneous M Unit: secret interrogations, surveillance, and blacklists targeting queer Americans, people of color, and intellectuals. This story resonates with a chilling truth—what happened 70 years ago still echoes through America today. WEST COAST Premiere | USA, 2024, 14 min. PILOTS BLK 4 – SAT JUN 28 @ 11AM TIX: https://lnkd.in/gwtZTheY WRITER: Lisa Cordileone DIR: Monica Raymund PRODS: Lisa Cordileone, Shaan Dasani, Morgan Marcell CAST: Max Adler, Lisa Cordileone, David Alan Madrick, Beck Williams, Kyla Garcia, Ryan Reilly, Maxwell Hicks
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We're (+SIMA Academy) so honored to work with such an extraordinary organization. Thank you LEAP Africa for the continued partnership and thank you Triceea Mandala for this heartwarming spotlight!
How does one, as a young woman navigating the complexities of our continent, truly build lasting impact and contribute to a resilient Africa? For me, this question has always shaped my journey, inspiring my commitment to driving meaningful change. This morning I received confirmation of my selection for the Leap Institute Africa Leadership Accelerator Program for 2025 African Young Women. This opportunity is more than just a program; it is a crucial step in strengthening my leadership capabilities, empowering me to champion sustainable development, and amplifying my efforts in areas like agribusiness to uplift communities across Africa. My spirit is truly energized for the journey ahead, ready to learn all these interesting modules, collaborate, and contribute to the vibrant future we are building. #Leapinsitute #Leadership LEAP Leadership Institute SIMA STUDIOS
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Now Streaming on SIMA Academy 🌈 Pride Month Playlist. Thirteen Stories of Identity, Resilience, and Radical Joy From the sea-nomad shores of the Philippines to the nightclubs of Istanbul, the campaign trail of New York City to the creative streets of Johannesburg, and more—these 13 powerful stories uplift LGBTQIA+ voices reclaiming space, rewriting narratives, and reshaping communities. Each film shines a light on those living boldly and beautifully beyond binaries. This Pride Month, witness the courage, creativity, and uncompromising truth of queer lives around the globe. WATCH NOW 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gXx48CAi #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA #QueerStories #TransVoices #DragIsArt #LoveIsLove #QueerCinema #Pride2025 #LGBTQFilmmakers #RepresentationMatters #InclusiveStorytelling #GlobalPride #LGBTQRights #FilmForChange #ImpactCinema
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SIMA STUDIOS reposted this
PRIDE PLAYLIST: 13 films from the LGBTQIA+ community that help elevate voices, explore diverse sociopolitical topics, change culture, and accelerate acceptance. Explore: simaacademy.tv/browse #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA #QueerVoices #InclusiveEducation #SocialImpactMedia #PridePlaylist #RepresentationMatters #EquityInEducation #HumanRightsEducation #DiversityAndInclusion #WatchForChange #LGBTQStories #MediaForJustice #SDGs #GlobalGoals #SDG4 #QualityEducation #GenderEquality #ReducedInequalities #PeaceJusticeStrongInstitutions #LGBTQInclusion #EducationForSustainableDevelopment
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SIMA's Cinema Across Borders 2025 Traveling Series kicks off tomorrow in Honduras with Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana with a special screening of #SIMA2024 Impact Jury Prize Winner, IFINE, Directed by Adisa Septuri. For upcoming Cinema Across Borders screenings in your community, visit: simastudios.org/events #CinemaAcrossBorders #GlobalCinema #ImpactFilm #SocialJusticeCinema #DocumentaryForChange #IFINE #AdisaSepturi #FilmForSocialChange #CivicEngagement #UniversityScreenings #HondurasEvents #EduThroughFilm #HumanRightsCinema #CrossCulturalDialogue #StorytellingThatMatters #GlobalImpact #CommunityScreenings #SIMAEvents
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🚀 Calling all XR Creators Passionate about Social Impact! Are you creating XR stories that aim to make a real difference? If so, your voice is essential. VR has often been called the ultimate empathy machine, with the potential to evoke deep emotions and drive social change. Yet, actual XR impact case studies are scarce, and budgets for impact and evaluation are extremely limited. Without evidence of our stories’ real-world effects, it's challenging to secure funding and scale up XR for societal good. Dr. sandra gaudenzi from UCL London is leading an initiative to map the landscape of XR for impact — and she needs YOUR help. If you've worked on XR or Games for Change projects in the last 5 years and dedicated financial or human resources to create and assess their impact, we invite you to share your experience. Take just 15 minutes to complete this important survey: https://lnkd.in/gRqqu7by Your insights could shape the future of XR for social change and help unlock more support, know-how and resources. Your voice and experience count! #XRforGood #SocialImpactXR #VRforChange #ImmersiveMedia #EmpathyMachine #XRStorytelling #GamesForChange #ImpactMedia #VirtualReality #MixedReality #XRCreators #StorytellingForImpact #TechForGood #DigitalEmpathy #SocialChangeMakers #FutureOfXR #XRResearch #InteractiveMedia #UCLResearch #ImpactEvaluation
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