HOLLYWOOD, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — The ninth annual Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) announced its competition winners at a star-studded event on November 17 at the Culver Theater. The Hanging Gardens (Iraq) directed by Ahmed Al-Daradji, won the Snow Leopard Award for Best Film, presented by Vietnamese actress Kieu Chinh (The Joy Luck Club). Michael A. Goorjian garnered the Snow Leopard for Best Actor in Amerikatsi (Armenia). The Snow Leopard for Best Actress went to Mouna Hawa for Inshallah a Boy (Jordan). The Snow Leopard Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to John Milius, Oscar· nominated screenwriter, film director, and producer celebrating his legendary career including Apocalypse Now, Dirty Harry, Red Dawn and Conan the Barbarian, was presented by actor Martin Kove (Karate Kid, Rambo).

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The 10-day AWFF offered a wide range of more than 50 feature films and special screening programs including 23 Academy Award® and Golden Globe® submissions for Best International Feature Film and Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language respectively from Asia. Several films honored by the AWFF are the official submissions of their respective countries: Armenia – Amerikatsi, Georgia – Citizen Saint, Iran – The Night Guardian, Iraq – Hanging Gardens, Jordan – Inshallah a Boy, Taiwan- Marry My Dead Body.

The AWFF presented a series of exclusive Snow Leopard Film Awards with the assistance of Jury President Jon Amiel. The Panavision Award for Best Cinematography ($60,000 Camera Grant Package) was presented to Krum Rodriguez for Citizen Saint (Georgia) by Pitof, visual effects producer, director (Catwoman, Alien: Resurrection). The Special Jury Award went to The Night Guardian by Reza Mirkarimi (Iran), presented by actress Mai Thu Huyen (Kieu). The Audience Award went to Marry My Dead Body (Taiwan), directed by Cheng Wei Hao. 

The Snow Leopard honorary awards included Outstanding Cinematic Achievement Award was given to Peter Kwong (Big Trouble in Little China), presented by actress Nancy Kwan (The World of Susie Wong).  The Rising Star Award was presented to Anirudh Pisharody (Big Sky, Never Have I Ever, 9-1-1), by Breydan Maniago (Dahmer).

The Winn Slavin Humanitarian Award was given to Le Ly Hayslip, honoring her dedicated efforts to humanitarian relief, education, and development to help rebuild Vietnam, presented by fine art entrepreneur Randall Slavin. The Bruce Lee Award was presented to Tony Jaa, legendary Thai martial arts actor, action director, presented by actor Andy Cheng (Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon).  AWFF New Horizon Best Film Award was given to Berlin, directed by Atul Sabharwal (India), presented by Michelle Sugihara, Executive Director of CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment).

“The spirit of our 9^th Year was Discovery and we delivered on a broad range of remarkable Asian films and engaging audience experiences,” stated Georges Chamchoum, AWFF executive director. “With our return to Culver City, we broke our records for movies with 23 Oscar submissions, the filmmakers in attendance, and our loyal audience.”

The Short Films Awards, winners selected from 12 finalists from over 200 entries, include the Grand Prize for Best Film ($2,000 Winn Slavin Fine Art Gallery Award) given to The Old Young Crow by Liam LoPinto (Japan). The Runner-Up Award (Panavision Award of $15,000 Camera Package) went to Our Males and Females by Ahmad Alyaseer (Jordan). A Special Mention was given to Witness by Aida Tebianian (Iran).

The competition and honorary awards were delivered during a music-filled ceremony hosted by Mark LaBella (SWAT) and Charlene Shen (Sky Link TV). Among the evening’s internationally recognized performers were a Muy Thai martial arts exhibition, and an amazing performance from ADEM Show, Vietnamese singer Nguyen Hong Nhung and a colorful finale of Hung Gar Kung Fu and the Lion Dance Academy.

SNOW LEOPARD COMPETITION AWARDEES

• Best Picture: Hanging Gardens directed by Ahmed Al-Daradji (Iraq)
• Best Actor: Michael A. Goorjian in Amerikatsi (Armenia)
• Best Actress: Mouna Hawa in Inshallah a Boy (Jordan)
• Panavision Best Cinematography: Krum Rodriguez for Citizen Saint (Georgia)
• Special Jury Prize: The Night Guardian by Reza Mirkarimi (Iran)
• Audience Award: Marry My Dead Body (Taiwan), Director Cheng Wei Hao

SNOW LEOPARD HONORARY AWARDS

• Lifetime Achievement Award – JOHN MILIUS
• Outstanding Cinematic Achievement – PETER KWONG
• Rising Star Award – ANIRUDH PISHARODY

ADDITIONAL AWARDS

• The AWFF Bruce Lee Award, in partnership with the Bruce Lee Foundation – TONY JAA
• AWFF New Horizon Award: BERLIN by Atul Sabharwal (India)
• Winn Slavin Humanitarian Award – LE LY HAYSLIP

SHORT FILM FINALISTS

• Best Film (Winn Slavin Prize): The Old Young Crow by Liam LoPinto (Japan)
• Runner Up (Panavision grant): Our Males and Females by Ahmad Alyaseer (Jordan)
• Special Mention: Witness by Aida Tebianian (Iran)

The AWFF series of Snow Leopard Awards is bestowed in partnership with The Snow Leopard Trust to raise awareness for the endangered snow leopard and their Asian ecosystem.

The AWFF is proudly sponsored by Presenting Partner: Winn Slavin; Additional Sponsors: Bruce Lee Foundation, Tincom Media, Dr J’s, Korean Cultural Center – Los Angeles (KCCLA), Dutcher Crossing, Panavision, Pechanga, Taiwan Academy, Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA), Fifth Atrium, Copacetic, BARCO, Emporium Thai, HC Foods, Hollywood Arab Film Association, Vivenu, DTLA Ayce Korean BBQ and The Dive Oyster Bar, among others. 

ABOUT ASIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (AWFF) go to www.asianworldfilmfest.org

Follow AWFF on: Facebook, Instagram, X (formally Twitter), and YouTube

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NEW YORK /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/– CINQCARE, a company committed to deliver health and care where you live, with a deep commitment to Black and Brown communities, and leading health and well-being company Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM), are teaming up to serve Medicare Advantage members throughout New York.

Together, the two companies, which share a dedication to comprehensive, whole-person health solutions, aim to improve healthcare challenges and close gaps in specific communities in the state.

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“Our partnership with Humana represents a pivotal moment in our ongoing dedication to deliver care that treats members like family,” said Rodney Armstead, M.D., CINQCARE’s Chief Medical Officer. “Together, Humana and CINQCARE will work to create a positive and enduring impact on improving health, care and well-being in the homes and communities of those who need it most.”

CINQCARE, through its innovative “Care at Home” model, will offer robust care management to qualifying Humana members including around-the-clock telephonic nurse support and remote monitoring, and at-home services including visits from nurses and physicians.

“At Humana, our unwavering commitment has always been to provide high-quality care and improve health outcomes,” said Humana Northeast Regional Medicare President Julie Mascari. “By combining our expertise and resources, Humana and CINQCARE hope to make significant strides in improving the health and well-being of the diverse population of Medicare Advantage members we serve in New York.”

About CINQCARE
CINQCARE is committed to every day deliver health and care where you live, with a deep commitment to Black and Brown people and those who need care the most. CINQCARE is passionate about empowering frontline caregivers to deliver better health, care and well-being to the communities they serve. CINQCARE is on a mission – community by community – to be the provider-led, comprehensive care partner of choice. At CINQCARE, we champion a Culture of Care, because we care. For more information, visit www.cinq.care.

About Humana
Humana Inc. is committed to putting health first – for our teammates, our customers, and our company. Through our Humana insurance services, and our CenterWell health care services, we make it easier for the millions of people we serve to achieve their best health – delivering the care and service they need, when they need it. These efforts are leading to a better quality of life for people with Medicare, Medicaid, families, individuals, military service personnel, and communities at large. Learn more about what we offer at Humana.com and at CenterWell.com. 

SOURCE CINQCARE

On This World AIDS DAY, Montefiore Shares How New York State and New York City Departments of Health Funding Will Bring More Prevention & Treatment Options to the Bronx

BRONX, N.Y. /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Montefiore AIDS Center, one of the largest HIV prevention and treatment programs in New York State, has been awarded $6.8 million in New York State and New York City Departments of Health funding to amplify its already robust prevention and treatment program for Bronx adults and youth over the next five years. The three grants secured since last World AIDS Day, are all focused on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) including the LGBTQ+ community.

One in four new HIV diagnoses in New York City happens in the Bronx. Most of the individuals impacted by this virus identify as Black or Hispanic and are under 40 years old.

“We have made tremendous strides in addressing HIV and AIDS. But since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, communities of color and people who identify as LGBTQ+ remain at higher risk and unacceptable disparities remain,” said Barry Zingman, M.D., the principal investigator at Montefiore for all three grants and Medical Director of the Montefiore AIDS Center. “The funding from New York State and City allows us to expand services, and enhance our team with more counselors, patient educators and mental health support to ensure our patients obtain the comprehensive care required to meet their medical and psychosocial needs, both to optimally treat those living with HIV and to prevent it in people who are at higher risk. Importantly, the new funding also enables us to increase services that will help us to identify and address barriers to care like lack of healthy food, unhealthy living conditions and unstable housing.”

The three grants include:

1. Advancing Health Equity through Comprehensive Community-Based HIV Ambulatory Care Services: Component A, Retention and Adherence Program (for The Center for Positive Living/ID Clinic): focuses on both newly diagnosed patients and those who were previously diagnosed who are on antiretroviral therapy that has failed to suppress their viral load (associated with decreased survival and increased HIV transmission). The goal is to help these individuals, particularly people who have been impacted by racial discrimination, trauma and stigma, tackle a range of challenges related to health disparities like limited English proficiency, educational and transportation barriers. By addressing these challenges, the goal is to help people consistently access comprehensive care and maximize opportunities for viral load suppression, which in turn leads most to a long, healthy life with HIV and prevents transmission of the virus to others.  
2. Advancing Health Equity through Comprehensive Community-Based HIV Ambulatory Care Services: Component B, Centers for Young Adults (for The Oval Center at Montefiore): enables Montefiore to provide 13–29-year-old BIPOC LGBTQ+ Bronx patients living with HIV, with comprehensive primary, HIV and mental health care. The goal of the program is to have Montefiore’s multidisciplinary staff, consisting of infectious disease specialists, outreach specialists, social workers, peer navigators, patient educators and more to assist historically underserved patients in improving self-management of their HIV disease. Montefiore will also help this population with addressing challenges like lack of medication, difficulty adhering to medical appointments, food insecurity and feelings of isolation and depression.
3. 24-PHC-165P for PlaySure Network 2.0 in Health Care Settings: a high performing site since the start of this funding in 2022, Montefiore earned more funding in 2023 to increase screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, and to improve access to medicines like PrEP and PEP (pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis) that prevent HIV. There is a continued focus on the impact of housing, transportation and education. Funding also supported activities to address MPOX (formerly called “monkeypox”) which disproportionately affects gay, bi, trans and other men who have sex with men, as well as other racial and ethnic minority groups in New York City. Montefiore has been one of the largest evaluation and treatment site for MPOX in New York State and one of the first to offer MPOX vaccines on-site, ensuring that populations experiencing the greatest health disparities in the region do not suffer from lack of vaccine access.

“For more than 20 years, the Montefiore AIDS Center has proudly served the Bronx and surrounding areas, and more recently opened The Jacobs Family Pride Wellness Center (JFPWC) of Montefiore Nyack Hospital, the first LGBTQ+-focused medical center in the Hudson Valley,” continued Dr. Zingman, who is also professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and clinical director, infectious diseases, at the Moses division of Montefiore Health System. “Our experience consistently reinforces the importance of regularly learning from and caring for our communities, particularly people who are stigmatized and might be distrustful and disengaged from the healthcare system. Having these additional funds and support from the State and City will help us make a real difference in people’s lives and we hope will create opportunities to recognize and celebrate our achievements on future World AIDS Days.”

Yesterday, The Oval Center, part of the Montefiore AIDS Center, was awarded a NYS DOH Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award in the HIV category and The Jacobs Family Pride Wellness Center of Montefiore Nyack Hospital was awarded a Commissioner’s Special Recognition Award in the LGBTQ+ category, at New York DOH’s Annual World AIDS Day event.

About Montefiore Health System

Montefiore Health System is one of New York’s premier academic health systems. It is a recognized leader in providing exceptional quality and personalized, accountable care to approximately three million people in communities across the Bronx, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley. It comprises ten hospitals, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, and over two hundred outpatient ambulatory care sites. The advanced clinical and translational research at its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, directly informs patient care and improves outcomes. From the Montefiore-Einstein Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiology and vascular care, pediatrics, and transplantation, to its preeminent school-based health program, Montefiore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system providing coordinated, comprehensive care to patients and their families. For more information, please visit www.montefiore.org. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or view us on Facebook and YouTube.

SOURCE Montefiore Health System