At the 2025 Cinema Femme Short Film Festival that took place at the Music Box Theatre earlier this summer, filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist Lauren Melinda was honored as the first recipient of the Chaz Ebert Phenomenal Person in Film Award. The award recognizes filmmakers whose work embodies empathy, compassion, and a commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices, values central both to Cinema Femme and to Chaz Ebert’s philanthropic vision.
During the ceremony, Sonia Evans, Vice President of Development at Ebert Digital LLC and daughter of Chaz Ebert, selected Lauren Melinda for the honor, and shared why she chose Lauren and her film “Before You”:
“I chose Lauren Melinda and her film “Before You” because it invites the viewer into a world where forgiveness, empathy, compassion, and kindness are not only present but essential for survival. These principles are woven throughout the film’s emotional arc and are reflected in Lauren’s own artistic mission. Lauren’s work across film photography and mixed media installation serves as a powerful form of advocacy that speaks not only to personal truth, but to shared humanity. For these reasons, I believe Lauren Melinda is the deeply deserving recipient of the 2025 Chaz Ebert Phenomenal Person in Film Award.”
When asked about Evan’s words, Melinda reflected on how deeply they resonated:
“I so appreciate that’s what she saw from the film. And I think that’s always been my goal—to bring humanity to a conversation that’s so politicized and isn’t really seen in that light. For her to reflect that back was incredibly meaningful to me. In all of my work—my artwork, writing, filmmaking—it’s always been about finding the humanity and the connection we share, and creating an open dialogue.”
Melinda emphasized that her art often delves into subjects many people shy away from discussing. “My husband sometimes asks me, why do you talk about things people aren’t supposed to talk about?” she said with a smile. “But the truth is, so many of us live with silence, shame, or guilt. We don’t need to be alone in that. Sharing our own humanity allows others to bring their stories into the light.”
Her film “Before You,” currently screening at festivals nationwide—including at the Alabama School of Fine Arts—has sparked conversations across audiences in unexpected places.
“What surprised me most was how many red states have been playing my film,” she noted. “I expected it to find its home in blue states, where the conversation is maybe more normalized. But actually, most of the festivals have been in very strict abortion states. It’s been fascinating to see how audiences there have received the film and the idea that love and pain can exist together.”
That duality, Melinda explained, is at the heart of “Before You.” “I talk with my daughter about being able to hold two feelings at once. For me, this film is about holding the immense love I had for my daughter who was born alongside the pain and loss of the one who never came to be. Many of us—women, men, parents—have lived with loss. The film is about shifting expectations and opening space for those emotions to coexist.”
About the Award
The Phenomenal Person in Film Award was inspired in 2019, when Chaz Ebert praised Cinema Femme’s Executive Director, Rebecca Martin Fagerholm, as “a phenomenal woman” during a public event. That moment sparked the creation of an award to recognize filmmakers whose work advances empathy, representation, and inclusion.
This year marks the first time the Cinema Femme Film Festival has presented the award under Ebert’s name. Each recipient is interviewed for Cinema Femme Magazine and invited to meet Chaz Ebert, continuing her mission of mentoring and uplifting new voices. Past honorees of the original Phenomenal Person Award have included Veronica Miles, Katrine Weber, Anna Fredrikke Bjerke, Mazdey Snob, Tiffany Tenille, and Claudia Lee.
