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In the Dark of the Valley Wins Best Feature Documentary at Phoenix Film Festival

On the closing night of the 2021 Phoenix Film Festival, In the Dark of the Valley was presented with the Copper Wing Award for Best Feature Documentary.


In the Dark of the Valley, which has garnered attention in recent weeks following supportive tweets from Mark Ruffalo and Kim Kardashian, screened three times over the course of the festival's final weekend.



Each screening was followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Nicholas Mihm, Derek Smith, and Brandon Smith - as well as mothers-turned-advocates Melissa Bumstead and Lauren Hammersley, who are the leading subjects in the film. The mothers had a clear impact on the Phoenix Film Festival audiences, as the Best Feature Documentary award was followed by a standing ovation for both Melissa and Lauren.


In the Dark of the Valley's next festival appearance will be at the Catalina Film Festival in Southern California where the film can be screened in-person on September 25th at 3:00pm. The film will also be available to stream on CFF's online platform.


More information can be found at www.catalinafilm.org

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