United Nations Global Wake Up Film festival honors Bullying Documentary "Rats & Bullies" with Impact Film Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Burbank, California, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) January 4, 2012 -- (Chicago) The new documentary film on bullying, “RATS & BULLIES”, was honored by the United Nations Global Wake Up Film Festival in Chicago, where the compelling documentary was awarded the prestigious Festival Directors’ Impact Film Award.

“Rats & Bullies” tells the true story of a 14 year old girl who committed suicide by hanging herself with her dog’s leash due to bullying from three girls at her school. The incident led to a groundbreaking investigation and precedent setting court case, where for the first time in North America, teens were made to stand trial for bullying. The story has been featured on the “Oprah Winfrey Show”, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, and international media.
Regarding the award for “Rats & Bullies”, United Nations Association International Festival Executive Director Roxxy Cooley stated, “I recommend that every middle and high school student screen this film. The data alone in ‘Rats & Bullies’ is impactful with the numbers of children who have committed acts of violence to themselves and others due to bullying.”

Actress Cassidy McMillan, who is the Director/Producer of “Rats & Bullies”, said her company, McMillan Media Filmworks, is working to set up an educational outreach program to get the film to thousands of schools through a fundraising campaign. McMillan commented, “Our production company’s email inbox is overloaded with thousands of requests from teens, middle schools, high schools, universities, youth organizations from across the globe, where they’re wanting to view ‘Rats & Bullies’, as the film not only focuses on the landmark bullycide case, but provides solutions on how to prevent bullying. We’re hoping that through our fundraising campaign we can get this film to as many schools as we can, prior to the film securing worldwide distribution with a distributor, in order to help prevent future teen suicides due to bullying”.
Ms. McMillan is requested to speak at schools and bullying conferences globally, as due to her work with schools, her research on bullying, suicide prevention and talking with thousands of teens at schools, she is now being sought out as a subject matter expert and keynote speaker on the subject of bullying and bullycide prevention.

McMillan commented, “I’m honored to have won this esteemed award from the United Nations’ Global Wake Up Film Festival, as I hope it will help focus more attention on the growing epidemic of bullying and bullycides, as my goal in making ‘Rats & Bullies’ was to prevent more kids from taking their life because of bullying .”
The United Nations Global Wake-Up Film Festival’s mission statement is to educate and enhance public awareness, honor those who have sought to address the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, and showcase works of filmmakers and organizations who seek justice and the end of disparity. United Nations Association Festival Juror and Owner of Animagick Studio, film editor Annamarie Buchanan stated, “I’ve viewed some powerful films, but ‘Rats & Bullies’ had the most powerful impact.”

For more information on the film, one can go to the film’s website: www.RatsAndBullies.com or email RatsAndBullies@gmail.com
The film is listed on Twitter @RatsAndBullies and
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rats-Bullies-Feature-Documentary-Film/129346110416669

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