Nine prize-winning films have been announced two months ahead of screening at the inaugural in 性视界传媒.

鈥淐elebrating Human Resilience鈥� is the theme of the new festival, planned June 15-16 at 性视界传媒 City Hall鈥檚 Centre Stage theatre.

It鈥檚 where 鈥渃inema meets social change鈥� during the two-day gathering, a project of , a charity for queer South Asians and allies in Metro Vancouver.

Festival organizers say 228 films from around the world were entered for awards totalling more than $15,000. Of the nine winning films, six are Canadian-made including three in the categories of Best B.C. Film, Best Canadian Documentary and Best Emerging Filmmaker.

鈥� RELATED: 鈥楿plift our world鈥�: 性视界传媒鈥檚 new Sundar film fest to award $15K in prizes next June.

The other prize winners, from the U.S. and U.K., 鈥渃ontribute to the rich tapestry of storytelling, ensuring an unforgettable cinematic experience,鈥� festival organizers say in an April 2 news release posted on .

鈥淎midst a world filled with challenges, one enduring truth stands out: the unwavering spirit of human resilience. Our award-winning films encapsulate this essence, portraying narratives where hope triumphs over adversity. As we embark on our very first festival year, we find inspiration in this enduring trait of humanity, a quality that has sustained us for millennia.鈥�

The festival鈥檚 category winners, cash awards and film details:

Best Feature Film, $5,000: 鈥淩osie鈥� (Canada, 2022), directed by Gail Maurice, produced by Gail Maurice, Jamie Manning and M茅lanie Bray. 鈥淭ells the story of a young, orphaned Indigenous girl who is forced to live with her reluctant, street-smart Aunty Fred (Fr茅d茅rique). Rosie is thrust into the fringes of 1980鈥檚 Montr茅al into the care of Fred, who just lost her job, is on the verge of eviction and who looks and sounds nothing like her.鈥�

Best B.C. Film, $1,500: 鈥淒il Rakh: Gloves of Kin鈥� (Canada, 2023), directed and produced by Dalj Brar. 鈥淎fter spending 20 years in prison, an Indian father attempts to reconcile with his estranged son while they battle racism in a small town.鈥�

Best Animation, $1,000: 鈥淯nstoppable Beat鈥� (U.K., 2023), directed by Luke Dye-Montefiore and Rufus Dye-Montefiore, produced by Benjamin Worku-Dix. 鈥淭ells the story of a Haitian migrant in Brazil fighting for his rights to work, buy a house and, most importantly, reunite with his family from Haiti.鈥�

Best Student Film, $500: 鈥淒osh鈥� (U.S., 2023), directed by Radha Mehta, produced by Gabriel Gutierrez. 鈥淲hen her son鈥檚 life is put at risk at their family鈥檚 pre-wedding ritual, a hard-of-hearing mother must decide how to seek help for her husband in order to keep her family safe.鈥�

Best Emerging Filmmaker, $1,000: 鈥淐ash Cows鈥� (Canada, 2023), directed by Shubham Chhabra, produced by Kaileigh Coles. 鈥淔ollow the journey of an Indian immigrant who falls victim to an employment scam. Desperate to secure a permanent residency and a better life, he must confront the true cost of the sacrifices he鈥檚 made.鈥� Prize sponsored by KDocsFF.

Best Short Film, $1,500: 鈥淎 Good Day Will Come鈥� (Canada, 2023), directed by Amir Zargara, produced by Amir Zargara and Iman Tahsin. 鈥淎rash is a professional wrestler with dreams of representing his country and winning gold medals. The country is in turmoil and its people are suffering. Arash must decide between using his platform to stand up to tyranny, or put his head down and remain silent.鈥�

Best Canadian Documentary, $2,500: 鈥淓ternal Spring鈥� (Canada, 2022), directed by Jason Loftus, produced by Jason Loftus, Masha Loftus, Kevin Koo and Yvan Pinard. 鈥淐onfronted with government denunciations and human rights violations against their spiritual practice, a group of Chinese activists executes a bold and perilous plan to hack into state television.鈥� Prize sponsored by Rogers Group of Funds.

Best International Documentary, $2,500: 鈥淪wallow Flying to the South鈥� (U.S., 2022), directed and produced by Mochi Lin. 鈥淪pring 1976, five-year-old Swallow is abandoned at a public boarding preschool in central Beijing. When the persimmons are ripe, Swallow masters how to cry, but doesn鈥檛 forget how to fly.鈥�

Best Environmental Film, $1,500: 鈥淩ematriation鈥� (Canada, 2022) directed by Alexi Liotti, produced by David Kiess and Derek Pedersson. 鈥淓xplores scientific, cultural, economic and sociopolitical perspectives, as citizens fight to protect the last big trees in British Columbia from being felled. The lessons we take away permeate the fabric of Canadian identity.鈥�

Film trailers are posted on .