The Stockfish Film & Industry Festival in Reykjavík, Iceland, has recently announced the creation of a new award to honor the late local filmmaker Eva Maria Daniels. This award is designed to pay tribute to Daniels' remarkable contributions to the film industry. Daniels, known for producing indie dramas such as What Maisie Knew, Hold the Dark, and Joe Bell, tragically passed away at the age of 43 after battling cancer.
The inaugural Eva Maria Daniels Award for Vital Filmmaking will be presented to a standout producer or director participating in the festival's Shortfish (Sprettfiskur) competition. The award, supported by Daniels' husband, Moritz Diller, and son, Henry, will provide the recipient with 1.5 million Icelandic króna (approximately $11,000) to fund their next project.
The 10th annual Stockfish Film & Industry Festival is scheduled to take place from April 4-14. The festival will feature twenty short films competing in categories such as best short narrative, best short documentary, best music video, and best short experimental. The jury, led by Daniels' longtime producing partner Riva Marker, will carefully evaluate the submissions.
Marker emphasized Daniels' commitment to nurturing undeniable talent and expressed the jury's dedication to upholding her legacy through this award. Daniels, a Reykjavík native, also served as an executive producer for films like Time Out of Mind (2014), The Dinner (2017), and Reality, which featured Sydney Sweeney and premiered at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival.
The film industry has lost a visionary in Eva Maria Daniels, but her impact continues to be felt through initiatives like the Eva Maria Daniels Award for Vital Filmmaking, which aims to support and celebrate emerging storytellers in the spirit of Daniels' own passion for cinema.
