Sheffield short film ’61 HUGS’ has been nominated for two awards – having already enjoyed three newspaper front covers, screenings at the UK’s biggest documentary festival and a surprise feature in America.
Nominated for Best Short Documentary of The Year and Best Free Documentary of The Year at Doc Weekly’s yearly awards, filmmaker CK Goldiing said: “Since 61 HUGS’ release, Sheffield has been its biggest cheerleader. From day one, people couldn’t tell their friends and family about it quick enough. On Facebook, it really took off, quickly attracting thousands of views and hundreds of shares. I can’t thank everyone enough.”
61 HUGS reveals what happened when CK was challenged to leave his home in Walkley and ask the first 61 strangers he encountered for a hug. Filmed in one take, using actual footage from the challenge, every moment is captured as his interactions with strangers deepens, revealing surprising twists.
Securing high-profile screenings at San Diego’s International Mobile Film Festival and Sheffield’s Doc Fest already this year, CK added: “When I received the awards news from Documentary Weekly, I was stunned, but in the best possible way. Let’s not forget, 61 HUGS was produced for under £5. If it wins an award, the first thing I’m going to do is ring the Guinness World Record people – I might qualify for a shoestring award, too.”
