New York – February 12, 2024 – This information is from the Relapsing Polychondritis Foundation Inc. (RP Foundation) with Race for RP.
Talented singer-songwriter Denise Stefanie’s powerful anthem “I Will Fight,” featured in the film The Race of Our Lives, was honored with the Award of Excellence for Original Song by the IMPACT DOCS Awards on February 6, 2024, in La Jolla, California. The piece was written, composed, and performed by Stefanie, a supporter and close collaborator of the RP Foundation and Race for RP, and features additional vocals from longtime Motown artist Philip Ingram and veteran vocalist Lynn Davis. The track is Stefanie’s second musical piece dedicated to raising awareness and research funding for RP, accompanying “All In” which debuted on July 2, 2021.
Director Roy Medawar’s documentary feature also earned an Award of Merit – Special Mention. This latest success marks the film’s sixth film festival award since its release in October 2023.
The follow-up to the pioneering 2015 documentary RP: The Ride of My Life continues to be screened at festivals, bringing greater awareness about the rare autoimmune disease relapsing polychondritis (RP) to audiences everywhere and shares RP patient and Foundation Chair Nancy Linn’s story about going from patient to advocate to movement maker. The Race of Our Lives features family members, friends, fellow patients with RP, advocates, ambassadors, clinicians, and researchers who supported the establishment of collaborative research programs at renowned institutions across the country, including the National Institutes of Health, Allegheny Health Network Autoimmunity Institute, Penn RP Program at the University of Pennsylvania, New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and sheds light on advancements in RP and autoimmune research currently being made through the direct support of the RP Foundation and its fundraising vehicle, Race for RP.
The Race of Our Lives has won awards for Best Director – Documentary Feature at the Culver City Film Festival, Special Mention at the IndieFest Film Awards and the Accolade Global Film Competition, and Best Documentary Feature at the Los Angeles Movie Awards and has been selected for screening at additional film festivals across the country in coming months. The documentary is also available for viewing on YouTube: https://youtu.be/S-yiKsctzx0?feature=shared.
The IMPACT DOC Awards is an international awards competition for documentary films attracting both powerhouse industry veterans, including Oscar winning filmmakers and performers, as well as fresh industry talent.
Watch the music video below.
