We're incredibly honored and humbled that our film, “First Sight: Sonia and Anita,” took top honors for digital and branded content at the Realscreen Awards, presented annually to celebrate excellence in non-fiction and factual entertainment by Realscreen magazine.

“First Sight” was also judged against all entrants as best in cinematography and best in casting talent or subjects.

“We are truly honored to have won multiple awards for this production, one of the first commissioned by our young company,” said Blue Chalk Media founder and CEO Greg Moyer. “It’s our goal to engage the best storytellers to bring compelling, intimate accounts of the human condition to digital media. We’re thankful to have that mission validated by this award.”

“First Sight: Sonia and Anita” tells the heart-wrenching story of rural Indian sisters born blind due to cataracts. The film follows their journey as an Indian doctor gives them the gift of sight after operations paid for by WonderWork, an American philanthropy. The two sisters are among 20 million children and adults worldwide that could have their sight provided or restored with a surgery that costs just $300, according to WonderWork.

To date, “First Sight: Sonia and Anita” is Blue Chalk’s most honored film having received 12 awards including these from Realscreen. Last fall the film won the 2014 Gold Award for Best Short Documentary from the Association of International Broadcasters in London. The video has been played over 4 million times since its first release on the National Geographic website, nationalgeographic.com.

Contributors to the production included Brent Stirton and Robert Wilson, co-directors; Greg Snider, editor; Rob Finch, executive producer; Catherine Yrisarri, producer; Tyler Strickland, music composer; and Drew Jordan, motion graphics.

Since opening its doors for business in November 2013, Blue Chalk Media has completed 65 projects across four continents for clients ranging from media outlets such as The New York Times, National Geographic Creative, and The Weather Channel to corporate clients such as Nike, PepsiCo, and Google Ideas as well as over 100 classroom videos for Discovery Education. Social impact organizations such as WonderWork, Safe Water Network, and the Oregon School Boards Association comprise a growing part of Blue Chalk’s client mix.