Kya Garwood

Kya Garwood Honored with Prestigious IndieFEST Award

.A Doncaster actress who has featured in hit movies such as The Marvels, Mamma Mia 2 and Paddington 2 has picked up a prestigious prize at a Los Angeles film festival for her latest work.

Kya Garwood, who has also appeared in a string of television shows, saw her film Lucy win an Award of Merit at the IndieFEST Film Awards in California.

 

Directed by French actor and director Bastien Leblanc, the short film is a robust drama set in the South of France—that takes the audience on a journey with its protagonist, Suzan, with Garwood delivering a powerful performance in the lead role.

Kya, who has worked alongside Samuel L Jackson and Brie Larson in The Marvels, has also received recognition from the Brussels Short Film Festival, an Oscar-qualifying festival, where the world premiere of Lucy was held, with the film officially nominated for an International Award.

It has also been selected for the Karachi World Culture Festival, the Zagora Film Festival in Morocco, and the Vesuvio Film Awards, which will be held in Campania, Italy, in December.

The IndieFEST Film Awards recognises film, television, videography, and new media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change.

Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film and television industry.

 In winning an IndieFEST Film Award, Kya joins the ranks of other high-profile winners of this internationally respected award, including 2021 Academy Award winner “If Anything Happens I Love You” by Laura Dern, Will McCormack, and Michael Govier, Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson as the narrator of Love Thy Nature and A Path Appears featuring Oscar-winner George Clooney and Blake Lively.

The list also includes Radical Grace, executive produced by Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon, a searing expose Davids and Goliath by Peabody winner Leon Lee, and Touched with Fire starring Katie Holmes.

 

Rick Prickett, who chairs The IndieFEST Film Awards said: “The IndieFEST is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world, from powerhouse companies to remarkable new talent. The IndieFEST helps set the standard for craft and creativity.

 

“The judges were pleased with the exceptionally high quality of entries. The goal of The IndieFEST Film Awards is to help winners achieve the recognition they deserve.”

 

In 2018, Kya landed a role in smash-hit Abba musical movie Mamma Mia 2, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood greats such as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Cher during filming.

 

She also appeared as a stand-in for actresses Lily James and Amanda Seyfried and has previously worked with Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman and Helen Mirren on some of the world’s glitziest film sets.

 

A former Miss Sheffield, Kya, who originally went by the name Julie Ann Melvin, kicked off her glittering showbiz career when she worked alongside Batman’s Catwoman star Michelle Pfeiffer on 2007 movie I Could Never Be Your Woman.

 

Kya said: “When I was 18, I came to London to study drama but ended up getting homesick so I came back up north. I ended up winning the Miss Sheffield beauty pageant and got a job working at Sheffield United as a matchday hostess.

 

“But after a while, I got itchy feet again and headed back to London and decided to go for it.”

 

She has also starred in smash hit ITV show Mr Selfridge and EastEnders.