hit at festivals and continued to screen worldwide from the years 2017, 2018 until early January 2019 when it had its most recent screening at the Dona i Cinema (Women in Film) Festival in Valencia, Spain. The overall response to the film since being released online via Video on Demand by distributor Indie Rights has been largely positive. Ekaj currently holds a 100% critic approval rating on the online review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 16 reviews. Accolades 2016 NY Downtown Urban Arts Film Festival – Best Film 2016 Philadelphia Independent Film Festival – Best Film, Best New-Director, Best Actor 2016 Pembroke Taparelli Arts and Film Festival – Best Film 2016 QCinema Fort Worth Film Festival – Best First Film 2016 I Filmmaker International Film Festival, Spain – Special Mention 2017 Macabre Faire Film Festival – Best Director 2017 Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema – Best Cinematography 2017 Trans* Film Festival Kiel, Germany – Best Film, Best Actor, Best Music Soundtrack 2017 Premios Latino, Spain – Best Film, Best Cinematography 2017 Boom Film Awards, USA – Best Film, Best Supporting Actor 2017 Festival de Cine de Marbella, Spain – Best Film (Blogos de Oro Critics Award), Best Director 2017 Nuevo Cine Andaluz de Casares, Spain – Best Director 2017 Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes, France – Special Mention 2017 Amarcord Chicago Arthouse & TV Video Awards, USA – Best Screenplay 2018 Ibiza Cine Fest, Spain – Best Film 2018 Global Motion Picture Awards, USA – Best Film, Best Editing 2018 Sicily International Film Festival, Italy – Best Film 2018 Hudson Yard Film Festival, USA – Best Film, Best Director 2016 Newark International Film Festival, USA – Best Director, Best Actor – Nominated 2016 International Film Festival Manhattan, USA – Best Actor – Nominated 2016 Chicago BLOW-UP ArtHouse Film Festival, USA – Best Film – Nominated 2017 Macabre Faire Film Festival, USA – Nominations (5) 2016 I Filmmaker International Film Festival, Spain – Best Film – Nominated 2017 2017 Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema – Nominated (7) 2017 Trans* Film Festival Kiel, Germany – Best Song, Best Poster – Nominated 2017 Alternative Film Festival, Toronto, Canada – Best Poster – Nominated Further reading "Director hopes to shine light on struggles of homeless lgbt kids in NYC" – DNAinfo "A groundbreaking exposé of the issues homeless LGBTQ youth face, beautifully told through masterful story crafting" – Huffington Post "Film Programmers Top 5 Latino