Tania Cypriano received a Finishing Funds award from the Experimental Television Center in 1995 for "Odo Ya! Life with AIDS". This is the affirming story of how Candomble, a Brazilian religion of African origin, has become a source of strength and power in the fight against AIDS in Brazil. Shot in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Bahia, Odo Ya Life With AIDS shows the rituals of Candomblé and the celebration of Carnival. It features the personal struggles and words of wisdom from those whose faith have brought endurance and pride. This beautifully shot documentary puts the epidemic in a cultural context, showing how this joyful religion helps its followers cope with the illness. Best Documentary Award - The Pan African Film Festival - California Special Jury Prize - The Pan African Film & Television Festival of Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso Bronze Apple Award - National Educational Media Network - California Best Documentary Award - Represent the Reel: South Bronx Film & Video Festival - New York Orilaxé Prize for Social Change - Best Documentary Award - Grupo Cultural Afro Reggae - Brazil Public Award for Best Film - The New York African Diaspora Film Festival - New York T‚nia Cypriano has been working between the United States and her native Brazil for over 15 years. Her films and videos have won international awards including Best Documentary at the Joseph Papp's Festival Latino in New York, the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Art Institute Int'l Film Festival, Festival do Cinema de Gramado in Brazil and Fespaco in Burkina Faso. They have also been shown around the world in places such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Jerusalem Film Festival, the Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, Rock in Rio and the Berlin International Film Festival. Her television credits include working on documentaries for PBS, the History Channel, NHK in Japan, GNT in Brazil and Channel 4 in England. T‚nia Cypriano has also been a grant recipient of the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Soros Documentary Fund, The Ford Foundation in Brazil, the Jerome Foundation, Experimental Television, and the National Latino Communication Center. Recently she worked as Line Producer on Lady by the Sea, a one-hour documentary about the Statue of Liberty, written and directed by Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones. She also works on the production for Premiere Brazil! at MoMA, an early showcase of contemporary Brazilian cinema curated by Ilda Santiago and Jytte Jensen.