Matiss Kaza's ONE TICKET, PLEASE Honored At Winter Film Awards International Film Festival

Matiss Kaza's feature-length documentary One Ticket Please was honored at New York City's 7th annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival, taking home the prestigious New York Perspectives Award. This award celebrates the festival film that best showcases the creativity and excitement of New York City - the most New York film at the most New York festival in the greatest city in the world!

The film (2017 from Latvia & United States, 65 mins) tells the story of a quintessentially New York character - a magnetic yet quirky 78-year-old Indian woman in New York who is the world's most passionate theatergoer. Nicki Cochrane has been going to at least one play every day for more than 25 years and sees at least 500 live performances each year. Always taking along her large bags, Nicki is ready to fight for a free seat at any show that's worth her time. The elderly, culture-loving hustler has developed an array of ingenious means by which she acquires free tickets to most New York theaters. When small talk with the box office managers doesn't get her a free ticket, Nicki stands outside the theater entrance, holding a sign which says "One Ticket Please" hoping that a stranger will have an extra ticket to spare. Disliked by theater staff for her behavior, Nicki prides herself on her staunch dedication to the art.

"It was not my intention to judge her," the filmmaker says about his subject. "She is incredibly creative in the way she operates and the way she lives."

The Winter Film Awards international jury raves "The film exposes Ms. Cochrane's harsh past, as well as her current treatment by her family. Is she insane? Maybe. Is she wonderful? Maybe. But will you want to hug this woman and give her a helping hand by the end of the film? Absolutely! Definitely one of the best character-driven docs I've seen. Great storytelling!"

Matiss Kaza is an award-winning Latvian filmmaker, educated at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. His debut documentary feature One Ticket Please has been screened in film festivals around the world, winning several awards. The film was also released theatrically in Latvia. When he's not pursuing theatrical exploits in New York City, Matiss works at Deep Sea Studios, a Production Company which he co-founded in Riga, Latvia, and produces both fiction and documentary films.

At a glittering ceremony Saturday March 3 at the legendary Copacabana Nightclub in NYC, Winter Film Awards was proud to recognize the outstanding achievement of 15 films, and honored Carl Goodman, Executive Director of the Museum of the Moving Image as the 2018 Patron of the Cinema.

About Winter Film Awards

New York City's 7th Annual Winter Film Awards International Film Festival ran February 22-March 3 2018 with a jam-packed lineup of 93 fantastic films in all genres from 31 countries, including Animation, Drama, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, Documentary and Music Video. Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone!

Winter Film Awards is an all volunteer, minority- and women-owned registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 2011 in New York City by a group of filmmakers and enthusiasts. The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the NY State Council on the Arts.

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