(TEANECK, NJ) -- The Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) has named filmmaker Luchina Fisher the first recipient of the Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award, a new annual honor celebrating an exceptional woman whose work reflects the creativity, curiosity, integrity and commitment to social impact that defined Klein's life and her nearly two decades with the festival. The award includes a $1,000 grant. Fisher will receive the inaugural award at the TIFF screening of her film, The Dads, on Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm at Teaneck Cinemas (503 Cedar Lane).
Fisher's work depicts the lives and voices of people and communities often underrepresented on screen, using storytelling to address challenging social issues such as race, gender and identity. Her films reflect both TIFF's mission, "Activism: Making Change," and the values at the heart of the new award.
"Sandi was one of the first to champion my work as a filmmaker," said Fisher. "She understood the power of documentaries to educate, expose and create impact, and she encouraged me to keep going. To return to the Teaneck Festival with The Dads and receive this award is truly a full circle moment."
Klein interviewed Fisher in 2020 for her podcast, Conversations with Creative Women. Later that year, when Fisher's Mama Gloria received TIFF's Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature, Klein sponsored the screening and moderated a conversation with Fisher, the film's subject Gloria Allen, a septuagenarian transgender woman from Chicago and singer Shea Diamond, a transgender activist.
The Dads, Fisher's third feature documentary and the follow-up to her Emmy Award-winning short of the same name, follows a group of fathers supporting their trans and gender-expansive children as they confront an increasingly difficult choice amid the current political landscape: stay and fight or leave the country.
"I remember when I introduced Sandi to Luchina and said, 'You need to know this woman,'" said TIFF Executive Director Jeremy Lentz. "They immediately hit it off. It makes perfect sense for the inaugural recipient to be Luchina. She is a champion of so many of the causes Sandi cared deeply about."
The award was created by Klein's sons, Seth and Matthew, to honor their mother's devotion to TIFF and her lifelong commitment to championing creative women. For nearly two decades, Klein was an integral part of the festival, moderating discussions and interviewing filmmakers. A longtime journalist and anchor at 1010 WINS news radio, she was also the creator and host of the pioneering podcast Conversations with Creative Women. In 2014, TIFF honored Klein with its Women of Wisdom (WOW) Award.
The Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award recognizes women working in film whose work demonstrates creative excellence, powerful storytelling and meaningful social impact, focusing on work that elevates underrepresented voices and encourages dialogue, understanding and positive change.
For more information about The Teaneck International Film Festival and the Sandi Klein Creative Woman in Film Award, visit: https://www.teaneckfilmfestival.org/. The festival will take place November 5-12, 2026.
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