Matthew A. Cherry to Receive TV Kids Trendsetter Award

World Screen, in partnership with Reed MIDEM, is holding its sixth annual TV Kids Trendsetter Awards, and this year will honor Oscar-winning filmmaker Matthew A. Cherry.

Cherry, who won an Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film for Hair Love, will participate in a keynote session that will be released Wednesday, October 14, at 6 p.m. CET on MIPCOM Online+. World Screen’s group editorial director, Anna Carugati, will moderate a one-on-one conversation that will focus on Cherry’s passion project, Hair Love, the upcoming Young Love series for HBO Max and serving children in today’s world. The keynote will be available on demand on MIPCOM Online+ until November 17.

Hair Love tells the story of an African American father and his relationship with his young daughter as he struggles and eventually manages to style her hair for the first time. The film’s animation is beautiful and absorbing in its simplicity, the story touching with a moving surprise ending. It offers the perfect viewing experience for kids and families. Cherry also wrote an accompanying picture book, which became a New York Times bestseller.

Cherry is now working on the animated series Young Love for the streaming service HBO Max in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation.

Cherry came to filmmaking in a most unusual way. He played on several NFL teams as a wide receiver. He retired in 2007, wanting to pursue a career in entertainment. He directed music videos, wrote and directed short- and feature-length films and directed episodes of television series, including The Last OG, black-ish and mixed-ish.