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2018-2019 winners
US Feature Film : "This Much" by NATALIYA PADILLA
This Much: Russian mail order bride tries to balance her love life with her rich but morally bankrupt husband and her scruffy yet charming paramour.
Director Biography - NATALIYA PADILLA
Nataliya Padilla (Tishkina) is an Ukrainian director and producer who recently resides and works in Los Angeles, USA. She is highly educated professional gradated with Master Degree from leading filmmaking schools such as New York Film Academy and UCLA
Foreign Feature Film : "Daybreak" by Hiroshi Akabane
Daybreak: Shinichi is an ordinary young man from rural Japan, who travels to Tokyo to begin studying at a university. His brilliance leads to a quick rise and he accepts successful jobs in Tokyo and eventually New York City. Shinichi appears to be an ordinary young man… but one thing makes him unique. Shinichi is directly connected with the divine. He hears messages from above that tell him to return to Japan, and he follows their advice. Once back in Japan, he falls in love with Yoshiko, a popular and kind coworker, and they dream of creating a life together.
Director Biography - Hiroshi Akabane
Hiroshi Akabane was born in Yamanashi in 1951. He is active in directing and producing TV dramas. Debuted as a producer in Maido Osawagase Shimasu. He is famous for Japanese TV series called Great Teacher Onizuka, Kyoshi Binbin Monogatari and other hit dramas in Japan. In 2017, he directed the live-action movie, The World We Live In.
Best Documentary : "Celebrity Entrepreneur"
by Spencer Thornton
Celebrity Entrepreneur: Clint Arthur transforms Experts into Celebrities through personal, professional and spiritual growth experiences at Harvard, West Point, and on TV.
Director - Spencer Thornton
Experimental Film : "The Avant-Gardener" by Lindsay Katt
The Avant Gardener: Distinguishing itself through innovative format, and raw emotion, this "FilmTrack" to Lindsay Katt's new Musical Record "The Avant-Gardener" is tackling new ground on the frontier of artistic visual storytelling/Experimental Film.
Captured through the lens of ten interlocking musical vignettes,
(each produced in a different style of film making) we follow the story of a young Artist’s life, through the trials and challenges of self discovery. We experience this journey through time, space, and her subconscious mind, as we are invited to explore themes of connection, purpose, and the complexity of the human spirit.
Director Biography - Lindsay Katt
Lindsay's inspiration to create Film/Art/Music began as a child in the beauty of the rural Montana mountains where she grew up. Following that inspiration all the way to the surreal grit of New York City, Lindsay has worked there as a painter, performance/recording Artist, Composer, and Film Director, creating work that is both authentic, and deeply thought provoking
Best Short Film : "Virtually" by P. Patrick Hogan
Virtually: A woman struggling to survive alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland discovers a virtual-reality machine and escapes from her loneliness into a scenic virtual world. When she falls in love with a man inside this virtual world, she must choose between her love and her life in this romantic science fiction short film.
Director Biography - P. Patrick Hogan
Originally from the tiny Pacific island of Guam (where America’s day begins), Patrick attended Northwestern University in Chicago and then received his MFA in film and tv production from USC film school. His thesis film "The Business Card" was an award-winning short that had the distinction of being the first student film ever sold to an airline for in-flight entertainment.
Best Actor/Actress : "The Last Chance" by Maryam Pirband
Actor: Kian Kavousi
"The Last Chance" tells the story of a young man who is at risk of losing his job and career due to his passion. Only his skills as a Ping-Pong Player can safe his future and family.
Director Biography - Maryam Pirband
Maryam Pirband is an award winning Director of Iranian descent. Her previous movies include Fermysk and Silence which won awards in the categories Best Film, Best Directing and Best Acting in various Film Festivals.
Best Director : "The Last Taboo" by Emily M. Blake
An ode to Toni Morrison's, "The Bluest Eye," and based on a true story. The Last Taboo explores the themes of colorism and unrequited love through seventeen year old Jonathan, who goes mad after suffering intolerable rejection, humiliation, and pain.
Director Biography - Emily M. Blake
After graduating with a Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism, Emily worked as a Producer and On-Air Talent for a small radio station and then as an Associate Producer for a Detroit area Urban Affairs program while earning a Master's in Communications. Studying film from the perspectives of culture, gender, and national identity, Emily was eager to construct films of her own and moved to New York to pursue independent filmmaking.
Best Trailer : "Last Day On Earth" by Jessica Howell
Story takes place in New York City, where there's a man who intends on taking his own life.
Director Biography - Jessica Howell
Jessica has performed on stage and on screen for most of her life. From working regionally on stage as a young adult from her home state of Florida, to performing in feature films and on television. She acts, writes, directs, and produces film projects with her company Triple Click Productions, which she Co-Founded. She works in both Los Angeles and New York.
2019 Semi-Finalists & Official Selections
"My dream goes all the way to Iran" by Negar Mojtahedi
Semi Finalist
"Awakening" by Andrew Akler
Semi Finalist
The Mirror (ending 1) by Massimiliano Mauceri
Semi Finalist
As We Dig by güldem durmaz
Semi Finalist
Pair Down by Jim Menza
Semi Finalist
9 Yil Sonra by Serdar Muhammedov
Semi Finalist
Rise from the Tide (2019) by Yang Liu and Xu Mingsheng
Official Selection
Shailoo by Mederbek Zhalilov
Official Selection
Best Chance U by Elizabeth Jenny
Official Selection
'A Small Mistake'by William Weinig
Official Selection
Rebuilding History: Three Miles Across The Hudson
Official Selection
National Service by Philip Filimonov
Official Selection
The Perfect Gangster by Andy Deliana
Official Selection
The End Of June by Wayne Stephens
Official Selection
OK by Ajay Varma
Official Selection
Zero Time by Tianyu Ye
Official Selection
Painting with Paul by John Rizzo
Official Selection
Lillian by Johnathan Fernandez
Official Selection
The Host by Orrin Hunter
Official Selection
The mischief makers by Laura Taubman
Official Selection
The Five Dollar Movie by Stephen Paul Wright
Official Selection
Family Day by Ashley Berman
Official Selection
Coffee and a Donut by Cary Patrick Martin
Official Selection
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