2021-2022
CONGRATULATIONS Everyone.
Here is 2022 Winner, Semi-Finalists and Official Selection List
MHFF 2022
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US Narrative Feature Film
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Winner:
GEORGE M. COHAN TONIGHT!
Director Jon J Peterson
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The spirit of George M. Cohan periodically revisits the stages of his triumphs of over 100 years ago - whether those stages still exist or not - to tell his story.
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Semi Finalists:
The Rest of Your Life
Director Michael Pomeroy
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A recent college graduate in Columbus, Ohio seeks agency when his girlfriend moves away and Corporate America fails to meet his expectations, with the help of his freewheeling co-worker.
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Official Selections:
AntiHeroes
Director Shawn Uebele
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Tomorrow's Game
Trevor Wilson, Jonathan Coria
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Flash Bang
Director Bret Jones
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Foreign Film Category
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Winner:
SWEET DISASTER
Director Laura Lehmus
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SWEET DISASTER tells the story of FRIDA. German-Finnish, painting therapist and 40-y.o. Two events change the usual course of her life. She gets unexpectedly pregnant and FELIX, the father
of her child breaks up with her to re-unite with his ex who is suddenly back. FELIX admits that it is not the best timing, however it does not prevent him from leaving. FRIDA cannot accept FELIX' decision. Although some serious health problems caused by the late pregnancy force her to rest, she tries to get FELIX back with the help of absurd, exaggerated and sometimes absolutely comic actions.
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Semi-Finalists:
THE UGLY TRUTH
Director Krishna Ashu Bhati
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Mona, her husband Theo and daughter Hanna live in an idyllic villa on the outskirts of Berlin. When the attractive 18 years old daughter of a friend comes to visit, the profound problems and fragility of the small family reveal, as a tragic downward spiral takes its inevitable course.
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Official Selections:
October 22
Director Nauwroz Khan
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Eagle Knight
Alejandro Blázquez de Nicolás
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Jambalaia
Director Breno Moreira
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Short Film Category
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Winner:
Der Platz
Director Hunter Whaley
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Stranded in Cold War-era Berlin, a British counterintelligence officer anxiously awaits the day his handlers arrive to collect him. Given no information but a time and a place, he diligently keeps his appointment, watching and waiting for something to happen; even as weeks turn to years . . .
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Semi-Finalists:
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Breakfast at the Bodega
Director Marina Barham
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A talented young Brooklynite/Palestinian-American attempts to live out his dreams of becoming a French pastry chef despite his first-generation father's wishes. Struggling to fill his first big order for a gig, tensions arise when the father forbids him from using their family bodega to cook.
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HomeBound
Director Usher Morgan
Agoraphobia: "extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places, of leaving one's own home, or of being in places from which escape is difficult."
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Director DANIEL MERLOT
A blood thirsty Princess hunts down the last of the Indigo Elders tribe.
She seeks the magical elixir inside his heart that will grant her the powers to reign over the Kingdom for an Eternity!
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Official Selections:
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"HAMZA - The Lion"
Director Chirag Shah
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SOLD
Christopher Thompson
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Old Friends and Other Days
Director Cameron Menzies
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Dajla: cinema and oblivion
Arturo Dueñas Herrero
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Worried about the matches?
Director Angelina Turska
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Damned Are The Lost
Director George Carrillo
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On / Off
Director Nicolas P. Villarreal
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What We Call Love. Red /
Director Dan Silov
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Best Horror Film Category
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Winner:
Gary
Director Michael Rognlie
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Best Comedy Film Category
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Winner:
Paracide
Director Paul Heron
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Best Student Film Category
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Winner:
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Welcome
Directors Yanglu He, Sia Du
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A lonely, poor little girl was invited by mannequins into a luxury clothing store in the midnight. They offer her free accessories, dress, shoes, and seduce her to take more. But the little girl has no idea what price she need to pay later.
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Semi Finalists:
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Perfect Ending
Director YuLun Wu
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At the urging of the editor, the nearly collapsed writer must finish writing his novel within a few hours. However, the truth of it is more complicated.
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Official Selections:
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Stream of Consciousness
Director Jesse Shore
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Just Breathe
Director Gavin Edmonds
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Two Days Along The Ridge
Director Alex Roselli
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Ellie
Director Yuanting (Tina) Luo
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Documentary Film Category
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Winner:
Finding Courage
Director Kay Rubacek
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A former journalist for the Chinese Communist Party (YIFEI WANG), living in exile in San Francisco, struggles to settle into life in America while working to heal her family’s wounds from their tragic past. She is seeking justice for the murder of her sister at the hands of the Chinese authorities. Rare undercover footage of a meeting with the director of the labor camp where Yifei’s sister was killed reveals shocking admissions of torture, slave labor, corruption, and a general disregard for human life pervading the camp system today. Exclusive interviews with former Chinese Communist Party officials provide a unique insight into the hidden world of terror that many Chinese citizens live without ever knowing that life can, and does, exist with freedom outside their world.
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Semi-Finalists:
The Militiaman
Director David Peter Hansen
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In the hills of rural Pennsylvania, the leader of a local militia must prepare his men for the turbulent political landscape of 2020 while at war with his own conscience.
For over ten years, 48-year-old Iraqi War Veteran and machinist Christian Yingling has commanded a troop of private militiamen and women concerned with the government’s infringement on their constitutional rights. The group practices paramilitary drills, stockpiles food and ammo, and attends gun rights rallies in preparation for a doomsday scenario. Now that a worldwide pandemic has hit, followed by a summer of racial injustice protests and a Presidential election like no other, Christian—out of work and nearly out of money—must confront his allegiance and choose to act or not.
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Official Selections:
Team Pierre
Director Pete Koff
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Web Series Category
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Winner:
YouTube Policeman (Pilot)
Director Akaki Sakhelashvili
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Youtube star gets to the police station to the police captain Semyon Malyuga. Trying to figure out the details of the incident, Malyuga is faced with a new reality for him of Internet stars and idiotic challenges. The next day, a video leaked to the network with the interrogation of the YouTube star instantly resonates with his army of fans. Now the life of Captain Malyuga will never be the same again.
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Semi-Finalists:
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DICHOS
Mary Angélica Molina
DICHOS is a comedy web series about Latin American expressions. Because a “saying" in any language never has a literal translation in another, each episode presents absurdist stories that describe their spirit and essence. DICHOS attempts to translate the untranslatable. In the first episode, a soft-spoken woman finally asserts herself before her colleagues.
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The Last Axel
Director Anario Mamedov
“The Last Axel” is the last attempt of the skater Katya to make the most difficult jump both on the ice and in her life. After the mysterious death of her abusive father Katya fights her way to join the team of the best coach to compete in the National Championship. Achieving victory there - is a chance to find freedom for herself and her younger sister.
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Official Selections:
Frapuccino Webserie Season 2
Paul-André Robin, David Trujillo, Barnabé Corsand, Clémentine Odion
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Complete Time Travel Guide
Oliver Mend, Rose of Dolls
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Saturday Night Web Series- Do You Have Teeth?
Director Eylül Berivan Kızılırmak
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DestructoZhanna
Director Maksim Kudymov
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Almost Friends
Director SANZ Y BUENO John
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Best Director Category
Winner:
October 22
Director Nauwroz Khan
The moment he sees her from a distant, he was able to identify that she is the one! The very first love of his life. Memories are rekindled, he remembers the days both used to celebrate their birthdays in primary school (October 22nd). He is so happy to see her again after decades, but not realizing that she is diagnosed with dementia; she is not able to remember her past. Will he be able to make her remember the days they used to be together?
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Semi-Finalists:
Light Of Agartha
Director Ian Vega
Follow The Journey Of Richard E Byrd As He Explores The Great Unknown Lands Of Antarctica To Discover Something Beyond His Imagination.
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Official Selections:
London Gangstah
Director Joseph Karimbeik
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A Polished Soul: A Tale of a Fayettenam Vet
Director Mike Rae Anderson
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ACEDIA
Director George Carrillo
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Best Actor Category
Winner:
ACEDIA
Director George Carrillo
Soraïa Scicchitano Key Cast"SUSANNAH"
After being frozen by his fear of failure, a young man's marriage is pushed to the breaking point. He must either rediscover his own confidence and self-worth, or risk losing everything under the weight of self-doubt
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Semi-Finalists:
A Polished Soul: A Tale of a Fayettenam Vet
Director Mike Rae Anderson
Obba Babatunde Key Cast"David Solomon"
At age 19, Mike Anderson finds himself in jail facing the Death Penalty plus Life plus 60 years. Scared for his life, he ends up taking a Plea Bargain for Life in order to escape execution. Once in Mike finds himself fighting to conquer a system designed to break him down. After pushing through with his law of Attraction he comes home 17 years later only to end up in a situation as the victim as he is forced to tell his story to save a young man's life.
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Official Selections:
Just Breathe
Director Gavin Edmonds
Sebastian MoraKey Cast"David Green"
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Damned Are The Lost
Director George Carrillo
Bruce JimenezKey Cast"Vincent Peralta"
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Best Thriller Category
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Winner:
Dead View
Director Matthew Silva
Dead View is a tragic short film about Karma. Rachael, who is in her 20's, struggles with drug addiction. One day she tries to escape reality and rethink her life choices while waiting for her dealer's arrival. Shortly after contemplating her life, she witnesses what could be a potential assault. Could Rachael be the next victim?
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Best SC-FI Category
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Winner:
M23 - Cargo/ Mechanical
Director Levon Manoukian
Synopsis: Sci-fi futuristic, mature drama with light comedic elements. M23 is a family owned, cargo/ mechanical spaceship. It is operated by Captain Lawrence, a middle aged man struggling with a shaky marriage and numerous on the job conflicts. Ultimately, after significant dramatic events, the ship takes off from its distant green moon-home in order to proceed with its business.
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Best Music/Clip Video Category
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Winner:
"Gaslighted" (Official Music Video by Banjii & Mayuri)
Director Mayuri
Banjii and Mayuri continue their tour of the US for their music video series project, "Uncommon Love Story," in which they film and record music and music videos in different parts of the country. They have currently received 121 global film festival selections for the first two videos of their project including 38 first place titles.
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Semi-Finalists:
EVERYTHING IS EXPLAINED (The Little Brooklyn)
Director Olivier SIMON
"If you follow me, I may escape..."
A man and a woman meet, chase each other, get lost between river and rails. This quest will turn into a dreamy walk from one bridge to the other, and into an aesthetic experience. A dive into the intimacy of a city and a couple. "Everything explains itself... Around us!"
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Original Screenplay/Script Category
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Winner:
Bad Love Tigers
Submitter Kevin Schewe
It is New Year’s Eve, 1974, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the fun-loving and adventurous teens of the Bad Love Gang are ambushed by a Russian KGB agent. This propels them to use the White Hole Project Time Machine to time travel back to World War II. The gang meets with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who guides them on their mission to protect a mysterious alien spaceship and America’s top-secret Area 51.
On their perilous mission, the gang must deal with Russian, Chinese, and Indian espionage forces who stand in their path. Along the way, the gang encounters danger, intrigue, betrayal, and a little romance. Ultimately, the intrepid Bad Love Gang triumphs over their adversaries to protect the alien spaceship and maintain the security of Area 51. It's Stand by Me Meets Raiders of the Lost Ark.
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Jury Special Award
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Winner:
The Out-Fit
Maty Young
When coming out of the thrift store isn't all you do. A new coming-of-age queer film follows Emily, a costume-wearing 25-year-old, on her journey through change, love, and discovering one's self.
Written by Australian, Jessica Rookeward. Our director, writer, DP, composer, and two actresses are Australian.
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MHFF 2022
