WINNERS

MONTH OF AUGUST

Children Of Change

Desperate and anxious about the climate crisis, 16-year-old Joan gets into a fight at school with her friends. To expose with her own body what we’ve done to the planet, she lives-streams herself on instagram while drinking liquid plastic at the burnt woods. But her friends and the forest will teach Joan nature’s true ways.

Best Short Film on Nature & Wildlife (Under 40min) - Directed by Nitzan Levinson

Soiled Shorts

In a city on the brink of destruction, a demonic entity takes the form of a beloved childhood actor who is bent on vengeance towards anyone who doesn’t ask for an autograph. As his plan unfolds, he causes havoc and mayhem wherever he goes. Only one man stands to oppose him, thwart his plans and save the city. Armed with his gun, a dame by his side and his imaginary friend “Teddy the wonder lizard”, he sets out on a journey to defeat the evil that plagues his city and return it to a place of peace and prosperity.

Best Animated Film (Under 40min) - Directed by Giles Sander

Scout 10-5

At 11:40 pm with 20 minutes left on their shift, two Detroit police officers make one last stop. A police officer never knows what stop will be his last. The New Bethel Church Shooting told by the surviving officer Richard Worobec and the aftermath that followed.

Best Documentary ( Over 40min) Directed by David Van Wie

Out of control

Machines and robots take care of almost all human activities. The world is automated, and meaningful individual employment isn't possible anymore. A workforce simply is no longer needed – except for some monitoring activities – and humans are doomed to carry out completely insignificant, absurd and repetitive work. The monotony of everyday life blends with suppressed desires resulting in a conflicting existence between reality and fiction.

Special Jury Award - Bellopropello

Darwin's Fox

Driven by the urge to prove the existence of an extinct creature, a father and his son head off into the wilderness. But soon the search becomes much more personal, when the son suddenly vanishes without a trace.

Best Film(Under 40min) Directed By - Ben Scharf
Best Cinematography - Gabi Kislat

Day of the Clones

In the near future the world lies in ruins. Clones, used as slave labor, have rebelled and destroyed society. The few human survivors take refuge wherever they can. In the aftermath Andrew, his girlfriend Lindsey, and their android protector Kellogg wander through the deserted city until they find shelter in an abandoned farm. Slowly, Andrew begins to rebuild - restoring a generator, repairing a CB radio, fortifying the farm with an electric fence and leaving only to forage for supplies. One by one, he finds other survivors and brings them to the farm – a grizzled soldier and a young pair of freeloaders. Tensions arise when it is revealed that Andrew was one of the original scientists who worked on creating the clones, and that Lindsey is pregnant with a cloned baby. A baby that is growing at a frightening rate. These tensions explode when they receive an offer over the CB radio of a sanctuary nearby. Can they trust the voice on the radio? And will Lindsey’s child prove to be the savior or the destruction of mankind?

Best Film (Over 40min) - Directed by Eric Ian Steele

Electronic City

Electronic City is a modern love story set in the competitive world of Bangalore’s IT industry. The heroine works in software company and she is very innocent and she keeps getting torture in the office by her manager[Villian]. The heroine learns from hero to stand up for herself and strongly believe in self belief in front of manager[Villian].

The love story is indirectly compared with office project. The love story and IT office project goes in parallel in the film.

Main Theme: It is triangle love story and the film aims to showcase the highlight, struggles, successes and daily lives of all IT Software workers in their efforts to unite and organize for better living conditions and social justice. The film deeply connected to and support the fight of all IT software workers around the globe to achieve lives filled with respect for their rights and dignity on the job.

Best Emerging Filmmaker (Over 40min) - Chikkanna Ramakrishnaiah

A Morsel Of Love

An old man’s monotonous days are mostly spent on a house’s rooftop facing an old city. Until he hears a soft voice singing a folk love song and curiously follows the sound.

Best Screenplay (Under 40min) - Helia Behrooz, Sana Norouzbaki

Connie

exploring gender, class, race, sexuality through the life of one extraordinary woman, Connie.

Best LGBTQ+ Film (Over 40 min) -Directed by Ché Walker

Chlore

Some stay in one place for a lifetime, some others keep migrating.
Valérie and her family, in the midst of the Pandemic, are getting ready to move from Greater Toronto Area to Ottawa, which will be her 12th move in 16 years in Canada.
This short docu-drama takes us in Valérie's mind from her decision to leave a house she likes to the beginning of a new chapter.

Best Documentary (Under 40min) - Directed by Valérie Lecomte

Against The Grain

The First Feature Film From Award Winning FilmMaker Greg L. Hines. The film is about three musicians dealing with career, family and all that goes with the pursuit happiness.

Best Film on African Americans, natives & visible minorities (Over 40min) - Directed By Greg L. Hines

On time for the ceremony

A father seeks to demonstrate the love he feels for his daughter in a contemporary México full of violence and corruption.

best Director (Under 40 min) - Sandro Arceo

An Artificial Reef

Embark on a journey with an underwater film that explores the enchanting realm of an Artificial Reef. This sequence takes viewers beneath the ocean's surface, where a hidden world of wonder awaits. Through stunning visuals and immersive storytelling, the film unveils the secrets of this man-made marvel, showcasing the vibrant marine life and ecosystems that call it home. Dive alongside marine biologists and adventurers as they unravel the mysteries of this underwater oasis, shedding light on its ecological significance. Get ready to be captivated by the beauty and intrigue of the Artificial Reef in this unforgettable experience.

Special jury award - Sid Sirkia

Odds

Two very different men find they have a common ground in amazing luck.

Best Emerging Filmmaker(Under 40 min) - Clyde T Bennett